The Paper Players #757

While I had my stencils out for JUGS, I made another stenciled card using Altenew's Classic Pine A&B and [as I was taught by my friends in the Group of Cardmakers] I couldn't let that residual ink go to waste but instead did a monoprint!  ALL THAT to say I used that very monoprint as a background for my card for The Paper Players #757!  It's sketch time and Stef has a great one for us...

What might look like mud to some pleases my eye very much!

Would it help to see the stenciled card?  Maybe...

So much pretty ink to take advantage of with just

a fine spritz of water flipped over and pressed onto a panel of paper!

I wonder if Lisa and the JUGS team would mind second helpings?

Okay, I'd better get this little Chickadee over to The Paper Players before

their door closes!  Have a great day!

Penny Black: Plaited Wreath. Spellbinders: Hemlock Cones and Chickadee

The Stamp Market: 'Tis the Season.

=] Michele

Penny Black 3D Berries Abound color trio

It's Saturday, and I will not take more than a moment to show you that Penny Black's Berries Abound came out to play today - three berry nice colors and bit of sparkle and the same sentiment... that really takes some time off the creation when one has so many to make! 

Starting with three A2 panels of Bristol paper and the stencils I got to work.  All three were embossed with the coordinating embossing folder and got a finishing spritz of Wplus9's shimmer spray through the berry stencil when my cards were complete... pretty risky, right?

This color combo was my least favorite but after spritzing and splattering

a bit of gold I was very happy with the end result...

Embracing the teals for my berries next...

and finally, my favorite of all in orange...

One of them will be in the Just us Girls #794 gallery where Lisa

is looking for stenciling! You'll have to go there to find out - hey, why not

play along while you're there?

Off I go... thanks for stopping by!

=] Michele

One post - two Seasons!

Hello, my friends!  If it seems like I'm around a little less these days, you'll know I'm knee deep in Christmas creating!  However, I did a little clearance shopping recently at HoneyBee and this gorgeous Plumeria layering die spoke to me... by the way don't give me any credit at all for the colors I've used today as I unabashedly followed HB's lead on their packaging/layering guide.  Always a good idea for the first use in my mind.  

Here is a little summer on a gorgeous fall day...

The Lil' Inker Quilted Spirals plate is no longer available but still 

adds just a bit of movement.  A smattering of Aura sequins from Spellbinders,

and a stamped-at-Marcia's sentiment cut in a circle found the perfect spot.

That gorgeous green cardstock is from Concord & 9th: Eucalyptus

I added just a kiss of The Stamp Market's Fern ink to add depth.

The blooms were all cut from Bristol paper with a bit of Pigment Craft Co.'s Seagrass ink.

And now for a few of those winter Christmas cards... Penny Black, of course...

Sharing a Song: 2016 and one of their Double Frames dies

Cuddle Up, Merry Boughs, and Triangle Pattern EF

5X7 Cuddle Up, Merry Boughs and a sentiment from PFS Poinsettia frame.

I've also been harvesting green beans grown on strings from ground 

to the top edge of our deck - after a very slow start, we are getting lots of yummy 

stringless green beans!  Plus, I've made 4 batches of hot pepper jelly with

the cayenne pepper pots on my deck!  Hot as heck but just delicious!

I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

=] Michele

Freshly Made Sketches #705

Narelle is our Sketch artist for Freshly Made Sketches #705, and it challenged me in all the fun ways! 

Very simple and CAS in my book - sometimes those are the most challenging of all, don't you agree?  But I had just the dies for it... and perfect timing as I needed

a 'get well' for my cousin who was struck by a car at the grocery store!

I found tipping it on its side helped with my design - Narelle won't mind a bit!

You'll remember that darling Spellbinders Sunflower my friend sent me?

This time I had help from Color Throwdown #841 to choose cardstock colors.

Narelle's 'strips' were created using a die from Waffle Flower Crafts: Nested Domes

and the sentiment is from Alex Syberia Designs: Tulip Treasures. 

We hope you'll have just the right supplies at your fingertips!  Come play!

=] Michele

 

The Paper Players #756 - CAS watercolor!

I knew I would have to set aside a little bit of time for The Paper Players challenge #756 - Jan is asking for CAS and water coloring: two of my favorite things!

I still had my box of Wplus9 supplies within easy reach and since it's butterfly

'blooming' season 'round here their Flora and Fauna 3 set called my name...

It was very hard not to add a trio of sparkly Pinkfresh gems to this - but 

I am keeping it CAS with no embellishments and just a little dimension from

those 'flutterbys!'  This 'tag' die is an oldie but goodies from Neat and Tangled.

You know I couldn't ignore the bird in the set, right?  

Color Hues inspired my water coloring for second helpings:

A new Penny Black die came home to roost!

They're winging their way to the appropriate galleries!

=] Michele

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

Thanks, so very much Bobby!

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