Freshly Made Sketches #704

Hello there, friends!  I am your host at Freshly Made Sketches #704 this week!  I hope you'll like it! take a look:

I can think of at least three things that would be perfect to scatter across a card... but I had a little more Halloween fun up my sleeve...

EH Ghosts; SSS Bat trio; SSS Hey, Boo.

C&9th Kristina's Finishing Touches Dies; Scrapbook.com Spooky patterned paper.

Okay, I've shown you mine, we can't wait to see yours!!

Check out the flurry of fun my teammates and special guest have to

inspire you RIGHT HERE!!

=] Michele

Color Hues #118

It seems I've turned the page and become a lover of blue - okay, maybe it's the smokey hue of this week's picks at Color Hues #118:

 

Before I share my card made for the challenge, let me show you how often this blue has shown up in my Christmas card-making lately:

And one more for Color Hues [thanks, Bonnie, for the beautiful reminder this morning!]: here's a closeup first so you can find my little bluebird!

This gorgeous set of stamps from Wplus9 is no longer available

but I will continue to use it because it's so wonderful.

There's a tiny little peek of PTI's Snowflake edger and I have to thank

Bobby once more for this wonderful smokey-blue cardstock from Bazzill

that she nabbed from JoAnn's when they closed shop.  Why its name is

Candy Buttons I cannot explain for the life of me!

Hope you have a great day today - I'll be back in a few with Freshly Made Sketches!

=] Michele 

It's amazing how many different sage greens I have in my supplies!

I actually used both of these for my leaves, and both blues for the bird and berries!

How was your Monday?

Since my Mondays involve laundry it's never my favorite day of the week - but not yesterday.  One could say my Monday was 'the berries!'  Penny Black Winter Berry Branch die that is!  I managed to knock out three cards:

Red berries, antique linen stenciling, and gold scripty stamping [Wplus9].

White berries, yellow stenciling.

I can't believe that these blue berries are my favorite - who am I?

I cut the oval using my Spellbinders' Oval Hemstitch die set, adding

a bit of antique linen around its edges.  Then used PB's musical background

stamp to add interest and edged it using Distress Oxide: Stormy Sky.

All three of the sentiments come from a very old MFT set called Hand-lettered Holidays.

Besides those lovely berries, I had a chance to fill another of Bobby's baskets

with the HoneyBee dies I borrowed while she was visiting!

It seems fitting to use it for Carol Mc's Just us Girls: Container challenge #792

I hope YOUR Monday was the berries, too!

=] Michele

The Flower Challenge #106 - Reminder!

There's still plenty of time to add florals to our sketch this month at The Flower Challenge!  Here's a reminder for you - I found another way to add that circular shape:

Yeppers: I embossed it!  Using a folder from Penny Black: Encircle!

I love it on this creamy white!

This little sprig of Climber Flowers from Altenew fit perfectly, don't you think?

A Betterpress-ed sentiment and voila!  

BTW there is so much to be inspired by from The Flower Challenge team!

See you there?

=] Michele

The Paper Players #755

LeAnne, I wasn't sure your colors would work for me in my 'Christmas card mode' but I like them so much I had to give it a go!

 

The Paper Players team have made gorgeous use of LeAnne's colors

so, be sure to check them out and hey, why not play along?

I had this wonderful Poinsettia Frame set of products from Pinkfresh Studios out for a play and found several already stamped and ready for a bit of stenciling!  

Here are the inks I chose/and mixed as stand-ins for those SU! colors:

Because it's a challenge from LeAnne, polka dots in the background

 seemed just about right...

What do you think?  Ever seen yellow Poinsettias before?

Well, now you have!

I've been busy making hot pepper jam over the weekend, but had

just enough energy left over for this card.  I'd better get it delivered 

before that laundry starts calling my name!

=] Michele

Second Helpings of Spots, and Stripes!

 

When it comes to Christmas cards, I can always depend on Penny Black, 

and Penny Black on Saturday to keep me motivated!

The PBSC challenge has an 'anything goes' theme, but in September there is that option to add spots and/or stripes... this 'new to me' c. 2012 stamp has BOTH!  

Spots on her 'babushka' and stripes on her shirt and tights!

PB and her illustrator Mo Manning has called her 'ragged angel' but she's just perfect to me and worthy of framing on my card!

The 'wind' has blown a few sparkling snowflakes her way!

If we didn't have more than three flakes in Winter, I'd be very happy!

=] Michele

Freshly Made Sketches #703

Are you ready to have your way with Karren's fun sketch?  Take a look-y-loo at Freshly Made Sketches #703:

Now, imagine the unlimited elements that could be added to it!  The sky's the limit!

Here's right where it took me... straight into Autumn!

A bouquet of HoneyBee Fall Foliage, to be

exact - and even a harvest moon - can you find it?!

I always look for opportunities to add grey - you'll see it

in my bouquet and sentiment strip today.  More burlap embossing?  Yes, please!

Okay... ready. set. play!  But first let's go see what my teamies have for us today!

=] Michele