Double D Challenge: Santa and/or Snowman

I have a [few] new snowdudes in my stash thanks to a

loving friend who sent me a gift card for my birthday in November!

Imagine my delight when I received the Double D Challenge December prompt above!

Even without a top hat, I think you'll agree that this SSS Snuggle Snowman is

perfect for the challenge!

I mimicked the bright snowy yet sunny day we had on Wednesday using my old favorite Lil' Inkers debossing plate to add movement to my snowflakes

and added a few snippets of HB Merry Moments dsp.

His cute little 'frozen' tree is one of two in a set from SSS Pointy Pine Boughs.

Someone might notice that I made him different 'arms' and made

his arms into feet!  See the dudes below for reference!

For this card I cut my snowman from Neenah Solar White 110# card and his

hat and scarf from C&9th's Poppy card.

Here are a few more that were cut completely from white and colored

with Copic markers...

I'm determined to use a few of the ready-made panels and sentiments I have in my stash! This one was made with grey cardstock and SSS Sparkling Facets.

Here is another that Marcia sent me... PTI Stitched Snowflake cover plate.

That's it from me today.  Thanks so much for stopping by this week!

=] Michele

Freshly Made Sketches #717

Hello and thanks for stopping by!  It's time for this week's Freshly Made Sketch #717 this time from Narelle! I can't wait to see how her sketch is portrayed in paper!

I ended last week with time for a little 'clean up' and found a box of unfinished

Christmas cards and a whole stack of Christmas tags made in years past

during my time with Ellen Hutson.  

I do not shop for gifts anymore so why do I need gift tags?  I decided to turn them

all into Christmas cards - easier to tuck in a little something they 

really, REALLY want inside!

I love this crisp black and white with a touch of gold

and I had two tags that I combined to represent Narelle's sketch!

I 'unraveled' the twine and now it's feeling fresh and new!

There are many more to go!

Whether you find a bit of fun in your stash to 'repurpose' or start from scratch, we'll love seeing it this week's FMS717 gallery! 

BTW we will keep this Sketch gallery open until January 5th at 3pm EST so you have plenty of time to play along!

=] Michele

The Flower Challenge #109 Reminder

Just me! but this is a bittersweet post for The Flower Challenge as we've come to the end of our wonderful challenge. 

I'd like to thank Aileen for creating this wonderful challenge, her wonderful sidekick Vivien for keeping us all making - and on time!  And most of all, thank you Karren for keeping The Flower Challenge alive for the last few wonderful years.  

I am so honored to have been part of this sensational, talented team of card makers.  I've loved making floral cards for this challenge over the years! If you feel like a walk down memory lane, just add The Flower Challenge to my search box!  I have a few favorites - if you do, please let me know in the comments!  Karren will also be leaving our blog open for your floral inspiration for years to come!

For my last TFC card - I've used an oldie-but-goody Poinsettia from

Altenew and a few more die-cut fillers from HoneyBee - and even a few pearls!!

I just love all these neutrals - including that background paper

you can see through my Spellbinders Stylish Oval window!

Come on, you had to know there would be a bit of grey, right?

Thanks so much for all the love and gorgeous cards you've sent to us over the years, my friends.  You know I'll keep using florals in my designs and I'll be watching for yours, too. BTW you have a few more weeks to add some of your own if you'd like to right HERE before we close the doors on January 4, 2026!  Now let's go see what this wonderful team has to share, shall we?

=] Michele

Time Out #303

I was so honored to have my card win over at Time Out - what's a girl to do but to play again to say thank you!?  Here is the lovely photo from team member Ishani...

Aren't they gorgeous?  I couldn't resist the bright 'curry' color of Ishani's 

cousin's dress to her left.

The closer I got to the photo, the easier it was to find some things from my stash that 

might work!  First some curry cardstock from The Stamp Market was embossed

with that SU! Subtle Texture to give it a 'look' of fabric then I found this gorgeous

panel cut with PFS Geo Star layer 1 and embossed with Layer 2.

Some matte gold foil flourishes were made using a die from The Greetery's 

Rosemal Reflections Details dies.  A sheer ribbon was wrapped around the panel, topped with a gold heat-embossed sentiment - also PFS - and sequins topped with gold pearls

finished my card!  Looking back, this curry isn't near as bright - I'll blame

my gloomy Winter Day!

How did I do?  No, it's nowhere near as lovely as her dress but I

don't think anything made with paper could be!

Thanks for the inspiration to play, Ishani, and for sharing your photo!

=] Michele

 

Pretty papers - no ribbons of blue!

I loved the Merry Moments collection of papers from HoneyBee so much that I ordered a second pad - just so I had extra of a few of the scenic pages.  I've used them here along with their Lovely Layers: Trees and an old favorite set of dies from PTI that didn't make an appearance yet this year - shame on me!

No chit-chat this morning - I know you all have lots of holiday things to do!

Who wouldn't want to live in one of these pink houses?  Even the PTI deer can't resist a visit!

All of the sentiments are also from PTI: 'Tis the Season.

Another simple card using that Lovely Layers: Doves

Quick tip: when you can't find a white that matches your dsp, don't

forget to check out the 'backside' of some of those 12x12 papers we seldom use!

Layers of lovely IMHO - wonder who's been walking through this Winter Wonderland?

C&9th: Kristina's Finishing Touches dies

Happy Thursday my friends!

=] Michele

Freshly Made Sketches #716

I am your Sketch designer this week at Freshly Made Sketches!   Ready for it?

 

Can you dig it??  I sure hope so!  Here is the little cutie that inspired it...

Of course she is my Memory Box: Happy Dance Bird!

My heart just couldn't help but use her one more time before the year ends!

I've perched her upon a little branch from one of my TH Poinsettia sets,

embossed my card front with a Penny Black Encircle EF.

That sweet little tag is just one of many from the HoneyBee Tag Builder die set.

I've brought out another oldie from Ellen Hutson/Julie Ebersole: Cozy Christmas

for the simple yet sweet sentiment.

Whatever makes you happy dance - that's what we want you to 

use this week!  I can't wait - see you in the FMS#716 gallery soon!

=] Michele

The Paper Players #767 - I see you Jaydee!

It was so fun when I opened the newest challenge at The Paper Players this week -  Jaydee is our host and it sounds like I may have had a little influence on her seasonal shopping!  I won't apologize as this is one of those 'sorry not sorry' instances!  Be sure you head over to PP767 to see Jaydee's card!  

Just for fun:  I see your hand, Jaydee, and have found the perfect gift for it!

In fact, this little shopping bag die from WF was a gift from my lovely friend Stephanie!

and I'm pretty sure I cut this snowy panel at Marcia's house.  The sparkle is another of

those wonderful papers from my cousin... you could say this is the card that 

wouldn't be as fun without my generous friends!

Last but not least is the square frame from Waffle Flower Crafts that provides

my Grinch Hand from Kat Scrappiness to sneak in - or is it out? hmmm. lol

The papers are some from Scrapbook.com's Merry collection.

You've given me the perfect chance to play with this guy again, Jaydee - thanks so much!

=] Michele

Doe, a deer, a female deer?

When I added this darling Vintage Reindeer to my HoneyBee shopping cart I was certainly thinking about Bambi - he is just as adorable!  But when I cut the layers, using Tracey's combo at Color Hues #123 in mind, and decorated those antlers it sure did make me think it was a doe!  Someone once mentioned that female deer can have antlers - it appears uncommon in the Whitetail family of deer, but both male and female REINDEER have antlers to 'root' for food in winter!  Well since it is a Christmas card, today SHE will be the cutest Reindeer of all...

Pink ornaments and background space, green Betterpress-ed pine.

all topped with another BP'd sentiment, and my card was done!

Of course she has a male counterpart...

He's all ready to be hooked up to Santa's sleigh! hey, why not

bring a red nose to the table?? Back to the drawing board!

Pinkfresh Studio Diagonal Stitched Plaid cover plate - Penny Black Plaited frames.

Hope you have a wonderful weekend planned that might just include a bit of card-making or perhaps Christmas cookie baking?  That last part would make my counterpart very happy!

=] Michele

The Paper Players #766 - Tic Tac Toe

Claire has a really fun Tic Tac Toe board for us to play with for The Paper Players challenge #766! 

Though I started out choosing the left column: white, Christmas, and die cuts

I think you'll catch a bit of sparkle and a quite 'vintage' looking panel of patterned

paper tucked into a thank you from HoneyBee Stamps - thanks for the Free Bee, Melissa!

This lovely HoneyBee Lovely Layers: Dove is delivering a tag for

perhaps a special gift left under someone's tree? along with a Betterpress-ed

sentiment with the best gifts of all...

I'd love to live in this little village - wouldn't you?  Did you catch

that Subtle Embossing here?  It gives it an extra bit of vintage IMHO.

That's it from me this week - thanks for your visits!

=] Michele

The Flower Challenge #109

Well, my friends, if you haven't completed your Christmas cards by now this could be your wakeup call! lol 

The Flower Challenge's December challenge is always about those lovely Christmas blooms - and that always comes down to Poinsettias for me - by now you know how much I love them.  Nothing new in my stash but I often go to this lovely, layered Poinsettia die set from HoneyBee - always fresh, and beautiful!

I've cut the layers from creamy white and added a few neutral

die-cut leaves and branches from several HoneyBee and Spellbinders' sets.

That gorgeous woodgrain is Simon Hurley for Spellbinder: Bark.

A platinum heat-embossed sentiment from 

Pinkfresh Studios: Holiday Large Sentiments completes my design.

Now for some sad news.  December is our final month for The Flower Challenge. Please know that this wasn't an easy decision to make.  Don't even think we haven't loved every moment/card/team member and lovely floral card you have all shared with us over the years!  Beyond that, I cannot thank YOU ALL enough for the love and support you've given me personally in your kind comments!

We'll each have one more reminder card for you on the 15th.  Until then, I look forward to all the cards I just know you all will add to our gallery this month!  Let's go out with a bang, shall we?

=] Michele

Freshly Made Sketches #715

Hello again, my friends!  BIG news: We have TWO new designers and we're so excited to welcome Donna Mikasa and Michelle Langley to our FMS family!  welcome, ladies! 

A fresh and fun new Freshly Made Sketch to play with!  Karren has a dandy for us ...

Do you agree it's just tricky enough to make us think a little?

Well, here's where my thoughts took me...

I know I have a few friends who live in warmer climates where

sand dollars may be found more often than snowflakes!

Besides, I just could not resist this gorgeous paper from HoneyBee's Vitamin Sea collection.  My little Gina Marie Designs Sand Dollar brings me back to my very first meeting with my friend Marcia at a craft show - the rest is history, right, my friend?

Here is her closeup where you might see the snowflake embellishments,

and the PTI's Elegant Edges: Snowflakes, a big die cut snowflake from

HoneyBee and one more of those Betterpress-ed sentiments.

I look forward to seeing how YOU interpret Karren's Sketch soon -

you have until Monday, December 8th at 3:00PM EST!

=] Michele

Color Hues #123

I'm still so upset that I missed the last challenge at Color Hues, I thought I'd make up for it today... it's been some time since I've made 'second helpings!'  'Tis the season for it, I think!

Tracey has a lovely color combo for us this month - and they've given us a WHOLE MONTH to play with challenge #123!  

 

Another of the goodies from The Greetery shipment to share - their gorgeous Capsule Christmas Gallery Prints... though those berries might be more 'berry' colored than pink, I couldn't resist this vintage beauty framed in eucalyptus green and tied with a gold bow...

I couldn't help but send that oval through my Subtle Texture EF from SU!

The layers are: Capsule Basics Small Scallop, Capsule Filigree border, the berry branch cutout, and to top it all off a gold hanger and bow cut from vintage gold foil using the 

wonderful freebie enclosed in my order shown below:

My 'seconds' were so simple I should make 'thirds!'

A beautiful Betterpress: Season's Greetings Evergreens from Spellbinder

using PF Ballet Slipper and Altenew's Sweet Leaf, and Just Green inks.

This just makes my CAS-loving heart happy!

=] Michele

As promised! Rosemal in grey!

Happy Monday!  Is anyone else happy to go back to their regularly scheduled days?  I wasn't even mad about laundry day!

I promised you a look at my grey Rosemal card from The Greetery so I'm here to keep that promise.  My MIL has a December birthday, so I decided to make her a card collection to last until Christmas!

As much as I love these oval cards, they are next to impossible

to 'stand up' without a 'kick stand!'  You'll forgive me for these

'flat' photos.  Cut from MFT Steel Grey card, then swiped with

Hero Arts white...

Under the small oval birthday card is an ornament for her tree

and under that is the Christmas card.  I just love the burgundy

Regency bow and Poinsettia, don't you?

I'm less-than thrilled with the swiped gold on her Christmas card,

but was too invested by this time to remake it differently.  

The whole kit-and-kaboodle was placed inside a cellophane envelope

for giving.

Next is one using the Rosemal Reflections stamp set - and I couldn't have done it easily without the fabulous stamping guide that Betsy offers free for printing!

After all the stamping is done, it is embossed with the coordinating 

Rosemal Reflections Embossing Folder.

One more... in all this glorious creamy Neenah Solar white... Shortbread Shapes Snowflake:

Right in the center I've placed one SSS Alexis Snowflake, and one

bright red Regency bow...

but I just could not add a sentiment!

Enjoy your Monday and thanks so much for stopping by!

=] Michele