Guess who's hosting the 12 Kits of Occasions?!?!

Yes, friends.  The time has come - I've been so anxious, and nervous, putting my kit together - but had tons of fun, too! 

Our theme for August:
"A Spoonful of Sugar!"

I'm so excited about checking out how my friends at 12 Kits have used what seemed to me a helter-skelter mix of 'ingredients' I've provided for them to make cards that say 'get well' ... here are my cards:

Top of the list - a 'thank you' because it's important to thank people who make you feel better with kindness - and especially those that bring color to your life  - this one's for you, Jeanne - what a generous, sweet girl you are!

Inside sentiment? NO WAY - it's on its way to you, Jeanne!

 



Inside sentiment-  in a Betty Boop kinda voice:

"A kiss always makes it feel betta - a few more, and you'll feel betta than evah!"

 

I used some cute little clear bags to send some of the tiny items in my kit ... what better way to re-purpose one of them?  A perfect place for a stamped and embossed spoon.

 

Inside sentiment:  "It may be in the form of ice cream!"

 

A special little card for my oldest grand-daughter, Anna... who very much earned this extra-special hug, and squeezes:

 

Inside sentiment:  "Some days, we all need an extra hug."

 

The generous Julee Tillman from #Verve gave an oh so generous prize package with their last release .. all it took was an honest comment on a friend's awesome card to win the whole release - thanks  again, Julee!  Here is a card using a few favorites from the package:

 

Inside sentiment: 

"Thank you doesn't seem like enough for all you've done to make me feel better -

so I've 'honey-coated' it... you're the best!"

 

I used Wplus9 'hope' and added a dash of my 'off color' humor - and isn't it about time I used some of those awesome

Heidi Swapp designer papers?:

 

In the interest of decency here, I won't share the inside sentiment - but you get the picture, right?

 

I included a little note with my kit giving the team license to used any, and all, of the materials, stamp sets, and embellishments from their own stash.  They may have thought this little hanger was the Mystery Item, but it isn't!I've used it to create a well-used, old-timey saying using

die-cut letters, and a cute monogram lettering set:

 



 











Are you guys ready for the Mystery Item??!!
 

Because Life isn't always a bowl of cherries!!

These cute little Little B cherries - one of the [many] things I purchased at Impress in Seattle!

Inside sentiment:
"It isn't always a 'bowl of cherries.' 
Sometimes it's just the pits.
I'm so sorry for your loss."

 

That brings me to end of this very long post - sorry about that!  I don't know about you... but I'm RUNNING over to the 12 Kits of Occasions Blog to see what my friends have created!  I can't wait... hope they had fun!

 

Thanks for the visit today - that is always fun for me!

 

=]  Michele

 





 

 

 

 

Colour me... playful & a little Reverse Confetti for CASology!

I really prefer to give each challenge play time of their very own, but today I'm crunching minutes to get a card posted before my husband walks in - and he often walks in early on Friday!!  So... without further ado...

For CASology Week 161: Plaid - and, by golly, I'd eat plaid ice cream, wouldn't you?  Pineapple, orange, vanilla, lime ... sounds great to me!!!  My husband probably would not eat this, but this is his birthday card, so I hope he'll love the sentiment just the same.

Reverse Confetti - a surprise prize!!  #Love and Ice Cream!

and a little Christmas tree from #Branch Out for the cone!

Inside sentiment:  I LOVE you more than life itself!

 

 

For Colour Me playful #86: I've done my best to mix my distress inks to mimic their wonderful colors, and gone quite literal with my card:

 

Pink Paislee Pineapple Embossing folder; Impress Pineapple stamp;

Recollections cardstock collection.  And a bit of distress ink water-coloring after

clear embossing the pineapple.

 

I'll be back with my 12 Kits of Occasion cards on the last day of the month ... hope to see you then!

 

Have a great weekend, everyone!

 

=]  Michele



CAS[E] this Sketch #138

CAS[E] this Sketch has a marvelous leader, Chrissy Larson, who creates marvelous sketches, is as laid back as a leader can be, and loves us in spite of our late posts, last minute emails, without complaint! 

Here is another great example of her creative mind:

Oh Chrissy, you do the things you do so well!

 

Of course, we all want her to know that she can ask any of us for any old thing ... here is my way of saying that...

 

For Chrissy and CTS #138:

 

PTI City Scene, and dies, and City Scene Sentiments - Say that a dozen times in a row!

Stamped with Versafine Black, and SSS Fog and Lavender inks.

[oooh, did you notice that bit of shadow stamping?  Can't believe it worked!]

and a single scrap of my favorite Kelly Purkey Second City DP.

 

Today, would you please take an extra moment, if you haven't already been, to stop by Chrissy's fabulous blog and help me say thanks to Chrissy for keeping us all happily crafting?  I may be a wee bit prejudiced, but I think CTS is the best!

 

Thank you, Chrissy!  YOU Rock!

 

=]  Michele

 



 

 

 



Playing Cards with my friend Michelle - yes, Two Ls!

A few weeks ago I received a sweet little blog-note from my friend, and team-mate at CAS[E] this Sketch, Michelle Williams of Amusing Michelle!  Guess what?  Two Ls, as I fondly call her, invited me to Play Cards!  Yay!

Again, this is how it works:  Michelle got to choose a card from this fabulous card-making world of ours - no problem there.  She has chosen a fantastic card, from a doubly-fantastic card designer:  Kara Vrabel of K & R Designs!  Are you ready to see the challenge card?  Yes, I think so!

Pure delight using some awesome products from Wplus9

and my favorite: a slip of vellum!

 

Now.  This is where the real challenge of Playing Cards comes in ... I didn't have the stamp set Kara used.  Michelle didn't have the stamp set either ... what to do, what to do? 

 

This is where I get the deciding vote ... we each had to choose something from our own stash of supplies to CASE Kara's card!!!   I love it - and it makes the reveal day even more fun. 

 

Enough chit chat already... on with my card. I think you will smile Two Ls - I didn't use flowers at all!

 

I totally went veggie on you, using the Paper Smooches Green Thumb and coordinating dies! 

Kara stamped on white, and actually colored her black background - yes... time to go take another look - I'll wait. 

I die-cut the various veggies from my black panel, and again from Neenah Solar White, which I then colored with Copics* and placed in the appropriate spot on my panel.  The watering can is a stand-in for Kara's darling bouquet, and a cute little Clearly Besotted bow does the trick nicely, I think.  Could there be a cuter sentiment?  Pleases my pun-y little heart, for sure.

And that is that!  Except to say thank you Kara, for inspiring us with your magical card - hope it makes you smile!  [By the way... I've since ordered that amazing Doodle Buds set so don't be surprised when you see it another day! =]

Two Ls, I've loved Playing Cards with you ... thank you so much for the challenge!  I'm running over to see your card ... Wait.  Do I have to run backwards, or forward at an amazing rate of speed?  This time difference just blows my mind - thanks for figuring that out, too!  xoxo

=] One L.

* Big giant hugs to Jean Jachna for those Copics!!!  I liked them, Jean, I really, really did!  =]



 



Winnie & Walter - Day 2

Hello!  Yes, a second day of friendship themed cards with Winnie & Walter!  I'd love it if you have a few moments to visit their blog ... here is an example of what you'll see there:

 

 

Who doesn't need a hug from a friend on occasion, right?

Your visits are a great substitute!

 

Julie & Shay have given me the nicest honor of representing their gorgeous products ... thanks again Winnie & Walter!

 

=]  Michele

Time Out #38

I'm totally taken by these darling glasses in the Time Out #38 inspiration photo this week:

 

The stripes caught my eye, the lifesavers are darling, but I was drawn right in by those cute little silver anchors...  I think you'll know why when you see the cute little anchor from #Hero Arts' Stamp & Cut Anchor, the lifesavers -white heat-embossed- from #SSS Sailing and their Tiny Tag dies.

 

How can a girl go wrong with a striped anchor?

Does anyone need help with the inside sentiment?

I didn't think so.

 

Sorry about the late visit ... we had such a great sleepover with this little munchkin who helped her Grampy watch our first butterfly take its maiden flight!

 

Grampy and Drew

Memories are made of this!

 

Thanks for dropping anchor at my dock today!  Always a pleasure!

 



=]  Michele



ColourQ #304

Seriously.  Who could resist  this darling photo:






Okay, I know Tom would not go for the hose on the door, but isn't it clever and cute?







I was inspired by the colors, the gloves, and the flowers.  Our front door is very nearly this color, but I've always wanted a red door =]  So here it is - for ColourQ #304:

#SSS Tall Flowers die, Love Languages stamps and die.

My little reminder-string represents the hose!

 

Hope you all had a great start to an awesome week!  I'll be back tomorrow morning for Day2 of my Winnie & Walter cards ... thanks in advance, if you have time for a visit!

 

=] Michele

 









AEIHeartUChallenge!

Since our trip to Seattle, and my shopping day with my two wonderful friends, I'm happy to say I now have a few of my very own Avery Elle products to play with - YAY a new-to-me challenge!



Embossing?  Hmmm... I wonder if I have an embossing folder to play with?
=]



I couldn't wait to put ink to A.E.'s Bonjour set.

So! For AEIHeartU's challenge #27:

Lifestyle Crafts e.f. and Die-namics pierced rectangle provide that

certain je ne sais quoi for the heat embossed sentiments.

 

I know those two little cookies would make me feel better - how about you?  And - oh look!  I've used a number!  Which is perfect for the cue at CASology this week!

 

 

 

Thanks for stopping by!  And thanks to Avery Elle for

creating this darling little stamp set!

 

=]  Michele

Second helpings: a Cleaner, and Simpler card for Melissa!

Yes.  You do deserve second helpings, my friend! 

 

Enjoy ever morsel of your birthday, Melissa!

 

=] Michele



Freshly Made Sketches 200th Celebration

My card today has two destinations:  Freshly Made Sketches, and CASology.  Both are celebrating big - and so they should!

Happy 200th to Freshly Made , and 29th to Melissa!

This girl is happy when she gets to use TWO embossing folders in one card!

Add those darling farm animals from MFT's Whole Herd,

and the perfect platform for SSS birthday wishes using

#Reverse Confetti's Love Note.

 

Happiness always!

=] Michele

 



CAS[E] this Sketch #137

Hello my friends!  It is time for a great sketch from N@ Ali and you will smile when you see my card - one can hope, right?

Here is the great sketch from N@ :

   

Cool, right?

 

Ready?  Here is my crazy card ... someone I know just happens to love carrots, and she was on my mind today.  Let's see if this someone will guess it's for her!  =]

 

PTI Carrot from Vegetable Garden; inked up with Distress Orange Marmalade and Delicata Gold.

A new favorite Word from Winnie and Walter cut twice and stamped over in gold; 

Emmit numbers from MFT, die cut from Recollections Gold foiled paper;

and the DP is one from The Neutral Collection from Avery Elle.

 

How will you address the sketch this week?  Our entire team just loves what you display in the CTS gallery each week!  And don't think for a minute that we aren't all taking a peek - comment or no comment - we see what you're doing, and we're loving it!

 

=] Michele



Muse: Christmas Visions - yes. Still playing cards with...

Chriss Blagrave!  And what a gorgeous vision of Christmas Chriss has made to easily be inspired by:

 

I adore the black card base, but decided I'd give it a twist and reverse the colors, as Chriss did on my own Muse card last week!

 

For you, my friend, and Muse ChristmasVisions 15:

 

PTI Chartreuse cardstock; #MFT LJD Jumbo Peek-a-boo die;

SSS Poinsettia dies; Stickles,  a length of gold thread,

and a very old wood-mount stamp - gold embossed.

 

 

A Second hand of Cards - with Chriss Blagrave!

If you think playing cards is fun, you can't imagine what can happen when dealt a second hand!  Chriss chose our fabulous card to CASE from Joni Andaya of Pappell with Love - I adore Joni's cards, and I'm thrilled to be trying my hand at this one:



Isn't it just breath-taking-ly splendid?

Oh boy, you guys know I'm not really good at blending - practice only makes perfectly okay in my case!

Not that I'm in a hurry to see the leaves fall, but Joni's card did bring Fall to mind.

So!  Are you ready, Chriss and Joni?  Here is my Autumn Leaves CASE:

Winnie & Walter Big, Bold, and Seasons; SSS Real Leaves stamps/dies set. 

Various Distress Inks; and Hero Arts White embossing powder.



Oh I do apologize for the ghastly bow!  Some day one of you will give me a lesson on that, and PTI will have the twine I love back in stock!  I've used my final snippet of it here so I couldn't even attempt to make Joni's fantastic little number!  

Joni, I hope you don't mind - in fact we hope you are very pleased - that we've CASE'd your gorgeous card!

Loved that we've played cards once more, Chriss!  Always heaps of fun ... I'm dashing over to your wonderful Botanical Café to see the loveliness I know you've created ...  

is it my turn to shuffle?
=]  Michele

A "Winnie & Walter" day today!

I'm shaking in my card-making boots right now, but also incredibly thankful to Shay and Julie for inviting me to play cards with them.  Isn't that unbelievable? 

If you know anything about me by now, you'll know that I love to use words, and often do - outside, and inside, and in my own quirky way!  Winnie & Walter's "Big, Bold, and..." sets give me the perfect word stamps every time I reach for them!  Now I have a few of their wonderful cutaways - YAY!  So I'll place them front and center this week, and next!

Here is a little sneak peek of one of my cards, where I 'accentuate the positive'  and use W&W words to create a personal sentiment ... [please visit the W&W Blog to see me 'reinvent the negative' =]

Thank you, Shay and Julie, for allowing me to show my favorite ways to use your fabulous products!  SO much fun! 

I do hope you'll like what you'll see over at the W&W blog today, and that your visit will inspire you to use your own Winnie & Walter words today. 

Thank you my friends, as always, for stopping by!
=] Michele

PM to Shona - you are one tough act to follow, my fabulously talented friend!

Time Out #37 - Friendship IS Golden

Oh I have been a naughty girl the last few weeks!  Just playing cards with friends, and being very lax about getting cards made for my favorite challenges!  I'm about to make amends to Time Out, for my time out!

This time around it is an Inspired by Words challenge:

Friendship is Golden!

I could not agree more ... I have a few that I cherish more than gold, or diamonds ... this one is for you, my friends:

 

A totally Lisa Elton inspired design - though she much prefers peas, to carrots =]

 

A kisses and hugs embossed panel sets the stage for

Emmitt  Die-namics numbers from MFT.

and a cute little Delicata gold-tinged carrot from

PTI's Vegetable Garden.

The Friend stamp is a beauty from Wplus9's Spring Post.

I've nearly forgotten that cute little tag-and-a-half from

Pretty Pink Posh!

 

I'm rushing over to post with just a few days to spare ... hmmm what will I do with the other 23 carrots? 

 

=]  Michele

 

 



 



CASology Week159: Aquatic

It's Friday!!! 

For CASology's Aquatic challenge:  Clean, simple, current:

Back to School!

Poppy's Aquarium Fish dies; and a bit of dry embossing.

 

 

  =] Michele

 

 



CAS[E] this Sketch #136

Do you ever 'over think' a sketch?  I do, quite often in fact.  The answer was right in front of my nose, right there on my desk ...

yes, I may have been resting
my weary head for a moment...
but I digress.

Take a look at this fabulous 
sketch from our own Leigh Penner: 

At first I thought about washi tape, then chevrons, but what sentiment?  Hmmm ... bingo!

Another SSS set I hadn't laid
ink on ... in this case Versamark
Ink:

I water-colored from the reverse side of the waves that were simply white-embossed onto vellum, and added the perfect sentiment, to tell a friend that I just couldn't survive the stormy seas of life without her!

Where will your nose, or supplies, take you this week?  Be sure to check out all the lovelies at the CTS blog ... my teamies?  The Best.

My visitors are of the same caliber... thanks!

=] Michele
 

Playing Cards with Barb Ghig and we're CASEing Joyce!

I was thrilled to receive a fun message from Barb Ghig of Barb's Studio Creations last week.  Turns out she enjoyed my Playing Cards with Chriss Blagrave so much that she, too, wanted to play!!

"Playing Cards" is what I fondly call this fabulous craft we all love, and this play-date allows me to make new friends, and get to craft with them - albeit virtually, it's still a blast!

Barb and I fell in love with Joyce Mehrberg's fabulous CASology DT card here:

 

We discovered that, while neither had Joyce's butterfly, we both had the wonderful Flora and Fauna 2 set from Wplus9... Yay!

 

Are you ready Barb?  Here it is:

 

  

So!  I was inspired by the colors - Tombow Dual Brush Pens for me - though they were a bit different in tone, they worked a charm.  I left a bit more white [I may just give them a twinkle of Stickles after our play-date] and did a few free-handed dots.  Of course this whole partial coloring thing is wonderfully highlighted by Joyce's raised panel, so I used a Pierced Circle from MFT for mine - and raised the stakes with a second circle for the bitty baby butterfly.   A sentimental blessing from Wplus9's Spring Post does the trick, I think.



 

 I loved this technique, and actually forgot I'd done something similar, but long ago with this card:

Barb thank you so much for playing cards with me ... so much fun chatting away with you by telephone, too!

Joyce, I hope you're smiling that we've CASE'd your beautiful card!!!  It was just too, too fun... I can't wait another second to see what Barb has done, can you?

Ready.  Set.  Let's go  ... 

=] Michele

Muse #128

Hello my Muse Card Clubbing friends... does it seem like it has been forever since I've visited?  I'm so happy to be back, and hope I can inspire you to craft along with me this week. 

I'm going to challenge you to emboss your little hearts out this time!  Dry emboss that is... yes, embossing folders are still one of my favorite crafty supplies.  By now you've seen me use this fab wood-grain embossing folder many, many times.  Often I add a little ink to it like this.  REally love to emboss the die-cuts like this.  And every once in a while, I can turn a tragedy into an aHa moment - like this!  AND, I cannot lie ... I LOve big DOTS! 

Recollections Silver cardstock;  Limeade PTI cardstock;  Neenah Solar White 110# base and panel.

I Love this Winnie & Walter Cheers Cutaway - one great word, so many uses!  I'm jumping onto the metallic band-wagon with the silver balloon-string, compliments of W&W's The Party set!  With the addition of a slip of vellum for the balloon and its little message-tag? it's a wrap!

Okay, my friends.  Are you ready?  I want you to pull out your favorite embossing folder, or two, and show me what you've got, and your favorite way to use it ... I'm always in the market for one I haven't seen [purchased] yet.  OH!!  Wait!  Have you noticed?  NO stamping - except for the sentiment!!

See you in the Muse gallery!!!  Always a pleasure ... ready, set, emboss!

=] Michele

Musn't forget our Muse

Joan Bardee is a fabulous Muse, and this week's inspiration is a charmer:

Lovely!

 

This is the perfect opportunity to use just a few of the abundance of goodies I won from Verve recently!  You know I cannot resist a die cut, right?

 

For you, sweet generous Julee, to say thanks, and Joan for Muse #127:

 

Sentiment from Verve's Floral Notes; Die cut fronds from their Butterfly Dreams Cut Above Dies.

M.E. bow; and the tiniest bloom from BasicGrey Crumpets & a little heart snippet.

 

See you in the gallery!