Color Hues #60 Second Helpings

 It has been a wonderful day: sunshine, butterflies, and lunch out at a fantastic Greek restaurant - who could ask for more??  Well, as a matter of fact I have second helpings for my friends at Color Hues #60 - my day is complete!

A gorgeous new set from Alex Syberia Designs: 

Spring Garden + dies + stencils + a new cover die!!  

Off to cook dinner for my hubby - laundry can wait until tomorrow!  But my thanks to you cannot! Thank you!

=] Michele

Class dismissed!

I spent the entire weekend with The Stamp Market's Fun & Floral-y* class - I shared cards 1 & 2 with you yesterday but just in case you missed it I'll share the whole shebang here today!

It's enough that you are here - so please don't feel as if you must comment on each card, or at all really - just sharing my work!  Ready set go:

When Amy said there would be 'lots' of die-cutting, she wasn't kidding - time well spent in my humble opinion!

There was one of those one-pass-cuts-a-million-bits of confetti dies in the kit - 

surely they were meant to be shaken, not stirred...

Next up, a little repetitive stamping with another little blossom...

isn't that little curved sentiment the cutest grassy knoll?

Amy shared a terrific tip on how to make our own infinity shaker pocket -

don't tell on me, but I used one of my handy Waffle Flower pockets!

My bits got a little jammed up, but I was able to correct the situation...

Then a sweet little set of note cards using a fun stripe-y stamping technique on vellum.  You all know me by now - I couldn't throw those negatives away!

Now you know where the confetti came from...

Here they are all wrapped up with their tiny little envelopes and a tag

 ready for gift-giving.

For this assignment, we were supposed to cut more of those sweet little blooms - but I'm telling you my shoulder really got a workout this weekend and I had all of these leftovers from that shaker-bloom!  So why not

a quick-n-easy sunny-side-up card - be sure to read my inside sentiment...

Inside:

I heard you are egg-specting! Congratulations!!

Then a session of stacking strips of paper, die-cutting one bloom, and making a bonus tag or bookmark!

I even snuck in an extra snippet - remember that connected heart panel?

with one pass you end up with about 50 of these little hearts - see if you can find it...

On Saturday, Amy used this darling stencil to create a pop-up

inside her 1st card - my pop-ups always end up being really thick and hard to mail - but I did want to use the stencil...

ONE MORE - and if you stuck around this long, I sure appreciate it -

that little striped stamping on vellum made a pretty cute background

for this last bloom cut from another confetti snippet!

My trip to see the butterflies blooming was rescheduled for tomorrow - it's supposed to be clear and sunny all day so I'm putting off my laundry until Tuesday!  Hope your week gets off to a good start!

=] Michele

ps. We were told these products will be available soon!

Class is in session at The Stamp Market!

I'm enjoying the class I'm taking at The Stamp Market today ... here to show and share my work on card #1 and #2!

Card #1 is made pretty much following Amy's awesome instruction. For card #2 on right Amy had a cute pop up inside the card - but I thought there was just enough dimension on the front so I just went my own way on the front - aren't they cute?  We were told that these supplies will be available to everyone soon! 

Okay - back to work after a little break for dinner!

=] Michele

Just us Girls #671 Photo or Mood Board

There is no denying that creating cards using a Mood Board or photo has always been a favorite of mine ... thanks Elizabeth for creating this gorgeous board to inspire us all!

Hello again, my friends - week three as a Just us Girls guest designer was a delight!

I asked for an enlargement of the board, so I thought I'd share it with you - 

Don't think you can't combine a few of these photos if you want to - I did:

the daisies on the blue painted wood met up with the yellow gingham across the board, and even a little HELLO from the center square came together for my card today!  Enough said:

I just adore these Gerbera Daisies from Uniko - definitely Top 10 of my favorite sets!  I heat embossed in white onto watercolor cardstock, then used a few inks to add color with a water brush: mustard seed, mowed lawn, and CP Twilight to be exact.

We can't wait to see which photo[s] will inspire you to play cards with us this week!  Don't think you can't make more than one - wink!  Let's go see what the JUGS team made... I know I'm going to love them!

=] Michele

HoneyBee: Gingham Galore PP

Craft Consortium: wood textures PP

Waffle Flower: Hello Friend combo stamp/dies

Color Hues #60 Blue and turquoise!

 

How could I allow the day to pass without playing cards at Color Hues #60?  Especially when one of my favorite humans is hosting!!!

Marcia, only you can make me play with blue and enjoy it - of course one of our favorite Birdy Brown bathing beauties had to jump into the pool!

YES! she IS on an action wobbler!

YES!  I did find this 'pool' in my snippets - but added another layer with versamark and 

clear heat embossed it for extra fun!  

Her coconut and tan are neutrals which are allowed - I think?

Inside sentiment: 

"Or, if you live in Michigan and it's snowing, let's just drink!"

Off to the gallery she goes... have a wonderful weekend, my friends!

=] Michele

Doodlebugs Friday!

It's Weekend Eve my friends!  woo HOO!  I have two cards for you today - yes, I do like & appreciate you that much!  

I've taken another look at my mighty big Altenew stash and found a layering stamp set that really didn't get the attention it deserves ... here's one way to color their Fairy Tale Florals using all the stamps and a few inks...

I think it's lovely this way, don't you?  Well, it wouldn't be Doodlebugs Friday without a teaser sneak peek now, would it?  Another instance when something new makes very good friends with something a little older ...

About two dozen Copic's came out to play today... stop by the 

Doodlebugs Blog for the whole enchilada!

=] Michele

Freshly Made Sketches #577

 

Judy Rozema is our host at Freshly Made Sketches #577  - her Sketch couldn't be more suitable for the snippets 'flying' about my desk today!

I had more of the 'negative' gold foiling from my playtime last week and thought these Pinkfresh butterflies would be so pretty as the circle stand-ins.  It turns out they were okay but the foil lacked pizazz - UNTIL I reached for my sponge daubers and three gorgeous inks: CP drive in, and orange peel, 

and The Stamp Market's fuchsia, and to be exact!

I gave the impression of Judy's panel using a few fun SSS Pepper Berry die-cuts a friend sent me that I 'dressed up' with a little gold paint!  My sentiment is from a new Concord & 9th set you'll soon be seeing more of.

I made SIX butterfly cards today - thinking about all those Monarch's waking up in Mexico at the moment!  Remember my Random Act of Kindness neighbor?  She's returning the kindness by taking me to our Botanical Gardens to see the butterflies blooming on Friday!  

=] Michele

Playing Cards with Friends - March 2023

I'm back to introduce a fellow card maker whose skills go beyond cards, let me tell you!  If you are an Instagram-er do yourself a favor and follow @lisacardmaker - just wait until you see her skills with a crochet hook!

I'm Playing Cards with my friend Lisa of Happy Hello Studio who I met over a LIVE video chat at Therese Calvird's YouTube channel - nothing more fun than meeting new people who share your hobby.  When you find out they only live a few states away, it's even better!  One day we'll start road-tripping again, I just know it!

So!  I had a browse through all the National Holidays in March and wanted to celebrate something besides corned beef and cabbage!  

I stumbled upon a celebration in honor of Madame Marie Curie - guess what they use to symbolize her?  DAFFODILS!  It was a done deal!  Find out all about the Great Daffodil Appeal Day here.

All that to say here is our very easy and fun assignment:

Make a 'feel better' card with a daffodil - 

any daffodil will do, any number, any style you'd like!

OH, wouldn't it be nice to send it to someone who needs a pick-me-up?

Didn't I have the luck of the Irish having just received a new [to me] one from Altenew?  You may have seen it last week but this time I'm treating the line art to layered stamping!  I was inspired [as I am always] by the illustrations Altenew provides in their packaging.  Here are the unusual colors they suggested:

pssst if your layering isn't quite perfect you'd be amazed what a little colored pencil can do!

My card measures 4x7 inches - weird size but it fits in a No. 10 envelope!

A flower with so many names: Daffodil, Narcissus, even Jonquil - can be beautiful in any color, too!  I found the most wonderful Salmon cardstock from The Stamp Market was a perfect match and was even prettier embossed with this Spellbinder folder.  You'll see just a whisper of green on my sentiment label - sometimes creating custom cardstock can lead to something a little unexpected!

Lisa, you are such a doll to accept my invitation to Play Cards!  I've blathered on long enough - it's time to dash over to your blog and invite all my friends to join me!  See you soon - and thanks, friends for stopping by today!

=] Michele    

The Flower Challenge #78 Reminder

Hi there!  Me again with a reminder that you still have time to enter our

Die Cuts & Stencils challenge!  

Here's another way to add a stencil to your die cut florals:

PF Swirl Background, Altenew Dainty Leaves, Spellbinders Holiday Blooms

Here's another rendition of the same idea...

PF Swirl Background, PF Curvy Leaves, and Concord & 9th Just Saying dies.

You'll do a better job of making the florals the star of the show card. wink wink.

There are some lovely cards in our gallery - hope you'll join us, too OR again!

=] Michele
 

More from Pinkfresh!

There is sooo much to love in this fabulous prize package I won recently from Pinkfresh Studio - well I have to share, right?

Remember my first card? It left me with such a beautiful scrap of aura foil that I had to use it... I found that blending a little ink over the panel can fill in any of those areas that don't foil perfectly when using the negative foil plate.  This time I reached for an ink that 'matched' my cardstock.

Lots to love about this fun sentiment die - and those holographic colors - 

with a few blooms from Spellbinders - snippets from my bin!

Next: the reason I sent Kelly that thank you - this Wonderful in Every Way suite of products were substituted for the part of my prize package that was taking a little longer to arrive in stock than Kelly wanted me to wait for!  

This first one will be heading over to the Pinkfresh March 2023 Inspiration Challenge, and the next was inspired by my Insta friend Raquel @rachelrdesigns   Not nearly as beautiful as Raquel's but I love the bright colors that were blended together through the coloring stencil set in the suite with the aqua foiling!

The Stamp Market's Happy Heart cover die and a dash of black enamel dots

were just the right finishing touch with the black-stamped sentiment from the set.

Hope your week has gotten off on the right track - back to those LOADS of fun I have on Mondays!!

=] Michele

Just us Girls #670 Word Week: Rainbow

I found a 'blooming cute' way to add a rainbow to my card today!  It's Word Week at Just us Girls, and I'm happy to be back for my second week as their guest designer!  Thanks, Elizabeth, for the wonderful word!

Ready for my rainbow?

This 'rainbow-of-blooms' is a lovely die from The Stamp Market -

I made an impression with the die onto a panel of TH watercolor cardstock, then used three distress inks to create my rainbow of colors. Abandoned coral, squeezed lemonade, and broken china were all I needed - and a little water to mix.  I completed the cut with the die, and

added a bit of thin foam adhesive for a bit of dimension.

It was such fun to find an unusual way to represent a rainbow - but I know you will be even more clever.  You're gonna play, right??  We sure appreciate it!

=] Michele

Freshly made Sketches #576

A funny thing happened on the way from here:

To making my FMS#576 card here:

Yes, I do take my snippets seriously!  Nothing like a little black and white card!

Hope your week has been great! See you tomorrow!

=] Michele

Card 2:

Colorado Crafts Co.: Birthday Wishes stamps and dies.  

Colorado Crafts Co.: Christmas Presents

MFT Stitched Speech Bubbles

MFT Pierced Circles

Card 1: 

Altenew Versatile Greetings Die set

Colorado Craft Co.: Wishing Happiness

Doodlebugs Friday!

It's been quite a while since I sat down to just watercolor - I remedied that for my card today ... simple and just what I needed!  Here's your peek ...

I know it's a real teaser - I'll give you a hint ... SOME of you have them blooming right about now in your gardens, you lucky people!  Did you guess correctly?  Head over to the Doodlebugs Blog to find out!

=] Michele

Pinkfresh Studio March 2023 Challenge

 

It was such a wonderful surprise to win the whole shebang from Pinkfresh Studio in January - there were understandable reasons why it took until last week for that prize to arrive!  Kelly from the PF warehouse even called me personally - when is the last time THAT ever happened?  It seemed fitting to start my journey into this massive prize with a thank you for Kelly.  Why not use it for an entry into their March 2023 challenge?

Layers are the name of the game this month, so:

• I did a little fussy-cutting, and 
• added some glossy accents to a portion of my thank you sentiment - included in the stamp set from the Floral Border suite of products.  
• The image was hot foiled, and stencil colored before die cutting.  
• A few of their lovely gems for the final touch!

Believe me when I say that there are a WHOLE LOT of cards coming your way using this prize ... still cannot believe my luck!

Thank you, Pinkfresh Studio!

=] Michele

Double D March 2023 - Green!

 Everything green in my view is 'leftover' - you know: that not so pretty green of old grass?  So I took my card-cue from the bottom left corner of Double D's March 2023 - Green Challenge mood board:

That fabulous green door brought me right back to my very early childhood when I would sneak into the living room to watch my teenaged siblings 'sock hopping' with their friends to Green Door!  Perhaps you'll remember it?

When one doesn't have a door die, she creates one from a window die!

When she can't find the right sentiment, she creates one in Word and adds the

appropriate stamp for a perfect finish!

Mama Elephant's Peek a Frame; Brick Layer die from The Greetery; texture compliments of

SU Tasteful Textile; front sentiment and MISS YOU from Altenew's Coral Sunset;

a few bits of that wonderful matte gold paper; and a few Spellbinders Sealed Wildflowers

There is so much to inspire in that mood board - come play!!

=] Michele