Freshly Made Sketches #742

 

You might notice right off the bat that I've tipped Amy's Freshly Made Sketch #742 this week to accommodate my elements a bit.  Isn't that the best part of using a sketch as inspiration?  We think so.

Marcia gave me this Harvest Home set from The Greetery and it's perfect for all four

of the season's we enjoy in Michigan.  Right now, it's sum-sum-summertime

and on a windy day you can see so many wonderful sail boats out on the

Big Lake - palm trees on the beach?  Not so much... but I don't miss them.

That poor little boat might be battening down the hatches on the

rough waters I've created with Simon Hurley's Bark embossing folder.

BTW the sailboat, umbrella, palm tree, sun and sentiment are all from 

The Greetery's Destination Summer set of stamps and dies.

I can't wait to see what YOU all create using sketch #FMS742 this week!

=] Michele

Color Hues Second Helpings!

Goodness knows that 'second helpings' don't happen often around here these days, but I just couldn't waste one smidgen of that fun waxed paper panel!  Thanks, Color Hues #135! 

A single SB Sunflower Serenade over a waxed paper panel inked with

yellow and CP Blackjack ink + another SB Better Press-ed sentiments

all framed up in a Waffle Flower Crafts Rectangle Frame.

Have a wonderful weekend my friends!

=] Michele

From the Kitchen to the Craftroom!

Oh, I love sunshine just as much as the next gal but once in a while it's nice to have a rainy day that makes you want to stay indoors and get your craft on!

I spent a bit of time over my morning coffee watching Gina K. use one of my favorite 'kitchen supplies' in her studio.  You can watch it HERE.  It features waxed paper and an iron!  SO much fun!  In fact, go watch it now... I'll be here when you get back!

After dusting off my iron, I created my first panel using a bright yellow ink to blend, then used that panel to die cut that Happy Dancing bird again for Color Hues #135!  

Next, I took a second waxed panel and blended color through a stencil...

I couldn't help but use a sunflower as Gina had...

TCW Mini Joyful Sunflower using residual blue ink to color around the image.

I was blown away when she brought out the 'big guns' and used a 3d embossing folder next!  I had two from Altenew that I THOUGHT had coordinating coloring stencils.  Turns out only one of them did - it's that much-loved Ballerina Magnolia that deserves to be in the spotlight more often than I do.

I hope you're catching sight of the subtle texture/pattern that the

crumpled waxed paper gives!

Okay.  Last card panel - I used Altenew's 3D Hello Beautiful embossing

folder - turns out it doesn't work with the stencils as the images are not the

same size.  Oh well... with a few itsy-bitsy detail blending brushes from Waffle Flower Crafts, I was able to add color... it might be my favorite!

Thanks, Gina K. for the rainy-day inspiration to play! and thank YOU for

stopping by - I'd love to know if you try this technique!

=] Michele

Just us Girls #828

Denise has the most wonderful 'flower bed' full of flower petals to delight us this week!  I took advantage of her Mood Board #828 to make a card!  After watching a video from Jen McGuire over a year ago using Spellbinders' Sunflower Serenade die. You can catch that video right HERE.  

I took all the brightest colors of the blooms from Denise's mood board and armed with a sampler pack of Concord & 9th's cardstock, set about die-cutting a whole bunch - ready for the results?

I couldn't help but CASE one of Jen's cards after watching! She had the most wonderful color combo that I could never have imagined!

I found a sweet sentiment in my Concord & 9th Picked Posies sentiment set!

We've had a couple of rainy days that were perfect for time-spent in the studio - and I watched another video that MIGHT have been just as fun!  More on that soon!

=] Michele

Freshly Made Sketches #741

Narelle has just the perfect Sketch for sending postcards from the edge - of the beach, that is!  See for yourselves...

The fun Waffle Flower Crafts: Postage Collage Beach Days set just

happened to be on my desk!

It was just the right time to bring back my SB waves embossing folder, too!

We hope you are inspired to play cards with us again this week!  I'm sure my team has even more inspiration for you over at the Freshly Made Sketches #741 post!

=] Michele

Just us Girls #827

Vicki could not have chosen a more fitting word for Just Us Girls #821 Word Week: Summer!

When I think of Summer, I think of our beautiful BEACH!  What better way to celebrate it than with a few Waffle Flower Postage Collage: Beach Days stencil set?

Live sandy might be a more appropriate sentiment!

=] Michele

Freshly Made Sketches #740!

Hello my friends!  I'm up as sketch designer at Freshly Made Sketches #740 and I'm making a scene in a very fun way!  Hope you will join us!

Any old time is the right time for this darling bird... hey, didn't I use her

the last time I hosted?  She seemed just the winged thing one might spot

overhead in this rolling field of flowers - Scrapbook.com Joyful dsps!  That little cloud was found amongst my snippets and couldn't be more perfect, could it?

Now, let's 'take wing' over to the FMS#740 blogpost where my teammates

will amaze you with their creativity!

You have until Monday, June 15th at 3pm EST to play along!  See you there!

=] Michele

Just us Girls #826

 

Carol has a fun theme for Die Week at Just us Girls #826: Butterfly!

I found a butterfly die recently that hadn't been used - I know!  How is 

that possible?  It's a good time to remedy that!

Flying Butterfly from Picket Fence was cut from a panel

of black and layered over a bright purple-ish blue from Scrapbook.com's Joyful cardstock - said cardstock was edged with one of my PF Fancy Edgers.  

I added a bit of Twinkle Stickles over its body and love the effect!

A birthday sentiment and my playtime was complete!

The JUGS team have outdone themselves and their butterfly cards are outstanding!

Be sure to check them out - and play along!

Hope you have something fun planned for the weekend.

We are having some much-needed rain, and the gardens/pots are

loving it as much as I am!

=] Michele

Thanks so much, Carol!

The Paper Players #788

Joanne has a wonderful tic-tac-toe design board to play cards with this week at The Paper Players #788!  I was determined to play along! Check it out...

I had a new set to break in and that top row across fit the bill!

Circles: from SU! Lovely Arrangement dies [I doubled the fun with a shadow layer]

Flower: Altenew's Tropical Vibes Project Kit

Die cut: Betterpress sentiment, circles, and flowers!

ALL came together over an embossed panel from that same

Altenew Tropical kit!

That's it from me for today!  It's been really nice getting back in the

studio and hanging out with my fellow card makers!  Thanks for stopping by!

=] Michele

Thanks so much, Joanne!

CAS Christmas Challenge - it's BAAAACK

 

start spreading the news.... CAS Christmas Challenge is BACK!

I had just the cutest little bird ready to play!

This little cutie is from SSS called Fun Birdie sitting on a SSS pine bough, all perched atop a fabulous HoneyBee Snowflakes embossed panel of vellum.

This joy is an oldie found in its packaging from PFS - and a splash of white metallic paint from my Kuretake Gansai Tambi metals watercolor palette.

I can't wait to see all the Christmas birds perched in their gallery - 

will I see YOURS there?

=] Michele

Freshly Made Sketches #739

I could hardly wait for this week's sketch to go public!  Karren, you've played right into my hand!  I'm still having fun with Donna's rooster!  

Who says guys can't dance?  These cockle-doodle-dudes can-can!

PTI Country Rooster [with a little leg surgery] and a trio of the coordinating stenciled patterns!

I added a field of grass using a SU! Gathering Leaves EF and

found just the right words from and old EH set.

Gosh, now I can't wait to see what Karren and the team have done -

shall we head to the Freshly Made Sketches #739 post?  I

think we ought to!  Thanks for 'chicken in!'

=] Michele

Stand-alone stencils and a new way to use them!

When working with those stencils in my stash that don't have coordinating stamps or dies, they can sometimes fall flat.  Adding dramatic colors can really correct that, but today I want to share another way to add detail - with a pen!

Here is the first card I made using the Waffle Flower Crafts: NPC Peony Stencil set...

Quite pretty with those deep tones of orange and brown

but without the pop of white and fun framing you can

imagine it could 'fall flat', right?

Working with Bonnie's wonderful colors at Color Hues #134 

I went back in with those gorgeous Peonies in bright pinks for

the blooms and turquoise for the 'sky' - then the switch was turned on using

a Copic fine multi-liner and stencils 1-4 in the set to 'outline' and

give details to the flowers and leaves.  

Perhaps it's better to show, than to tell!

I even added intentional 'splatters' for interest.  Then it was time

to finish the piece using a black mat, one of Penny Black's Double Frames,

and a lovely Better Press-ed sentiment from Spellbinders' Bouquet of Hugs sentiment sets.  Here are the inks blended for my stenciling...

I'll also share my stenciled card with my friends at JUGS#825! [thanks Donna!]

I know there will be a ton of cards in Bonnie's gallery - and have you seen her card??  FABulous!  Hurry to TCH#134 to see it and all the other wonderful team makes!

=] Michele

Freshly Made Sketches #738

 

Will you be at all surprised when I tell you that our sketch artist

this week is Cecile?  I can see her CAS organic style all over it!

What to do?  I tipped her sketch on its side to accommodate one of

my favorite birds from Wplus9 - sorry that it's no longer available.

The 'stitching' was the first element to happen.  I used one of 

Kristina's Finishing Touches dies from Concord & 9th stopping

short of the edge of my card.  Two branches were cut from the same

Bristol card as my panel for the perch and the bird 

[from Wplus9's Vintage Ephemera] stamped in Distress Blueprint Sketch

and a bit of grey for his beak.  The eye was carefully colored with a 

black Sharpie and given shine with a drop of Nuvo Crystal.

Isn't that sentiment just the ticket?  [W+9 Just Breathe] 

He sure looks as if he's thinking of someone special - maybe Cecile?

Hope to see you in our Freshly Made Sketches #738 gallery this week!

=] Michele

Freshly Made Sketches #737

 

Isn't this a fantastic sketch?  Jen B. is our sketch artist this week and

I immediately thought of that wonderful embossing folder from 

Spellbinders: Molded Frame!

This card nearly made itself, honestly.  A simple pale 4x5.25" grey panel was

embossed with said EF then topped with a pair of SSS die-cut flowers:

Poppy Stem - the one on the right and Cosmos Stem on the left.

Both cut from Neenah 110# card and doubled up for mail-ability.

A sweet little sentiment that will have you singing along - all day! - and

my card for Freshly Made Sketches #737 is complete!

I can't wait to see what my team has made - and what YOU will make, too!

=] Michele

Color Hues #133

 

My sweet friend Tracey is hosting The Color Hues Challenge #133 and loved all of the cards the team made using these fun colors.  So I reached for my Distress Wilted Violet and got to work using that sweet little C&9th Just Picked Dies - particularly that clover again!  

I love the first card I made using it so why recreate the wheel?  Here is my CASE of that one...

A little bit of gingham on any card makes me smile!  The vase die

was used to cut a piece of embossed paper from a friend, and another

Better-pressed sentiment finishes it well.

Off I go to deliver this one to Tracey's gallery at TCH#133!

=] Michele

Thank you, Tracey!

Just us Girls #823

Lisa is our host for Just us Girls #823 and she has chosen a wonderful noun for their Word Week: Flowers!  I just so happened to have a brand-spankin'-new Altenew Flourished Flora in my hot little hands!  Thanks, Lisa!  Now let's hope I remember to link and share!

This is a 6-stencil set that took a little bit of shifting and planning to bring together but

in the end, I couldn't love it more!  You might notice that I did a 'no-line' look in the photo

above but soon decided that stamping those lines would really bring out some of the

fantastic details on this stamp.  Here are the [many] inks used - I over-stamped the

outline using the darkest of the blues from the Altenew Tranquility set: Dark Night.

I treated myself to the coordinating dies and after cutting discovered just how huge this image is!  A wee bit of surgery was required to make it fit on a 5 x 7" card!!

Isn't that wavy embossing great?  Spellbinders: Summertime Waves.

It was a great time pulling together all those colors!

Okay... I'm going right now to get this one in the JUGS#823 gallery!

Thanks for spending a bit of your weekend at my place!

=] Michele