Crickets - anybody else hearing them?

Okay - those aren't crickets, but I got your attention!

Hello, friends!  If you have been following my journey on Blogger all these years, thank you!  Signed up to receive my posts by email?  Even bigger thanks - BUT if you haven't been receiving them, blame it on the changes recently on Blogger.  Namely their loss of email delivery service by Feedburner!  Don't even get me started on how much I hate change!

Sooooooo today I added a new email subscription service to Follow It!  You'll find it in the right margin, and I'll be so happy if you decide to re-subscribe!  

If you are a Follower and read my posts in your Reading List there's no need to change a thing if that works for you, it works for me!  As the song goes: I don't care how you get here, get here if you can!

Thanks so very much - have a wonderful weekend and a zippity doo dah day! 

=] Michele

Doodlebugs Friday!

 

Who doesn't love a day lounging at the beach??

Okay, maybe everybody doesn't have a beach close by... I'm sharing a

fun way to bring the beach to you over at the Doodlebugs Blog today!

Join me?  Thank you if you do!!

=] Michele

Altenew Inspiration Challenge - August 2022

 

Who wouldn't want to sit in this bright Adirondack chair for a spell?

Hi, friends!  Hope you're enjoying these lazy days of Summer!  Our weather has been just glorious lately - all the more reason I was ready to play with Virginia's gorgeous photo and colors in the August 2022 Inspiration Challenge!

My card uses the newest addition to my Altenew embossing folder stash - Virginia might have inspired that purchase, too!

First up - here are the inks I've used today:

Altenew inks for wet work, and distress oxides for 'dauber-ing!'

Even though these Cherry Plum Blossoms would be a Springtime sighting, I just love them in these wonderful pre-Autumn tones!

Another September birthday card - check!

=] Michele

Altenew's Floral Sprig is the home of my sentiment today - cut with an old MFT die, heat-embossed with Platinum.

Doodlebugs Friday!

Everything's coming up ROSES over at the Doodlebugs Blog today!  And you don't even need to bring your snippers or gloves!!  A little peek?

=] Michele

Just for fun on Friday!

Good weekend-eve my friends! My Doodle Bug sneak-peek is coming soon, but I had to share the fun I had with Wplus9's Just Breathe set this week.   I hope you all sped over to Dawn's blog to see that little torn vellum sentiment bit and stayed to see the gorgeous cards she made using her 'no fail' water coloring technique! I embraced it and OH MY GOODNESS it was fun!  

Ready. Set.  GO!  Here are the Distress Oxide inks used today...

Look at the card above... see anything different about it?  

I fussy-cut the main image and used the Distress Glaze to set the colors - 

wish I'd done them all!  I was very careful cutting so I could use the background, too, which has had a dry-embossed treatment with SU Tasteful Texture.

This Just Breathe set has it all: a bird, a rose, gorgeous sentiments in beautiful fonts!  I had so much fun that I brought out Wplus9's Flora and Fauna 3 set again [sorry Bonnie!]

Stamped, water washed, oval cut and the balance embossed with SU Timeworn Type

Okay. Last one - I had to reach for this gorgeous butterfly to pop over the 

background I made with the extra inks!  It was also treated to a little type

using Vintage Ephemera.

If you've had a bit of time with me this morning, I appreciate it - especially now I know my posts are not always delivered to those of you who were kind enough to subscribe.  Not sure what I'll be changing in the coming months, but hope you hang in there with me... I can't imagine what I'd do if I couldn't share my makes, and also see what you've created!

=] Michele

All of my cards today started with Fabriano Hot press 25% cotton watercolor paper - what a difference it makes!

Guest Designing for Papertrey Ink!

I had a very special request in May.  I was so surprised by the invitation to guest design for Papertrey Ink's August release that I questioned if Melissa's Instagram account had been hacked!!  Ha! Lucky for me it had not!

There's so much to love in PTI's August Release, I'm just going to present my cards and then send you to their shop!  All the goodness will be available at 10 pm EDT! OH, while you make your list, there is also a Hop over at Instagram right now where you might win a $10 gift card - yay!

Up first - the thing I love most about Fall - turning leaves!  Using Fantastic Foliage

Turning leaves - see what I did there?

Using the dies as a guide, I set up all of the stamps in my MISTI and picked them

up with the lid:

I added three fun colors using finger daubers and stamped all of them at once!

The veins and details were stamped using acrylic blocks - so easy to do - then all of the leaves were cut at once by aligning those dies over the stamped images:

Next up - Halloween!  The kid in me will never outgrow it!  Here's Happy Owl-O-Ween!

The background is a paper from PTI's Argyle Socks.  My little vellum 

cloud was cut by hand and made a great place to heat emboss my 

pun-y sentiment.  We can't have Halloween without a pumpkin, right...

The pumpkin is a layering die set called Into the Blooms: Pumpkins

I took liberties with the color on my pumpkin - what do you think?

PTI has a wonderful new hot foil plate called Fallen Leaves which I used to create this background.  I've foiled it in purple, and then used the coordinating stencils to add some

fun color.  You'll find this fun sentiment among those offered in Inside Greetings: Spooky

Since I had that little circle cut, why not make another card?

This wonderful sentiment is from: 

Thankful for Fall Sentiments

I nearly forgot those kids going back to school - here's a great card to tuck into a real backpack, and a good place for something every kid going off to college enjoys: Go-to Gift Card holder, Backpack accessories using PTI Argyle Socks again.

There's a great little slot to fit in a gift card.  See where I tucked in the notebook?

I even partially cut a backer using the coordinating die to make it a card:

These great sentiments are included in the set.

I've saved my favorite card for last - I'm so grateful to PTI for this opportunity - a thank you was necessary!

Into the Blooms: Sunflowers 

I've used an older set of PTI patterned papers to cut each and every layer -

aren't they gorgeous??  Also, a fun cover plate I've had for years called Mighty Jungle.  

Another sentiment from Thankful For Fall expresses my gratitude beautifully!

Thanks to all of you sweet friends that stop by - and made it through this post! phew!  Would you believe there is more?? Later!

Now, off you go to see ALL the REST of the August Release at Papertrey Ink!

=] Michele

The Flower Challenge #71 Reminder

 Just stopping in with a little reminder that there is still time to circle over to The Flower Challenge with your cards!  Here's your assignment:

I found a very old much-loved set from SSS: Scribble Flowers - they sure look circular from where I'm sitting!  Even if they are a little wonky! lol  I found a second way of adding a circle by cutting a circle of this sweet tone-on-tone gingham to plant my blooms and sentiment in!

Have you played yet?  You have more than enough time to make a card or two!

=] Michele

SSS Scribble Flowers and dies

Waffle Flower Crafts - Hey there! foil plates and coordinating dies combo

Honey Bee: Gingham Galore Spring collection of paper

A snippet to share with Freshly Made Sketches #548

I had just enough left of my emboss-resist pine panel to add to a card front - the FMS548 Sketch by Jacquie provided the perfect home for it...

I even treated my sentiment strip to a little wash of color!  The pinecones come from another

oldie but goodie from Altenew c.2015.  

I have to give Dawn at Wplus9 the idea for using this torn vellum.  She used it here, and it was love at first sight!  Something else to fall in love with again, and again?  Ranger Platinum embossing powder - always smooth, gorgeous color.

I'd better send this off to the gallery now.  Thanks for stopping by!  It gives a rainy day all the rainbow a girl needs!

=] Michele

Doodlebugs Friday!

Are you a stenciling fan?  I find it so relaxing and satisfying!

I'm sharing a way to add a little extra something to your stenciled projects

 on the Doodlebugs Blog today!

Hope to see you there!  Thank you!

=] Michele

CAS Mix Up and CAS Christmas August 2022

 I don't often combine challenges but today's time in my studio turned into the perfect opportunity to combine CAS Christmas, and CAS Mix Up for August 2022!   It also gave me some time to play with my new inks from SU - thanks to a very sweet friend!

I reached for my much loved, annually used Altenew set: Holiday Bow.  The Pine Bough is a two-step session which is great because I could use CP sandcastle ink for the 'branch' after stamping the needles with Evening Evergreen, then again with Versamark, and clear heat embossing it all - that's the magic of Emboss Resist!  All the watery ink that I've added is resisted by the heat embossed images.  Here's a closeup for reference. 

I used that gorgeous Soft Succulent to loosely watercolor the background.  Here's the end result:

That pretty little duo of bells and the sentiment are Wplus9's Silver Bells set

What could be easier than using the same supplies for another card?  This one is heading to CAS Christmas where PINE is the chosen theme by Trina!  Thanks, Trina!  This time I stamped them with the Soft Succulent ink!

Another sentiment from Silver Bells and I'm revisiting those sweet little stitching dies from MFT -

I remember when nearly every one of my cards had it!

Okay, I'd better get these delivered to their galleries - the boss just came home early!

=] Michele

Playing Cards with Friends - August 2022

Hello, my friends!  August is starting off as it does in Michigan, hot days, cool nights, gorgeous light and today a Play Date with my friend Stephanie Lanzalotto aka My Ink Well!!! YAY!!

Stephanie is on a TON of design teams - you'll undoubtedly know her from Time Out and Less is More!  She is SO much fun and though we've never met, I feel I found a match when it comes to humor!

Ready to see our assignment?  It's a totally different concept this month and it all started with our love of PTI's Kind of Corny set!  My friend Two Ls was kind enough to send me the set after she had stamped and die cut MANY for me over the years.  One might get lucky enough to find the stamps in the PTI clearance section - but not those dies!  So, I cut a few for Stephanie - that is where the challenge began!

My assignment for Stephanie involves the men in our lives!  Here it is:

Make a card for one of our special guys

Use those PTI Kind of Corny images

Include stamping and summer colors

Fun and easy, right?  Here is my [kinda corny/slightly sassy] card for my best guy...

I arranged my corn in the shape of an X and mounted it on a frame made with my Altenew Rounded Rectangles and cut from patterned paper from The Stamp Market.  I chose the colors of late summer and created my own outside and inside sentiments on my PC and used Altenew's Featured Sentiments die set to cut out the outside sentiment.  

Ready for the inside sentiment??  

Hope you weren't taking a sip of coffee/tea/water just then!!  Sorry if I've tainted your opinion of me!  LOL  [sorry, not sorry!]  My guy is indeed having a birthday at the end of the month, so this assignment had perfect timing!

Stephanie, it has been SO hard not to share this with you earlier than our playday!  I know you are going to knock my socks off, so I'm heading your way and inviting all my friends to join me!

Thanks so very much for Playing Cards, my sweet friend - let's Facetime again soon, okay??

=] Michele

Doodlebugs Friday!

 

Looking for another fun way to add color to your blooms?

Colored cardstock to the rescue over at the Doodlebugs Blog today!

Here's my sneaky peek...

=] Michele

The Flower Challenge #71 Circles

We have a fun challenge for you this month at The Flower Challenge - hope you like it!

If you follow my cardmaking journey you've seen my fast and sure love of these wonderful Honeysuckles - I've saved this pretty pink duo just for you today! 

I've incorporated the 'circle' in the shape of my card, and the fun

circular pattern from that hemstitched die - a few round enamels dots 

for good measure!

I had a new set of Concord & 9th sentiment dies to use so I searched my snippets for the perfect green for the shadow layer - loved that it had this wonderful texture, too!

It was high-time I used these perfect pinks, and brilliant greens 

for those honeysuckles!

So, where will you find your circles to share?  We can't wait to see them in The Flower Challenge gallery soon!  Now, let's go see how my talented teamies added circles to flowers - or flowers to circles!  OH!!  and my sweet friend Therese is our guest this month!!!

=] Michele

Color Hues #46 For Lindsey

It is so hard to lose a friend.  The team at Color Hues and Seize the Birthday are honoring their teammate, Lindsey, with their current challenge.  I can't think of a better way to pay tribute to a fellow card maker.   

Here is my card - I'm so sad that Lindsey never got to celebrate her 60th birthday.  I'm sending a little celebration to her in Heaven.

My deepest condolences to all of Lindsey's teamies, and her family.  

=] Michele

MFT Sweet Surprise

Paper Smooches clouds dies

Altenew Rounded Rectangles