Freshly Made Sketches #688

I am delighted to share our Freshly Made Sketch #688 from Jen B. this week - oh, it's a goodie... 

Sometimes the FMS sketches take a little 'stewing' in my creative brain - not this one!  I immediately saw water and sky!  Here's how I brought that thought to life...

My friend Nance introduced me to this Catherine Pooler Oarsome Dad set a few weeks back - that baby couldn't get into a cart fast enough!  We spend a LOT of

hours fishing from our canoe in Summer.  This time, it's a card for my

granddaughters to give to their Dad on Father's Day.

A sheet of DSP from HoneyBee's Vitamin Sea and a WF Crafts Rectangle Frame allowed me to create Jen's panels quite easily.  That old-faithful MFT Stitching provided the 'movement' and here are my inks and a little closeup:

Paddle your way right over to FMS#688 to see the incredibly fun cards the team has made - you're sure to be inspired to play along!

=] Michele

Just us Girls #776 - Stencil Fun Challenge

My sweet friend Lisa is the host at Just us Girls this week and I had just enough time between loads today [hey even I took yesterday off] to create a stenciled card for her!

I have two notebooks with all of my stencils but when I really want to use them, I do a little search of my own blog to see which ones really made me happy and give me some idea how I might use them again the same way or a different way!  THIS card really made me smile so I went about using the same technique with a different set!

First, I stenciled a diagonal gingham of Distress Oxide Scattered Straw to bring a little sunshine to the card...

Then I brought out a pretty layered Rose stencil from Waffle Flower

going right over the top of that gingham:

From there it was just determining how I wanted to use it on my finished card - MFT's Wonky Stitching to the rescue along with a sweet sentiment from Concord & 9th's Spring Print set.  It just so happens that I was in need of a thank you card!

Thanks, Lisa, for the Shoutout!

If you don't subscribe to Waffle Flower Crafts newsletter, you should.  They have FLASH SALEs quite often where one can pick up some darned good deals.  Take this little Embroidery Hoop set that has been on my radar for eons!  Turns out one of their little stenciled roses works perfect for a little faux stitchery - they even had a little die to create the embroidery cloth, too!  I'm happy to share it with Stencil Fun Challenge for May 2025.

I have the perfect recipient for this one - no peeking if your birthday is in August!!!

=] Michele

Color Throwdown and The Paper Players

Hello, my friends!  Hope you are all enjoying this holiday weekend and have found a special way to remember those who gave their lives for us.  We are sticking close to home this year and are enjoying a bright sunny day... it's warming up a little too for which I am grateful as we might have gotten a wee bit ahead of the game with our veggie garden!  

I had a little bit of time in my craft room yesterday and managed to put together one card for two challenges - look at me go! LOL

I found the colors at Color Throwdown #833 irresistible and found some darling gingham in my stash that works nicely for a trio of die cuts for LeAnne's Sketch over at The Paper Players #739!  The little rectangles were cut with a new die set from

Waffle Flower Crafts called Blanket Stitch Layers.  That little white bloom is an 

oldie from PFS - not even sure if they still have it!  Topped with a few enamel dots and I was very happy with my little mini-slimline card.

 

Enjoy your day! I'll be back soon!

=] Michele

Thanks, LeAnne!

Color Hues #110 Pink and Plum

 I'm often stumped by Color Hues - Karen I love your card which encouraged me to forget about always having to use green with flowers and just embrace your lovely Pinks and Plums! 

Hope you like my plum-stemmed sunflowers!  Let me start with the closeup so you'll see those leaves are truly plum and not black!

This sunflower is from PTI and cut with MFT Pink Lemonade, 

C&9th's Plum and SU! Blackberry Bliss.

My dsp is from a prize from DD and check out my newest 

purchase from PTI: Skinny Ric Rac!!

I've got to get this one in the mail soon - thanks for stopping by!

Thanks, Karen!

=] Michele

The Paper Players #738 Clean and Simple

Joanne has challenged us to keep it clean and simple for Challenge #738 at The Paper Players - Things that Fly!

Way back when, I created THIS card for a special Hop that I wanted to

recreate today after being inspired by DT member Jan Clothier's card.

Of course I would choose a butterfly, right?

It is a reminder to have Milkweed planted in your gardens for those Monarch butterflies

to lay their eggs - and lots of flowers for them to nourish themselves!

It's a bit early for our friends to be back but we are ready for them!

Thank you, Jan for the beautiful inspiration!

=] Michele

Thank you, Paper Players!

Freshly Made Sketches #687

Verena is the other 'new kid' on the team and I'm quite sure you all have fallen in love with her style already!  Today, she has given us a most wonderful Sketch:

I even borrowed it recently to make this card - I wonder if she recognized it.

Today, it's all about this Handpicked Bouquet that was rearranged to

fit her sketch.  A bouquet this pretty deserved a lovely linen panel that was cut

using a PFS Essential Stitched Rectangle.  That lovely sentiment was stamped

at Marcia's - from The Greetery: Opposites Attract.

I used a much-loved Leafy Garland die from Altenew for Verena's 'moon shape' 

cut from vellum for an extra feminine touch!  Here are the inks I've used

for that pretty bouquet:

Thanks, Verena, for this gorgeous Sketch #687 - I know it will be much loved

by our card makers!  So, what are you waiting for?  We cannot wait to see

our gallery full of your gorgeous cards!

=] Michele

Playtime with Marcia!

I had another fun day spent with Marcia!  This time I got to host - she requested a fish lunch, and I was happy to fry up a batch for her - as long as she brought her fabulous coleslaw!  Tom even came home eat lunch with us!  I also treated her to her very first bite of Sticky Toffee Pudding - I fell in love with it when I visited the UK ten years ago and finally aced a recipe that lived up to my memory!

But you came for the cards, and I'm happy to oblige:

I had a NBUS Pinkfresh Magnolias set in my 'save for playtime' stash.

The stamp, die, and stencils came together for some mindless craft-while-we-chatted 

time before I had to head to the kitchen.  I'm sure there is no such thing as

this color combo for Magnolias - but in craft land we can do anything we want!

I just knew Marcia would want to press a few of these Alex Syberia Charming Floral panels - 

I wanted to use it again, too. Remember I had only used it as an embossing plate

the first go-round.  Don't you love that pale Gina K Minty green Marcia shared?

Peaches and sage greens were a very pretty match for it!

I got really brave and tried a 'kraft' ink for this next one -

below are the inks I used for stenciling this panel.

[pssst there is another one but I'm using it for my DT card for TFC soon!]

I 'pinked' a vellum bellyband as a home for this bold die-cut word from

Concord & 9th's Friendly Florals

Marcia brought her newest Penny Black set for me to play with.

No way could I not share the card I made... if you think it looks familiar

Marcia made a card last week that was almost just like it - unplanned!!

I planted a few of the tiny tulips from the PB Tulips in Bloom set that

were water colored with Distress reinkers.  My 'tablecloth' is from the same set.

And that, my friends, is the perfect ending to my post today!  Thanks so much for stopping by.  Now get on over to Marcia's blog if you haven't been there first - I'm heading there myself right this minute!  

Thanks for coming my way, Marcia - I'm always ready for the next time! xx

=] Michele

Pinkfresh Studio May 2025 Challenge

Hello, my friends - it has been a minute, hasn't it?  Well, I made it into my studio this morning after being inspired by Pinkfresh Studios' May Challenge...

They are asking us to 'frame it up' so I looked through my PFS stash

to find something a little 'out of the box' for my frame.

You may recognize their Rounded & Braided Rectangles -

this time I went without the braiding and used two of the rectangles

to create a frame from white cardstock - I kinda love the shape of that:

What better place to plant a garden of PFS Beautiful Blooms?

My card base was covered with a pretty aquamarine paper from Concord & 9th but first I treated it to a PFS Diagonal Stitched Plaid debossing.  

A dash of PFS Jewels and a sentiment from their Happy Dance set stamped in

PFS Aquamarine ink and my card was complete.

Off I go to plant these in their gallery and on with my LOADS of Monday fun!

=] Michele

The Flower Challege #102 Reminder

Have you added spots or stripes to your florals yet?  

I'm back to remind you that there is still plenty of time to make a few!  

Here's how I added spots to my reminder card...

I love the large size of my Sizzix Switch machine - today it allowed me to 

use TWO embossing folders at once to emboss different spots to the

negative piece left from cutting that gorgeous SSS Alstroemeria.

This time I water colored the die cut bloom before putting into the coordinating

embossing folder.

I found a lovely photo of the Summer Breeze Alstroemeria on the Burpee website as inspiration:

I had many sizes of spots or dots to choose from in my abundant 

supply of embossing folders and I'll bet YOU do TOO!

So, what are you waiting for?  We'd be so happy to see your spots or stripes in our gallery at The Flower Challenge!

=] Michele

Freshly Made Sketches #686

Kim has such a wonderful Sketch for us this week - as usual the possibilities are endless for her center 'shape.'

 

I had a new floral die from a friend just itching to play - Nance, I only wish

I still had my wonderful Siberian Irises that sadly got left behind when we moved!

Papertrey Ink's Delightful Brackets was used to create the focal space where I 

planted my SB Layered Iris cut from papers from The Stamp Market.

A sentiment from who-knows-where stamped on a banner I found among my snippets!

But I'm betting you have your own little stash of snippets that would work just as well!

That gorgeous green panel was debossed with another of those wonderful

plates from Lil' Inkers - here's a closeup:

Are your creative juices flowing yet?  There's even more to be inspired by over at the FMS blog HERE!

=] Michele

I'm sneaking back in for a link to Darnell's I.D.E.A.S. Calendar!

Nearly ALL die-cut today!

A few challenges just for fun!

I have a very quick post - happy Mother's Day to all you moms!  Here's the card I made for my MIL using a new Diamond Ribbons die from The Greetery and some PFS washi flowers from a friend:

Next up, second helpings for Color Hues: blue and yellow!  Using that sweet, stamped PFS image from my last playdate at Marcia's house!

A Parklane ef from JoAnn's and a sentiment from my snippets!

Also perfect for JUGS #774 with those pretty lemons!

I'd better get these delivered!  Happy Sunday, friends!

=] Michele

Alex Syberia Designs for Spellbinder!

I was thrilled to be invited to play with the new products that Spellbinder and Alex Syberia Designs teamed up to make!  They sent me three of Alex's products - let me share the fun I had with them... first up her darling Kokeshi Dolls:

Having these photos was very helpful as there are LOTS of little pieces

to this set but each is integral for her!  I pulled out my colored card stock snippets

for many of those little pieces - they turned out so colorful and pretty!

This card combines another of Alex's SB products used as my background called

Parasols - it's a Betterpress plate!  Here I've used it to add glorious texture.

The detailed panel is SB S5-568: Scrolled Punch and Pierce Plate.

The branch is S3-459 Sealed Birds.

Sentiment: STP 183: Fill my Heart, cut with the smallest SB S5-562 Essential Ovals 

I love the combination of purples and peaches, do you?

Card base embossed using SB Four Petal Floral EF

Center panel: S5-563: Essential Four Petal Labels which also has that lovely 

Betterpress-ed BP-289 Parasol texture.

Another sentiment from STP-183 cut with the smallest SB S5-562 Essential Ovals

Now, for my last card that was created using all three of the products I received 

including these lovely fans:

Isn't she lovely?  I think this might make a wonderful wedding or anniversary card

with one of my favorite BP-026 A Little Message sentiments!

You will be seeing lots of cards made with these lovely Spring in Kyota from Alex Syberia for Spellbinder around blogland - thanks so much for stopping by to see mine today!  You'll find these products and more from the collection at Spellbinders and at Alex Syberia Designs, too!

=] Michele