Word Power #5

Hello again, my friends!  There is still time to leave a comment on my 10th 

Blog-a-versary post for a chance to win that prize!  Find all the details here.  One comment per visitor, thanks! 

I have been busy for weeks going through 10 years of supplies, and deciding it was time to let go of a few things when BAM!  I was given a huge stash of supplies from a sweet cousin who decided it just wasn't for her!

Among her supplies was a big supply of sentiment sets!  Today, this one called my name:

This will come in handy one day, I'm sure of it... and whose day wouldn't be

brightened by this Anita Jeram bunny?

I stamped and clear heat-embossed the sentiment on a sweet journal card cut with an

Elizabeth Crafts die that a friend just traded me for a few sets from my cousins' stash.  

The embossed panel in the back is from another crafty friend - and

added the prettiest texture for my CAS card.

I used a barely damp brush to add a little inky color to the bunny and his 'brolly' -

with a few added 'raindrops' my card was done!

Even though that bunny is a cute distraction, I feel it's the words that represent my heart - perfect for my friends at the Word Power #5 challenge!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

=] Michele

The Flower Challenge #91

Oh, I am so pleased you stopped by today!  If you are here to celebrate my 10th Blog-aversary, please scroll down one post!

May I introduce you all to the May 2024 edition of The Flower Challenge!  I think I may speak for all of us: coloring our flowers is the most fun of all!

Take note of the graphic... we're open for all coloring mediums!  For this month, I've used the same flower and have colored it two ways.  Today I offer you a water-colored version of this lovely Lucky Tulip from The Ton... I'm sorry to say they discontinued this one - I'm scratching my head over that decision!

I started by stamping the image onto Fabriano Hot press watercolor paper

with GinaK Amalgam ink.  I used various inks for water coloring - sadly, this is the one time I forgot to photograph my inks - my bad.

After the coloring was done and dried, I used the coordinating die to

cut it, then embossed the negative cut with my SU Tasteful Textile embossing folder.

A few artistic splats with the leftover ink from my palette, a sweet little 

Altenew label stamped with one of the sentiments from the set, and a few

pretty HoneyBee pearls and my card was complete.

Now you know by now you'll find plenty of inspiration from my teammates over at The Flower Challenge blog!  We can't wait to see how you will color your flowers this month!

=] Michele

10th Blog-aversary!

TEN YEARS!  I hope you agree that is a celebration-worthy feat!  A whole LOT of fun challenges I've had to play in, friends to play cards with, and you all have brought such joy to my days, weeks, and years!  Thanks, from the bottom of my heart for every kind word you've left for me along the way, dear friends!

I couldn't wait to recreate my very first shared card.  You'll find the original HERE if you are curious.  Keeping things fun and using my words have been a constant over the years.  Today's card is no exception... and the rewrite of my INSIDE sentiment is still relevant!

Inside: Sorry to yell ... I didn't think you caught my wave!

The wave die is from Memory Box c. 2012!  Now, I had to do a little digging to find three different hello dies but find them I did!  The first from MFT [a freebie] the second from a HoneyBee Slimline Sentiment/Eyelet frame set, and that last one?  WHO KNOWS!  I found it in with the SSS Boat - safe to say they made the hello die, too.  

What is a party without a prize??  Since Altenew is also celebrating their 10th year, I have chosen one of their sets as my prize.  You might already own it, so please tell me that in your comment - I'll find a replacement if you win! 

 

c. 2015

HOW do you win, you ask?  Leave a comment, tell me one other thing that is different from the original - most importantly: be sure I can reach you!  If you are a no-reply commenter, it is impossible to contact you!

Good luck!  I'll have Tom choose a winner on May 11th!  

Thanks for stopping by and for all the love over the years!

=] Michele

'Professional' staging! LOL

Two fun cards for two fun challenges!

I did indeed have that playday in my studio yesterday... it didn't take long to find the perfect inspiration!

First up, for Color Hues - they always make reaching for colors easier for me!  Julie B. has chosen Lilac and Lime for her combo!  Since I just had used my lilacs, I took those colors in a different direction.  I love stenciling and this Magnolia Pattern from Pinkfresh was calling my name... I took that in a different direction, too!  

Take note of the illustration from the package ... notice that some of the florals and leaves are meant to be left as black on white line drawings?  Now take a look at my card on the right - since their stencils didn't color ALL of the florals, I brought out my Copics and finished the job ...

Here are the stenciled florals and inks used:

then, I colored the 'black and white' florals with a few Copics and Ohuhu markers...

Yes, I did add a touch of grey in the background to add to the 'mood.'

After cropping the panel down with a stitched rectangle die, it was mounted on my card base and a simple [Betterpress-ed] sentiment finished my card.  Thanks, Julie!

My friend Bobby has chosen lilac, peach, and GRAY for their color challenge at Just us Girls #725... thank you, Bobby!  I couldn't imagine how pretty these colors would be together until I saw what you and your team did with them... then this CAS card happened...

The Stamp Market's Bloomin' Cute die set, and a sentiment from ASD's Tulips Treasure white heat-embossed on grey, cut with an ancient, pierced circle die from MFT that could be one of the first essential sets I ever purchased!

[That woodgrain paper is from Ellen Hutson - no longer available, but I think Altenew has some like it.]

Before you go!!! I have a fun celebration to share tomorrow! Don't forget to come back!!  There could be a prize!!!  Just sayin'!

=] Michele

Hey, hi, HELLO!!!

I have had such a week - I won't bore you with the details, but let's just say it didn't involve much time in my studio!  BOO!

Well, I remedied that last evening while Tom was watching hockey playoffs - Yay!

Kim has an interesting Sketch this week at Freshly Made Sketches.  Once again, I might have thought to take a second look at it, but she won't care one bit!

I had lunch this week with one of my granddaughters who just completed her first year of college!  She worked so hard this year!  Since she is a girl after my own heart, she will love that I made her a fishing card as she spends a fair amount of time fishing the beautiful lake that they live on. 

 

I think the pink in this wonderful paper from SU [thanks again, Cat!] works

a charm for a fisher-girl!  But that glittering fish [HoneyBee Lovely Layers: Rod & Reel] might just be the cutest finishing touch...

HoneyBee [Hooked on You] has just the words Lola needs to hear!

Hey, I needed that, too... it might just be a stay-in-my-pjs-stamping day today!  Hope you have one, too!

=] Michele

Christmas Kickstart and Peace on Earth

Yesterday was a great day for Christmas cards and two challenges caught my eye, so I took advantage.

First up Christmas Kickstart #85 where they are featuring Santa and his Sidekicks!  I'm not sure if this is a 'sidekick' or the 'get-away-guy!'  He looks as if he's taking off with Santa's bag... you'll see what I mean:

My card combines two MFT sets that are pretty old and well-loved.

Jingle all the Way & Present Time.

The 'moon' was found among my snippets and gave me a good place 

to stamp a modified sentiment from the Jingle set.

Next one is for Peace on Earth Challenge #62:

Their top right photo was my color inspiration and I brought out my

old friend from WPlus9 today and found all the bits and pieces for 

this sweet bird and bits!

Woodland Basics + Spellbinders Essential Four Petal Labels + Tile Reflection embossing:

The good news is I added TEN cards to my Christmas card stash this week!  Yay! AND the better news is it is finally warming up - it hit 72 today!  Double YAY!

Thanks for stopping by!  I appreciate you so much!

=] Michele

More tulips!

More?  I'm sure you're not surprised ... what better way to start the weekend?  I have two cards that were started while TK was visiting and gave a helping hand with my Glimmer Hot Foiling machine - both are stenciled, both from a set from Alex Syberia Designs: Tulips Treasure.

I wonder if my favorite will also be yours?

So majestic, so bold - BLACK foiling with a gorgeous, embossed background from

SSS's Rhythmic folder.  Or will it be this soft and sweet trio?

Matte gold foiling, stenciled color, and my favorite of all SU Subtle Texture.

Whichever we favor, one of them is heading to Just us Girls where 

Stenciling is their challenge this week.

I have one more for you - this time it's second helpings for the gals at Color Hues...

This card combines two Pinkfresh Studio sets: Floral Border [silver foiled, stencil colored] and a beautiful sentiment from their With Sympathy set - I love that I have the dies but I don't have the foil plates, so a little old-fashioned silver heat embossing did the trick.  

That embossing just fills that garden beautifully, doesn't it?  Another from my collection of Spellbinders': Flower Frenzy.

That's it for me today ... I'm in Christmas card mode for my sweet seniors.  I figured if it FEELS like winter [42 would feel pretty good in Winter], I might as well get some made before it gets warm, and I just want to be outside!

Happy weekend eve everyone!

=] Michele

Freshly Made Sketches #633

My blog-buddy Linda is our Sketch artist at Freshly Made Sketches this week!  She has such a great sense of humor that something tells me she'll get a chuckle out of my card this week... here is her Sketch:

Okay, now use your imagination please... I crack myself up somedays.

Inside:

Start it sunny side up!

That paper looks just like my favorite granite frying pan - leave it to HoneyBee!  

Thanks, Linda!  You started my day sunny side up!

=] Michele

The Stamp Market: Big Shaker Flower die [for my egg] and Fun & Flowery [for the sentiment] and Thought Bubbles dies.

Alexandra Renke's Eggshell die.

Tip-toe-ing through my tulips!

As I patiently await the blooms on my tulips [those that the bunny didn't eat]  I enjoyed a fun first-time playtime with some new press plates from LDRS Creative today!  Introducing their Tulips Impression-Letterpress plate - of course I had to make my favorite white...

After pressing in black, I used a little blueish purple for shadows to make the whites whiter - and Leafy Green from The Stamp Market for their stems and leaves.

I couldn't help but use their Tulip Mix Background un-inked as my background.

Next, the same Tulips inked and colored in lots of color ...

Topped with a layered Hello from The Stamp Market.

ONE last one - you may have noticed I've used an MFT Elegant Rectangles 

for the first and final card.  I've found it best to cut first before pressing

so I don't lose any of that lovely impression of letterpress.

Another of TK's butterflies made a landing - I think I'll send this one to the 

sweet gals at Triple B!

This planked parquet background was cut at Marcia's house in February - I think

it is from The Greetery?  Maybe she'll remember whose sentiment this is?  

What I would do without her I'll NEVER know!

I hope your gardens are popping with color!  My new tulips have been protected the last few weeks with a little circle of chicken-wire ... fingers crossed!  

=] Michele

Testing, testing... my abilities!

While doing some bargain shopping recently at Altenew, I picked up a set that I'd had on my radar for some time... only one issue... they were out of the stamp set in the bundle.  Using my 'I can make do' attitude, and trusting my [limited] drawing skills, I bought it anyway.  Here is the set:

I loved it as much for the sentiments ... but alas, all they had were the stencil, and die.  My solution?  have Copic fine-liner, will travel...

Of course, I was looking at the image from their website while sketching out the details and I often went awry - but for the most part, I'm quite satisfied with it!  After drawing in the lines, I used the stencil to color it.  Adding that gorgeous embossing [Spellbinders' Beautiful Blooms] and another of Altenew's sweet little [Nesting Slim Labels] and a beautiful sentiment [Elegant Sayings] helps draw the eye away from most crafty mishaps and day of the week!

Speaking of a day of the week - you know if it's Monday, I have loads of fun ahead of me!  Bonus: a facetime chat with a friend!  I'd better hit the shower! 

OH! In honor of that friend and her great I.D.E.A.S. I'm happy to share this Anything Goes card with her!

Thanks for stopping by! You make my Mondays brighter than my whites!

=] Michele

Just another gorgeous mood board...

I didn't expect to be back on Saturday, but then this happened... Four Seasons April 2024:

 

I find these mood boards so hard to resist... and [happy sigh] birds!  I found just the right Chickadee in a very old Brand Kincaid design for EH...

PTI Botanical Blocks 2, over SSS Lilac Clusters embossing

Well, as long as I'm here, I might as well share another card - or two?  One I hinted at last week - it has been delivered and appreciated... Hideko's birthday card in shades of her favorite color!

Last one... I recently traded some [let's call them 'overstock'] supplies with a friend. I haven't ever purchased one of Lavinia's sets, but I sure did have fun watching videos on YouTube of them coming to life.  For Julia: Seren and Berry Wreath...

Have I ever shared how I make masks for stenciling?  All of us receive

these laminated ads in the mail, right?  They are perfect for masks -

here's one I made using a circle die...

MFT's work well, too! wink.

Thanks, Julia for sharing your 'overstock' with me!  

=] Michele

Just us Girls #723

I don't know where they find them but Vicki at Just us Girls has given us another gorgeous mood-board to play cards with this week ... take a look for yourself:

You may find my inspiration quite easy to spot when you see my card ...

I knew just the sunflower I wanted to play with again - this is 

Into the Blooms: Sunflower from Papertrey Ink. 

The flower head's layers were cut from C&9th Nectar card stock then

treated to a bit of blended ink - starting with CP Orange Bliss, on to 

Pigment Craft Co. Seagrass, and ending with the darkest brown

from CP Icing on the Cake.  The stalk and leaves were cut from a grey card

and then I blended a touch of green to capture that dusty look from the photo.

Besides their gorgeous sunflower, I couldn't help but notice those wonderful seashells!  My background was created with two papers from 

HoneyBee's Vitamin Sea paper collection.  

Another sentiment from SB's Betterpress A Little Message - they

always know just what I want to say.

With that, I'll say a big thank you for spending a bit of your time with me this week!  Hope you have a great weekend - getting crafty or doing whatever makes you happy!

=] Michele

Thanks SO very much, Vicki - such an honor!