Christmas Fun Folds Class

So does it feel like Christmas now that Thanksgiving is over and Black Friday is behind us? I realized a couple of things trying to keep up at Black Friday...one I went out and 8pm and didn't get home till 8:30am. I used to stay up and "party" in college and standing in line for gifts just isn't the same. second I'm no longer in my 20's so it's taking me a little longer to recover. Yes, it was easier when I was younger, lol! But the good  news is I got a TON of shopping completed so I was able to check a lot off my list!

I wanted to take a moment a share my Christmas Card Fun Class that I had in November. With my Classes you will receive detailed instructions, supplies used and a picture for each card so that you can easily recreate them. Here is the first card known as a "Peek-A-Boo" card:

Next we have a "Z Fold" card

This is known as a "Joy Fold" card

Last but not least a "Criss-Cross" Card

As you can see each card required some special folding to complete. We used the same stamp set for all the cards Frosty Friends plus Cherry Cobbler & Gumball Green paper and the Snow Festival DSP. You can find all these products in my online shop.

Thanks for stopping by! Hope you have a great weekend!

It's Beginning to Look...

a lot like Christmas. Even though the weather is beautiful we took the time to try and get some of the Christmas lights up around the house. The weather has been in the upper 60's so even though it doesn't feel like Christmas things are starting to look like it. 

A couple of weeks or so ago, I had an open house to introduce Stampin' Up to my friends. I'm so excited that I joined the SU family - things are going well and I'm looking forward to growing and sharing my passion. I'm finally excited about creating again...New goodies and a GREAT company will do that!

Here is my Make N Take that I had at my Open House. It's inspired by a card I saw on Mary Fish's blog. I LOVE how the stamps and Framelits work together. Makes creating cards oh so easily!

I plan on sharing more pics of my open house but here is how I had the Make N Take station. I was able to help 3 people at one time (if they needed it). I had all the supplies cut and stuffed in an envelope so all they had to do was grab it and they were ready to go.

I kept the card along with the full stamp sets all together. The big shot station was next to the Make N Take station so they could easily cut out their ornament.

Over all the Open House was a great success. Right now we just started a round of Stamp Club. If you are interested in learning more about that or maybe hosting your own Workshop, contact me. I have some dates available! I'm also getting back into teaching at my house. I had a Fun Folds Christmas Card Class earlier this month that turned out really good. If you'd like to receive my newsletter or do a little shopping, be sure to visit my site HERE.

Thanks for stopping by!

Online Extravaganza Starts Today!

Well you still have time as this sale just started today! And there are some DOORBUSTER sales that are only good for 24 hours (hurry...still have a little time)

You can get the Simply Scored Diagonal Plate, the Big Shot Die-Cutting Machine and the Big Shot Doctor's Bag at 20% off TODAY only!!

But there's a lot more in store...to see everything check it out 

http://www.stampinup.com/us/documents/Online_X_flyer_US.pdf

Take advantage of a wonderful sale and get yourself a little Christmas goodies early...you know you've been good this year!

You can shop at my STORE or contact me and I'll get you taken care of! Don't miss out!!

HUGE STAMP SALE - ONE DAY ONLY!

For one day only, you can get 15% off almost every stamp that Stampin' Up Sells! The goal is to sell more stamps in a single day than every before!

Here are the details:

• Starting at 12AM (MT) and ending at 11:50PM (MT) on Monday October 29th only
• All stamps in the current catalogs including
• Background stamps
• Personalized name stamps
• Cookie Press Stamps
• Single-image Stamps
• This does not include
• Hostess Sets
• Bundled Stamp Sets
• Digital Brush Sets

There is no minimum purchase and no limit to the number of stamps you can order.

So how do you take advantage of the sale?  Well you can place your order online at my site www.made4ubymichelle.stampinup.net OR you can call or email me your order. If you do that, please be sure to contact me BEFORE 12pm (CMT) so I have time to get the order in. I have a feeling that the site is going to get hit pretty hard on Monday. I've been told that Stampin' Up has never done anything like this before so how exciting is it to be a part of this! 

I mean who doesn't love a sale?!?! Remember...it's for one day only though!

Thanks for stopping by!

Single Stamps

Stampin' Up! is trying out something NEW!

We're excited to offer you the chance to buy single pieces from these select stamp sets:

• Seasonal Sayings
• Word Play
• Perfectly Penned

The offer will be available NOW through JANUARY 2, 2013.

Here are the details:

• These stamps are available on any order customer, demonstrator, workshop or online.
• These won't be sent to you in our typical cases or packaging; they'll arrive in cello bags. If you'd like a case for your stamp, you can buy our Clear-Mount Stamp Cases that come in packs of 4 (item#119105)
• This offer is available for clear-mount stamps only.
• The stamps won't come with a Clear-Mount Block. You will need to purchase a block separately if you don't already have one. The recommended block sizes can be found on the flyers.
• There is no limit on how many single stamps you can buy!

Remember this is for a limited time so take advantage of it while you can!

Changes...

With the seasons there is always change and I have decided on some changes in my life. I have many changes that have occurred:

Design Teams - I'm  no longer on any design teams. I have been very fortunate to have been a part of some wonderful design teams and I will always be grateful to them. They helped me through some VERY difficult times and was so understanding with my situations. MWAH to you all!

My priorities have changed - Abby is growing so fast and there is so much I want to be a part of with her. I don't want to miss anything! She plays competitive soccer and we seem to have lots of games and practices that we are attending. Plus I'm her Girl Scout Leader and we are trying to get more involved in our community...you know the whole GIVE BACK thing!

Work has changed - I've taken on another class. So I'm working everyday now teaching the Young 3's as well as PreK. I always wanted a large family but God had other plans. Preschool allows me to have TONS of kids in my life. It feels my heart with joy and I am thankful to have another class this year (plus the paycheck is a little better, lol)

Family - my one and only sister has had a baby. We welcomed my nephew, Channing into the world in September. She's a single Mom and I'm going to do all I can to help her. They mean the world to me...I only wish they lived closer!

Crafting - As you know I used to be an Angel Company Demonstrator. After they shut their doors I was devastated and unsure of what I should do. The Design work that I did plus teaching at my LSS has helped that. I miss the interaction with people though. The getting together to share stories, laugh and sometimes cry together, the overall girl time. I need that. I know that now and that is why when looking for what to do next Stampin' Up just called to me. It felt right and it's the next chapter in my life.

As my blog says this is my Creative Journey...I hope you'll continue to join me as I go down my new path... Thank you to my readers and followers for sticking by me even though the last few months I've done hardly any creating. As I figure out how I want to do things I will start to post again...hopefully each week I'll have more and more post. I don't think I'll ever be the girl who posts everyday. I'm just not witty enough to know what to say, lol. But as I get back to card making and scrap booking I will share my creations.

Thanks for stopping by!

Softpencil Halloween with Michu

It's hard to believe I'm making a Halloween Card already! I mean school is just starting for me tomorrow, how can I be thinking about Halloween?! Can someone tell me where the time is going please! It's crazy! I even started thinking about Christmas...arghhhhhhhhhh!

Back to the topic at hand...Halloween. Elizabeth came out with some new Halloween digi's. I am a little partial to kitties since I've got one myself so I grabbed this cute called Michu Flying On A Broomstick.

I found the perfect sketch to use over at Sketch Saturday (#223). Got some new Doodlebug goodies at my LSS so I had to use them as well. Lovin the clean and simple look. Wanted to add some stitching but I kind of waited to work on this late in the evening and then I was afraid that I'd screw up the card...so I just left it alone.

Head on over to Softpencil to see all the new Halloween digi's - now is the time to start working on those Halloween projects. I mean it will be here before you know it!

Thanks for stopping by!

Baby Shower - Lots of Photos!

Well in case you haven't heard I'm finally going to be an Aunt! My one and only sister is going to have a baby...I'm so excited for her and was so thrilled to be able to help throw her a baby shower. 

Shannon, my sister, didn't want to know the sex of the baby. However, she still wanted to have a baby shower BEFORE the baby arrived. I suggested having a GENDER REVEAL shower party. I went with her to one of her doctor appointments and was told what she was having - they even gave me a special sonogram photo (which Shannon didn't know). Shannon then had to give choices for boys and for girls. That way I had something to work with for the shower. She wanted Monkeys or Frogs for a boy so I went to town.

This is what the guests first saw. The frame holds that sonogram picture that Shannon didn't know about. I made the frame to coordinate with her theme.

I'm working on a baby book to document the babies first year so I made the signature page to fit inside her book which is 8x8. That way I can take all the pictures from the shower and make her pages for the book. For some reason my sister doesn't scrap! I'd like for that to change...hoping the baby might help me with it. Especially now since she FINALLY owns a camera!

Since Shannon didn't know what she was having she had to close her eyes as we led her into the room then had her facing this table when she opened them. We then all yelled Congratulations!

I had so much fun making this stuff.

First up is the diaper cake - so easy and oh so cute! I used different receiving blankets to be the "frosting" for each layer. I then made signs using skewers to hold them. A few pipe cleaners help add a little motion.

Next I made a clothes line that held three onsies. I made them out of fabric that coordinated with the shower and my Cricut. I found the tutorial on Pinterest. It was so easy and oh so cool! I can't wait to make more! I can't wait to see Baby Mock in these!

This is the food table - in the center is a fruit baby carriage. Again another idea from Pinterest. Shannon loves Mexican food so she wanted the 7 layer dip. She didn't realize that they'd COVER it with jalapenos. Which I must say she hates...as do a lot of ladies that attended cause there were lots of jalapenos being thrown away, lol!

These are the tables. Each place had a "Wishes for Baby" page and an "Advice for Mommy" page. I loved reading through what everyone wrote. And one of the best ones was Abby's - it was so thoughtful, innocent and lovable. Truly made my heart swell!

This is a close up of the favors. Each guest could take a baby food jar full of jelly bellies home. The little baby is made using a diaper, washcloth and mitten. They are so cute (again, another Pinterest idea).

The favors had either the monkeys or the It's A Boy saying on them. I cut them using my cricut.

Well there you have it - it turned out really cute and Shannon was very happy and surprised! She received many cool gifts and had a great time. That's all we could ask!

Thanks for stopping by! A lot of these projects are pinned on my Pinterest boards under Baby Stuff and Cricut. You can find my boards by clicking on the Pinterest Pin on the right hand side.

Retro Sketches - Feel Better Soon

Hello! I seem to never have enough Feel Better cards so I was excited to color up FEEL BETTER SOON by Mabelle over at Whimsy & Stars Studio. She's so sweet she'll make anyone feel better!

I am digging the sketches over at Retro Sketches and decided to use their latest one (#25) for my creation this week.

I added a little detail by faux stitching with my gel pen and sponging the edges with brown ink. It gives it a little rustic look.

 If you'd like to purchase FEEL BETTER SOON head on over to the Whimsy & Stars Studio Shop. Thanks so much for stopping by!

Sweet Mermaid

Happy Tuesday to ya! I'm trying to get back into a routine now that Abby is back in school. It felt good to get into the 'ol studio to do some creating! I'm here today to show you my newest creation using the new digi SWEET MERMAID from Elizabeth at Softpencil Studios. 

 I had so much fun coloring that purple hair - wish I was brave enough to have purple hair! How fun would that be, lol! I thought the image was perfect for a girls birthday card. I thought I needed a little sparkle so I outlined the stars with my favorite Crystal Stickles. It was just what the card needed.

You can get SWEET MERMAID as well as another image, School Bus over in the Softpencil Studios Shop. Thanks for stopping by!

Amelie to the Beach - Summer Fun!

Happy Friday! Hope things are going well for you - this weekend is my sister's baby shower and I've been so busy making sure I get everything made for it that I haven't had much time for other stuff. I will definitely be sharing pictures (after the shower) as I made some really cute stuff. I gotta tell you Pinterest is awesome! What in the world did we do before it?!?!

I've had this cutie colored up - it's the perfect summer image. It's been so hot this summer that we've definitely been swimming more than usual. Can't say I've been to the beach since I'm smack dab in the middle of the good 'ol USA though.

You can get AMELIE TO THE BEACH over at the Whimsy & Stars Studio Store.

I thought these bright papers were perfect for miss Amelie. So fun! Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have a WONDERFUL weekend!!

Sunny on a Cupcake

 Hello fellow bloggers! How are you? Stopping in with a short post today. Summer is almost over and I'm trying to get all those last minute wants accomplished! Plus I just can't seem to pry myself away from Abby - she's growing so fast and I know one day I won't get as much time with her.

Today I'm showing a new Softpencil image called SUNNY ON A CUPCAKE. It's perfect for those birthday celebrations!

I paired it with some yummy new papers for a quick and cute birthday card. I have quite a few birthdays coming up so someone special will be receiving this one!

Stop by the Softpencil Studio Shop to get SUNNY ON A CUPCAKE and to see all the other fabulous digital stamps!

Thanks for stopping by!

Softpencil Tuesday - Sunny!

Good morning! I hope this finds you doing well...I'm trying to stay cool. We've had one heck of a HOT summer!! 100+ temperatures for days/weeks straight is starting to wear me out!! Plus I now have gotten some stupid summer cold! Oh well - you know who brightens my day? SUNNY of course!! Elizabeth released 3 new sunny images and I decided to use SUNNY AND A BUTTERFLY.

My Mom's birthday is this week so I made this card for her. I know Sunny will make her smile too! Check out the wonderful samples from the design team (their blogs are on my sidebar) and head on over to Softpencil Studios where you can pick up SUNNY AND A BUTTERFLY plus many other wonderful digital stamps for your collection!

Thanks for stopping by!

Cheery Wishes

Have a birthday coming up? Well then this new digi, CHEERY WISHES is just perfect for you! How cute is she? And of course change the colors and it will be a perfect boy bear, too! I added a little Crystal Stickles to give it some bling. Since I'm just getting back into crafting after a 2 month hiatus, I decided to do a little sketch searching. I found this cool sketch over at RETRO SKETCHES...

It was fun to cut out my image instead of just having the "normal" square/rectangle/circle/oval shape I always seem to have. I used October Afternoon, Cakewalk paper. Hexagons are all the rage and I picked up a new Die-namic die at my LSS so I could be hip, lol!

You can pick up Cheery Wishes in Mabelle's Whimsy & Stars Studio Store today. While you are there check out her other new digi, Little Princess.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Softpencil Tuesday - Ratiny's Dad

I've been on a little break and decided it was time to come out of hiding by participating in Elizabeth's new digi release...I'd like you to meet Ratiny's Dad. He looks so good with his wonderful mustache!

One of my favorite sketch blogs is Mojo Monday so I decided to use one (#248) from a couple of weeks ago.

I wanted to make the card for my dad so I used blues, greens and a touch of yellow. Since my Dad has always had a mustache I thought it would perfect for him. Some people are so clever with sayings. Me, unfortunately, not so much. I tried doing a Google Search for mustache quotes but didn't get the fun quirky ones I was hoping for. So I just decided to write this...

You can get Ratiny's Dad in Softpencil Studios Shop.

Thanks so much for stopping by! I'm hoping to get back into crafting. My sister is having her first baby and I've been busy creating things for that as well as a first year album. SO much has been going on with family and I have pictures to share so hopefully later this week I'll get some time to set down and bring you all up to speed :D I have to say I've missed you all...and am looking forward to checking out all the wonderful blogs in blog land!

Hello There! - It's Softpencil Tuesday!

How are you? Thanks for stopping by for another Softpencil Creation. Today I am using some of Elizabeth's fabulous stickers. This is from the CHARMING COLLECTION.  Let me tell you - these were so easy and fun to use! I was even able to add some of my own touches to them. See the little crystals in her hair? Or what about the little white dots? Oh and the glitter on the wings? All those were added by me to the sticker. LOVE making it all mine :D

I used an old sketch from Sweet Sunday Sketch (SSSC157). Since I was using stickers I decided to use one for the greeting as well. Nice to dig in my stash and use some stuff up!

You can see some other Softpencil creations by visiting the DT blogs (located on the right side of the blog) Hope you have a wonderful day - thanks so much for stopping by!

Join us for the Whimsy & Stars Studio Blog Hop!!!

Welcome to the first Whimsy and Stars blog hop!! I'm glad you are here!! If you are joining me from Kathy's blog you are on the right track. If not, you will want to start from the beginning - which is at Mabelle's Blog.

The Design Team has been busy creating beautiful projects with the NEW Spring Release Sets. I decided to use LooLoo Ballerina...isn't she adorable?! I think she's the cutest pig I've ever seen!

Make sure you stop at each blog along the way to check out all the inspiration and don't forget to leave a comment at each stop! Two random lucky readers will win this week's New Released Digi Stamp design!

We would also love it if you played along with us by creating projects with any of the Whimsy and Stars Studio designs. The more you enter the more chances you have at winning the prize. Now if that isn't enough, Mabelle released a new Digi today...meet Amelie to the Beach

 

A.DOR.ABLE...love her!! Now you'll want to hop on over to Tracy's blog.

Thanks for stopping by!

You can link your creation HERE: get the InLinkz code

Softpencil Tuesday - Michu & Ratiny in a Heart

Today I'm back with a Softpencil Creation. Elizabeth has created some wonderful digi stamps perfect for Mother's Day. I decided to use Michu and Ratiny in a Heart. I love how they are peek-a-booing..

I added just a small flower as the image is enough. I used my white gel pen to dot around the pink. Just a few details...

Be sure to visit the other design team blogs to see their wonderful creations!

Thanks for stopping by!!

FBW #200 - Farewell to Flutter By!

Today is a hard one, folks! I mean how do you say good bye that has been a part of your life for so long (I'm talking YEARS!). Today is FBW's 200th challenge...but it's also our last! 

To honor the occasion we have a wonderful sketch by former team member Jen to use:

I know we can use fairies and angels but for the last flutter by I just had to use butterflies...and LOTS of them!!

I didn't have the small die jar from PTI so I just cut some off and made my own. You can't really tell but I put acetate over the jar to give it more of a glassy feel. I didn't add any sparkle (I know?!?! What was I thinking???) but will go back and definitely add that to the butterflies.

Thank you to Danni and the team members for a wonderful design team and challenge blog. So many opportunities and things have happened to be because of it and the support I've received. Thank you to ALL that have joined us in playing along - you have made FBW so successful and something that we will all treasure!

I hope that you'll still stop by to visit as I'll still be creating...keep fluttering friends!