Playing Cards with Friends - October 2023

What can I say about my October guest ... she is someone I've enjoyed and admired for years ... she really knows her way around words [some of my favorite things!] ... has captured the interest of an abundance of followers on Instagram both with her fabulous eye for card design and generous praise for others who create.  OH, hey!  I guess mentioning her name might be nice. 

I'm so happy to be Playing Cards with Joan Bardee!!  a.k.a Dear Paperlicious and @dearpaperlicious on Instagram!  

There's something else I love about Joan: she LOVES a pun-y joke and has a slapstick charm about her sense of humor!  You'll never guess how I have incorporated that into our assignment this month:

Did you know that October 31^st isn’t just for Halloween??

It’s also: National Knock-knock Joke Day!  

Read all about it here:

NATIONAL KNOCK KNOCK JOKE DAY - October 31, 2023 - National Today

Use Halloween colors and share a knock-knock joke, too!  

I have been known to tell a joke or two on a card - some of you may remember THIS one from 2014 or THIS one which has seen a few rewrites!  But today I brought my sweet little owls out to play again - hope you get a hoot out of my knock knock card...

PLEASE tell me you get it??  I'll give you a moment... how about now?   

Joan!!  I know you'll do better than I did!!  Thanks so much for putting up with my silliness - and for Playing Cards with me, my friend!

Thank YOU, my friends - I know I can count on you to head over to Joan's blog - she's much funnier than I!

=] Michele

Spiced Cider card from The Stamp Market

PTI Layer to Layer: Torn Edges dies - debossed with Altenew Dotted Swirls die.

Elizabeth Crafts: Give a Hoot

Words: all my own =]

Spellbinders Hemstitched Circle dies.

Playing Cards with Friends - August 2023

I have such a sweet card maker to share with you all today - Cindy Chiu, who blogs and shares her beautiful cards at Escape to Stamping is a new friend but one I look forward to getting to know better and better!  It's quite obvious by the wonderful photos she shares in her posts that we have a few things 'outside' of our craft rooms in common - take a peek at this post and you'll see what I mean. 

Once again, I turned to National Today for a fun assignment.  August happens to be National Happiness Happens Month - who knew??  It was easy to set the parameters for the two of us:

Make a card that makes YOU happy!

Use a favorite product, stamp, die, or technique you love!

Deliver that card to someone who brings happiness into your life -

hand delivered or mailed!

Okay, since there are SO many things about card making that make/keep me happy it was very hard to narrow it down to one.  But I think you all know by now that those Altenew Craft-a-Flower layering die sets really get a lot of attention around here... a new one arrived just in time!  Meet Saffron - or more appropriately the Saffron Crocus Sativus:

Of course, they should be a little more purple, but our play time is

about what makes us happy - pink and orange always 'does it' for me!

What else?  That wonderful debossing plate from Wplus9!

I love the attention to detail Altenew gives these die sets - I feel

like I could pluck those stigmas and make bouillabaisse - a la Ina Garten of course!

Okay, Cindy!  I'm on my way and can't wait to see what makes YOU happy today!  I'm also very happy that you accepted my invitation to Play Cards - thank you, so very much!

Thank YOU, friends, for stopping by - you can't imagine the joy that your visits bring to me!  I know Cindy would love it if you stopped by at her blog, too!

=] Michele

Playing Cards with Friends - June 2023

I am so excited to have another PNW friend as my Playing Cards with Friends guest for June 2023!  

Nancy Littrell - or as we know her Scandinancy Creates - and her husband have wonderful adventures together each year when they aren't busy with their gorgeous bit of Heaven on Earth in Oregon!  I love that she shares wonderful photos of both with me!

Nancy also makes really wonderful cards using lots of techniques: stenciling, and alcohol inking, to name just a few!  

Today, we are celebrating National Say hi Day!  You can read all about how this holiday came about here.  Based on that, here is our assignment:

• Use fruit on your card - stamped, stenciled, die-cut or even hand-painted!
• Say hi, or hello in honor of Say hi Day!

Now there are many ways of saying hi and I found one of them in my stash - along with two darling sets from Pigment Craft Co. that I combined for my card today - here she is...

These hands are meant to be holding a cup of coffee - but strawberries were on the menu today!

These are the inks I used and lovely background die from Pinkfresh.

I'm sure Nancy has raspberries, and strawberries growing somewhere in their gardens - maybe even blueberries?  I'd fill that cute little bowl with yogurt and head out to the garden and pick to my heart's content for the perfect parfait.  

Thank you, Nancy for accepting my invitation to play cards!  I'm rushing over now and inviting all of our friends to join me there!  xx

=] Michele

Pigment Craft Co.: Berry Patch stamps, and dies.  These Hands warm Easily stamps, and dies.

Pinkfresh Studios: Floral Lace die.

Pink Lemonade cardstock MFT 

Playing Cards with Friends May 2023

Hello, my friends!  I'm happy to be Playing Cards with Friends again!  My guest should be very familiar to you - I have admired Leslie Miller's gorgeous designs for years but in the last few years I feel like we've gotten to know each other a little bit better - you know how that goes, right?  Blogging has a way of bringing us all together in one big happy family!  I dream of visiting her in Oregon one day and playing cards for reals in her little corner of the paper crafting world!

Leslie is a master at creating scenes on her cards - Lavinia stamps are among her favorites... please do check them out over at Running with Scissors!  Her DT work for the Double D Challenge is just one of the places she spreads her love of crafting.

Our playdate is all about the Honeybee today - not the stamp company, though they are most welcome - but this little guy...

Yes, today is World Bee Day and you can read all about it HERE.  Let's just say our assignment is a honey... 

                            

    Make a card that includes a honeybee!

    Flowers are welcome, but not necessary!    

    Add a honeycomb, the color yellow, or black and yellow stripes.

Fun, right?  Here's where the assignment took me... on my first try:

It's CAS. It's cute. It uses my latest embossing folder from Club Spellbinders,

and a sweet honeybee from HoneyBee Stamps!  But then an 'old friend' found its way into my shopping cart, and sparked a card of a different color...

You'll see the bag is empty - and neither of us lost a filling so there's that

bit of good news!  I just loved the BOLD graphics of their 'new look!'

• Some bright cardstocks in honey yellow and orange - don't ask... I'm quite sure they are from The Stamp Market, but they were both tucked in my stash unlabeled.
• A very old Gina Marie background die gave my bright orange card cover a bit of texture.
• Pigment Craft Co. provided the 'drippy' shape with a big leaf die.
• The Stamp Market's Hex Die Set for my honeycomb cut and sentiment.
• There's my friend from HoneyBee again - this time, stamped and fussy cut for a little pop of white.
• A good drizzle of Nuvo Crystal Drops on the 'honey' and my card is done!

One of these cards is buzzing over to Leslie right now - but I can't wait another moment to see how she brought our assignment to life!  Let's go!

Thanks so very much, Leslie for Playing Cards!  It was such fun I'll just keep dreaming about playing for real one day!

=] Michele           

Playing Cards with Friends - January 2023

My playdate in December fell through, sadly - so it's with renewed vigor and enthusiasm that I'm back with my first 

Playing Cards with Friends session for 2023!

This month my very special guest is from my Instagram group of friends!  Melinda's 'IG handle' is what caught my eye first: @itsacardknocklife is so very clever, don't you agree?  And a very clever card maker she is - Melinda shares lots of techniques and story reels/tutorials on her feed... all gorgeous! 

I was thrilled when Melinda said yes to my invitation to play - here are our requirements for our cards:

Did you know today is International Thank you day? 

Make a thank you card with a water-colored bouquet - seemed like a good choice for our assignment!

My card started by stamping a Penny Black [a sweet Christmas gift from a friend who knows how much I love tulips] called Springtide onto watercolor cardstock.

 

Then I stretched the stamp to lengthen the stems so they would show properly from the bottom of my 'wrap' along with a bit of rudimentary no-line water coloring.

My wrap is one of the Nesting Slimline Labels cut from kraft card...

... you'll spot another behind it, on top of a panel of kraft card cut with

a HoneyBee Scalloped frame ... topped with a HoneyBee sentiment!

Thanks a bunch was perfect - stamped and gold heat embossed!

Melinda thank you so very much for starting this year of Playing Cards with me!

Of course, I would love it if you all stopped by Melinda's Instagram page - she's even been kind enough to add her card to her blog for those who can't.

Thanks, bunches, for stopping by today!

=] Michele

Playing Cards with Friends! It's a birthday party!

Hello my wonderful friends!  I can't wait to tell you who said YES to my invitation to Play Cards this month!!  Are you ready??  My sweet little-sister-from-another-Mister:  Tracey McNeely!!  

Tracey has been such a big part of my crafty journey - if you type her name in my search this blog box, you can bear witness to that!

We've met - twice!  Been on several design teams together [12 Kits of Occasions, and Muse] I've given a helping hand with her Christmas Tags events several times, and it is always a joy to have one of our video chats - thanks for that special birthday edition this year, sweet friend!

You all love her, too, I'm sure of it!  So, without further ado, and since our birthdays are only two days apart, here is our assignment:

• Make a birthday card
• Add flowers
• Colored anyway you choose
• But absolutely NO NUMBERS ALLOWED!  LOL

I was treated to a BIG bag of goodies recently - needless to say when I spotted a new-to-me TULIP set among them it was a no-brainer which set to use today!  Ready. set. go...

I had to add a dash of grey, but ALL of these supplies were gifts from friends:

Flower Market Bouquet - The Greetery

Communique Curves Sentiments - PTI

Tag Builder - HoneyBee Stamps

Fancy Circles - Pinkfresh Studio

Now I know I'm not alone in thinking while the inks are out, and the stamps are in the MISTI why not make two?  Aren't I generous to give you a bonus today?  

Here are the inks I've used today:

Are you ready to see what Tracey made??  ME TOO!!!  Let's go - thanks for dropping by!!

=] Michele

Playing Cards with Friends! Halloween edition!!

Hello, sweet peeps!  I have such a wonderful guest for Playing Cards with Friends this month.  They are ALL wonderful, right?  This particular friend lives on the other side of the Earth and equator from me in New Zealand!

Shona Chambers of Twine Around and I started blogging around the same time and I immediately recognized her fabulous grasp of CAS design!  So did our card making community!  Soon, we were playing cards in the same challenges, AND THEN she fell in love with Monarch butterflies - need I say more?  Please say hello to Shona - she's been taking a little time off from cardmaking, so I was especially delighted when she accepted my invitation to Play!

There's one more thing we have in common: we both LOVE scary movies!  Yes, we do!  So of course, we had to have Halloween in the mix!  Here is our assignment:

• Make a Halloween card - scary as you'd like, but funny is good too!
• Must use a die 
• Must-have colors: black, green, purple, and orange + one color of your choice.
• Here's the TRICK: NO pumpkins!

There's no way I'm going to get this card delivered to New Zealand in time for Halloween in fact I'd better get her Christmas card in the mail!  

This one's just for you, my friend!!  See if you can guess the movie...

Inside sentiment:

R.I.P. = Recover in Peace my friend

I dug deep in my stash for lots of fun Halloween treats from a 

12 Kits of Occasions kit: the house die-cut which I backed with my color choice of yellow, and ribbon that compliments the lettering stamped with an ages old Mama Elephant set that I dug up called Sketchy Letters.

I got a little bit tricky for the headstone in my cemetery and used one of my 

 Slimline Altenew Label dies - cut in two!  

What I cannot seem to do is to capture the glow-in-the-dark elements: the little ghost and bones X so you'll have to take my word for that.   Just in case you can't tell, my embossed panel checks the purple box of those necessary colors.

Okay!  Let's all go to Shona's post to see if she captured a scary movie - based on her Instagram feed this week, I think we're in for a few tricks!!

Thanks so very much for Playing Cards, Shona!  It was such fun trying to portray one of my favorite scary movies:  PET CEMETERY!!  Stephen King does scary so well!

=] Michele

Playing Cards with Friends - September 2022

Today, I have the great pleasure of Playing Cards with my friend from Sweden, Karin Åkesdotter!  Not only has she inspired another of my PCWF cards, but she even honored my request to use her water coloring talents to paint our cats! [Still might be the very best surprise I ever gave to my husband] Karin's blog Peppermint Patty's has been such a pleasure to read for many years - I'm very, very lucky that she accepted my invitation to Play!  Thanks, so much, my friend!

We are celebrating two National Holidays this month:  Hug a Greeting card Writer Day and Locate an Old Friend Day!  I've linked the celebration details so you can read all about them.  Using one, or both of the holidays, here is our assignment:

    ·         Use a die-cut sentiment as the star of your card

and deliver it to that friend!

How easy is that?  I found a sentiment set in my stash that just has not seen enough ink and wanted to try that wonderful technique from Dawn at Wplus9 using silhouette stamps... you can find her instruction here.  I went with a very watery stamping - for a moment, I thought it was a goner!  But Dawn never steers us wrong!

The technique is a simple one:

1. Load your MISTI with stamps of choice - I used Altenew's Leaf Clusters - and your favorite watercolor cardstock.  [my current favorite is Fabriano hot press]
2.  Grab your daubers or blending sponges and choose some Distress Oxides that make you happy - I was thinking Autumn today.  
3.  Add ink directly to the stamp as you'd like then give the stamps a spritz of water using a fine misting bottle like TH Mini Mister
4.  Close the lid of your MISTI wait a few seconds and have a second panel of paper at the ready - you won't believe it, but you will get a second stamping!

Here's mine...

Since it was for a very special friend who will be hugging this greeting card maker soon, I brought out a bit of sparkle and added splats of gold spray, and that sentiment I mentioned - actually two from Waffle Flower's Sentiment Additions combo set of stamps and dies - that were heat embossed in Ranger Princess Gold.  By positioning one to the left and one to the right of my panel it's as if there is a beginning and end which wraps around my card panel!  

Just when you think I might be done... here's that second stamping all drizzled with gold spray, a camouflaged sentiment cut from the panel and then lifted with two additional cuts stacked below for dimension ...

[this one I'll save for a rainy day!]

I cannot wait to be bedazzled by Karin's brilliance!  So, why not join me?

Karin, thank you so very much for Playing Cards with me today.  I know you have your hands full with work, your darling boy, and husband!  I consider it a great honor that you've shared some of your spare time with me! xx

=] Michele     

Playing Cards with Friends - August 2022

Hello, my friends!  August is starting off as it does in Michigan, hot days, cool nights, gorgeous light and today a Play Date with my friend Stephanie Lanzalotto aka My Ink Well!!! YAY!!

Stephanie is on a TON of design teams - you'll undoubtedly know her from Time Out and Less is More!  She is SO much fun and though we've never met, I feel I found a match when it comes to humor!

Ready to see our assignment?  It's a totally different concept this month and it all started with our love of PTI's Kind of Corny set!  My friend Two Ls was kind enough to send me the set after she had stamped and die cut MANY for me over the years.  One might get lucky enough to find the stamps in the PTI clearance section - but not those dies!  So, I cut a few for Stephanie - that is where the challenge began!

My assignment for Stephanie involves the men in our lives!  Here it is:

Make a card for one of our special guys

Use those PTI Kind of Corny images

Include stamping and summer colors

Fun and easy, right?  Here is my [kinda corny/slightly sassy] card for my best guy...

I arranged my corn in the shape of an X and mounted it on a frame made with my Altenew Rounded Rectangles and cut from patterned paper from The Stamp Market.  I chose the colors of late summer and created my own outside and inside sentiments on my PC and used Altenew's Featured Sentiments die set to cut out the outside sentiment.  

Ready for the inside sentiment??  

Hope you weren't taking a sip of coffee/tea/water just then!!  Sorry if I've tainted your opinion of me!  LOL  [sorry, not sorry!]  My guy is indeed having a birthday at the end of the month, so this assignment had perfect timing!

Stephanie, it has been SO hard not to share this with you earlier than our playday!  I know you are going to knock my socks off, so I'm heading your way and inviting all my friends to join me!

Thanks so very much for Playing Cards, my sweet friend - let's Facetime again soon, okay??

=] Michele

Playing Cards with my Color Hues Friends!

I have the best fun to share:  I invited the entire Color Hues team to Play Cards with me this month!!  They said YES!!  Truly something to celebrate!!

But the fun continues, because I get to invite ALL of YOU to Play Cards, too!!  Can you dig it??  So here is our assignment, and yours:       

• Red [white] and Blue
• Stars or Stripes [can be from patterned papers!]
• Embellishments of any kind i.e. alphas, numbers, bling, etc.

Here is how I brought the assignment together:

I've used patterned paper to die-cut my stars whose patterns are laid out in rows [or stripes], embellished with lots of little die-cut stars from the same papers, and even got the ol' sewing machine out!

I hope you'll join us!  Right now, I can't wait another moment to see the teams' cards at Color Hues - they always blow me away with their creativity!  Let's go!!

=] Michele

Authentique:  Seaside Collection 6x6 paper pad

SSS: Shoot for the Stars stamps

MFT Blueprints #18

PTI Star dies

Playing Cards with Friends - June 2022

My darling, sweet, fun, AND funny friend Linda Callahan of Stampin' Seasons, is my playdate for Playing Cards with Friends June 2022!  Linda and I often hear songs in our heads when viewing one another's cards - so today I made that part of our assignment!  But not just ANY song - oh, no!  Today we will be:

• Making it a birthday card
• inspired by a song by Prince!  Yeah - it's a thing!  Go to National Today.com to read all about it!
• Choose a color from one of [or use all of] these colorful Prince songs:

1. Raspberry Beret
2. Purple Rain or
3. Little Red Corvette 

Of course, I had to choose my favorite of all Prince songs: Raspberry Beret - even if I have made one before!  One can never have too many chicks wearing berets, can they?

"Hope you don't mind - I schtarted the party a wine bit early!"

An old set [no longer available] from SugarPea Designs.  I can almost hear her feathered butt hitting the floor!  A 'CHEEP' date just like me! LOL

Linda, thanks so much for accepting my invitation!  I hope you've had as much fun as I had with this assignment!  Can't wait another second to come see ... and I hope my friends will join me!  Cheers to you, and another for Prince - he sure did know how to make my pants get up & dance!

=] Michele  

As mentioned, this set, and the sentiment are no longer available - the die is from Paper Rose: Wonky Scalloped Circles & Border dies. 

Playing Cards with Friends! May 2022

Hello, my friends - thanks for stopping by today!  I'm so happy to be Playing Cards with another of my blogging friends today:  TK Watson from Time 4 Cards!  

TK happens to be one of a handful of people I surprised with a phone call many years ago.  She and I have had lots of chats since the first - and even have crafted together over the phone - without FACETIME!  Good thing we both have very good imaginations, right? lol

Okay.  Here was our assignment for May 2022:

• There MUST be flowers
• Remember Mom
• also use embossing [dry or heat]

My mom has been gone longer than I want to remember, but she is in my heart always - my card says it perfectly:

• My flowers come in the form of washi tape today - Pinkfresh Studio's Rainbow Floral washi and coordinating die.  I've arranged them over an oval of white from which I had cut a label frame.
• the negative space provides a positively perfect place to tuck in this sentiment [Altenew] that says it all when it comes to my mom.
• My embossing was achieved using a Stampin' Up folder called Tasteful Textile 

I'll have Tom give this one to his mom on Mother's Day!

Okay, TK - here I come!  I can't wait to see how you've remembered Mom today!  Thanks so very much for accepting my invitation to Play Cards - we really need to get that Facetime date planned!

=] Michele

Playing Cards with Friends - April 2022

Here we are, the first week of April and YAY I'm Playing Cards with Friends, again!  

I met this month's friend while hanging out on a YouTube LIVE with a mutual friend of ours [Therese in case you're wondering] she became a regular in the Inspired By gallery - loved that!  and shares her beautiful creations at Perry Papercrafts.  After getting to know her better, I asked for her address and we realized that she lives less than 10 minutes from a childhood friend of mine from Michigan in Idaho!!  The world gets smaller every day!

Stef Perry, I'm hoping you had fun with our assignment - though I do know it gave you pause, and me too, if I'm being honest!!

• April, according to my research, is the NATIONAL MONTH OF HOPE -April 2022 - so our cards will have a theme of HOPE! [my word of the year!]
• You’re welcome to think Easter, if you’d like, or April showers.  Flowers are not quite blooming in Michigan, so NO FLOWERS!
• Dies, stencils, embossing are all approved!

Wait!! It's April!!! NO FLOWERS??? Yep. Them's the rules! lol  You may already know this, but Stef and I are teamies at THE FLOWER CHALLENGE,  so we share a love of everything floral - but not today!

Okay.  Enough chit chat - you're here for the card, right??  Here you go...

My chosen inks:

Pinkfresh Studio - Small Butterflies hot foil plate, stencils, and dies are

the main players here.  But I managed to tuck in a die-cut leafy branch from The Stamp Market, a wonky-stitched square for this HOPE-FILLED sentiment from PTI Just Sentiments - Spring Blessings - another one borrowed from Marcia! 

Dry embossing compliments of SU tasteful texture.

I'm very happy to have these darling butterflies - they are a beautiful stand-in for flowers!  

Thank you so very much, Stef, for joining me today - I look forward to SEEING you one day on our next stop in Idaho!

Now I do hope you'll join me as I dash over to Stef's blog - it's SO HARD to wait to see what my friends make!

=] Michele