Monday, October 30, 2017

Good news!


Guess who's Hopping with Ellen Hutson ... me!!! 
that happens November 5th but
I'll be by IG with sneaky snippets!
@mfergu01


12 Kits of Occasions BOO to YOU!

BOO!  Did that scare you?  no?  Well there wasn't one thing frightening about our Nancy Penir's fab BOO licious BOO to YOU kit, either!  ALL treats, I promise!  Here's a peek:


Okay... grab your pumpkin latte, mulled cider, or spiced tea... I'm so excited to present my cards! 


 

 
 
For Tom...  Inside:  I said corny!


Isn't it just the best coincidence that I emptied that extract bottle?  Perfect, right? 
 
I've fired up my broom... off I go now, and I hope you'll join me, to visit my fellow 12 Kits of Occasions gals for tons of treats, and a few more tricks! 
 
 Thank you Nancy!!!  I had SOOOO much fun with your kit!!
 
=]  Michele



Friday, October 27, 2017

Second Helpings - for CTS #245/88

It's Retro Week at CAS[E] this Sketch ... I had a little Halloween-ish thank you card to make, so I took advantage of Donna's darling Sketch #245/88!

 
 
Inside:
"It's always a treat to share a
BOO-th with you!!!"
 
Thanks for stopping by!  

=]  Michele

Supplies: 
Waffle Flower:  BOO!
a few debossed circles dies from Wplus9, for a bit of crater-making.  
Zig coloring, and a bit of starlight Stickles.
Inside sentiment is all from that silly mind of mine!

Thursday, October 26, 2017

CAS[E] this RETRO Sketch!! #245

It is RETRO week again - we sure hope you're enjoying these little back-to-the-future Sketches ... I know I surely am! 

Take a peek at Donna Mikasa's Sketch #88 from August of 2014!!  If you'd like to see Donna's original card, find it here.


I saw circles, and immediately thought about how I could represent them in a different fashion... here's what I came up with - hope thistle make you smile!


I simple made a mask with a scrap piece of lightweight cardstock, cut my circles with three varying sizes of dies, and stamped within the circles with my Thistle stamps ... that last little circle made the perfect place for my sentiment!

Now, let's go see where Donna took us, after three years, with CTS #245 shall we? 

OH and thanks for the visit ... always makes me...

=]  Michele

Supplies:  Essentials by Ellen:  Thistle, SSS Lavender, and Basil Fresh Ink from Impress.  Circles:  MFT Pierced Circles.

Wednesday, October 25, 2017

PTI Blog Hop October 2017

This spoke to me today:

Blog Hop Inspiration

I pulled out a few PTI sets that I continue to love, even though they are perhaps among the first I purchased:  Autumn Hills, and Winter Hills.

Or the PTI October 2017 Blog Hop:


Hope you find something about it that speaks to you!

=]  Michele

Guest Designer - Color Throwdown #466

Hi my friends!  This is my final post as the Guest Designer for Color Throwdown for October - such a bittersweet post, but the most wonderful inspiration.  Lisa Henke has done it beautifully in eggplant, olive, and rust:


I've never been shy about mentioning my favorite dies.  Lawn Fawn's Stitched Leaves - in both sizes - immediately came into my hands ... hope you NEVER get tired of me using them!

Enter Fall - don't I wish that my trees dropped purple leaves?

The stage was set from a little package full of the most beautiful
wood-grain papers  from my friend Cat Craig.  

The other reason I love these dies is the fact that you can quickly get a forest's worth of leaves with all of those little snippets of gorgeous papers none of us can let go of!

Thanks,  Broni, for inviting me to play cards with you fabulous girls at The Color Throwdown- it was such an honor!

I'll be hopping down the dream-team list - I do hope you'll join me in thanking them for inspiring all of us each week!
 
Amy Rohl
Amy Rysavy
Barbara Anders
Broni Holcombe
Jodi Collins
Lisa Henke our hostess this week!
Lori Tecler
Lynn Put
Vickie Zimmer
Wanda Cullen

Thanks also, to each and every one of you who has stopped by to visit this month, and for leaving all that love I appreciate more than you could ever know!

=]  Michele

Saturday, October 21, 2017

Time Out #94 - take two!

Now, I ask you:  how can you not think Christmas when you look at this photo:


Home Sweet Home' photo challenge
 

No?  You don't see it?  I'm not even sure if the Time Out team will see it!  but here it is, for Time Out #94:



Thanks for sharing a few minutes of your Saturday with me!
=]  Michele

Supplies:  Waffle Flower: The Season - stamps and dies.  Ellentyna Cutting Dies: stars.

Friday, October 20, 2017

Time Out #94

'Home Sweet Home' photo challenge'
 

Time Out's challenge #94 photo was a real stumper for me - but then, I read the post again ... no one mentions pumpkins are required, right?

I've gone a little Ariel with it ... 


Swimming off to their gallery ... thank you for stopping by!

=]  Michele

Supplies: 
Essentials by Ellen: Mermaid's Tail, Otter Ware dies, and Mirror, Mirror die.
GinaMarie Designs: the little sand dollar die, and a little sheet of acetate.

Thursday, October 19, 2017

The Flower Challenge #13

The number 13 has long been a significant one in my life ... this time I hope it works its magic for the WIN!!

The Flower Challenge is celebrating its 1st birthday with its 13th challenge - woo HOO!!  I do love this fabulous group of talented card makers - how could I not play along?


Tom and I were married on the 13th.  It is unbelievable to me how close we are to our 25th!  In honor of my wedding flower I give you my favorite bloom: the lovely Tulip!  Though I carried white, they're so pretty in pink!


Congratulations to The Flower Challenge on their very 1st Birthday!  

=]  Michele

Supplies:  Wplus9 + SSS Humble and Kind set; Pale Rose Bazzill paper from E.H.  Copic coloring [on Bristol paper - who knew?]

CAS[E] this Sketch #244

Chrissy is up to bat as our Sketch artist this week ... I cannot wait to see the card that inspired Sketch #244:


I don't know about you, but I have a stack of new Christmas stamp sets ... this one wanted out of its packaging pretty quickly!


What?  you didn't see a grove of Christmas trees in Chrissy's Sketch?  Turn it sideways and you may get a better idea how my brain works! 

Here's a little close-up of my Delicata silver stamping...


However you flip, or turn our Sketches know that we love them anyway you stamp it!!

Now let's go see Chrissy's card... ready. set. go!  thanks for the visit!

=]  Michele

Supplies:  Essentials by Ellen: Modern Christmas, stamped with Altenew inks: Volcano Lake, Lagoon,  Emerald.  PTI linen cardstock.

Wednesday, October 18, 2017

The Heart Desires Challenge #17

Hi, my friends!  I'm back with my second card for The Heart Desires challenge #17 ... so happy to be their Guest Designer this month!  You've seen their fun mood board, right?


My mind [and who can guess where THAT is going to go?] had an idea based on the witches in the bottles... you may need help deciphering this....

"I heard you had a bottle of white!"
 
... get it?  bell jar=bottle...
ghosts are white?... is this thing on?
 
can you see them now?
 
How about now...
 
It's clear I've lost my touch!!!  I know you'll do better than I did! 
 
Get those cards into the gallery, please!  We can't wait to see your Halloween-y cards... wait. 
 
Thanks go out to The Heart Desires for having me!!!  and to you, who have been kind enough to stop by.  Makes me...
 
=]  Michele

Supplies:
the fabulous Flora & Fauna Glass Dome from The Heart Desires
Odds and ends of Halloween paper from Recollections at Michael's with an extra layer of acetate - you know... for the glass=bottle!!! which I may need right about now!
A few more ghostly goodies from Jeanne - my spookalicious 12 Kits friend!

Color Throwdown - Guest Designer CTD465

Hello again!  I'm back to show you what came to my brain when I took a gander at Jodi Collins spooky-licious  inspiration photo for this week:


Ready, set, go:

TCP BOO Y'all in puddles of Distress Inks on water color paper.
 
You're scared, right?  okay... he isn't very scary, but quite BOO-tiful, don't you think?!
 
That's it for me today... now run by my CTD ghoulfriends' blogs.... they're so nice to invite me to play!
 
Amy Rohl
Amy Rysavy
Barbara Anders
Broni Holcombe
Jodi Collins our hostess this week!
Lisa Henke
Lori Tecler
Lynn Put
Vickie Zimmer
Wanda Cullen

=]  Michele


Tuesday, October 17, 2017

The Cat's Pajamas October Release!

The Cat Pack has been teasing you with lots of inspiration using The Cat's Pajamas October release ... guess what?  It is available today, my friends ... it contains four new stamp sets, and three Cutups!  We're also having a Hop - you should have arrived here from Deborah's blog - but if you'd like to start at the beginning, head to TCP blog.

Shall I give you a few more examples of what you can create with them?  It's my pleasure! 


[It's Christmastime AGAIN already??!!]*
That little Nut Cracker Bunny is from Christmas Dreams  and you are going to crack-up when you read its sentiments!
 
Speaking of... check out Fat Cat Christmas!
 

[Whatever jingles your bells... hope you get it.]
 
[I need those about as much as these antlers.]
 
If you are not into coloring, leave him black and white ... he is just as hilarious!  Here he is with simple Prisma-coloring:


Next up? A few cards made with the gorgeous new Cutable: Holiday Window Duo Dies:


Yes!  a window shaker! and one of the sweet little decorative dies that are included with the Holiday Window Duos set -
also included: holly and berries! 
Anybody else imagine a wreath hanging in this window?

I loved creating an inside-and-outside scene using
the Holiday Window Duos, and Presents die.
That tiny little tag from my snippet bowl was just
the perfect size for the sentiment! 
One more window? just for fun!
 
 Reindeer games, indeed!  somebody let this guy in!
Using the third Cutable from the release:  Rudolph Die

Last but certainly one of my personal favorites from this release - another of those adorable We Three Snowmen:

Just the simplest coloring with Prismacolor pencils
and some extra snow using Clouds & Balloons Cutups
OH and it's reminder time for
see the bit of Wink of Stella I added here and there?
 
Here's the October lineup folks:







WOW that is a ton of information ... here's what to remember:
  1. Shop now at the TCP shop
  2. Play along with TCP Tuesday #340 to win that $50 voucher!!!
  3. Head over to Nancy's blog now - you won't be sorry!
Thanks for stopping, and Hopping!
    =]  Michele
[*any of the sentiments bracketed, are my own]

Thursday, October 12, 2017

CAS[E] this Sketch #243

Donna Mikasa has charmed us once again with her eye for Sketch design!  Take a look at CTS#243:


I think you'll have no problem seeing my take on Donna's Sketch:


I used the Poppy by E.H. United We Flourish collaboration with Altenew.  My "vase" is made by white heat embossing a bit of the set's outline stamp onto a tiny scrap of vellum.  A bit of stenciling took place at the bottom of my card panel, with a simple Copic marker line above.

There is another version of it that I shared on IG last week - sneaky, huh?  I like it, but in the end decided it wasn't as true to the Sketch.  Which do you like best?


Of course we all look forward to YOUR version of our Sketches... let's go see what Donna and the team made, shall we?

Thanks for the visit!
=]  Michele