PB Permission to Play #10

Happy Saturday, friends!  I'm sad to say I'm here with the final sketch of the wonderful PB&J Permission to Play series!  I've so loved getting my watercolor on with Jill's wonderful sketches and some old favorite Penny Black stamps!  Thanks for all the kindness you've left me! 

Ready for #10??

I only have a few of the PB florals but you know I had to have these 

darling tulips called Springride!

I definitely used Jill's technique of adding ink to my embossed card front.

This Postage Stamp die from Waffle Flower didn't have the 'frame'

so, I added a pencil line - allowing one little tulip to extend beyond

for a bit of interest.  The sentiment is from the first set I used in the series

called Peaceful Time.  The postage cancelation stamp is from The Greetery.

LOOK at that face!  This tutu cutie from Fairy Love HAD to be invited to Play!

This purple panel was embossed with an old favorite folder from Amy Tangerine

called Love Spun with a little swipe of Villainous Potion distress ink.

Why I made her Bee suit purple and yellow is beyond me, but I love it!

adding a bit of Stickles to her headgear and Wink of Stella to her wings.

Thank you, Penny Black and Jill, for this wonderful Permission to Play - I will be watching and waiting for your next series - hope it's soon!

=] Michele

Penny Black Permission to Play #9

I'm going to be so sad to see this series end.  The PB&J series has been so fun and Permission to Play is such a freeing concept.

I have two more Christmas cards using the 9th sketch in their series:

An embossed HoneyBee Snowflake background, green frame made with W&W's Noelle frame

with a SB Stylish Oval cut from its center to pop in my water colored PB Sharing a Song.

Then before cleaning up, I stamped this cutie called Bauble Balance.

A friend asked me which inks I use for their skin - I find 

Distress inks Tea Dye with a blush of Tattered Rose work perfectly!

Richard Garay Pine bough embossing, frame made with W+9's Postage Layers dies,

with the center cut out using SB Postage Edge Ovals.

This little guy is heading over to Peace on Earth Christmas challenge #67!

My attempt to create a 'reflection' of the colors of his baubles may not be all that successful - but I can't imagine one of my seniors being unhappy to receive it!

I used TH watercolor paper here - though it is the 'whitest' it seems inferior to

me when compared to the Canson 140# cold press paper that I love so much!

One more - this time for Penny Black on Saturday's July Challenge!

Anything Goes - option of Food!

This little cutie could make just about anyone eat those carrots!

PB Carrot Collector - Slapstick/Cling stamp on Canson 140# watercolor paper

Colored with Distress inks.  SB Little Messages Betterpress sentiment

The last in the series will come too soon!  Thanks for dropping by!

=] Michele

Thanks Peace on Earth for this honor!

Spellbinders' Home for the Holidays July 2024

Welcome back!  As promised, I have a few cards lovingly made using Spellbinders' Home for the Holidays collection that just released!  I was really happy to be invited to play with a few products from the collection and even happier when their gift included some of their newest Betterpress items!

First up, some very CAS very simple cards to allow all the brilliance of these plates shine ... and you had to know there would be a little grey involved, right?  Let's start with their set that includes TWO plates:  Night and Day Pines...

I'll attempt to explain the difference between the plates:

The Day plate on the left 'presses' the ink/pine boughs into the paper.

The plate on the right or the Night plate presses the inked background into the paper and leaves the pine boughs white - think 'covered with snow!'

Night... and Day...

I just couldn't bring myself to cover much of that detail.  

Spellbinders' Sending Joy Sentiments to the rescue! 

[may I just say warn you - you will be seeing A LOT of these]

Last but certainly not least Color Mix Joy:

This set of plates comes with several sentiment plates and an acetate guide for alignment in a fun 'stacked' configuration ... but I couldn't help myself - I lined them up [pressing the j and y first then the o] straight and fussy cut the whole shebang making a 'button' out of the tiddle!

Another beautiful Day pressing for the background and one of the

four sentiments from Sending Joy.  The Poinsettia and pine boughs are

from SB Holiday Blooms 2022.

And there you have it!  My Spellbinders Home for the Holidays cards!  Hope you enjoyed them and want to see all the other products from the collection HERE.

=] Michele

Spellbinders Nature's Botanical Garden Collection

Our friends at Spellbinders Paper Arts reached out with an invitation to play with Susan Tierney-Cockburn's newest collection called Nature's Botanical Garden!  I was so pleased to receive the gift that included her Hydrangea and Forsythia etched dies!

Forsythia have always represented Spring to me - I'm always sad they don't last longer!  And even though I don't have the luck to have them in my own yard, my neighbor lets me cut as many branches as I'd like!

I started my playtime by cutting the floral bits in white and the branch in kraft...

Then it was as simple as adding layered of watery washes of these inks:

Susan really tested me with those teensy centers - but I managed to

'curl' them to my will and mount them using Nuvo drops as glue!

Since it is butterfly season 'round here, I brought out one of

my many Spellbinders' embossing folders to add dimension to my card base

and to peek out from behind the SB Four Petal frame.

You know my favorite Betterpress A Little Sentiment set had to make an appearance, right?

My own Hydrangeas continue to test my patience - some years they bloom, often not at all!  These paper ones are just like my favorites: Hydrangea macrophylla 'Agnes Parvelli.'  Same steps to bring them to life as before...

Here is a closeup...

Did you spot the Stickles added to their centers?  A stack of

those Four Petal frames with a bit of a watery wash in the background

and a few 'hand cut' stems and my card was complete!

One more?  There is a gorgeous addition to Spellbinders' 3D embossing folder collection from Susan, as well: Botanical Wreath.  I chose to use a piece of cold press watercolor paper then added a watery wash of color.  After a quick fussy-cutting it was popped up on a creamy 5x7" card base - the center sentiment is from one of my Betterpress of the Month sets called Corner Sunflowers.

Spellbinders Paper Arts has LOTS of new things releasing today - you'll find them all right HERE!  And I'll be back with more soon with a few of their Home for the Holidays collection of products!  Hope you'll come back! 

=] Michele

PB Permission to Play with Color Throwdown #800

Hello, my friends!  I had just enough time last evening to catch up on Penny Black's Permission to Play series while Tom was at our observatory photographing the stars!  [in case you're wondering why I didn't go: just think about millions of mosquitoes and you'll find your answer] Here is number 7, and 8 in the series: 

Jill's Dynamic Diagonal embossed feature in Series #7 was the

right time to use their Encircle folder for a little pond for my Little Guy!

HoneyBee Hooked on You sentiment

After fussy-cutting him out, I used a bit of the scrap to create a

dock jutting out over the pond from a grassy hillside - use your imagination, okay?

Sketch #8 asks us to add a die cut edge to our panel and to add a die cut sentiment...

PF Classic Edgers and Take Care die - Sunny Studio Woodgrain ef - PB Little Guys

I have chosen the colors from Color Throwdown #800 to paint

this little sailor - he might be going off the deep end... take care!

It's hard to believe it's the end of our vacation week - back to the grind for Tom, and the normal everyday goings on for me!  We had a wonderful week driving over the Mighty Mackinac bridge to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan... water falls galore, a Lake of the Clouds on top of Porcupine Mountain and fun looking out for moose - which remained hidden from our view!  We drove 1250 miles and rolled over 50,000 miles on the Prius Prime - time for a trade in? lol [I'll do anything to go back to visit our friends in New York again!]

=] Michele 

Home again! Freshly Made Sketches #643

I can always count on Freshly Made Sketches to get my juices flowing again after time spent away!  Thank you, Linda, for the fabulous inspiration! 

I had a new PF press plate

to add an ocean of fun to my card base and some very old stamps

for all the pieces and parts of Linda's sketch, too!

Sailing circa 2015 from SSS never gets old!

I'd better get this posted - hope I remember how!  lol

=] Michele

The Flower Challenge #93

What are the most common cards we make?  Most likely you've all said 'birthday cards' right?  Lucky for you, you'll be able to combine your love of florals to those birthday cards this month for The Flower Challenge!  

 

While searching for a great birthday sentiment, I found just the ticket in one of my favorite stamp sets - another from Alex Syberia Designs: Spring Garden.

Inside: Of course it is!  It's your birthday - let's celebrate!

Isn't she lovely in these shades of blue and gold?  My friend

Stephanie sent me a stash of those embossed vellum panels - I thought

it made a beautiful textural backdrop to these blossoms.

I have a bonus card for you today - since it is a big day in America, too! Hows about a little red, white, and blue?

Using one of PTI's Botanical Blocks it is winging its way to my friend today!

So.  What do you think?  Does a birthday card HAVE to say 'happy birthday' on the front of the card?  I don't think so - but you do you and then share it was us at The Flower Challenge!  We can't wait to see it!

=] Michele