Wednesday, April 26, 2023

Sharing stencils and lunch with my friend Marcia!

Hello, my friends!  So glad you stopped by!

Yes, Marcia and I did have another play day... we're making up for the long Winter this Spring and are grateful for every moment!  I was the host this time!

As many new products as we have to share, we both love stenciling so much, we made a day of it!  I had a new set from Spellbinders, and I asked Marcia to share her gorgeous Dahlia from The Ton!  That was just the beginning of our sharing!

Ready? set. go...

If you are familiar with stencils from The Ton, you will know that they are known for their LARGE flowers.  ONE was big enough for TWO cards - it killed me to cut it in two!  Here's a fun illusion...


Here are my pretty pinks from The Ton - I borrowed two greens from Marcia:
Pinkfresh Meadow, and Mint


It was such a treat to get my inks on another gorgeous layering stencil set from The Ton: Precious Poppies...


I kept them soft and bright - like Icelandic Poppies - here are my inks:


Marcia brought a few dies that she knew I'd love... that simple lattice in the background adds just the right amount of lift for my Poppies - see that greenery peeking through?  It's a stencil from Lavinia Stamps that I picked up at Buffalo Stamps and Stuff - I'll share more of it soon.  [Marcia, Bonnie, and Leslie would have flipped over the HUGE display of all things Lavinia!]

There was one more set in Marcia's basket: Spring Meadow from The Greetery!  I kept my card simple as I just loved how this stencil filled the front of it!


Don't you love this sentiment?  Also, from The Greetery - I think?


It was a great day of stenciling, chatting, sharing - and our lunch together was so delicious, too!  I spoiled Marcia with a bluegill dinner, and she provided the perfect coleslaw to accompany it!  [soo good - with apples - maybe she'll share her recipe!]  [For those of you non-fishermen, bluegill is a small freshwater fish lovingly caught in our favorite inland lake nearby, expertly filleted by my husband - I'm so ready for our season to begin!]

Okay you know we're already planning our next playday - but let's go see what fun Marcia had with the stencils she borrowed from me, shall we?  I can't wait!

Love you, sweet friend!  Can't wait for next time!

=] Michele

19 comments:

Marcia Hill said...

Your two Dahlia cards turned out absolutely BEAUTIFUL and so did your Spring Meadow stenciled card (Yes the sentiment is from The Greetery - New Day Sentiments), but your Icelandic Poppies card is a stunner and the clear winner for me today...absolutely GORGEOUS!! We play so well together, don't we?!! Such a fun day and can't wait for the next one! Love ya my friend!! Hugs. :0)

LeAnne said...

Looks like a fun, productive day! GORGEOUS blooms, they rival anything in anyone's flower garden this spring!

Bonnie said...

The stenciling on the dahlia and poppies is awesome, Michele! The colors blend together perfectly and I think getting two out of one flower is an awesome idea! You get to spread twice as much love. Love the trellis in the poppy background and the beautiful bouquet! I'm envious that you can spend time together.

donna mikasa said...

Oh what Marcia fun! I love the splitting of the large Dahlia--pure genius! Just think of it as offsetting when stamping. And I have that Greetery stencil, I was just waiting for a good color palette! ;) Looking forward to your next playdate!

Vicki Dutcher said...

Fabulous coloring! Such pretty cards. So fun to have play dates 😀

Bobby said...

I love that large dahlia but I love the poppies more. You picked such wonderful colors to stencil them in, Michele. I spent a day (by myself) stenciling a while ago. Haven't shown all of the panels yet. Yummy dinner treat. I remember when you made blue gill for me.

Cat Craig said...

Fabulous cards, and it had to be a good time with Marcia.

HilaryJane said...

It is very plain to see that you had loads of fun with these and so nice to be able to get together with a like minded crafter. Your results are stunning. I love everything about them. Sorry to have been missing for a few days, but I have read your recent posts and caught myself up now xx

Lisa Elton said...

Oooohhh, that Dahlia is gorgeous! Cutting it must have been rough but it did give you two spectacular cards! I'm loving the soft colors you used for those pretty poppies. I'm in the market for some light peachy inks. Your Spring Meadow was a lovely finish. Another day I wish I could have spent with you two ladies!

lostinpaper said...

ooh, I was hoping you would tell us what you ate lol. Sounds delicious! And of course the cards are amazing too, I only wish I could be there... maybe one day!

TK said...

As usual, your play dates made some real beauties, so many things to be jealous of -- or at least drool over! Love each and every one -- off to see Marcia's beauties (I can tell without even leaving your blog)!

Unknown said...

Gorgeous work resulted from your playdate. What a way to fill your soul with good things. Thanks so much for sharing, Michele. Love ever card you made.

Leslie Miller said...

You and Marcia are leading me to believe that The Ton has the best flower stencils! Your dahlia and the poppies are super gorgeous. I love what you've done with The Greetery bouquet, too. Beautiful color choices! Friend days are the best days. My mouth is watering for those bluegill. We lived by a lake in our previous home and went fishing a lot. You couldn't throw a line in the water without coming up with a bluegill. It was frustrating for my husband because he was trying to catch bass. Oh, and, yes, I would have loved that Lavinia display!

Louise Cooper said...

What a special day you had. The cards are all gorgeous and loved hearing about your lunch, that sounded so good.

Kim S said...

What a great day you had - and such amazing results! I think I like the poppies the best but mostly because I'm in love with your color combo!

Birgit said...

These are all stunning Michele! That Dahlia from The Ton..... Oh my!! I would have a hard time cutting into it too, but two cards is twice the fun. The poppies are gorgeous as well. They all are!!

Karren said...

I wanna have a playdate (pouting) :) When are you planning on coming to New Zealand?? :). Seriously though, these cards are gorgeous and I just love all the ink colours you've used.

TaeEun said...

Gorgeous quartet of stenciled cards! Love all of your color choices for them! And your dinner sounds so yummy !

Papercraft Boutique said...

Michele, it sounds like you had another fun play day and delicious dinner with Marcia!
Your dahlia cards are gorgeous! I loved your fun illusion picture. The stamp IS pretty big for an A2 size card, isn't it? But you made 2 fabulous cards out of it. The poppy card is so beautiful with the lattice and stencilling in the background. The third card is filled with pretty stenciled flowers, and I love the wonderful sentiment!
Hideko xx