CAS Mix Up - April 2021 - second helpings!

I found myself paper piecing another bunny who really wanted to join the party at CAS Mix Up April 2021 challenge, too.  Poor guy will probably get the boot for not being quite CAS enough - but a little birdy told him to just go for it!  

This little closeup shows all the different PTI papers that went into

the piecing of this card!  Even the box [an MFT freebie when I bought this kit]

has two patterns, if you look carefully!

Have a wonderful Sunday, my friends!

=]  Michele

CAS Mix Up April 2021 Paper Piecing

 

My Friday was spent on a little road trip with my honey - a very fun day!  We've had a few day trips this week while he's been on vacation.  

So, I found a cute CAS way to add a bit of Mixed Media to my crafty style today.  I'm sharing it with the CAS Mix Up April 2021 challenge - add Paper Piecing, to my stamped, die-cut, and dry-embossed card!

Before you think I've lost it, look again ... this little stack of buddies have been stamped, and die-cut from a a single sheet of Lil' Inkers Dip Dyed Ombre* cardstock in fun neutral colors!  Aren't these little MFT characters fun?  I've clipped that No One Stacks... sentiment in two, finishing it on the inside: Up to You!  

My own Dad's hammer came out today for a bit of selective embossing with an old Sizzix for SU folder.  They're balancing nicely on a piece of twine - good thing, I'd hate to see that fish bowl dropped!

Hope you're having a great weekend! I'm going to get this delivered over to those ladies at CAS Mix Up!

=]  Michele

MFT Weather with You - stamps and dies.

*Lil' Inkers paper no longer available - sorry.

Inspired By #169 - Spring is Sweet!

Okay who wants a cupcake?  OMG these are too pretty to eat!  and way off the charts extraordinary!

One in particular caught my eye - with the help of a friend, I had a few little blooms to help me create my Inspired By - Spring is Sweet card!  See if you can find it... here's a little closeup...

Those little Forget-me-nots from The Greetery came to me cut from wonderful white.

Here are the inks I used to bring them to life:

Do you have a favorite?  or do you fancy the whole bunch - my husband could eat every one!  Hope your favorite inspires you to come play at IB169 today!  Now let's go see what my teamies have baked up, shall we? ...

=]  Michele

Scallops from PTI

Linen cardstock from EH

Leaves from Altenew's Nature's Blossoms

Cupcake paper cut with another W&W that is no longer available - but maybe you already have their Ring in the Celebration set?

MFT Stitched Circles for the frosting - cut from another panel sent to me from another kind friend - I have the bestest friends of all!

Waffle Flower April 2021 Release Hop - Guest Designing!

I am thrilled to be Hopping with Nina and the fabulous Waffle Flower designers and lots of other wonderful guests today!  This month, the Waffle Flower release is full of stamps, dies, and stencils that celebrate the hope and joy of Spring!

If you arrived here from Understand Blue's Lydia Fiedler you're right on track.  If you'd like, you can always start from the beginning with Nina at Waffle Flower.  

First up [might be my favorite] is Jumbo Flower Pot  I'd love to live in a home where every window was hung with one of these planters full of flowers!  I've made mine complete with a 'coconut grass' liner by stamping the pot onto kraft card, and dabbing it with lots of color - water colored this time!  My friendly Hello is from another WF set I've loved: Crocus.  If you look closely, you'll see something new from their stencil department - Brick Wall.  

Anybody that knows me well will not be surprised that I HAD TO do another -

this time in all my beloved neutrals!

Miss you from WF Potted - arch for my window made using WF Nested Domes 

Here are the distress inks I used for this heat-embossed version:

Nearly all of America's kids have been 'home schooled' since Covid hit - the teachers have been stressed to find a way to keep those kids engaged over a video chat, I'm sure of it.  There may be a few parents who deserve these sentiments, too!  These cards, uses the Teacher combo, and their newest stitched flower cover plate Daisies!  

Also playing are a few pieces from the Waffle Flower Little Artists combo.

It's pretty appropriate that the Teachers set would come with a star!  I've given it 5!

I just love that the die set comes with two dies for its teacher stamps - one a little bit masculine, and the other a bit feminine.  You all know how much I adore cover plates... LOve these Daisies - the negative, and the positives!

Last but no less loved is a wonderful set called Simple Stems - the perfect set for those of you who love to create your own patterned paper.  Or, in this case, my own

'postage stamps!' 

I've used my old favorite Nesting Postage Dies and stamped 'til my heart 

was content.  The sentiment was borrowed from WF Books and Coffee WF

 Tiny Butterfly was a sweet little finishing touch.

There is a whole lot to love from each of the Hop participants - so it's time for me to send you on your way to Rachel Arribas where you're bound to be amazed!

Be sure to check out each stop in today’s blog hop for fun, inspiration, and chances to win some of these new release goodies! 

Giveaways:

For today’s hop, Waffle Flower is giving away $25 gift certificate to THREE lucky winners. You can leave a comment on this blog and along the hop by 11:59pm EDT on Monday April 12th, 2021 for your chances to win. Winners will be chosen at random from the comments left on any of the posts in this blog hop and will be announced on the Waffle Flower Blog on 4/14/2021.

There are more giveaways to enter on our Instagram! Follow us at @waffleflowercrafts so you don’t miss out! 

Specials:

From now till April 7th, 2021, all orders placed at waffleflower.com will receive a mysterious gift (No code required!).

For those of you who are new to Waffle Flower, they have a Last Chance section on their website that lists many goodies for 25% off until they are gone! This would be a great place to start your collection! 

Link to the full collection:

https://waffleflower.com/collections/2021-04

Thanks Waffle Flower and thanks to you, my friends, for spending a bit of your day with me!

=]  Michele

The Flower Challenge #55 - Pretty Pastels!

 

I had so much fun making my design team card for April's challenge - I made two!  But you'll have to wait until the 15th to see the other!  For today, take a peek at my Pretty Pastels for The Flower Challenge #55...

A new to me set from Pinkfresh Studio - Floral Notes, were stamped with

Copic-friendly Catherine Pooler ink, colored with the Copics below, and then 

re-stamped with Versa Clair nocturne ink.

After cutting with the coordinating die, I placed it on a slimline card in a wonderful pastel shade card stock - Grapesicle! a favorite of a friend of mine who just had to share!  With the cuts from the MFT line of card stock, I hope she doesn't regret it!  

My front panel was given a bit of texture with my SU subtle texture embossing folder - yes, I did have to go from both ends - you can hardly tell, that folder is so forgiving.  I also found a few pretty pastel enamel dots in my stash!  Bonus!

TFC is being sponsored by Varadashma.com with a gift code of $10 for digital stamps in her shop for the winner this month.  They have provided some of the team with digital stamps to use. 

That's it for me - our TFC team will be checking out which pastel shades 

you will choose from your favorite colors !  and we have the lovely Keia as our guest

this month - wait until you see all the gorgeousness!

See you in the #TFC55 gallery!

=]  Michele

Just another Friday Fun-day!

Hello my friends - hope your week was wonderful, and you're looking forward to Easter!   

Are you as overwhelmed as I am with all the releases lately?  I wouldn't have the budget to 'have it all!'  But I sure am loving all that I'm seeing.  Besides, I had such a lovely bunch of new goodies in March that none of them got the attention they really  deserved.  So today, I'm revisiting those from Pigment Craft Company.  Then I'll take a peek to see all the wonderful new things Ivana has in store for us in her April release!

If you have any questions, leave them in the comments [but if you're a 'no-reply' blogger, also leave an email address] - for today, I'll just share my cards!  

I've brought out my Concord & 9th inks today.  First up, my favorites, for a masculine hello...

then, a pretty feminine bit of no-line coloring with Copics ... 

the stencil, jewels and circle die are from Pinkfresh!

... how about a 'wall paper' design with dozens of tiny little blooms, and one big Hello!

the teensy tag is one from W&W - sadly no longer open.

I'm sending this one over to Color Hues #15 - they're looking for:

Lastly, so many fun things to say,  so little time!  [is it me, or do you also imagine those little blooms like Pac Man munchers!]

That's it for my Friday - hope you have a fun day today, and a wonderful weekend, too!

=]  Michele

Inspired By #168 - I carrot about Spring

 

I am so inspired by the colors of this gorgeous 'carrot shaped' bouquet - now you might think I'd turn to my Altenew carrots, but think again!

I was immediately transported to Mexico, where our

wonderful Monarchs gather for the Winter!  We would love to go there someday

to witness them in all their glory - until then, we'll keep 'growing' a few

to add to their numbers, and are awaiting their arrival in June.

Wanna see my card?  You thought I'd never shut up ask...

A very old MFT set of butterflies + Altenew's Leaf Canopy

 Mowed Lawn Distress Oxide ink , and the gorgeous C&9th Parsley paper, 

are a match made in Heaven!

And all these luscious Catherine Pooler inks - so vibrant!

It was high time I got my father in law's hammer back out -

after 4 years it's still hard to believe he's gone... miss you, dad.

This technique adds just a teensy bit of interest without

detracting your eye from the focal point.

A little white-on-parsley sentiment label, and a smattering of clear PPP sequins 

were added before the final shot.

Okay, it's high time I send you over to the Inspired By #168 to see how 

my teamies were inspired - thanks for stopping by!  and I hope we

inspire you to play, too!

=]  Michele

Here is a look at those gorgeous Monarch's on PBS - just highlight, right click,

and click 'go to webpage' ... I've watched it a gazillion times!

 

https://youtu.be/lWOySU_hAz0