Thank you very much! Sending Hugs!

I talk about using those fun snippets we find in our stash - these lovely Citrus Blooms products I borrowed from Marcia really should be shared here before we get together again!  We're looking so forward to it - fingers crossed, my friend!

Here are my cards - one GREAT BIG Thank You, and a Sending Hugs [of the birthday variety that has been delivered!]

Don't you just love this sweet little

scalloped frame from Pinkfresh?  

That wonderful big bold thank you [I treated it to a bit of ombre inking]

from The Stamp Market?  Bought on clearance, sorry.

Did you happen to notice this is one BIG shaker card??  

The postman is going to

have fun delivering that one!

I've had fun with my Perfect Sentiment set from Pinkfresh - I stamped, and

cut LOTS of them all at once to have on hand.

There's that scalloped frame again - this time I took another PF Essentials die

and 'debossed' it.  another way to use those frame dies, my friends.

Thanks, Marcia for sharing your crafty goodies!  And to all of my other friends for stopping by today.  Hope your week has gotten off to a great start!

=] Michele

Altenew Spring 2022 Crafter Class

I recently took an online course at Altenew.  When all the little technical glitches were resolved [thanks Lydia!] it was fun to participate.  A few of the sets included in the class bundle have been released today as part of their die release.  Here are the cards I made for the class:

Therese, Erum, Bridget, and Tania were incredible teachers!

I've already shown you the floral set that was included in the bundle here but just discovered that it has been added to the shop here.  The stand-alone dies - Swirly Elements, and the Edged Wildflower are also available now.

Lesson 1 with Therese Calvird using the Edged Wildflower 

and her bonus: Foiling with a Die

[If you look very closely, you'll see the 'negative' was used to create paper

to use for die-cut word dies.  

Lesson 2 with Erum Tasneem

Erum's bonus class:  Using strips of cardstock with the Swirly die- 

I chose to use the die to deboss:

Lesson 3 with Bridget Casey - using a die to create a stencil

and embossing paste over Altenew's new Alcohol Inked Patterned Paper:

Lesson 4 with Tania Ahmed - using only a few of the layers in a set:

I loved this card!  Maybe it's the color combination?

Hope you don't mind me sharing my homework - I don't think I'll be sent to detention for it?!  LOL

You all loved the embroidered foliage - keep an eye out for it!

=] Michele

Girls just wanna have fun [with Pigment Craft Co.] day!

My sweet friend Ivana from Pigment Craft Co. has been so quiet lately - I'm hoping all is well and she'll be back creating and producing more loveliness soon!  Here are two cards I made using her Winter Sprigs, Dashing Sentiments, and sweet little Latte Heart elements sets...

If you're wondering?  The background cover die is a perfect match from MFT

called Mistletoe Cover Up - no longer in the shop =[ 

Pretty Pink Posh makes the stencil I used on my circle - called Wafers!

The circle was created using a laminated piece of junk mail, and a circle die -

my daddy raised his baby girl to use her noggin!

Sending my love, sweet friend!  I miss you!

=] Michele

Grey, glorious grey!

Those that know me also know it wasn't going to take long for me to put that gorgeous Lisa Horton Foxglove embossed with grey ink to use.   Here she is...

Just a sweet little 'shadowbox' with a wonderful sentiment* ... and a 'kickstand!'

My kickstand makes it stable for standing and provides a wonderful place for a second line of sentiment*.

I'm enjoying hanging out with thousands of crafters at the Card Maker's Success Summit online this weekend!  If you're there, give me a shout!

I will say a quick thanks to you for stopping by - but I won't apologize for enabling! lol

=] Michele

*Sentiments from Altenew's Cherished Memories set

New embossing folder!!!

 A VERY quick post to share the newest addition to my every-growing collection of embossing folders!!  SO in love with Foxgloves - from Lisa Horton @scrapbookcom - you guys I couldn't quit with the inking!

A few tips:  

• Ink first - the side that will create the background with a water friendly ink
• Give your cardstock a light mist of water, then place into the un-inked side of the folder
• Close the folder and run through your die-cut machine!  Voila!

What a stunning folder - I cannot wait to buy more @lisahortoncrafts !!

Happy weekend my friends!!

=] Michele

that sweet teensy sentiment is from a Colorado Craft Co. set - Wall Words

Color Hues #35 Navy and Pink!

Kristie has chosen one of my favorite color combos of all for

Color Hues #35 - Navy and Pink!

I got right on it...

Today I used CP Party Dress and The Stamp Market's Navy inks,

the Embroidered Foliage and a Garden Floral exclusive sets from the fabulous Altenew Crafter-Class Spring 2022 class I recently took!

Thanks, Kristie and Color Hues!!  I had such fun using these colors! 

=] Michele

The Flower Challenge #65 - Occasions reminder

 

I'm back to remind you that there is still plenty of time, and occasions, to share a card with The Flower Challenge #65!   

The Occasion I'm celebrating today is a birthday!  More specifically, my friend Marcia's!  She has rekindled my love of all things PTI - and these [Fall Florals] darlings just remind me of a favorite Buttonbush! 

It was a treat to use the 2022 Pantone Color of the Year: Very Peri - Periwinkle to be exact.  I found a pretty good purplish-blue match for it from SSS's Hydrangea ink. 

A sprinkling of Pinkfresh jewels, CP Twilight grey ink, and another very old PTI Mix & Mat die.

Oyster Grey cardstock from EH.

I hope you have a moment to come with me to see all the other DT reminder cards!  They are all so wonderful!  Our guest Trina, and the 'new kids' on the team have outdone themselves!  Let's go...

=] Michele

Craft Roulette with Therese!

Hello, my friends!  Hope you don't mind my interrupting your Olympic games!

There is a live crafty game show called Crafty Roulette on every Friday night at 7:30 EST and last night my friend Therese of Lost in Paper was a contestant!!  You can watch it all here!  You can even play along, and chat with all Mary's 'chatter boxes!'  

The parameters are set by using a crafty roulette wheel, manned by Mary Gunn - the show's host with the most!  Mary is so fun and seems to calm the nerves of her contestants.  I was nervous just watching that wheel spin!

After a few vetoes, here were the parameters the craft wheel spun for Therese and Mary to use on their cards:  

PROJECT – 4 1/4 square
COLORS – Pink + 1 and 3 pops of red
ELEMENT – Robot(s)
RANDOM – Ticket(s)

I'm not at all surprised that Therese came through it like the pro she is!  I attempted to play along live - but crafting after dark, and a little mishap with glossy accents [my red dots turned orange!]  I set a timer for myself and Take 2 was created...

and then came this idea during the night...

Poor kitty!  Her friend doesn't seem to be terribly upset about it!!

• I used Pink + Orange patterned paper from my stash, and a little orange tabby + 3 red paw prints on the front of my 4.25" card.
• My robot came in the form of a roomba vacuum sweeper
• Last but least my sentiment was created and made to look like a ticket!

It was a wonderful time, Mary and Therese!  I do hope you get the 120 entries you're hoping for!

How about you, my friends??  Ready to take on this fun challenge??

=] Michele

Paper savers unite!!

Today on Instagram my friend Melinda @itsacardknocklife shared her bin of scraps asking if anyone else shared her problem save-the-earth paper crafting style!  Do I?  Yes, I am a snippet-saver extraordinaire!

Let me show you how handy they are... 

I'm so happy to have found that little perfect yellow cardstock in my snippet bin.

It's a wonderful match to DOX Scattered Straw with is the ink I

used to enhance my SSS Floral Field - which I'm sending over to the

Wednesday Challenge - Emboss it!

OH, LOOK just enough left over for a double layer alpha!!

Perfect for my second snippets card - can you imagine throwing away

all that Paper Smooches love?

Thanks, Melinda for helping the rest of us show the Earth some love!

=] Michele

I know someone is going to ask about that LOVE - Paper Smooches is sadly no longer in business.  The trail of stitches is from MFT - also 'out of print.'  The U is from an Altenew alpha set.  

Time Out - Guest Designer

I was so happy to be invited by the team at Time Out to be their guest again!  This time they asked me to create a card that could be CASE'd by the team, and the challenge players - no pressure there, right?

I am often inspired by many fabulous card makers.  So, I created a card with a certain card maker in mind - see if you can guess who it is...

Just when you think it's a 'fiddle-y' design, never fear!  I'll break it down for you:

• NO stamping
• shades of any color - I used pinks, but YOU don't have to!
• die-cut sprigs, twigs, or leaves - no blooms!
• any die-cut central shape to tuck them under
• alphas - negative, or positive cuts!
• and finally, a little bling!

Here's how easily my card came together:

I found the perfect spot for one of those little glass hearts [from EH].

Did you guess?  it's Laura Bassen!  

Okay, my friends, it's your turn!  Hope you can take Time Out to play along!  You have until February 23rd to play - all the details can be found over at the Time Out blog!

=] Michele

Supplies:

MFT Stitched Heart dies 

The Stamp Market Big Botanicals

Altenew Inline Alpha Dies

Pinkfresh February 2022 Challenge - Take Two!

 

I had so much fun digging through my stash of Pinkfresh Studio products - 

new, and old!  

This second take on their beautiful inspiration for February 2022 

starts with the gorgeous Stitched Scallop Rectangles cut from a deep red card stock. I kept the whole thing intact with a strip of double-sided tape on the back - handy for sticking it to my A2 card base.

Next up, the first thing I ever won from Pinkfresh - sadly I don't think they offer any more - this gorgeous heart die called Now is the Time.  The detail is amazing!

Then another little stitched heart in pink* embellished with a sweet little bloom from

their Pretty Paisley set - also where this sweet itty bitty sentiment came from.  A dash of gold metallic pearls, and a snippet from the Dainty Blossoms and done.

 The whole card has a bit of 'folk art' look to me - and I love it!  Hope they do, too!

I have had such fun 'shopping my stash' for a few challenges this week.  I hope it encourages you to take another look at what you have in house!

=] Michele

*this is a very old MFT die 

Pinkfresh Studios February 2022 Challenge

February is packed with fun challenges, like the one at Pinkfresh Studios - their color options were perfect for a Valentine!  See for yourself:

I'm saving up for a few more of their hot foil items but feel as if I've finally gotten the grip on my Glimmer machine thanks to a bit of handholding from my friends Marcia, and Stephanie!  Thanks, ladies, for your encouraging words and video shares!

This gorgeous red foil came from another gal-pal!  Thanks, Coni!

I used it for this big red stitched heart which I've decorated with 

lots of Pinkfresh Dainty Blossoms.  You'll see my lovely Abstract Triangles gold-foiled background - cut with a PF Stitched Rectangle.  

The sweet sentiment is from the PF Aviary stamp set.

I think it all came together well for this sweet Valentine!  There may be second helpings - just a warning in case you're thinking my hiatus didn't last long enough! LOL

=] Michele

Altenew Inspiration Challenge February 2022

While I had those Anemones out, I decided to attempt another, much different take on Jenny's Inspiration Challenge at Altenew!  

Altenew's Rounded Rectangle dies are a go-to in my stash.  This time, I stamped

a bit of 'linen' to a green and yellow card stock with their Rustic Linen stamp before cutting the frames, and for fun the leaves in the Build a Flower Anemone.  Here are the inks I used today:

Are you playing along, too?  There's plenty of time!

=] Michele

 

Yeti for Christmas? CAS Christmas Card Challenge can help!

 

I love this little Yeti from the Beast Friends set from MFT - it took forever for me to buy it, then promptly ignore it - until today!  CAS Christmas' Winter Scene challenge made me use it at long last!

Here was my inspiration:  

Believe it or not, this is our small lighthouse on Lake Michigan at the mouth of the 

channel into Muskegon Lake!  Surely looks like a Yeti to me!

So.  Are YOU Yeti to start your 2022 Christmas stash?  Here's my first:

Inside:

You're the only person I know who is YETI for Christmas in October!

My Yeti was white heat embossed, water colored with distress inks, and then perked up a bit with colored pencil.  The window was created with a VERY old c.2015 SSS Stitched Rectangle die which stitches both the inside and outside of the cut.  I then added a little trail using another oldie SSS Stitched Slopes and Hills c.2014!  

Gee.  I sure hope it qualifies if I didn't mention Christmas on the outside of my card? LOL That's okay - I'm only here for the fun!

=] Michele

Color Hues #34 Red and Black

I'm a firm believer that a Valentine doesn't necessarily require hearts and flowers - especially when one lives with such a fungi!  But red and black?  Color Hues #34 sure does say Valentine to me.

Inside: How did I get so lucky to have such a fungi for my Valentine?

These little 'shrooms were borrowed from another fun set - SSS Chillin' Gnomes!

They were stamped/masked and Copic colored, die cut with a well-loved Wplus9 4 Bar die, and embellished with a sweet little SugarPea stencil from a friend!  I added the 'roots' with a marker and a sentiment from EH's Snailed it [retired].

Off I go to plant these in the Color Hues #34 gallery!  Thanks for stopping by!

=] Michele

The Flower Challenge #65 - Occasions

 

I'm happy to have the occasion to Celebrate for my DT card at The Flower Challenge #65 - we have TWO new designers added to our team! Welcome to Dhruvika, and Stef!!  I am happy to count you both among my friends and thrilled to now call you both teammates, too!  You will surely offer gorgeous inspiration to our players!

Ready for my card??  Here you go...

If these flowers look familiar to you, it's because it is my second time using The Stamp Market's Bell Flower layering set.  I love to stamp it lots to get used to those layers in a new set and I also had more of these die-cut ovals, and sentiments, from Pinkfresh Studio.  I found one of the plain ovals from my Spellbinder Hemstitch ovals set of dies was just big enough to sit comfortably behind that pretty oval.

I'm celebrating our newest teammates today, but this card is easy to customize for any occasion on the inside.

Now let's go see the gorgeous inspiration that my wonderful team, and our guest Trina, has to offer at The Flower Challenge blog!

=] Michele

Inks: from lightest to darkest pink - TSM Blush, CP Party Dress & Peppermint Scrub.  TSM Leafy and Mossy greens 

Cloisonné anyone?

 A funny thing happened on the way to making a card - while digging in my stash, I came upon a piece of Yupo paper with dots of pearly alcohol inks.  First, I noticed that the colors fit in the Altenew February 2022 Inspiration Challenge 

Then I reimagined it as a pretty cloisonné flower for the February CAS Mix Up Challenge!

Our host, Susan, has shared a few techniques for creating cloisonné on paper.  I took my own path and just hope they will be okay with it... 

I just love the shiny, pearly, 'enameled' look of it!

Mixed Media: Stamping, heat embossing in gold, and alcohol inks

I found this example of cloisonne on the interweb...

Okay, off I go to deliver this card to the appropriate galleries... hope you are having a great week!

=] Michele

Altenew:  Build-a-flower Anemone and dies, and Fresh Bloom layering stamp for sentiment.

MFT Jumbo Dot coverup