Inspired By #172 - Happy Retirement!

 

Happy Retirement is our theme for IB172!  I'm very fortunate to be retired - I'm even more fortunate not to be stuck on a deserted island like this guy!  

I drew my inspiration from that little palm tree on our key-chain charms - and the color!

However, I have to say he looks happy as a seagull with a French fry!

Now let's go see what the IB team has to say about retirement...

=]  Michele

MFT Sunny Vibes stamps and dies

MFT All the Encouragement stamps and dies

Darice embossing folder - flames for waves?

Wplus9 Lake House paper

a REAL Play date with Marcia!

It has been 14 months since I've had the pleasure of crafting [for reals] with a friend!  14 long. lonely. months!!  Let alone the countless months of not having physical contact with another human being - Tom's hugs are wonderful, but you get my point, right?

Both of those things came to fruition last week, when I had the extreme pleasure of welcoming with open arms Marcia Hill to my home!  I'm not gonna lie - that was one of the best hugs, you'll understand when I say it brought tears to my eyes!

Marcia and I are both big fans of PinkFresh Studio products - my 'ask' was that she bring her newest goodies.  You'll run by her blog: Marcia's Stampin' Pad to see what she did with the fastest three hours ever spent together, won't you!

We played together and had real fun with one of Marcia's stencils: Layered Sunburst!  OH goodness, it's such a treat to see how even our blending can be a style all our own!  Really good to know there isn't a right, or wrong way, either!

Here is the card I made with my Sunburst, my friend - YOU are my idea of a Super Hero!  I'll share the closeup first - man, I wish someone would color my hair like this for one day!

Here are the Distress Oxides we shared.

I have to tell you, friends, that these layering stencils from PinkFresh are addictive - both to buy, and to use!!!  Here's another set I borrowed:  Seamless Floral Panel.  I made two cards with this one - one an A2, and one mini-slimline:

Found a friendly W&W  hello in my snippets bin - already this fun hounds-tooth, 

all I had to do was blend a bit of the inks to welcome it to my card!

Oxides:

One more for today - wink!

Finding a fun way to add my blended panel to my card was easy with a very old MFT blueprint set and this fun little die that cuts a series of holes.  I hadn't thought of this old variegated twine prior to choosing my colors, but they couldn't have matched better!  The scalloped/stitched edge was cut with another PF die... Classic Edgers .

Using all these ink colors was so much fun - and something I don't do often.  Thank you, Marcia - I can't wait to see you again soon!  BTW friends, we both wished you ALL could have shared that day with us!

=]  Michele

Inspired By #171 - I Woof Celebrating

 

Who wouldn't 'woof' to celebrate with these pups??  Though I am totally pet-less at the moment, I loved getting these CCC Anita Jeram Wishing Happiness pups out once more for Inspired By #171!  [these happen to be out of stock - but all the newest ones are ready to go out the door!]

Looks like Mr. 'Pet-casso' started at the tail-end of the rainbow, and was 

right on the nose with his color choices, right?!  LOL

Now I ask you, who has more fun with her supplies than I did today??  Hope you had a giggle, and are now ready to put your supplies to work for IB171, too!

=]  Michele

Color Hues #16 Yellow and Grey

Can anyone imagine that I wouldn't play with this challenge?
Any color combo that includes GREY is going on my list!

Thanks , Color Hues #16!

Almost completely die* cut?  even better!

Just a little closeup so you can see the next debossed panel my friend Kim

shared with me in our swap!

Hope you week has had a great start!

=]  Michele

* Spellbinder's Simply Perfect Layered Blooms

Memory Box Pinpoint Leaf cover plate

Mama Elephant Peek a Frame

DSP Authentique Seaside, for greys;  Pinkfresh Studio Indigo Hills for Yellow

Altenew Statement Flowers for sentiment

 

Saturday's can be fun, too!

Somehow, Friday's fun got saved for Saturday - but that's okay with me!  I'll just take a moment of your weekend!

I received the most generous gift from my cousin Tracy - she did a little craft-room-cleanup and found a hand full of embossing folders to share with me - aren't I the lucky one??

Thank you so much, dear cousin!  I hadn't inked up an embossing folder in some time - I forgot how much I loved it!  

First the positive side - then the negative, of this sweet folder from 

My Diamond Press ... both inked with Lemoncello CP ink, 

and donned with this sweet Cutplorations Flutter-Zen 1 layering die, and a sweet sentiment from Pinkfresh's Floral Notes set that I used for my TFC cards.

Before I leave you, a few embossed panels I played with, but only shared on Instagram @mfergu01 ...  I've done some creative inking on two panels created with Altenew's Beautiful Bergenia 3D embossing folder... and a few very old VersaMagic chalk inks!

Before you think I'm the talent behind this technique - I must 

give credit to Erum Tasneem!  You can watch her create a most beautiful card here:

https://youtu.be/3o2stiHFyDE 

As I had less luck keeping my background 'clean' I put my panel back into

the embossing folder, adding a bit of ink to the raised area and pressed again.

I also went in with a damp brush, and a bit of ink, too.  Much easier than you might think!

Okay, that's enough fun for today ... enjoy your weekend, my friends!

=]  Michele

The Flower Challenge Reminder #55 Pretty Pastels!

A reminder about the wonderful inspiration for your favorite florals from 

The Flower Challenge!

Challenge #55 is all about florals in Pretty Pastels!

I found the easiest way to make colors fit the pastel shade is to 

go with water colors, so that's the path I took today, using the same set I used on the 4th - look what a difference the medium makes:

My Pinkfresh Floral Notes wrap all the way to the back when stamped 

onto a standard A2 card!  I love when that happens!  After die cutting

with the coordinating die, I found where the fold of the card would be,

and gave it a snip - the card opens so much easier this way.

Such an unexpected surprise to find something pretty on the back, too!

Now, we do hope you'll find some posies in your own stash to paint, stamp, or water color in your favorite PRETTY PASTELs - we can't wait to see them in our 

TFC#55 gallery!  Now let's go see what gorgeous reminders my teammates have made!

=]  Michele

Inspired By #170 - Wrap Me Up in Spring!

Hello friends!  Raise your hand if you would love to receive one of these bouquets!!  I got so 'wrapped up' in these beautiful Springtime bouquets, way too much time was spent trying to recreate them, rather than being inspired by them!   I quit, and took a totally different route.  

• White
• twine instead of brown paper
• a few sprigs of tiny flowers
• a bit of bling
• who needs roses anyway?

It is SO hard to get a close up of these slimline cards!

I won a little prize from Altenew recently - this gorgeous Floral Lace Die is what I chose - isn't it lovely?  Let me tell you it is BIG - I cut it in two to wrap my bouquet today!  yeah, in two!  The blooms are from Altenew's Focus on You.  Another tiny tag - don't ask.  still not available. with a little love note, compliments of a darling little Uniko set I received on my birthday last year. [more on that soon!]  You will no doubt recognize the subtle texture from Stampin' Up by now!

Okay, I'm passing the baton to you - how will you be inspired by our IB#170 Spring bouquets?  Why don't we check out my teammates' cards?  You're bound to get tons of inspiration over at the IB Blog!

=]  Michele

Playing Cards with Friends - from a different Hemisphere!

Playing Cards with Friends!

I am so pleased to be Playing Cards with my friend Therese Calvird today, who lives in Australia!!  You can't imagine how badly I'd love to have this play date in real life!

Therese has been a mentor, supportive cheerleader, and friend for years - no doubt she is a favorite card-maker of mine, who makes the most wonderful videos, too!  If you don't follow Therese on YouTube, you are missing out on clear, precise, and fun instruction and the most wonderful cards of all!  We also hang out every few weeks on her LIVEs!  It's great fun, Therese does all the work while I get to hang out with her friends!  

Here are the parameters I set for my playtime with Therese on National Gardening Day!

• Spring showers, or flowers!  
• Must be new ... never before used.
• CANNOT use BLUE!

Kinda fun, huh?  SOOOO I've had a certain set sitting on my desk, and for weeks I could imagine a certain big furry foot tapping as much as to say "what are you waiting for??"  This card-playing session, that's what!

Here you go, Therese:  

• Showers 👍 to make those flowers grow!
• Colorado Craft Company's All Weather Friends NEW
• Not a speck of blue! Which is alright by me!

Nothing but sunshine under that umbrella!!

I used a favorite cover die from Wplus9 to 'indicate' my showers -

except for few added to Mr. Bunny's 'brolly!'

Here are the Copics I've used today:

Therese I can hardly wait to see your card, so I'll just stop babbling NOW!!  

Thanks, my friends, for stopping by today - please join me on my trip down under - all the way to tomorrow - hard to grasp, isn't it?!

=]  Michele 

Quite a few dies went into the making of this front panel:

That aforementioned Ironworks cover plate from Wplus9, 

a big ol'  EH quote bubble, and an arch made with one of the

Nested Domes from Waffle Flower:

CAS Christmas - April 2021 - Rainbow

Trina, you almost stumped me with this CAS Rainbow Christmas theme - then I remembered a particular stencil from Altenew! and found a lovely little rainbow of inks:

A sweet little sentiment, and Bob's your Uncle!   Who says pinecones have to be brown?  [edited to add - don't say I didn't warn you, Bobby! xx]

=]  Michele

Altenew Pinecone stencil A & B; sentiment from Brilliant Baubles

Waffle Flower Challenge - tiny stamps!

I was thrilled to have a win during the March Waffle Flower Challenges - playing again is a great way to say thank you!

This week the fabulous Challenge team is asking us to use some of the darling, tiny stamps from any of the Waffle Flower sets this week ... this little mouse, from Grow Happiness provided all the tiny flowers to fill our shared dreams of a big flower garden!  

Notice the thought bubble?  I've used one of JJ Bolton's 

amazing Rainbow Thank You Dies!  I even found the perfect

die to give it a little lift!

I even found a tiny bloom to complete the inside sentiment:

Thanks, Waffle Flower!!

=]  Michele

CAS Mix Up - April 2021 - second helpings!

I found myself paper piecing another bunny who really wanted to join the party at CAS Mix Up April 2021 challenge, too.  Poor guy will probably get the boot for not being quite CAS enough - but a little birdy told him to just go for it!  

This little closeup shows all the different PTI papers that went into

the piecing of this card!  Even the box [an MFT freebie when I bought this kit]

has two patterns, if you look carefully!

Have a wonderful Sunday, my friends!

=]  Michele

CAS Mix Up April 2021 Paper Piecing

 

My Friday was spent on a little road trip with my honey - a very fun day!  We've had a few day trips this week while he's been on vacation.  

So, I found a cute CAS way to add a bit of Mixed Media to my crafty style today.  I'm sharing it with the CAS Mix Up April 2021 challenge - add Paper Piecing, to my stamped, die-cut, and dry-embossed card!

Before you think I've lost it, look again ... this little stack of buddies have been stamped, and die-cut from a a single sheet of Lil' Inkers Dip Dyed Ombre* cardstock in fun neutral colors!  Aren't these little MFT characters fun?  I've clipped that No One Stacks... sentiment in two, finishing it on the inside: Up to You!  

My own Dad's hammer came out today for a bit of selective embossing with an old Sizzix for SU folder.  They're balancing nicely on a piece of twine - good thing, I'd hate to see that fish bowl dropped!

Hope you're having a great weekend! I'm going to get this delivered over to those ladies at CAS Mix Up!

=]  Michele

MFT Weather with You - stamps and dies.

*Lil' Inkers paper no longer available - sorry.

Inspired By #169 - Spring is Sweet!

Okay who wants a cupcake?  OMG these are too pretty to eat!  and way off the charts extraordinary!

One in particular caught my eye - with the help of a friend, I had a few little blooms to help me create my Inspired By - Spring is Sweet card!  See if you can find it... here's a little closeup...

Those little Forget-me-nots from The Greetery came to me cut from wonderful white.

Here are the inks I used to bring them to life:

Do you have a favorite?  or do you fancy the whole bunch - my husband could eat every one!  Hope your favorite inspires you to come play at IB169 today!  Now let's go see what my teamies have baked up, shall we? ...

=]  Michele

Scallops from PTI

Linen cardstock from EH

Leaves from Altenew's Nature's Blossoms

Cupcake paper cut with another W&W that is no longer available - but maybe you already have their Ring in the Celebration set?

MFT Stitched Circles for the frosting - cut from another panel sent to me from another kind friend - I have the bestest friends of all!

Waffle Flower April 2021 Release Hop - Guest Designing!

I am thrilled to be Hopping with Nina and the fabulous Waffle Flower designers and lots of other wonderful guests today!  This month, the Waffle Flower release is full of stamps, dies, and stencils that celebrate the hope and joy of Spring!

If you arrived here from Understand Blue's Lydia Fiedler you're right on track.  If you'd like, you can always start from the beginning with Nina at Waffle Flower.  

First up [might be my favorite] is Jumbo Flower Pot  I'd love to live in a home where every window was hung with one of these planters full of flowers!  I've made mine complete with a 'coconut grass' liner by stamping the pot onto kraft card, and dabbing it with lots of color - water colored this time!  My friendly Hello is from another WF set I've loved: Crocus.  If you look closely, you'll see something new from their stencil department - Brick Wall.  

Anybody that knows me well will not be surprised that I HAD TO do another -

this time in all my beloved neutrals!

Miss you from WF Potted - arch for my window made using WF Nested Domes 

Here are the distress inks I used for this heat-embossed version:

Nearly all of America's kids have been 'home schooled' since Covid hit - the teachers have been stressed to find a way to keep those kids engaged over a video chat, I'm sure of it.  There may be a few parents who deserve these sentiments, too!  These cards, uses the Teacher combo, and their newest stitched flower cover plate Daisies!  

Also playing are a few pieces from the Waffle Flower Little Artists combo.

It's pretty appropriate that the Teachers set would come with a star!  I've given it 5!

I just love that the die set comes with two dies for its teacher stamps - one a little bit masculine, and the other a bit feminine.  You all know how much I adore cover plates... LOve these Daisies - the negative, and the positives!

Last but no less loved is a wonderful set called Simple Stems - the perfect set for those of you who love to create your own patterned paper.  Or, in this case, my own

'postage stamps!' 

I've used my old favorite Nesting Postage Dies and stamped 'til my heart 

was content.  The sentiment was borrowed from WF Books and Coffee WF

 Tiny Butterfly was a sweet little finishing touch.

There is a whole lot to love from each of the Hop participants - so it's time for me to send you on your way to Rachel Arribas where you're bound to be amazed!

Be sure to check out each stop in today’s blog hop for fun, inspiration, and chances to win some of these new release goodies! 

Giveaways:

For today’s hop, Waffle Flower is giving away $25 gift certificate to THREE lucky winners. You can leave a comment on this blog and along the hop by 11:59pm EDT on Monday April 12th, 2021 for your chances to win. Winners will be chosen at random from the comments left on any of the posts in this blog hop and will be announced on the Waffle Flower Blog on 4/14/2021.

There are more giveaways to enter on our Instagram! Follow us at @waffleflowercrafts so you don’t miss out! 

Specials:

From now till April 7th, 2021, all orders placed at waffleflower.com will receive a mysterious gift (No code required!).

For those of you who are new to Waffle Flower, they have a Last Chance section on their website that lists many goodies for 25% off until they are gone! This would be a great place to start your collection! 

Link to the full collection:

https://waffleflower.com/collections/2021-04

Thanks Waffle Flower and thanks to you, my friends, for spending a bit of your day with me!

=]  Michele