Twilight Inspired Bookmark

For Christmas, I received the 4th book in my beloved Twilight series. I've been putting off starting the book because I don't want it to be over! I told myself I couldn't start this book until I made a proper bookmark using my new Twilight inspired sets from Artful INKables. I usually use a scrap of paper torn from a piece of mail or something really classy like that. Ha!

The images were stamped, colored, cut out and pieced into place. I choose to use this sentiment as I am still undecided which team I am on. Here is a closeup:

Stamps: Artful INKables Into the Moonlight, Artful INKables Fictionally Inspired
Paper: Basic Black, Real Red, GP 110
Ink: Momento Tuxedo Black
Accessories: Copics, Nesties, Ribbon from Pink Hedgehog, Horizontal slot punch

Enjoy!

Michelle B.

Disco BABY!

OK, so its a really long story about how I got to this but essentially I had 48 hours notice that I was having 14 girls over to my house for a scout meeting last Friday night. I decided to work on the dance badge which included talking about dancing thru the ages. Couldn't skip Disco, right? My kids wanted to make a disco ball so they found a ball in the basement and we used the Scallop Circle Punch to punch silver metallic paper and taped the punches to the ball. We hung the ball from a ceiling fan blade and spun the fan on low. HA! We moved all the furniture out of the living room so the girls had plenty of room to dance. I even led a Congo line. I think the meeting was a success and we'll laugh about this for years to come!

Michelle B.

Drawn or Stamped?

I had started out with a slightly different idea but this project just kind of took on a life of its own. I had intended to use this fabulous tree from FireCracker Designs by Pamela with a red barn (also FCD) in the snow. But I got to stamping in the grays and thought it looked kinda cool so I just ran with it. It reminds me of the pencil sketches my little brother used to do.

There is only ONE color of ink on this project (very odd for me!). I stamped the large tree, the hill, the barn, and the small trees (masking the barn roof to tuck some trees behind). Then came the sponging. I masked and sponged in the shadow of the large tree, some ground for the small trees, a shadow for the barn, and just a bit in my snow drift up front. Hmmm....still needed something so I put a few mountains in the back. Here's how I sponge mountains. I'm laughing at myself because I kept the mask from that tutorial oh so long ago and its the exact one I used on this project! Ha! Lastly, I used my blender pen to add a few shadows under the roof line of the barn, at the base of the tree, etc.

Stamps: FireCracker Designs by Pamela Create-A-Scene, FireCracker Designs by Pamela Scenic Byways
Paper: Papertrey White, Basic Grey
Ink: Going Grey
Accessories: Blender pen

Enjoy!
Michelle B.
"Queen of the Scene"

CIC4 & TESC96 New Stamps in the House!

Just received a package containing some new stamps from Clear Dollar Stamps. So, I had to hurry tonight and make this card for the Clear Dollar Stamps challenge CIC4 this week to use brads. I had the design all planned out in my head...just needed those stamps to arrive! I was able to squeeze 3 new sets onto this one card! The sketch is TESC96 from Taylored Expressions.

I started by embossing the bottom section of the white card base. Next I used a circle Nestie to guide me in stamping the sentiments in a circular arrangement. The brads fit nicely in the space between the embossing and circular stamping. Then I went on to my main image area. I used a torn post it to mask off the snow area. Bashful Blue was brayered on the sky area and a touch of Blue Bayou was brayered on top of that. I sponged Not Quite Navy around the sky edge. The tree was stamped in black and then I stamped the tree again in Soft Sky to create the shadow in the snow. The little bird was stamped, colored with Copics, and white highlights added with a white Prismacolor pencil. I used a blender pen and Soft Sky ink to color in a little shadow for him. I added "snow" to the tree branches with a white gel pen.

Stamps: Clear Dollar Stamps Walk In the Park, Clear Dollar Stamps Deer Wishes, Clear Dollar Stamps Snowman Wishes
Paper: Papertrey White, Bashful Blue
Ink: Soft Sky, Bashful Blue, Blue Bayou, Not Quite Navy, Momento Tuxedo Black
Accessories: Nestie, Snowflakes Embossing Folder, Brads from Mike’s, White gel pen, Copics, White Prismacolor pencil, blender pen

Enjoy!

Michelle B.

"Queen of the Scene"

AI Silhouette Mini Book

It's time for another Artful INKables challenge. This time the challenge is to create a monochromatic card. Hope you'll play along and get your chance to win some AI stamps! Here are the complete details. Now the challenge actually said "card" but I just received a Bind-It-All from my wonderful DH for Christmas and couldn't wait to use it.....so my piece is a mini book.

I started by stamping these lovely flower silhouettes from Plant Prints in just Virsamark onto some Very Vanilla cardstock and embossed them with clear detail embossing powder. Then I brayered Creamy Caramel at an angle from the 2 opposite outer corners almost to the center. Next I brayered Chocoloate Chip at an angle towards the center but left some of the Creamy Caramel showing. I adhered my piece to a chipboard coaster, sponged the edges in black, and bound it into a book with some white pages in the center and a plain brown covered coaster for the back. A few ribbons and .... Ta da!

Stamps: Artful INKables Plant Prints
Paper: Very Vanilla, Chocolate Chip (back), GP 110 (filler pages in book)
Ink: Creamy Caramel, Chocolate Chip, Basic Black
Accessories: Virsamark, Clear detail embossing powder, Bind-It-All & wire, ribbon from Pink Hedgehog, Coasters, corner rounder (for filler pages)

Enjoy!
Michelle B.

Another Christmas Catchup Post

I've been working on lots of projects that I can't wait to show you over the next 2 weeks but for now, you'll have to settle for a catchup post. Every Christmas I give away a few gift cards. Every Christmas I wait til the last minute to figure out how to package them. Ug. When will I learn?!?!

This year, I found a free template from My Time Made Easy for these cute little boxes and also the DP on the center box. You can get yours HERE. PS: Those little boxes are the perfect size for a pack of crayons to fit in....I tested it myself!

The other two boxes are decorated with various colors of pink and blue inks and the Stampin Up Snowfall set. Ribbons are SU and Pink Hedgehog. Brad's from Mike's

Oh, and did you hear? I made the Top Crops over at Taylored Expressions for my Beautiful Mermaid card. Yippee!!!

Enjoy!
Michelle B.

Pretzel Carrier

So, let's begin with the loooooong story of how this project came to be. Months ago, my husband brought drinks home from the local gas station in this carrier. I decided to keep it for a future project.

Then on New Years we went to a party at a friend of my 7 yo son. I had never been past the front door of the house before. When I walked into their kitchen I was blown away. It was decorated in only black and white with accents of silver and the black was mostly in the form of damask prints. It was absolutely gorgeous! Now, I brought chocolate covered pretzel rods to the party and I was thinking I should have altered this drink carrier to put them in but I didn't get that done. Ever since, I've been thinking about the altered pretzel carrier that didn't happen and that gorgeous kitchen.

Today I go to see what the inspiration challenge is over on SCS and I find this piece (again the total black and white thing going on). ALL RIGHT ALREADY! I will go and make the black and white altered pretzel carrier thingee so I can get that thought out of my head. Shew, I feel better now! Ha! I rolled up some gold paper just for the pic to give you an idea of what the pretzels would have looked like in there. I was too late for my party but maybe this idea will work for you in the future!

Stamps: Artful INKables Plant Prints
Paper: Basic Black, GP 110, Silver paper from Mike’s
Ink: Momento Tuxedo Black
Accessories: Scallop Edge Punch

Enjoy!
Michelle B.