Fusion Color Palette September 2022

 

I haven't been able to get this gorgeous Fusion photo out of my brain!

Time to put my ink where my brain is!

Here are the inks I used with my daubers...

I cut a panel of Bristol smooth paper for all this moody blending.

A new HoneyBee Layered Maple Leaf die set made quick work 

of the star of their photo...

After finding a few enamel dots/and a heart, a sweet sentiment from 

PTI's Fantastic Foliage set and my work here is done!  

Phew - now I can sleep again!  ha!  Happy weekend my friends!

=] Michele

Thank you, Fusion!  Such an honor!

Doodlebugs Friday!

 

Ready for more quick-and-easy [on the eyes] Christmas card designs?

I'll share everything today on the Doodlebugs Blog!

=] Michele

Just Us Girls #651 - Photo Week

 

It's photo week at Just Us Girls this week and isn't this a stunner?  Fall is truly on its way here in Michigan with falling temperatures, but our trees are not quite this colorful YET!

Carol Mc was my muse today as I loved her lifted, camouflaged panel - I had wanted to play with a new-to-me die set and an older set from Memory Box called Grateful Autumn - it gets a little attention every Fall.  Here's where I got started - by stamping the image on my card base using the lid of my MISTI! Taping down your paper AND the MISTI is very important here!

It was stamped again on a separate panel for coloring:

Then I used that new die to cut my panel before lifting it

up and aligning it with the image stamped on the card base.

This image never gets old - and I adore this Slimline Label set from Altenew!

Thanks Carol, it's my turn to say 'saw it had to make it!'

Bonus: it fits the Double D Challenge: Things that Fall! Pretty easy to see where my inspiration came from!

=] Michele

Doodlebugs Friday!

 

I've been so impressed by the depth and detail in embossing folders lately.

I have a new 3D one from Spellbinder to share today over at the

Doodlebugs Blog Thanks always for stopping by!

I'm such a tease, aren't I?

=] Michele

Playing Cards with Friends - September 2022

Today, I have the great pleasure of Playing Cards with my friend from Sweden, Karin Åkesdotter!  Not only has she inspired another of my PCWF cards, but she even honored my request to use her water coloring talents to paint our cats! [Still might be the very best surprise I ever gave to my husband] Karin's blog Peppermint Patty's has been such a pleasure to read for many years - I'm very, very lucky that she accepted my invitation to Play!  Thanks, so much, my friend!

We are celebrating two National Holidays this month:  Hug a Greeting card Writer Day and Locate an Old Friend Day!  I've linked the celebration details so you can read all about them.  Using one, or both of the holidays, here is our assignment:

    ·         Use a die-cut sentiment as the star of your card

and deliver it to that friend!

How easy is that?  I found a sentiment set in my stash that just has not seen enough ink and wanted to try that wonderful technique from Dawn at Wplus9 using silhouette stamps... you can find her instruction here.  I went with a very watery stamping - for a moment, I thought it was a goner!  But Dawn never steers us wrong!

The technique is a simple one:

1. Load your MISTI with stamps of choice - I used Altenew's Leaf Clusters - and your favorite watercolor cardstock.  [my current favorite is Fabriano hot press]
2.  Grab your daubers or blending sponges and choose some Distress Oxides that make you happy - I was thinking Autumn today.  
3.  Add ink directly to the stamp as you'd like then give the stamps a spritz of water using a fine misting bottle like TH Mini Mister
4.  Close the lid of your MISTI wait a few seconds and have a second panel of paper at the ready - you won't believe it, but you will get a second stamping!

Here's mine...

Since it was for a very special friend who will be hugging this greeting card maker soon, I brought out a bit of sparkle and added splats of gold spray, and that sentiment I mentioned - actually two from Waffle Flower's Sentiment Additions combo set of stamps and dies - that were heat embossed in Ranger Princess Gold.  By positioning one to the left and one to the right of my panel it's as if there is a beginning and end which wraps around my card panel!  

Just when you think I might be done... here's that second stamping all drizzled with gold spray, a camouflaged sentiment cut from the panel and then lifted with two additional cuts stacked below for dimension ...

[this one I'll save for a rainy day!]

I cannot wait to be bedazzled by Karin's brilliance!  So, why not join me?

Karin, thank you so very much for Playing Cards with me today.  I know you have your hands full with work, your darling boy, and husband!  I consider it a great honor that you've shared some of your spare time with me! xx

=] Michele     

Color Hues #49

 

I had just received this new stamp from SSS and wasn't the timing wonderful?  Color Hues I think they are lovely in these Autumn colors - keeping with the challenge colors was a bit more difficult when it came to the leaves!  But don't they all turn these shades of brown at the end of the season?

Happy weekend everyone!

=] Michele

SSS Black-eyed Susans - Copic colored

Reverse Confetti Plaid Lines cover plate

Avery Elle Sweet Scallop dies

SSS Kona Koffee cardstock

Doodlebugs Friday!

 

Hellooo, sweet friends!  

I have such a fun die-cut card for you today over at the Doodlebugs blog -

I do appreciate those of you who follow me there! 

Here's a little teaser:

=] Michele

CAS Mix Up September 2022

 

I dug really deep to find that tube of Dina Wakley gesso that was included in a Simon kit YEARS ago!

I've only ever used it to create white splatter, so I was happy when Hilary chose it for their CAS Mix Up September 2022 challenge!  Then I watched all the videos to see the possibilities... the very last video sparked a little idea!

Out came a never-before-used stencil set from Pinkfresh Studio called Wintry Forest - intended for ink, I just used gesso for every layer and ended up pouring fine glitter over the last one for a little sparkle.  Yikes! it took more than a day as each layer of gesso had to dry before I could add the next!  When all the drying was done, I blended Speckled Egg DOX over the entire thing, then spritzed it with water [good thing I started off with watercolor paper!] and dabbed off the excess.  The skyline took the ink beautifully but the gesso-ed areas were just a bit stained by the ink ... here's the result:

A quick cut to finish the edge and a sparkly sentiment leftover from 2021

finished my card.

I'm not thoroughly convinced this was a huge success, but it is kinda pretty.  One more card for the Christmas stash - that's always a good thing!

=] Michele

I couldn't be happier to win - thanks, Hilary!

And thank you to CAS Mix Up for inspiring me for 6 years!

The Flower Challenge #72 reminder

 

A quick reminder to get your sparkle on at The Flower Challenge, my friends!

I have tons of sparkly foiled backgrounds made from the leftovers in my stash!  One of them came in handy for another way to add sparkle to your cards!

Queen Anne's Lace is the perfect attraction for a Swallowtail butterfly this time of year!  This die might be one of the first dies I ever purchased 

from Memory Box c. 2013

See that flutterby peek-a-booing?

My Concord & 9th sentiment was created using the die to foil and the shadow die to cut!

  Fun, right?

We're loving the sparkle in our gallery - you have time to make a few more!

=] Michele

Just us Girls - Just us Girls - Just us Girls

No, I haven't lost it!  In fact, I just found the perfect sentiment to complete the 

'echo, echo, echo' 

I wanted to play along with Just us Girls!

My BFFs birthday is on Halloween and every year I try to come up with a fun card for her great sense of humor.   Carol at JUGS gave me a lightbulb moment!  

This sentiment is part of a discontinued set from MFT that I picked up 

on the cheap recently.  With a simple snip, I was able to repeat the

Boo-Day three times in black, charcoal, and grey inks!

Don't you love that the speech bubble can be seen 

through my little ghost?  A bit of dry embossing from an 'old friend'

from Lil' Inkers.

 

Would you believe this is my FIRST TIME entering the JUGS Challenge??  Between Carol's challenge, and a need for a fun birthday card I finally got 'er done!  Sorry it took me so long my friends!

=] Michele

Carol you are TOO, too kind! 

Same but different - a play day with Bonnie!

A Facetime-Playtime is so much fun - except for not being able to share a hug!  Bonnie and I have been trying to coordinate a playdate and it was so nice to finally make it happen last week!  We decided to give each other the bird - just kidding!  Those Pinkfresh Songbirds on a Branch stencils were calling to us and I had just gotten the coordinating die!  

I used my birds for the Color Hues challenge where they are looking for lime green, and navy - here are the inks and I used black foil to hot foil the outlines... Congratulations on your 2nd birthday, Color Hues team!

Having that die allowed me to play with the placement of the elements a bit - tucking a bird here, layering the branch there.  I arranged to have a spot for my sentiment, too - bonus!  And while there were branches, I added a few more with a Mama Elephant Leafy cover die - leaving them white adds interest without confusing the eye, I think.

Bonnie used her songbirds for a different challenge - but wait until you see the colors she used!!  Gorgeous, I'm telling you!  Head on over with me, why don't you?  She loves visits just as much as I do!

Thanks for sharing your crafty time and friendship, Bonnie!  Let's do it again soon!

=] Michele

Edited to add their celebration partner for this birthday Seize the Birthday:

thanks so VERY much!! - Beginners luck?! lol

CAS Christmas September 2022

 My friend Hideko has chosen a fun challenge for CAS Christmas September 2022!  I'm not much of a sparkle and shine girl normally, but I think the Holidays are the perfect time to put them to use!

I found two glittery papers in my stash - one silver, one gold!  And a gorgeous way to use them both - hope you agree!

This gorgeous cover plate die was another of the goodies I borrowed from Marcia during one of our crafty days together.  All I had to do was back it with that gold glitter paper and top it with this beautiful sentiment from Trinity Stamps [a lovely gift from my friend Coni!]

Hope you all have a lovely weekend!

=] Michele

Thank you, CAS Christmas challenge for helping me

complete my Christmas card list each year for the last 4+ years!

Thanks also for this great honor:

Doodlebugs Friday!

 

What is it about Autumn that makes me reach for gingham?

I have a new paper pad from Honey Bees - come see them at Doodlebugs today!  There might be a new die in the house, too!

=] Michele

A playday with Marcia!

A day spent with my friend Marcia is always fun!  Of course, we hugged, laughed, ATE, and shared lots of our crafty goodies - little did we know that we had recently purchased the SAME set from Pinkfresh Studios!   It was decided we'd each have a play with that Grow Wild set on our own and then share our creations on our blogs, and with YOU!  

My first card embraced the coming colors of Autumn using the stamps, stencils, and dies.  I also picked up a new background die.  My first go with that didn't turn out so well, but never fear, I trimmed it down so as not to waste it!

The second embraces my heart-favorite colors!  You know them by now...

A much better cutting with that cover plate this time... better done from a half sheet of cardstock than a quarter.  Those tiny slim margins aren't very forgiving.

This sweet little sentiment is from The Greetery and is one I borrowed 

from Marcia's stash.

Thanks for another wonderful playdate, my friend!  Can't wait for next time!

There's room for more of you - we wish you could ALL be here to play!

=] Michele