The Flower Challenge #89

Hello, my friends!  It's that time again - this month at The Flower Challenge we're changing the shape of things... okay maybe just the shape of your card!

Square cards are great for tucking into a gift, for a quick note, and are easy to fill up with some of those larger image stamps in our stash.  Take this gorgeous image from Altenew's Build-A-Garden: Pristine Peonies for instance.  

I stamped the largest of the two images in the set onto Neenah 80# cardstock and used the coordinating stencils to add shades of purple and green.  The image was cut using its die and mounted onto a 4x4" piece of purple card that had been embossed with my SU Tasteful Textile folder before adding it to my 4.25" square card base.  Easy peasy!  Another sweet little Betterpress-ed sentiment from Spellbinders' A little Message set completes my square card.

So, are you willing to be a little square along with us this month?  We sure hope so!  You'll find tons of inspiration over at The Flower Challenge Blog!

=] Michele

Time Out 10th Birthday Celebration!

Time Out Challenge #257 is all about celebrating their 10th birthday - congratulations to Nonni, and Stephanie who keep things rolling smoothly as Sandie and Nonni did - and to the entire T.O. Team of designers!

During these dark days of Winter, I've spent a little time reacquainting myself with water coloring ... those embossed images recently shared were not the only ones to get some attention.  

Altenew's gorgeous Pristine Peonies were stamped onto cold press watercolor paper in Antique Linen Distress ink and water colored with their 36-pan set.  I wasn't unhappy with the results and thought it would be perfect for a special birthday celebration such as this one!  Here's her closeup:

It's obvious that I need to work on the center a little more next time!

But since brown was used, I also used Betterpress Bark ink to create

my birthday sentiment...

The Time Out team has really pulled out the stops with their birthday cards - you can see them all here - but while you're there, I think you should join the celebration, don't you?

=] Michele

Stencils - day two! Stencil Fun Challenge

There might have been was a little bit of shopping before the holidays - you know how that goes, right?  I picked up another of the Altenew Build-a-Garden sets: Pristine Peonies which I can never say no to, btw.  As always, I was 'encouraged' by my friend Therese - thank you, T!

There are two images in the set - you'll be seeing the second one soon enough.  For their 'premier' I try to use all the coordinating things as they are intended: stamps, dies, stencils - you get the picture.  Using stencils again today allows me to share a card with those lovely gals at the Stencil Fun Challenge.  For January 2024 there is an optional 'add a bird' - guess who forgot her bird...

This is quite a large image but I found a way to make it fit while leaving

plenty of open space for another bit of stenciling on my background panel.

You aren't surprised it's grey - tone on tone grey!  I found the same general 

shape of the Peony in another stencil set from The Ton.

Just one of their Gentle Peonies layers was used and I used a very light touch with my favorite CP Twilight ink.

Here are the other inks used for the Peonies.

Okay, off I go to deliver this to Darlene and Diane!  There are already such wonderful cards that include that optional bird!  Are you playing?

=] Michele