Sunday fun day!

I had a little bit of 'free time' today ... you know exactly where I headed: into the fun room!  Playing with a few challenges is a great way to pass time!

First up - my sweet friend Marcia is the host at Color Hues #139 - she picked a color combo perfect for the last blooms of Summer... or maybe a Christmas card?  Challenge taken, Marcia!

One might not agree that these are right for Christmas, but I beg to differ with you...

take a look - I think the colors are perfect for a red-headed Christmas toddler and her friend, Teddy!

Am I right?

I adore this sweetie from Penny Black called Beary Merry!  Stamped in black, clear embossed, and colored with Distress reinkers: Mustard Seed, and Carved Pumpkin.

Next up, I'm heading to Christmas Kickstart Challenge #113: Friends for Life - I have a friendship from Mother Nature & Penny Black's Deck the Halls: 

JOY die from PB. Stitch lines from Concord & 9th and Kristina Werner's 

Finishing Touches dies.

I took this card to the 'masculine side' so I could also play along with those fabulous Jingle Belles: Masculine Merriment challenge! By adding SU Chocolate Chip reinker

to that big, beautiful JOY it seems more masculine to me - show me a guy who doesn't love critters!  My sub-sentiment is from 

PTI's Wonderful Words: JOY!

One more seems right... CAS Mix Up August 2026 has a technique of stenciling over patterned paper.  I just love all the cards their team have made!  Mixed media is not my thing and keeping it CAS makes it even more of a challenge, right?  I've given it my best attempt using a paper from HoneyBee and an image from Altenew: Casual Bouquet that includes a set of stencils.  Be honest... does this work?

The gradient design of this dsp still shows through after stenciling

which I was very happy about.

I used Honeycomb Corners from The Greetery to add those little

hexagons - keeping it pretty CAS.

Okay, the boss is home, so I'd better make it look like I'm doing something besides playing!  Thanks so much for stopping by!

=] Michele

Freshly Made Sketches #749

Jen B. is our designer for Freshly Made Sketches #749!  Just remember, those circles you often see in our sketches can be anything your imagination can make them!

 

I've been doing a little 'homework' using Therese's Color Made Easy email course.  I admit to being a bit color-phobic... today's card really tested me!  I used my color wheel and just pulled out some cardstock - and pulled up my big girl panties!! 

Pink + Orange is my favorite color combo - that might seem strange

to many of you!  Bringing blue, purple, and orange together was really

a stretch for me!  But I trusted the lesson on analogous colors and 

in the end, I like it!

I've used The Stamp Market's simple Bloomin' Cute die and strips of paper found in my snippets for my stripes.  Honestly, I think the orange enamel dots brought the whole thing together!

Okay.  That's where my brain went - where will you take those stripes and circles?  We can't wait to see them pop into our gallery! See you before the window closes at 3EST Monday, August 17th?

=] Michele

The Paper Players - Colors too delicious to resist!

Ready for another 'sale' item?  Stef's PP798 colors were perfect!

I resisted this SB Cocoa Wonderland set long enough for it to go on sale!

A ring of 'tan' [kraft] was used to break up the white - but 

isn't that embossing gorgeous?? It was a bd gift in '23 and I

continue to love it! SB Adorning the Tree. 

The sun is setting so much earlier this week - I hate to see it as it has been

such a fantastic summer!

I'd better get this cuppa in the gallery before the door closes!

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

=] Michele

The Paper Players #798 - seconds for JUGS!

Many years ago, Tom bought me several alpha die sets - sadly they've

been dormant for a very long time!  Why I thought of them when I saw

Stef's fabulous color challenge at The Paper Players we'll never know.

BUT I sure did have fun... take a peek...

Why, yes. that is indeed a new embossing folder!  Spellbinders sucked me

into a very good sale recently - besides this Urban Grid, there are two others -

more soon!  The sub-sentiment is C&9th: Picked Posie Greetings.

Here's another alpha card using those Altenew Caps Bold Alphabet dies...

This time I put all my alphas through another Spellbinder EF this one was a

monthly folder from February 2023 so it's been around for a while, but I still love it! And that sweet little Bloomin' Cute blossom from The Stamp Market, too!

I'm betting the ladies at JUGS#835 will appreciate the time it took to

align those alphas!

Can you stand one more?  Just for funsies...

Those cute Thought Bubbles from TSM worked a charm!

Hope you're having a great week!

=] Michele

Just us Girls #835

 

Vicki is asking us to sharpen our die-cutting skills this week

at Just Us Girls #835!

I have had one of Altenew's designer's cards in my inbox for weeks now -

it seemed like the perfect time to take my cue from Aga!

I won't get into detail - it is Aga's use of die-cut leaves and making

them shine on a card that I'm featuring here.  I used several leaf

dies from Altenew's Virginia Rose 3D die set to cut my leaves from white.

I 'scribbled' color on using Copics and Ohuhu markers to create

variegated leaves which were arranged across my panel

of grey-brown card.  Enough telling - more showing!!

The berries come from the same die set and I've used another Betterpress-ed sentiment

from my pre-pressed, ready-to-go stash!

Please do take a gander at the gorgeous card from Aga - I've linked it

above!  I didn't come close to the beauty of hers - but it sure was fun trying!

=] Michele

One [or two] more for Color Hues #138

It has been a really good and crafty week and I have one more

'new' supply in the house!  Thanks to my friend Bonnie's expert enabling!

What better time to play with Karen's Color Hues #138 combo again?

I fell in love with all the cards she made with that PTI Geranium set - I honestly

couldn't get it in a basket fast enough!  Along with their Tropical Teal cardstock

that was used to cut their wonderful leaves!

I blended a bit of TSM Jade ink on their edges to add a bit of depth.

The blooms are cut from TSM Sea Glass paper then darkened to a mor

teal-like color using Jade ink.  Navy is the second CH color, so it was a

must for the bottom half of a 'crimped' front panel along with a

few ferns from another ASD Whimsy Blooms Bouquet die set.

Thanks so much, Karen!

And then, as I just couldn't put those colors away just yet, they were used

to color this wonderful ASD Poinsettia, too!

I'm so happy to finally have the coordinating dies to cut all the great

sentiments in the Festive Poinsettia set!

Alright, my friends! That's all from me this week!  Have a great weekend,

and thanks for spending a little time with me this week - all your kindness

does not go unnoticed I promise you!

=] Michele 

A new stencil in the house!

I have had my eye on this set from Alex Syberia for quite a while.  I've been quite good about buying things lately, so I treated myself this week!  My timing [and theirs] was spot on!  Meet Lush Peony Bouquet - press plate and stencils - using the colors from Color Hues #138!  

Sentiment: Pinkfresh Studios: With Sympathy

Next up - a no-line letter-pressed image and lots, and lots of inks for Darnell's inky I.D.E.A.S calendar and NBUS challenge #89!

The press plate was run through my Platinum Six without ink-

making stenciling these peonies without inked lines a little easier.

I'll be back again soon!  Thanks for stopping by!

=] Michele