GraniteStateStamper - Michelle Ide, Stampin' Up! Demonstrator, Laconia, NH

It was supposed to be . . .

. . . a small filling.

I won't be on for the next couple of days.  I went to my dentist appointment this morning to get a small filling and ended up with the tooth broken off below the gum line.  So, I had to have the tooth extracted and 7 stitches to close up my gums.  I've had teeth pulled before but I've never been in this much pain so I'm just gonna rest for a bit and will be back soon.

Thanks for understanding!

~ Michelle

I can't get enough . . .

. . . of using SU! Designer Paper on my cards.

I created this card for Beate's Weekend Sketch Challenge.  When I first looked at the sketch I was a little intimidated.  It is definitely not a design that I would have come up with.  It pushed me out of my comfort zone.

I started by looking through my collection of DP (I'm a hoarder) and when I saw the retired Recollections paper the card just came to me.  It took all of 10 minutes to put it together and the majority of that time was putting the eyelets in.

The base of the card is Mellow Moss and each of the layers of DP are matted onto a piece of Chocolate Chip Cardstock that is 1/8" larger.

The ribbon is 15/16" Chocolate Chip Satin Ribbon.  I've had this ribbon for a long time and this is the first time I've used it.  It is so soft and shimmery!  I will be using it more.

The saying is from Sincere Salutations and is stamped using Basic Brown ink.  After I attached the brads to the this layer I attached it to the card using dimensionals.

This card was so quick and easy and really showcases the beautiful DP.  If you create a card using this layout please leave me a comment and let me know so I can see it.

I'm off to do some laundry and head out to a t-ball game for two of the girls that I watch.

Have a wonderful Saturday and keep stamping!

~ Michelle

Can you belive it too me so long . . .

. . . to pick out this color combo!  lol 

I kept trying to add another color of cardstock to it but when I did it took away from the main image.

The colors are Basic Black and Soft Sky (textured), the stamp set is Thoughts of Father and the layout is from yesterday's Sketch Challenge over on Splitcoaststampers.

The main image is stamped onto Watercolor Paper with VersaMark and then embossed with the Detail Black EP.  I then watercolored the image using my aquapainter and many SU! Ink Re-fills.  The final step was to create a subtle outline around the entire image using Soft Sky to make the image stand out more.  This panel is attached to the card using dimensionals.

The second layer of Soft Sky is also textured cardstock that I stamped with my Weathered background stamp in Soft Sky ink.

The saying is one line of the saying in this stamp set.  I used my Basic Black marker to color only the part I wanted to use, stamped it onto Soft Sky, matted that onto Basic Black and then attached it to the card using dimensionals.  The ribbon is a piece of White Taffeta that I colored using my Basic Black marker.

Have a great day and keep stamping!

~ Michelle

Don't be afraid to . . .

. . . alter your Designer Paper to make it fit your projects.

I the Berry Bliss DP and wanted to use in on this card but the pink with brown dots was the only design that would work with my stamped image and it was just lacking.  So I stamped the small flower image randomly over the paper and then added little white dots with my gel pen.  I really like how it turned out.

The card base is Close to Cocoa with Pretty in Pink layered onto it and then Close to Cocoa with the altered DP layered onto it.

The main image is from the Simply Said stamp set and was stamped with Black StazOn and then colored in using my aquapainter and ink re-fills (Purely Pomegranate and Pretty in Pink).  It's hard to see but if you click on the photo to make it larger you can see that I lightly watercolored around the stems and flowers with pretty in pink.  It makes the image really stand out.

The words were stamped onto a 1/2" strip of Close to Cocoa using VersaMark and embossed using Winter White EP.  I might have stopped right there but I was creating this for MOJO Monday Sketch Challenge #37 so to finish it I added the three small pieces of white grosgrain ribbon and attached them with Aged Copper brads.

Thanks for visiting and I hope you like this card.

Have a wonderful day and keep stamping!

~ Michelle

Don't you just love a challenge . . .

. . . I do!  I used to participate in all of the daily challenges over on Splitcoast but have gotten so busy lately that I only make it onto the site once or twice a week.  I have to get back to them - this was so much fun!

This card for the current "Try a new Technique" Challenge which was to combine embossing with watercoloring.  Truth be told it wasn't a huge challenge since I made a card similar to this for my father-in-law for his birthday recently.  I loved how the card came out but forgot to take pictures of it before I gave it to him.  For this card I used the same colors and the same main image but the layout is different.

This is the same layout that I used for yesterday's Mother's Day card.  The base of the card is Sage Shadow, which is a color that I don't use all that often but it was a coordinating color for the Outlaw DP that I wanted to use.  This was layered with Chocolate Chip and two pieces of DP.

The main image is from the For Father stamp set which is in the current SU! Occasions Mini Catalog.  I stamped it onto Shimmery White with VersaMark and embossed it with Black Detail EP.  I watercolored it with my aquapainter and ink re-fills and then layered it onto Chocolate Chip and attached it to the base using dimensionals.

To complete the card I used wide Chocolate Chip grosgrain ribbon that I has added rub on stitches to and then added three brads.

Have a great day and keep stamping!

~ Michelle

Don't you hate it when . . .

. . . life gets in the way of your stamping time!  lol

Sorry about the long absence, life has been crazy this past month but is finally starting to settle down.  My dh has been having some health issues and the young girl who was staying with us as temporary Foster Child moved out last weekend.  I'm amazed at how quickly she came to be part of the "family" and how hard it was when she moved.   

Now that everything is settling down I've been able to get some stamping time in.  Here is a card that I gave to my mother-in-law for Mother's Day.

I knew that I wanted to use some of my Stampin' Up! Designer Paper that I've been hoarding.  This is Ginger Blossom and it has to be some of my favorite.  The colors are so bright and springy.

The coordinating colors for this paper are River Rock, Ruby Red, Cameo Coral and Groovy Guava.

I used River Rock as my base and then layered Ruby Red, River Rock and two pieced of Ginger Blossom DP on it.  The main image is from the Embrace Life stamp set and is stamped on Whisper White with Black StazOn and then watercolored using  an aquapainter my re-inkers.  I layered this onto River Rock and Ruby Red.  The Ruby Red large scalloped rectangle is actually pieced together from 4 smaller squares.

To complete the card I used double stitched grosgrain ribbon in River Rock and attached the image layers onto the card using dimensionals.  I love dimensionals!!

What is your favorite DP from Stampin' Up! ?  Leave me a comment and let me know.

Have a great day and keep stamping!

~ Michelle