Just us Girls #793

I'm only going to give you one guess why I HAD to play with Bobby's inspiration/moodboard challenge at Just us Girls... take a look:

If you guessed GREY, you'd be soooo right!

My first inclination was that fabulous window and I knew I had the right die for it.  After a little shuffle through my supplies, and I found the right 'recipe' for my card.  I hope they agree!

Mama Elephant: Four Window cover plate - cut from woodgrain paper 

that I inked with Hickory Smoke and black soot.

Spellbinders: Woodland Tales vellum and Holiday Blooms dies for branches

Concord & 9th: Festive Blooms for orange berries

PTI: Vase Collection 12 - I modified the milk can making it a crock!

It has been a few days since I've shared - here are the next three Christmas cards for Bringing Smiles to Seniors: [thanks again, Bonnie for inspiring my playtime with that Wplus9 Joyful Poinsettias set!]

PTI Snowflake edger - Kristina's Finishing Touches [stitches]

PTI: deckle edge frames - Pinkfresh Basic Banners: Christmas sentiment

Waffle Flower: Round frame 

I've counted and I'm at 161!!  And on that note, I bid you adieu!

=] Michele

Freshly Made Sketches #704

Hello there, friends!  I am your host at Freshly Made Sketches #704 this week!  I hope you'll like it! take a look:

I can think of at least three things that would be perfect to scatter across a card... but I had a little more Halloween fun up my sleeve...

EH Ghosts; SSS Bat trio; SSS Hey, Boo.

C&9th Kristina's Finishing Touches Dies; Scrapbook.com Spooky patterned paper.

Okay, I've shown you mine, we can't wait to see yours!!

Check out the flurry of fun my teammates and special guest have to

inspire you RIGHT HERE!!

=] Michele

Color Hues #118

It seems I've turned the page and become a lover of blue - okay, maybe it's the smokey hue of this week's picks at Color Hues #118:

 

Before I share my card made for the challenge, let me show you how often this blue has shown up in my Christmas card-making lately:

And one more for Color Hues [thanks, Bonnie, for the beautiful reminder this morning!]: here's a closeup first so you can find my little bluebird!

This gorgeous set of stamps from Wplus9 is no longer available

but I will continue to use it because it's so wonderful.

There's a tiny little peek of PTI's Snowflake edger and I have to thank

Bobby once more for this wonderful smokey-blue cardstock from Bazzill

that she nabbed from JoAnn's when they closed shop.  Why its name is

Candy Buttons I cannot explain for the life of me!

Hope you have a great day today - I'll be back in a few with Freshly Made Sketches!

=] Michele 

It's amazing how many different sage greens I have in my supplies!

I actually used both of these for my leaves, and both blues for the bird and berries!

How was your Monday?

Since my Mondays involve laundry it's never my favorite day of the week - but not yesterday.  One could say my Monday was 'the berries!'  Penny Black Winter Berry Branch die that is!  I managed to knock out three cards:

Red berries, antique linen stenciling, and gold scripty stamping [Wplus9].

White berries, yellow stenciling.

I can't believe that these blue berries are my favorite - who am I?

I cut the oval using my Spellbinders' Oval Hemstitch die set, adding

a bit of antique linen around its edges.  Then used PB's musical background

stamp to add interest and edged it using Distress Oxide: Stormy Sky.

All three of the sentiments come from a very old MFT set called Hand-lettered Holidays.

Besides those lovely berries, I had a chance to fill another of Bobby's baskets

with the HoneyBee dies I borrowed while she was visiting!

It seems fitting to use it for Carol Mc's Just us Girls: Container challenge #792

I hope YOUR Monday was the berries, too!

=] Michele

The Flower Challenge #106 - Reminder!

There's still plenty of time to add florals to our sketch this month at The Flower Challenge!  Here's a reminder for you - I found another way to add that circular shape:

Yeppers: I embossed it!  Using a folder from Penny Black: Encircle!

I love it on this creamy white!

This little sprig of Climber Flowers from Altenew fit perfectly, don't you think?

A Betterpress-ed sentiment and voila!  

BTW there is so much to be inspired by from The Flower Challenge team!

See you there?

=] Michele

The Paper Players #755

LeAnne, I wasn't sure your colors would work for me in my 'Christmas card mode' but I like them so much I had to give it a go!

 

The Paper Players team have made gorgeous use of LeAnne's colors

so, be sure to check them out and hey, why not play along?

I had this wonderful Poinsettia Frame set of products from Pinkfresh Studios out for a play and found several already stamped and ready for a bit of stenciling!  

Here are the inks I chose/and mixed as stand-ins for those SU! colors:

Because it's a challenge from LeAnne, polka dots in the background

 seemed just about right...

What do you think?  Ever seen yellow Poinsettias before?

Well, now you have!

I've been busy making hot pepper jam over the weekend, but had

just enough energy left over for this card.  I'd better get it delivered 

before that laundry starts calling my name!

=] Michele

Thanks, LeAnne!

Second Helpings of Spots, and Stripes!

 

When it comes to Christmas cards, I can always depend on Penny Black, 

and Penny Black on Saturday to keep me motivated!

The PBSC challenge has an 'anything goes' theme, but in September there is that option to add spots and/or stripes... this 'new to me' c. 2012 stamp has BOTH!  

Spots on her 'babushka' and stripes on her shirt and tights!

PB and her illustrator Mo Manning has called her 'ragged angel' but she's just perfect to me and worthy of framing on my card!

The 'wind' has blown a few sparkling snowflakes her way!

If we didn't have more than three flakes in Winter, I'd be very happy!

=] Michele

Freshly Made Sketches #703

Are you ready to have your way with Karren's fun sketch?  Take a look-y-loo at Freshly Made Sketches #703:

Now, imagine the unlimited elements that could be added to it!  The sky's the limit!

Here's right where it took me... straight into Autumn!

A bouquet of HoneyBee Fall Foliage, to be

exact - and even a harvest moon - can you find it?!

I always look for opportunities to add grey - you'll see it

in my bouquet and sentiment strip today.  More burlap embossing?  Yes, please!

Okay... ready. set. play!  But first let's go see what my teamies have for us today!

=] Michele

Peace on Earth Christmas #95

I've been painting and coloring so many little images for Christmas!  But when it comes down to it, I do still love these gorgeous Spellbinders Betterpress plates in my stash!  Since they only come out once a year, they never go out of favor!  

These Spellbinders' Day/Night Pines set the stage for Peace on Earth #95 ... 

I paired them with LDRS' Snowflake Ornaments in aqua

and the Pine boughs capture the gorgeous citron glass in the top right photo!

This time of the year one NEVER makes just one!  Do you have a favorite?

Sentiments: SB BP204 Sending Joy; frames Waffle Flower: Nested Rectangle Frames

Thanks Dar and Diane for inspiring my playtime today!

=] Michele

D is for Die-ing to play!

Dear D.,

I had a little bit of time between 'loads of fun' and had a new die set calling my name!  I'm so happy to play cards with your I.D.E.A.S challenge: D for die - and! There may be one for NBUS, too!

Love ... M.

Think Autumn and the last brave roses on the vine!

HoneyBee Vintage Roses cover plate finally came home to mama after a 6-month or longer stint on my wish list.  Betterpress-ed sentiment.

Look closely and you'll see my old favorite Altenew Elegant Swirls!

All cut with Bristol paper, blended with a few Altenew inks, and Roses distress re-inker 

Ripe Persimmon 'homemade' paper.

HoneyBee's Lovely Layers: Amaryllis + PB Frame it!

Sentiment and snowflake from my snippets.

And another in white on a grey blue HoneyBee Vitamin Sea paper!

This Christmas sentiment is from Spellbinders SB BP-204 Sending Joy.

It has been a looooong day!  See ya later gators...

=] Michele

PBSC on Sunday!

 

When the newest Penny Black on Saturday Challenge for September 2025 hit my inbox, I just happened to have finished my next batch of Christmas cards using a few more of the sets I snapped up from the Penny Black Christmas release!  Would you look at that... there are lots of stripes - that makes it a good time to share them.

First this darling snowdude and friend from Penny Black: Frosty Hops...

This lovely sentiment is also from the Frosty Hops set.

Penny Black: Christmas Cubs...

PB Classy Frames; EH Rectangle dies

No stripes or dots on these next cards but 'just because' you know me 

and bears by now...

PB Teddy Tidings

Her hearth 'rug' was created using the PB encircle ef over top 

of a woodgrain embossed piece.  It was really easy to create this 'wainscoting' 

out of the scraps of watercolor card!

A little black bear gets his mail delivered by this sweet little bird on 

a branch borrowed from the PB Frosty Hops set.

Because I never miss a chance to learn a thing or ten from the spectacular

Jill Foster and the newest video series from Penny Black, I brought

out the PB Edger: Friend die for my little brown bear!

Now one of those will be shared with those wonderful card makers 

at PBSC - you'll have to stop by to see which one made the cut!

=] Michele