Inkspirational Challenge #335

After receiving the sweetest email from a friend saying that my little heart card had been chosen as a Top Pick at Inkspirational, how could I not say thank you by making them another?  

It's mood board time for challenge #335 and they have a beauty:

As much as I wanted to stamp some Hyacinths, it was the Balloon Flower from

Altenew that came out to play!

There is a bit of green in their mood board - on that little spool of thread!

Thanks to the IC team for that Top Pick!

=] Michele

The Paper Players #725

Jan at The Paper Players has asked us to embrace and conquer our fear of masculine cards - you know it's a real thing.  It only took one look at their prompt to remind me of a die set I bought years ago and [as they were never cut apart] it was obvious I'd never used it!  That seldom happens around here, I promise.  It wasn't such an easy task to FIND it!

This is easily the most CAS card ever from me!

Another set from The Cat's Pajamas contains some really fun sentiments

one might not send to a gal pal - having said that, I have a few that this one

would be perfect for!

Thanks, Jan for the fun challenge!

=] Michele

Freshly Made Sketches #674

I'm seeing lots of patterned paper being put to use around blogland - I have a darling 6x6 inch pad from Unity that was calling my name today!  This Sketch from Jen M. at Freshly Made Sketches #674 seemed like the perfect home for it...

 

I started with that curve but wanted to use one with a little bit more movement.  This oldie but goodie Borders #1 set from Paper Smooches seemed right.  I cut two panels of the Hello Daisy paper using one of the dies then switched them out to create two different cover panels.  clear as mud, right?  Here's a look at that:

That sweet little die set from Sizzix [663630] was a gift with purchase last year - no name but the daisies were just what I was looking for!  Remember that fun bear and penguin set I bought last year?  The die intended for light bulbs worked a charm for my flower centers.  Until this very moment, I thought surely the cardstock I chose was a match - not so much - but it does match the confetti in the base of my card front, so I went with it!  Tell me if you agree...

Concord & 9th Just Sayin' dies for my sentiment.

I'm so happy to bring my little bunny out of storage... he's much easier to control than the ones who come right up onto our porch!

Wait!  Wanna see the other one?  Okay... you know I love second helpings!

I found this sentiment in my snippets [WF Hello Friend Combo] which prompted

a few black enamel dots to bring it all home!  Do you have a favorite?

=] Michele

What's a little challenge between loads?

When those wonderful Tulips in Bloom arrived from Penny Black on Saturday, I knew just where I'd be on Sunday, and I'm very happy to share the results with you here between loads on Monday!!  Color Hues #104 and my friend Bonnie's color choices may have inspired my own choices: abandoned coral and fossilized amber from my new palette of reinkers!

It was love at first sight but then there was the color decision

for the stems and leaves - green is NOT a neutral [ask me how I know].

A bit of black soot and pumice stone were used to watercolor 

all the 'green' bits... you'll see those soon, promise!

A wonderful sentiment from the set was cut using my old faithful

PFS essential labels, I embossed the bottom half of my cover

panel with PB's Linked EF, and planted my tulips over top

of the largest of the PB Classy Frames dies.  A smattering of tiny

pearls seemed just the finishing touch I was looking for!

There you have it!  Now back to the regularly scheduled Monday loads of fun!

=] Michele

The Flower Challenge #99 Reminder

Just a quick reminder that you have a plenty of time to make more pink florals for us at The Flower Challenge!!  Pink is the easiest of all floral colors, right?

Another New Year's pledge on the books for 2025: shop my stash!  This sweet PTI Amaryllis just doesn't get enough attention!  How could it possibly get worn out or more perfect for our winter-y Valentines Day?

There you have it! Have you made yours yet?

No time like the present!

=] Michele

Freshly Made Sketches #673

Though Valentine's Day [I was recently told] is for your most significant other: spouse, partner, etc. I still am sending lots of love out to you all!  My own Valentine took today off, so I'd better make this quick!  Since I made lunch, he is in charge of dinner... surprise: It's pizza night!  

Freshly Made Sketches #673 is from Jen T. and it's a fun one!  

I have this wonderful Honeysuckle Stems layering stamp set from The Greetery that I remind myself to use every year... any type of flower is a good reminder that Spring will come one of these days.  

Let me start with this closeup so you can see the subtle layers I've used for Jen's Sketch.

The card base was debossed with my old favorite from Altenew: Dotted Swirls.  I cut a framed circle using an Ellen Hutson set then embossed the main circle with a Penny Black Encircled EF, popped it onto my base then added the frame which I left 'un-embossed.'

After much moving/adjusting/flipping I ended up using two of the three stems

I'd inked.  Then it was a matter of the sentiment... this one is for my granddaughter

who chose her Winter break from school to have her tonsils out!  Sounds like 

she's doing great besides having a little soreness - nothing naps and binge-watching-movies

won't take care of.  

Okay, that's enough of me barging into your Valentine's Day ... big hugs!

=] Michele

Distress inks for water coloring?

Hello again, my friends!  I've been using my Distress ink pads for years to watercolor - have you, too?  They never seem to go dry because I don't use them for stamping.  But after watching Jill Foster use those Distress re-inkers for painting all of those gorgeous Penny Black images, I decided I needed to put a little research of my own into it!  Ranger had a 20% off coupon for first time buyers so I quickly put a dozen in my cart...

I found an empty watercolor pan palette from Altenew in my stash

and added a small drop of each color to its little wells.  

Then I SWATCHED! Yes, Therese, I swatched those inks!  I'm so glad

I did - the inks truly are so deeply pigmented it completely shed light on Jill's watercolor methods!  

Since I neglected to add any greens to my cart, Forest Moss and Peeled Paint

were smooshed onto a surface for those leaves.  

BTW I think I've come to 

the very last item I purchased during the Christmas sales!  This

Pinkfresh Studio Poinsettia Frame had been calling my name!

[Marcia - I also got the stencils and have already stamped 

a few for our playdate next week!]

I took my own sweet time painting and experimenting with color mixes and can quickly see adding a few more re-inker colors to my stash as those pads get dry!  Ready for the reveal?

It truly is going to take some time getting accustomed to the intensity of these inks,

and how to move them on my Canson watercolor paper.  But for my first

outing I'm very happy with the results.

I'd love to know if you watched the release of the Penny Black Kit Starter video that released today.  You KNOW those tulips are on their way soon!

=] Michele