Freshly Made Sketches #738

 

Will you be at all surprised when I tell you that our sketch artist

this week is Cecile?  I can see her CAS organic style all over it!

What to do?  I tipped her sketch on its side to accommodate one of

my favorite birds from Wplus9 - sorry that it's no longer available.

The 'stitching' was the first element to happen.  I used one of 

Kristina's Finishing Touches dies from Concord & 9th stopping

short of the edge of my card.  Two branches were cut from the same

Bristol card as my panel for the perch and the bird 

[from Wplus9's Vintage Ephemera] stamped in Distress Blueprint Sketch

and a bit of grey for his beak.  The eye was carefully colored with a 

black Sharpie and given shine with a drop of Nuvo Crystal.

Isn't that sentiment just the ticket?  [W+9 Just Breathe] 

He sure looks as if he's thinking of someone special - maybe Cecile?

Hope to see you in our Freshly Made Sketches #738 gallery this week!

=] Michele

Freshly Made Sketches #737

 

Isn't this a fantastic sketch?  Jen B. is our sketch artist this week and

I immediately thought of that wonderful embossing folder from 

Spellbinders: Molded Frame!

This card nearly made itself, honestly.  A simple pale 4x5.25" grey panel was

embossed with said EF then topped with a pair of SSS die-cut flowers:

Poppy Stem - the one on the right and Cosmos Stem on the left.

Both cut from Neenah 110# card and doubled up for mail-ability.

A sweet little sentiment that will have you singing along - all day! - and

my card for Freshly Made Sketches #737 is complete!

I can't wait to see what my team has made - and what YOU will make, too!

=] Michele

Color Hues #133

 

My sweet friend Tracey is hosting The Color Hues Challenge #133 and loved all of the cards the team made using these fun colors.  So I reached for my Distress Wilted Violet and got to work using that sweet little C&9th Just Picked Dies - particularly that clover again!  

I love the first card I made using it so why recreate the wheel?  Here is my CASE of that one...

A little bit of gingham on any card makes me smile!  The vase die

was used to cut a piece of embossed paper from a friend, and another

Better-pressed sentiment finishes it well.

Off I go to deliver this one to Tracey's gallery at TCH#133!

=] Michele

Thank you, Tracey!

Just us Girls #823

Lisa is our host for Just us Girls #823 and she has chosen a wonderful noun for their Word Week: Flowers!  I just so happened to have a brand-spankin'-new Altenew Flourished Flora in my hot little hands!  Thanks, Lisa!  Now let's hope I remember to link and share!

This is a 6-stencil set that took a little bit of shifting and planning to bring together but

in the end, I couldn't love it more!  You might notice that I did a 'no-line' look in the photo

above but soon decided that stamping those lines would really bring out some of the

fantastic details on this stamp.  Here are the [many] inks used - I over-stamped the

outline using the darkest of the blues from the Altenew Tranquility set: Dark Night.

I treated myself to the coordinating dies and after cutting discovered just how huge this image is!  A wee bit of surgery was required to make it fit on a 5 x 7" card!!

Isn't that wavy embossing great?  Spellbinders: Summertime Waves.

It was a great time pulling together all those colors!

Okay... I'm going right now to get this one in the JUGS#823 gallery!

Thanks for spending a bit of your weekend at my place!

=] Michele

Color Hues #132

I was delighted to know that someone was missing me here in blogland!  It isn't because I've stopped enjoying my crafty time, believe me!  Here is a little something I cooked up just for the gals at Color Hues #132 - thanks to a generous share from a friend, it came out so cute IMHO!

I was delighted to play with Donna's PTI Chicken - thanks so much my friend!

I did find a way to 'make her my own!'  PTI even makes these fun papers but the cloud and sentiment are ancient EH products!

Are you ready for the inside?

Can anyone relate? lol

I'd better get this one delivered before it's too late!

=] Michele

Freshly Made Sketches #736

My wonderful teammate Verena has a gorgeous CAS style about her cards - perfect for Freshly Made Sketches #736 and her happy sketch this week ...

I've also found it perfect for a fun 21st birthday card for my granddaughter!

Where have the years gone?  I'm sure she's thrilled about this milestone

birthday - but this grammy really wishes she was still 5!

These 'old birds' are from Ellen Hutson, designed by Brandi Kincaid, 

and go way back to 2019!  But I still love them!

Three of five 'chicks' found their way onto Verena's circles - though

I can't say they are in 'pecking order!'  Another oldie but goodie from 

MFT: Jumbo Ric Rac brought more fun as does the burlap texture from

HoneyBee's embossing folder.

I'll save the inside sentiment just for Lola!

Hope this and all the wonderful inspiration from my teamies get

your creative juices flowing - come play!

=] Michele

Freshly Made Sketches #735

Kim is our sketch artist this week and I think she was a little tired of seeing circles?  But I may be wrong! lol  Take a look at Freshly Made Sketches #735 ... 

Even though I'm seeing squares, I thought hexagons might work 

great for her layout!

Check it out...

An older honeycomb embossing folder set the stage for the larger

honey-colored hexagons [The Stamp Market.]  Looks like those honeybees [Happy Bee from Waffle Flower Crafts] are happy!

I can't believe I made another square card... just in case you're wondering if

they would work on an A2 card...

 I think they work just fine and dandy - using a hex die from Altenew 

as my alternative and lots of little scraps of cardstock found among my snippets.

So, do you have an idea brewing yet?  Oh, let me tell you my FMS teammates

will have you playing cards with us before you know it - we hope!

=] Michele

The Paper Players #783

I have really cut it close with this card for The Paper Players #783!  I had a couple of Shipmates floating around my desk.  One is just right for Stef's fun Sketch...

Yes. That fun set I borrowed from Marcia did end up living among the many!  I found an old EH die for my lifesaver, and a fun sentiment from 

Altenew's Speech Bubbles.

[psst you might be seeing more of those soon!]

 Of course, I had to make an addition to my EF stash while taking 

advantage of the SB sale.  All Wrapped Up seemed perfect for the

nautical theme here today.  Here is the 'captain' of the sea ready

for the catch just in case his shipmate loses his grip!

I'd better set sail for that PP783 gallery, or I'll have to walk the plank!

=] Michele

Freshly Made Sketches #734

Before I introduce our next Freshly Made Sketch, let me say that I'm sorry I haven't been around much.  I have had a busy Spring that has taken me out of the house WAY more than normal - I'm a homebody, for sure!  

Okay. Now for the fun part!  Jen Mitchell is one of the founding members of FMS and her busy career keeps her from playing cards with us as often as I'm sure she'd love to.  Good news: Jen is our Freshly Made Sketch #734 designer this week! YAY!  Here it is... 

I normally steer clear of square cards - let's face it 'extra postage' isn't something we need these days with the already pricey stamps!  But my card design and elements worked so well with Jen's square - IMHO!  Ready for it?

The lovely crane was a gift that just keeps giving and fits so beautifully

with the elements from the March 2024 Hero Arts Classic kit that I HAD TO HAVE

after watching Channin Pelletier do her magic!

Today I paired the kit's large cut/emboss panel die with Spellbinders' Essential Four Petal Labels to create the largest of the two main pieces of Jen's sketch.  Another smaller one was stamped to create the watery scene for my Crane.  There was a sheet of rub-ons included in the kit, too - not sure what this strip says, but it worked its

charm, I think, and allows me to use this for any occasion!

So, what do you think?  Did I pull off that square design?  I know YOU will - or you can make it any shape you want as long as we can see our sketch in your design!

Come play!

=] Michele 

JUGS #820 Color Hues #131

I had just enough time to make a card today - shhh it's for my husband!  AND Just us Girls #820 and Color Hues #131, too!

Our anniversary is coming up in May, and this sentiment just says everything about 

his sense of humor!  Thanks, D for sending me this one! xx

 Just us Girls is looking for stenciling this week - I adore this set from Pinkfresh Studios... and tulips are always my go to for our anniversary!  Why not make a few in Color Hues' colors? 

Oh, oh!  Just heard the garage open... off to share!

=] Michele

Freshly Made Sketches #733

Jen T. is our sketch artist this week and it couldn't have come at a better time - I have a NEW die in the house!  Hang on - I'll let it do all the talking in a second - you'll want to see our Freshly Made Sketch #733 first...

 

There are SO many possibilities for that main circle - ready for a giggle?

Truth in those words! Now maybe only old people will remember these wacky windup chattering teeth that hopped around?  So, I'm definitely dating myself here.

My choppers are mounted onto a fun little fidget gizmo that makes

him spin like a champ - I'll try posting a video on IG soon!

This gem is from Spellbinders' their Aged to Perfection bundle which I was TOTALLY influenced to buy by my friend Therese!  She used in her most recent LIVE and honestly, I could not get it into a cart fast enough!

Here's my 'personal' touch...

My youngest had surgery last week and like a good mama, I

brought her soup and a helping hand for the day... I can still see her spinning

this guy until ... well, his teeth almost fell out!

Okay.  Enough chatter - you're going to love all the designs from my teammates, and we cannot wait to see what YOU will use as your centerpiece to Jen's fun sketch!  Come play!  

=] Michele

The Paper Players #781

Jan at The Paper Players 'had me' when she included smoky slate for her color challenge!  AND I had the perfect guy for the job!  Have you seen this fun color challenge?

 

Marcia was kind enough to share her Spellbinders' Shipmates set and I took advantage of the time I had to spend with this salty fella...

I have to give Tom credit for thinking of this perfect sentiment -

I thought of using my handy Dymo label maker to make it happen!

Thank you, Jan at The Paper Players!

Tom also needed a retirement card for his long-time UPS driver...

I'm not sure if he has any water-related hobbies, but I couldn't resist

this sentiment...

It starts and ends with stamps from HoneyBee's Seas the Day sentiment set -

but I tucked in the middle 'overboard' part!

Thanks again, Marcia!  You are a lifesaver!  Thanks, Jan, for giving me the perfect time to use him!

=] Michele

Spring Playdate with Marcia!

Hello my friends!  Thanks for stopping by today!  Last week it didn't seem like Spring had sprung quite yet here in Michigan - at least in my Neck o' the Mitten.  But all it took was a long-awaited visit from my sweet friend Marcia to make it SEEM like it had finally arrived!

Marcia and I were back in my playroom after our long winter.  She brought Yana's gorgeous Tulips and Daffodils Betterpress plates from Spellbinders with her - and was even kind enough to bring me a few foiled images since she knows that my Glimmer doesn't glow any longer.  I took advantage of her coordinating stencils to color a few - and why wouldn't I?  Take a peek... this first is one that is foiled...

All of the sentiments today are made using my

Spellbinders/Yana's BP Bouquet of Hugs or Always You Timeless Sentiments.

Here is another pressed in VersaFine Claire Morning Mist ink.

It might be my favorite of the two.  I added a bit of watery sky using

Distress re-inkers in the color Salvaged Patina and popped on my BP'd

sentiment cut with one of those old - well-loved- PFS Label dies.

Next up - a gift from Marcia!  A suite of products she loved so much

she bought it twice!!  Knowing how much I love my butterflies it seemed quite

serendipitous to me!  Thanks, my friend!

I planted and perched them inside SSS Scalloped Rectangle Frames.

While I was stenciling those tulips and daffodils, Marcia borrowed my Waffle Flower

Peony stencils.  She started this one and gave up on it - I promptly took it out of

the recycle bin and finished it up... challenge met, my friend!

I'm more than happy with your purple peonies - all it took was a bit of pale lilac ink added to the background and over the top of what you had done. 

IMHO it is surely deserving of this Penny Black frame!

Alright.  Thanks so much for stopping by but I can't wait another second to see what Marcia has up her sleeve to share... let's goooo!

=] Michele

Freshly Made Sketches #732

Our second Michelle [with an extra L] is our Freshly Made Sketches #732 artist!  It's really beautifully designed... take a peek...

 

I wanted to make a birthday card for a friend - a few balloons...

... bring a bit of fun to the celebration! Mine are from Sizzix in a sweet 

set called Festive Sky Party - a gift from a friend in Maine! 

I tied a bit of white quilting thread onto my balloon but obviously

someone let go!   This sentiment is included in a PFS set called Wildflower Slimline.

I stamped it with black ink and cut it with one of Altenew's Featured Sentiments dies.

I used one of the many embossing folder techniques around where one adds ink to the debossing flat area of the folder [mine is ages old from Darice] before running it through my die-cut machine.  

That's it from me today - but I just know you'll find tons of fabulous inspiration from

my teammates at Freshly Made Sketches!

You have until April 20th at 3pm EST to share your take on Michelle's sketch!

Can't wait to see them!

=] Michele