CAS[E] this Sketch #346

Happy Halloween, my friends!  but no Halloween card from me today... that ship has sailed, and segued right into Christmas!  lol

Here's a fun Sketch from Donna for CTS#346:

I have many friends in the PNW who could appreciate a Merry Squatch-y Christmas card... this guy has been just sitting in my snippets bowl waiting for his photo-shoot! 

Inside:  "Hope your holidays are the beast, too!!  wait.  no.  the BEST!!"

 

A few non-traditional Christmas Copics

were used in the making of this card, along

with Shaded lilac, and Vintage photo DOX for blended strip

 



My fellow CTS teammates undoubtedly have had fun with Donna's Sketch, too … let's go check them out, shall we? 

Thanks, for stopping by today!  xx

=]  Michele

EBE Lil Squatch stamps, and dies.  EBE Instant Photo Frames.  EBE Mondo Amaryllis for PEACE sentiment.
MFT Wonky Rectangles

 

Just in time for those Halloween treats!  at Ellen Hutson, LLC!

Inspired By #96 ... jars

There are a few ways to interpret Laurel's photo inspiration this week …

 

I have a darling jar, but decided I'd take my inspiration from the pumpkin painted on the white one in the photo - did you see it?  a fun way to 'contain' my Reverse Confetti cotton bolls for IB#96 …

 

 

After stamping Dee's pumpkin onto white card stock, I used a loose watercoloring to color it with DOX broken china, and vintage photo inks.  Then I 'carved' it with a bit of hand-drawn stitching lines, and scissors.  A CAS bit of framing with a Spellbinder's Hemstitch die, and a sentiment from RC's Fall Foliage that makes this a pretty untraditional Thanksgiving card... but, it works, right?  lol

 

Hope you've had a fantastic week … thanks for spending a bit of your precious time with me!  If you have a bit more to spare, we'd love it if you'd join us this week - I know you have a jar, fill it with anything your heart desires!

 

=]  Michele



The Library Challenge #45

My bloggy friend Julie is the Visiting Librarian at The Library Challenge #45 … she has chosen this book by Dave Barry, and I have chosen to turn it into a Christmas card depicting

the best trip to the tree farm ever!!

Using the Cool Christmas set of stamps and dies, from MFT,

I was inspired by:

• The sky, and skyline
• the yellow bus full of people
• the statues turned trees

Ready to see?

  

 

 and here's a look at the Copics I used to color it!

 

Hope the librarians like it!!

=]  Michele



The Christmas Kickstart challenge #22

Jingle All the Way!

 

 

 

 

I printed out a few sheets of my 'hand-written' Christmas paper - you haven't seen them?  So easy - you should make your own!  I found them to be the perfect backdrop for my tiny little jingle-bell-wearing Reindeer, for Jo's Jingle all the Way Christmas Kickstart challenge!  Hope Jo likes them...

 

This paper features my letter to Santa circa 1959

 

 

Okay.  We all know that Rudolph's nose lights the way for Santa's sleigh each year.  But this little guy is hoping to see that this year HE will be chosen!!  yep. that's me rooting for the underdog - or the underdeer!

I'd better hop over and get one of these into that CKS gallery!

=]  Michele

Three very Merry, very Stripe-y Christmas cards

Hello, my friends!  I'm starting off my Monday with a little twist... playing cards first, then doing the laundry!  How's that for rebellion?  lol 

Okay, total honesty these were made over the weekend, and I was inspired by the one-and-only Laura Fedora - she seems to have caused a stripe-ing-stampede here in blogland!

I pulled out three of my favorite Mondo flowers from Ellen Hutson, LLC and my mini MISTI to make this process about as easy as it could get.  Here's how...

1. Choose some fun colored cardstocks from your snippets bin - cut as many, in as many sized strips as you'd like. or need
2. arrange them in your chosen order; create panels of stripes, and connect them on the backside with double-sided tape
3. cut to size for your card
4. stamp your image [I've used Versa Claire Nocturne ink - stamps beautifully, and cleans off the stamp so easily] onto your card front, leaving the stamp attached to the cover of your MISTI
5. Add the stripe-y strip, and stamp again!

Mondo Amaryllis stamp  &

Retro Holiday Greetings

 

 Mondo Holly stamps & sentiment from

Mondo Amaryllis above

Mondo Chrysanthemum

sentiments from Mondo Holly & Hang On

Thanks, Laura, for sharing your

fabulous ideas with us all! 

Thank YOU, friends for hanging out with me this morning!
=]  Michele

CAS[E] this Sketch #345

Brian's Sketch #345 has allowed me to dig into my Halloween stash and have a play with a very old MFT set that still makes me smile - and feel like a kid again... here's where it all began:

wait... do kids still say this rhyme?  it is a little bit cheeky...

I pulled out the old Zigs to color this one... here are the colors:

 

 

Hey.  If this is as bad as it gets, I'll be happy as that little ghoul-y guy!  [btw he didn't even scream when I cut off his arm! okay the skeleton did lol however] 

One more week until Halloween... are you ready?  Hope you'll take advantage of Brian's Sketch to make someone a spooky treat...

=]  Michele

Inspired By #95 table runner

All the Halloween decorations are up in our neighborhood - we don't do it anymore, but I'm happy to have a few more weeks to make Halloween cards!  Enter IB#95 and a sweet little table runner...

 

It was easy enough to find a few Halloween papers in my stash... here's how I put them together:

 

That sentiment is from the same old retired MFT trick or treat

set I used on my CTS card this week ... coming soon!

 

These papers are from a very old 4x6" Recollections pad!  Some cut, some torn - all stitched down with spider webbing... by this big not-so-itsy bitsy-spider sticker - also from my stash.  I think my Halloween stash will last until I stop making cards! ha!

 

Don't YOU stop until you've added a little boo to our gallery, okay?

 

=]  Michele

The Flower Challenge - CAS 3rd birthday!

Clean and Simple, a.k.a. CAS design is my favorite style, but often, my opinion of the amount of 'white space' can differ from other's.  In any case, I surely wanted to celebrate The Flower Challenge's 3rd birthday! 

I feel that white space can have a bit of interest - my favorite way to add it is with texture, which I've done with my favorite SU embossing folder.  Doesn't it provide the most wonderful backdrop for my *Mondo Amaryllis? 

I've used the coordinating die to inlay the Copic colored image, but lifted just a few petals.  Leaving just one half-inch of the card base plain adds a bit of interest too, don't you agree?  No embellishments, no patterned paper, a simple die-cut sentiment - this says CAS to me!  OH and plenty of white space!

Happiest birthday, TFC!!  Cheers to 20 more!!  xx
=]  Michele

Sentiment from Pinkfresh Studio:  Simple Joy stamps, and dies - still on sale!!

*NOTE: for a fabulous how-to on Copic coloring this magnificent Amaryllis, watch Mindy Baxter's video on the EH YouTube channel - linked here. 

Pinkfresh Studio's October 2019 Challenge

I can't think of a circle more appropriate for a Christmas card than a wreath … it just so happens I have one [or ten] so I'm sending one over to Pinkfresh Studio's October Challenge - they're asking for circle elements this month!

Besides the circular card base, the shape of the wreath, there are eleven more circles on my card - see if you can find them! 

My Simple Joy [pssst it's on sale!] Santa, and kitty were stamped and Copic-colored using the challenge colors - don't you love the pink stationary?  The wreath and the decorations were cut from a few of the fabulous papers in Home for the Holidays patterned paper.

I love making Christmas cards!  But I'd better get to mailing those Halloween cards!!! 

Thanks for the visit!  xx
=]  Michele

Pinkfresh products:
Layered Wreath
Braided Circles

Three Bears, and more, from Monday!

Papa Bear... is hiding in a pile of leaves, secretly eating honey...

Brother bear is delivering a sweet, and a birthday card....

Sister bear has chosen her tree from the forest...

 

Mama and Baby Bear are delivering Christmas gifts... I'm thinking Baby Bear is going 'air mail' any second!!  lol

 

This last card was shared on Instagram last week … if you are thinking it looks familiar!  Back to that chore now - ugh.

 

=]  Michele

 

SugarPea Designs:  Hey, Winter, and Hey, honey sets. 

CAS Watercolour more Maple leaves!

I haven't had Second Helpings for a challenge in a long time... here are seconds, and thirds for CAS Watercolour - it is their 3rd birthday, after all!

 



Compared to my last [bear] card, these may just be more CAS, too... but you'll have to visit the CAS Watercolour challenge to see which one I've included in their gallery!  I wonder if you'll guess?

Inside:  Happy birthday to the brightest leaf on the family tree!

I am never one to waste a piece of water colored paper... especially when they turn out this bright.  Have you used the Altenew water colors?  SO gorgeous, and full of pigment!

Inside:  I'm missing the color you add to my life!

 

Off to the gallery I go... you should join me!!  OH and make a card to celebrate, too!

 

=]  Michele
 
Card one:  EBE Totally Random Sayings Vol. 3, Spellbinder's Hemstitched Square dies, MFT Natural cardstock for beige leaves, Lawn Fawn stitched leaves large, and small.
 
Card two:  Hero Arts/GinaK collab set for sentiment, Lawn Fawn leaf dies, SU Corrugated embossing folder.

Hey, Honey!

I had another play day with my furry friend … he thought he'd like to visit the Sugar Pea Mix Up Challenge #60 for a second time …

AND he has gathered a few maple leaves for the girls at CAS Watercolour, who are celebrating 3 years, too! 

 

Here's my honey of a friend...

 

Hey, honey has quickly become a favorite set from Sugar Pea Designs. [you'll see a few more of his cousins soon, too!]  The leaves are die cut from a bit of water colored card stock. That circle frame was found among my snippets - but the sweet sentiment is part of a little CTMH gift from a friend that arrived just in time to use on my card. 

Tell me you wouldn't love to see this guy poke his head through your window! 

Happy weekend, friends!  xx

=]  Michele

CAS[E] this Sketch #344

SO much fun to have the one-and-only Darnell joining us this week - welcome to the team, D!!  Want to see what we got to play with?  I thought you might... here's CTS#344!

So many ways to interpret Chrissy's Sketch - but I had a few Bloominous blooms [The Stamp Market] all stamped up, calling 'fussy cut me!' 

The font on that MFT Thanks die determined the tilt of my stripe-y hexagons - while the Sketch determined the arrangement of my floral spray! 

So where will your imagination take you this week?  We love that the CTS team can always count on you to put your best stamp forward!  xx

=]  Michele

Inspired By #94 ... pumpkins!

 

Our Inspired By #94 photo inspiration is perfect for the season, right?  It was the perfect reason for me to bring out a set I bought last year, after the season had passed!  I've done a bit of masking, and Copic coloring - choosing a few of the colors from those pumpkins above, see if you can spot them!

 

Of course I had to find a way to incorporate a bit of plaid - and that old favorite embossing folder from Darice.  The stamp set is from Stamplorations, Thankful & Blessed from Dee's Artsy Impressions.

 

I'm betting you have a pumpkin, or two, to play along?  stamping a pumpkin = much less messy than carving a pumpkin!  See you in the IB94 gallery!

 

=]  Michele



CAS Mix Up Foiling Reminder

It's time to give you a pretty little nudge to remind you to join us at the CAS Mix Up Challenge!!  If you've already joined us, why not make another?  The CAS Mix Up team made a second round of gorgeous foiled cards - you can find them all here.

 

 

We're foiling in October - and I had a second round of success, yay!  This time I tried foiling a sheet of paper with double sided sticky paper AND a piece of designer paper from EH made for foiling, as the design is printed with foil-friendly toner ink!

 

 stamped sentiment + foiled paper two ways + die cut
 

Here's how it came together:

• Apply a double sided sticky sheet to a piece of heavy cardstock [I used Neenah 110#] remove one backer, top with a sheet of silver foil, run through Minc machine
• Cut the sentiment from that foiled piece
• Cut a rectangle from a quarter sheet of designer toner paper with an MFT Wonky Rectangle
• foil with aqua foil

 

Foiling does add a festive bit to any card … hope you've had as much fun as I have had … thanks CAS Mix Up team, for inviting me to join you this month!

=]  Michele

Stamplorations Cutplorations die
Elizabeth Crafts double-sided 8.5x11 inch adhesive sheets
MFT Wonky stitched rectangle
Teensy sentiment from Reverse Confetti's Triangle Trees

Three Ways from Monday! with Penny Black

I've gotten a really late start on my laundry today... this cutie might have had a hand in it! 

I had loads of fun with Bauble Balance from Penny Black, and paired him up with some really wonderful holiday papers from Pinkfresh Studios - Holiday Vibes.

That sweet little sentiment is from Pinkfresh Studios - December Days

A little bit of stormy sky DOX ink completed this first of two

Copic colored elves.

Here are the ones I used... 

Since I had the Copics out on my desk, why not a second coloring?  I even added 'snow' with my Copics today!

Another December Days sentiment - this one has a coordinating die!!

and the chosen Copics used:

I did mention three, right?  Third time is a total charmer with a bit of Arteza Twimarker coloring!  Because I'm such a lover of words - the sentiment in this set just makes me smile, big time... tell me you don't LOVE his grey overalls!

the shine on this card is so pretty irl -

a bit of white gold Kuretake Gansai Tambi added to

the puddles of color on my palette did the trick.  Adding a bit of the skin tone

to that blue bauble did the trick to add his reflection!

That grey paper?  has been hoarded so long, I couldn't tell you whose it is!

Thanks for stopping by … your visits make my Mondays much more fun than the loads of laundry that I'd better get to... xx

=]  Michele

note:  some links are affiliate, which helps me, and doesn't add anything to your cost - thank you!  when Copic coloring, my favorite ink is Catherine Pooler Black Jack stamped onto Neenah Solar white 80# cardstock.