Simply Sparkling STTC Guest Designer CASE

 Last week, Stampin Through the Catalog had Maheswari Rajaguru as a guest designer, and I love the card she created (I think you should be able to see it here)!  I particularly love the layout that she used, the rich colors, layering, embossing and splattering!  

I decided to play along, and thought it would be fun to challenge myself to use the Simply Sparkling bundle along with the Drizzling Droplets background stamp and the new Dotted Circles Embossing Folder (available starting May 1st).  I used die cuts to add lots of layers, and then the White Pearlized Enamel Effects to add some sheen to some of the "bubbles" and the straw.  I also used the enamel effects to add 3D centers to the flowers, which are die cut with the Hearts and Hugs dies (available starting May 1st).  

My card base is Lost Lagoon, the long strip along the left side is Pretty Peacock, the bubbles are cut from Pool Party, the half circles behind the soda can are Petunia Pop (cut with the Spotlight on Nature dies), and the "You're Soda-lightful" pieces are Fresh Freesia card stock scrap pieces leftover from die cuts with the Garden Meadows arch die (funny how bits and pieces around my desk influenced how this card came together!  Does that ever happen to you, too?).

I decorated the inside of the card with coordinating pieces:

And, I love how large the new Dotted Circles Embossing Folder is -- you can emboss the whole card base with it!

Here's a little detail view of some of the Pearlized Enamel Effects in the flower centers and for the bubbles:

This reminds me I also added some gems leftover from the December 2023 Paper Pumpkin kit around the card front, too!

I enjoyed this challenge!  Hope you are inspired to give it a try, too.  Please let me know if you do!

- Michelle

Pressing Spring Flowers

Spring has definitely sprung in my area, and there are so many flowers blooming right now.  I've been having fun gathering some of the flowers in my backyard and experimenting with  pressing them into paper on my Stamp, Cut and Emboss Machine.  This is a technique I've done before called duoprinting with chlorophyll. 

Here are some of my backyard flowers:

And, here are some of the papers I've made with them:

If you'd like to try this out, I do have some tips and tricks to share!  Heavy paper like watercolor paper or Thick Basic White or Vanilla works best.  You'll sandwich the blooms between two sheets of paper, and can add a paper towel on the outside of each paper to absorb excess dye that may press out.  Just be careful not to make your sandwich too thick for your machine!

Flowers with pollen filled centers like daisies may need to have part or all of that center removed before pressing for best results.  Also the color that presses out of a flower may not be quite what you expect!

Please let me know if you have other questions about this.  Let me know if you give it a try as well!

- Michelle

Egg Dye Background Cards

 Today's cards are also arguably clean and simple like the ones I showed you yesterday (or there are at least not too many layers on them -- compared to my normal cards anyway!)  

These four cards are all from a piece of Thick Basic White onto which I had dumped the leftover dye from making our Easter eggs.  It took me a while to figure out what to do with the paper I created.  I decided to cut it apart and then stamp different images onto it. 

The first card is stamped with the Simply Zinnias Stamps:

The next card is stamped with images from the Grassy Grove stamp set plus some die cut deer made with the coordinating Grove Dies. 

The third and fourth card have some new 2024-2026 In Colors on them and use sneak peek sets -- Thoughtful Wishes and Spotlight on Nature, respectively.  

Those who are sharp-eyed may have noticed a new color for the card bases, too.  That's the new Basic Beige that will be available starting May 1st!  It is a really nice addition to Stampin' Up!'s Neutrals color family!     

- Michelle

SUper Friends March Clean and Simple Swap Cards

 Happy Sunday!  For our swap last month, the SUper Friends decided to exchange clean and simple cards.   

Jane's elegant creation uses the Softly Sophisticated Bundle.  I love how she embossed the outside of the card, and added a stamped layer inside with the greeting and for a handwritten message.  The coordinating envelope she created is beautiful, too: 

For her stunning card, Jaya chose the Stippled Roses Bundle. with a sophisticated Gray Granite and white color scheme.  The greeting is heat embossed and Jaya added some dry embossed lines for a beautiful effect.  She also added a coordinating stamp inside the card and on the envelope:

Margery's fun card cleverly features the new 2024-2026 In Colors, plus I think the top right square is Lemon Lime Twist!  I love the layout and how she embossed the squares with the Zinnias 3D embossing folder.  The greeting is also from the Simply Zinnia stamp set: 

Cathy's wonderful card is made with Sea of Textures stamps and dies.  I love how Cathy created this ocean scene and added the touches of sparkle in and around it:

Judy's gorgeous card pairs the Quiet Reflection stamp set with the Thoughtful Expressions Dies.  She created a window layer peeking through to the Quiet Reflection image, also has some elegant dry embossed lines, and some sparkly embellishments:  

Kallien's chic card shows off several designs from the Forever Love Specialty Designer Series Paper, including three pieces cut with the Hexagon Punch.  Kallien created her greeting using the Wonderful Thoughts Bundle.  I love the faceted gems she added, too:

I created my card with the Excellent Eggs Bundle, some coloring with Stampin' Blends, plus the Fun Patterns Embossing Folder, Natural Polka Dot Trim, Brushed Brass Butterflies, and Adhesive Backed Hearts and Flowers:

Thanks so much to the SUper Friends for another terrific swap!!!

And, thank you for visiting my blog!  Please let me know if you have any questions about any of these cards or the products used!

- Michelle