Coffee Lover's Challenge

Another photo made me swoon this morning ... take a look:

 

Was I right?  Here's where I was taken using Altenew's Ranunculus, and Beautiful Day sets, and Neat n Tangled - Perfect Blend for my cup and saucer:

 

 

I couldn't help but recreate the saucer, and create a little vellum panel, using the line drawn bloom from the set ... my latte was made using that old Versafine pen I neglect, and white embossing powder.  Add a bit of Zig coloring, and my card was done.

 

I don't play cards with those fabulous Coffee Lovers often, but I sure do love their creators, and design team!

 

=]  Michele





12 Kits of Occasions - Snow Day!

If you aren't familiar with the brilliant layering skills of this month's 12 Kits of Occasions host... you are missing something special!  Jeanne Jachna, may I just say:  I did my very best to channel my inner Jeanne, and added a dash of me!

Yes!  It IS the last day of January... where I live, it is a thing to celebrate.  Jeanne's Kit is also something to celebrate... here's a peek:

All of Jeanne's supplies are listed at our 12 Kits of Occasions blog.

I now realize that perhaps my style is CAS because it's quick!  There are a few members of our team who are CAS card-makers, like me, and others who layer just beautifully, so please do visit each and every member, they are sure to please!

But right now?  I'd like to share my cards!

 

I HAD TO sneak in a CAS card!!

 

Just in case you're wondering... here are the Copics I used:

 



Thanks, Jeanne, for your wonderful Kit!  It really was snow much fun!

=]  Michele

Uniko Studio Challenge #45

By now you may have heard my squeals of delight playing with my latest prize:  the Uniko Gerbera Daisies!  I am so happy to now have TWO Uniko sets - thank you, Beverly!  Just in time for their Something Old, Something New challenge!

I had a little fun with Pantone's Color of the Year:  Ultra Violet! 

source

 

 ... and my fun little design 'luck' turned into a design feature today!  Remember that little hole?

Here is Something Old 'new to me' and Something New: the gorgeous Originally Organic - in sentiment form! 

Now.  about that optional love?  everyone knows the old familiar: he loves me, he loves me not!  you can't do that without a daisy now, can you?

Thanks for the visit!  You'll be well sick of me before the week is up!

=]  Michele

 

Inspired By... no. 4: kitchen LOve!

I'm back with a quick post for Inspired By ... no. 4: Kitchen Love!  How could anyone resist this:

I knew just the stamp set to reach for... Altenew Coffee Love! with an assist by Create a Smile's Coffee First - see if you can find the love... but first, a close-up - I've never used patterned paper for a card base!

I started to move my glasses, but then saw the gorgeous blue sky reflected in the lenses - what a delight it was to see today!

You are also delightful to see... any day!

=]  Michele

CAS[E] this Sketch #256

Oh Chrissy... you've done it again!  What a tricky little Sketch designer you are!  Hold onto your hats, folks, and take a peek:

I sat down with my box of patterned paper ... oh you know you have one, too... and way back in the  history of my buying patterned papers, I found these little darlings from American Crafts, Dear Lizzy: 5th & Frolic circa 2012 - remember those?

 

I realized quickly that Julie E's little Artic Pals were the perfect size image to stamp in the polaroid frames!  wait... did you think they came with those?  think again!

 

I've created the 'bulletin board' by debossing a stencil on my card base, and added a few hand-drawn 'pins.'  

 

Hope you'll join us - I really can't wait to see what you'll create using CTS#256!

 

=]  Michele

Time Out GD Reminder time!

I'm back with my reminder card for Time Out's Challenge #101.  It is their 'inspired by words' challenge... these are worth repeating - daily:

I recently won a prize from Uniko ... you all probably own tons of Bev's beautiful products - me?  Not one!  But I have driven 2.5 hours to borrow a set ... you've heard that story, I'm sure. 

The Gerbera set has been on my wish-list for years!  Guess what?  I was lucky twice, because it's often out of stock!  It seemed the right time to use it ... thank you darling Bev!

Inside:

 yes. she loves you! Our life together, should be celebrated daily!

I chose to do another bit of heat embossed stamping on my card base, as I had done on my 1st card - repeating the phrase "celebrate life" - a play on Time Out's inspiring words.

The team and I hope we have inspired you with our cards, and words ... see you in the gallery! 

Thank you to Time Out for the prize, the pleasure of playing cards with your team!  and to you all ... thanks so much for spending a few moments with me today!

=]  Michele

Supporting supplies -  for the embossed words: W&W The Big the Bold and Extras, The Big the Bold and the Happy, In Bloom:  Lola's Bouquet and dies - for those falling petals!  Colored with Prismacolor pencils, embossed onto Toned Gray Sketch paper from Strathmore.

Inspired By ... #3

I admit that I just came off of a weekend FULL of curling up with a pillow ... not near as cute as these from Inspired By: curl up with a pillow, however:

OH how I love these colors ... so did a little sweet slimy friend of mine...

 

Isn't it great that the set came with such perfect stamps to add similar pattern as was in Laurel's fab pillows!? 

Yep. lucky is what I am =]

 

I hope I never need to send this card, but it's good to have on hand for someone who needs a smile, right?! 

=]  Michele

Supplies:  E.H. Snailed It stamps and dies.  Master's Touch water color paper, black and grey Versafine ink, and clear embossing powder, Black Soot, China Blue distress inks, Fossilized Amber Distress Oxide ink.

United We Flourish - Better Together with Hero Arts

I'm happy to be Hopping with a whole flock of fabulous card makers today, as we celebrate another United We Flourish - Better Together set - this time with Hero Arts! 

 

 

There aren't many tropical birds like this at our feeder, but I allowed my imagination color them!

 

 

Okay, so the sentiment is really "stay coo" but, because you know I cannot help myself, I've added a bit of my own humor -

even inside ...

 

 

I'm the 'coo-coo-est' of them all, aren't I?! 

This set, complete with the dies, is available now in the shop at Ellen Hutson, LLC - and guess what?  To celebrate, two randomly selected commenters will win a $30 gift certificate to the Ellen Hutson shop!  To enter just leave a comment on the Ellen Hutson Classroom blog by 12pm PST on January 28^th

Thanks for stopping by today... ready for your next stop? please head over to Michelle Short's blog The Card Grotto because you know she'll work her own brand of magic with this fabulous set...

=]  Michele

Supporting supplies:  MFT Wonky Rectangles, Avery Elle Pierced Circles,  Distress Inks for blending, and Zigs for coloring, Hero Arts Decorative Wood Grain paper.

Freshly Made Sketches #320

If you don't follow Instagram, you may not have seen [or heard my squeal of joy] my first attempt at coloring the glorious Gerberas from Uniko!  Here is where one of those darling blooms was 'planted' - at FMS320!  Kim, thanks for allowing 'any shape!'


All of the outline stamps from the set were stamped in Versamark onto a gorgeous gray toned paper from Strathmore, and heat embossed in white.  Then my inner-Yanna took over ... Prisma-coloring, baby!

After sharing this on IG, I had so many friends give me kudos for this design ... that little hole?  a bit of serendipity if you ask me ... it was already cut out of the snippet of Neenah I used to stamp my sentiment [from E.H.'s Baker Lady].  

I cannot wait to show my next daisy ... but you'll have to wait until next week!  Please come back?

=]  Michele

CAS[E] this Sketch #255

Well, Donna, you cannot imagine how badly I wanted to use that new jingle bell I bought before Christmas ... but I resisted.  Valentine's Day is coming quickly, you know...

I've had this set of Lil' Inker stamps, and die, since last Valentine's, and couldn't resist using this pair of the Lovie Friends here ...

The lighting in my craft studio is mighty gloomy - I'm feeling a need to paint ... maybe.

I'm sure my teammates have painted a gorgeous gallery of cards to inspire you to play cards with Donna's fun CTS #255 ... let's go... thanks for dropping by!

=]  Michele

Supplies:  PTI dotted paper; Michael's Amethyst 12x12 pad; Lil' Inkers Lovie Friends, and Fringed Scalloped Hearts, Copics for coloring on Neenah 110# cardstock.

Ellen Hutson Pin-Sights Challenge: January

It's time for the January Pin-Sights Challenge in The Classroom at Ellen Hutson.  They've chosen this gorgeous photo inspiration to beguile us this month:

After a little swatch-ing of my own, I found the perfect Copic colors to match those Pantone ones!  Starting at the top: BG72, YG93, BV23, BV31, RV93 [skip the next, as I have nothing close] then BV02, and BV04! 

I had a few new Essentials by Ellen products that were so happy to play cards today!  My Celebration Leading Lady, borrowed a brush from the Crafty Lady, and painted those colors in reverse order, for my card!  The new Strands die provided the perfect palette, and shapes similar to those gorgeous pea pods!

 

and just because I love to use every snippet:

 

Up the Happy provided the perfect balloons, and Sock Monkey the words!

See if you can find  the white dot inspiration in the photo  =]

I hope you have been inspired to play along ... a random challenge participant will receive a $50 gift certificate to the Ellen Hutson store.  To be eligible, you MUST use Essentials by Ellen products and the photo badge as inspiration - so simple, right? 

=]  Michele

Guest Designing -Time Out Challenge #101

Thanks to the wonderful team at Time Out, I'm once again Guest Designing ... another wonderful start to 2018!  This time we have another fun quote for their "Inspired by Words" challenge:

I have a darling little gift-bearing-bird to celebrate with... I do hope you enjoy it!

Inside: 

Each day we spend together is a gift I can't wait to 're-gift!'

=]  Michele

Supplies:  Holiday Plaid from PTI, Presents Die from TCP,  the Dove from E.H.'s Bird Shapes, and a little Heidi Swapp circa 2013!!  for the heat embossed, all-over stamping.

The Flower Challenge #16

Spotlight Stamping is the technique The Flower Challenge has called for in their request for #16 ... my friend TaeEun presented this card for her reminder card - it sparked a little stamping this morning - thanks TaeEun!

What I loved about TaeEun's card was the use of a square die for cutting her Spotlighted portion of the image.  I seconded that notion:

Platinum heat embossed onto Bristol paper, this Dahlia from The Ton is one of a few I bought from another card crafter - she left a little mojo inside, right?  The Winnie & Walter tag, and sentiment strip, is from Noelle's Cutaways; a sentiment from Beautiful Lady from Altenew tops it off perfectly.

Thanks TaeEun for the inspiration, and The Flower Challenge for starting our new year off with a fun technique!

=]  Michele

Thank you to The Flower Challenge!

Inspired By: Winter Coziness

There is something wonderfully wintery cozy about the slippers in this Inspired By photo...

... but their color, and that jersey brought my mind right over to football - yeah, I'm as surprised as you might be, because I really don't like football one bit.  I do know a kid that does, and plays, too - though it scares me to death!

Thanks, Laurel, for the perfect inspiration for my grandson's birthday card!

Hope you have a wonderful weekend ...

=]  Michele

Supplies:  E.H. Hinged Alphas, PTI Numbers, MFT Wonky rectangles, a bit more of that gorgeous wood veneer from Barb, and Altenew birthday wishes from Beautiful Lady.

The Card Concept #84

The Card Concept is back!  with a Sweet Inspiration, indeed, for Challenge #84:

Think I could resist this gray and pink?  Nope!  I quickly got out my E.H. UWF Concord & 9th Sweet Sprinkles for the cupcake base, and sentiment.  Then topped it off with my 'icing' flowers - it's not the first time I've done this - nor will it be my last!  Altenew's Beautiful Lady was the perfect choice!

I give you my "Classic playful" [is that a style?] cupcake:

Thanks for hanging out with me again today!  It sprinkles my day with happiness...

=]  Michele

CAS[E] this Sketch #254

Leigh Penner's first Sketch of the year is a beauty... I'm sure you'll agree...

I have been so housebound this Winter - by choice, mind you!  I feel a little like a mushroom ... but Leigh moved me, albeit slowly... at a snail's pace?  Oh you'll get it at a glance...

By now you've groaned a little, no doubt ... but I do hope a smile was rendered, too!

Let's go take a look at what my teamies have to delight us with this week ... thanks for stopping by - I'll see YOU in the gallery, won't I?

=]  Michele

Supplies:  E.H. Snailed it!; frame die from Altenew's Reflection Scrapbook Kit now on sale! Wood veneer paper from my friend, [thanks, Barb!]

Twofer Card Challenge #1

There's a new kid in town, and I'm tickled to be playing along with their maiden challenge!  Congratulations, Darnell, and her fabulous Twofer Card Challenge Design Team!

Feathers!  and how convenient that before Christmas, I bought a beautiful set from Stamplorations, and their wonderful leader, Shery!

So first up:  a card of congratulations:

Next:  an encouragement card that, at times, is so welcomed 'round here... I may just send this one to myself!

 

 

There you have it, my first Twofer - for this challenge at any rate!  I know you will be playing along, too, right?

 

=]  Michele