Stampin' With Michelle Pepper

Hello! Yes, you read correctly - dies aren't just for die cutting, they can be used to emboss too! That is what I have done using the Embossing Mats that have just been made available in our new catalogue.  It feels like I have a whole lot of new things to play with when in fact I am just using the dies I already have in a new way. What a bonus bargain! These Embossing Mats are a must have item in your toolbox - you won't regret it! So, I knew I wanted to make a card that uses this technique to emboss with dies. I even knew what dies I will use. But then, when it comes to colours - what a dilemma!!!! Do you know that at Stampin' Up! we have 50 colours to choose from (excluding black, white and vanilla)? There are a variety of ways to arrive at a selection of colours to use. In this instance, I got my inspiration from the CAS Colour & Sketch Challenge #275 I really like how well it has turned out - the colours paired with Whisper White ju...

It is the month of June, and that means it is New Annual Catalogue time! With each new catalogue, Stampin' Up! introduces 5 new In Colours that will be available for two years. So, introducing the 2018-2020 In Colours: The making of this "Party Time" Card : 1) Let's make a card that uses all 5 new In Colours 2) Must use at least one stamp set that is New in the Catalogue.  The fabulous Pick A Pennant stamp made the honours :-) I love that cute little bird! 3) This stamp set lends itself nicely to the "Hinge Stamping" Technique that I can showcase with our new positioning tool, the Stamparatus. 4) I just love love love the new Polka Dot Tulle Ribbon and had been jesting that I would probably try to use it in every card I make this year. Can you see how I snuck it in here in this card? 5) I also used sentiments from two returning stamp sets - Picture Perfect Birthday and Happy Birthday Gorgeous. Notice that I haven't used...

Oh dear, I just found this post sitting in the Draft folder...oh well I decided I should post it anyway for enjoyment even though the Celebration Duo embossing folders are retired now.  They are quick and fun cards to make and I am so so happy and tickled pink for the launch of our new annual catalogue!  

I got inspired over at Just Add Ink ! This card was simply quick to make - can you see what inspiration I took out of the picture in the Just Add Ink #410 photo challenge ? There are a lot to take in when you look at the photo - the colours, the garland of tassles, the hello banner, the polka dots, the floral, the steel frame headboard - but what is it that got my attention and formed the starting point for my card design? The bedside unit! Edited to add: Tip - photo taken during the day is much better than at night, haha! I sponged the quadrant of colours on the bottom right of the card using (in clock wise order) Coastal Cabana, Melon Mambo, Daffodil Delight and Grapefruit Grove. The detail on the headboard reminded me of the floral design in the Flourishing Phrases and its coordinating Flourish Thinlits, and I decided it would be perfect to cut that floral design in gold to pick up on the gold "hello" banner in the photo. I would have liked to put so...

Well, there is certainly quite a buzz out there as we all eagerly awaits the new Annual Catalogue launching on the 1 June. Today, however, I want to bring your attention to one of my favourite retiring items - the Sweet Soirée Specialty Designer Series Paper , along with the Sweet Soirée Embellishment Kit.   Stampin' Up! Designer Series Paper (DSP) are almost always double sided which means you have double the choice right? Sometimes, however, it seems sacrilege to put glue on the side you haven't chosen to feature in your card. Particularly, for this set of papers, one side has silver foil accents and I always want to show this side! And then I saw Ronda Wade's idea which just made me giddy as it solved my dilemma. It is such a simple idea I wonder why I never thought it myself - thank you Ronda! So you see these two cards below? The pattern paper on the right card is the other/alternative side of the metallic side I chose to f...

Here's a quick play of some new products from one of the Share What You Love Bundles that is an Early Release of our upcoming new catalogue. The catalogue goes live on 1 June but you can get these products now in May! A bit about the card:  * I love neat and tidy but sometimes I like to throw in a bit of whimsical-ness to my cards. So this sketch is perfect.   * I love adding little details - our new pearlised doilie is an easy choice. I am also infatuated with our new Polka Dot Tulle Ribbon which I am thinking I shall try to sneak in little or big ways in every card I make henceforth! * I started off thinking I will do a monochromatic card featuring the delightful Grapefruit Grove - one of the new 2018-19 In Colours. But I decided a pop of the returning Blackberry Bliss colour (which has made a lot of stampers happy) would add a bit of vibrance to the card. * That stenciled background is from a die cut that comes in the Delightfully Detailed M...

In this post, I get the honour to introduce my friend Donna's work! Donna always tells me she's a scrapbooker and she only makes cards when she comes to my classes. I am so glad she does. Donna is an example of friendship that has blossomed out of a shared love for paper crafting. As happens so often in my experience, customers become firm friends as we do what we love and love what we do - together! Donna loved the Painted with Love Specialty DSP as soon as she laid eyes on the suite and I believe she was very quickly inspired by it and knew exactly how she was going to use it in her double spread. I love how scrapbooking is not just about recording what we do but more than that, it is about telling our stories. Ali Edwards (designer, blogger, author and who inspires me with her passion for preserving memories) says, "we scrapbook because we have something to say, we have something to celebrate, and something to learn about ourselves in the p...

One of my favourite quick gifts to put together is covered notebooks. Transforming the ordinary, school work vibe... ... into these stunning notebooks! I just love the magic of our Stampin' Up! products - all beautifully co-ordinated, making it so easy to make stunning projects like these. The Painted with Love Specialty Designer Series Paper is quite the mix of corals, pinks and purples with gold foil accents - it certainly is quite a polarising mix...do you love it or find it too overwhelming? In small amounts as used in these notebooks, I rather like it!! Now for those who do not like the gold foil accents, no fear - just turn the DSP over and you will see a side of the paper without gold accents. I made a bunch of these as table gifts for my customers who attended the Auckland Extravaganza in March. They informed me they intend to use their notebooks to write in their wish list - what a great idea! And how apt, as Stampin' Up! products...

Hello! What if you can be busy and still make your own greeting cards, adding a bit of YOU in them? I am here to show you how with the Sweet Soiree Memories and More Card Pack. It is a FREE SAB item and includes 72 gorgeous designs cards of varying sizes. Using these, various sentiments from different stamp sets in my stash, Whisper White Cardstock and the wonderful Wood Texture 6x6 DSP pack, I now have a set of 12 greeting cards which will bless my recipients no end! And I have a lot more card designs in the pack left over to make more cards or use in my Memory Keeping Album. Design your own or CASE (crafter's term for copying and sharing everything) my examples. I was inspired by a fellow demonstrator Jackie Aitken who had made 23 designer cards using this pack of Memories and More cards. So far I have 12 designs, and will update you more when I get more cards designed. Enjoy a feast for the eyes below :-) and when you are ready, get thee this lovely and fun Sweet S...

Hello and thanks for checking in today! The CAS (Clean And Simple) - lots of white space The Stepped up version: Now it's your turn :-) How might you have stepped it up?  *** Sale-a-bration time with Stampin' Up!...FREE item for every $110 spend or...hostess benefits for qualifying party sales or...join for $189 and get $285 worth of products of your choice PLUS choose any two additional Free stamp sets up to $210 in value ...ends 31 March 2018. Contact me now! or Click this link http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/michellepepper/promotions ***

The Tabs for Everything stamp set has a whopping 53 photopolymer stamps, with both solid and outline images as well as words in various fonts. It also co-ordinates with our Circle Tab Punch. Stamp the tab dividers and adhere the labeled tab diecut. I have chosen: * Shopping - when you are low on a pantry item - write it down in your shopping list! * To Do - make a card for an upcoming birthday, or perhaps a reminder to enjoy the ordinariness and smile today * Celebrate - my take on this is a little different in that just as we might write lists of things to do, we ought to write down too what we have done well, or simply what we have actually done/made. And also, writing down specific things we are thankful for, it truly helps give us a better perspective on things. Cut and stamp some copy printer paper to insert in between the tabs. I started with ten 3" x 4-1/4" for each tab. It's easy enough to add more as and when needed as these binder rings a...