Fun with Masks

Finally! Finally feeling well. Finally the masks are back in stock. I feel like I’ve been waiting FOREVER to share these with you.

Stampin’ Up! has offered masks/stencils frequently over the years. They’re great for creating backgrounds with color and texture. A few weeks ago we even created our own masks at the St Patrick’s Day Retreat and had fun with embossing paste. The Butterflies and Flowers Layering Decorative Masks in the January – June mini catalog offer more, way more than backgrounds. There are 6 masks included and 3 of them are traditional background masks. I used one to create the ombre effect of the Thanks So Much card. The other 3 masks open up endless creativity by offering details in layering. You’ll see in the video how we start with a light color and a more open design and build detail with darker colors and different designs on the mask.

Check out the butterfly details. Notice the detail in the floral images on the other 2 cards. This is 2 step masking, maybe even 3 and 4 step masking. You can keep building like I did today by bringing in the greenery images. I had so much fun making these cards today. I’m not finished. I’ve got another butterfly that I filled with floral images. I can’t wait to share it.

Bad News – Good News

Bad News – These masks are not carrying over to the annual catalog. I only have a limited time to create with them. Good News – I think I might offer a BONUS class with them in May. Is that something you would be interested in? Please let me know your interest by commenting below or emailing me at hello@michelesalchow.com,

The Facebook Live

Thank you for cheering me on today during the live. I am finally feeling well. Talking is still exhausting, but my voice is better. With your help we made the Thinking of You card for my friend, Diane who has just lost her mother. Diane loves purple and will appreciate all our thoughts and prayers during this hard time.

I made the friendship card in January! I’ve been hanging on to it all this time waiting for the masks to come back in stock so I could share them with you. It was my first time using the 2 step layering masks. I’m so glad I saw the tip to use the stamparatus with the masks. I can’t tell you how much it helps to have the strong magnets holding the masks and cardstock in place.

The butterfly card came together quickly after the video ended. I love the bright colors. I did fussy cut the butterfly, but it wasn’t difficult to do.

What’s up next?

I shared quite a few updates in today’s video including the May calendar. It looks different. I’m sorry to change things up on you.

For 6 months I’ve been creating 2 live videos each week. I’ve decided to cut back to just once a week. The goal is to provide even more in the single video and share it in ways that are most beneficial.

I haven’t been supporting my team as much as I would like. I feel strongly that by cutting out 1 video and blog post each week I can present the team with more and better content, support, and coaching. I have a backlog of happy mail to send out, and that makes me very sad. I’m catching up this week! I’m sending happy mail out to those of you who have won drawings for commenting and sharing my videos and my team members are going to get happy mail recognizing all their amazing accomplishments!

Be watching for all the news in a newsletter this weekend. You don’t want to miss BINGO or my BOGO and all the card classes featuring brand new products!

Next Week is BIG

Next week is an exception – it’s an exceptional week. The new Annual Catalog will be live for customer purchases on Tuesday, May 3!! I’m going to broadcast live each day, Monday through Friday, with an introduction to a new bundle or suite from the catalog. The projects will be quick and simple with short blog posts. You will want to catch me live on my YouTube Channel at 9:00 am each day, except Friday. Friday, I”ll be live at 8:00 am instead. Go ahead and subscribe and allow notifications so you won’t miss my broadcasts.

Next week I’ll update you with news from Hardin’s trip. He’s off with his school over 9 hours away! They have very limited use of electronics on the trip. Do I need to tell you how excited he was about that? Thank goodness I can track his phone. He’s probably going to be embarrassed when he finally opens his phone and finds all these texts from me. Maybe he will feel loved. I can’t be the only mom feeling lost.

Thank You!!

Registration ended on Saturday for the Making A Difference for Ukraine event that Jeanne Neilsen, Judy Tuttle, and I offered. You helped us raise over $500! We will be getting your kits prepped and ready this week. Don’t forget our zoom next Thursday, May 5.

The recipe for Diane’s card and the supply list with products used in both cards are below. Please let me know if you have any questions. Happy Stamping.

I would love to hear from you and know what you are creating today. Please drop a comment or email and let me know. hello@michelesalchow.com. If you would like to receive an email with every blog post please complete the form at the bottom of the post.

Stamped Blessings,

Michele