A snippet to share with Freshly Made Sketches #548

I had just enough left of my emboss-resist pine panel to add to a card front - the FMS548 Sketch by Jacquie provided the perfect home for it...

I even treated my sentiment strip to a little wash of color!  The pinecones come from another

oldie but goodie from Altenew c.2015.  

I have to give Dawn at Wplus9 the idea for using this torn vellum.  She used it here, and it was love at first sight!  Something else to fall in love with again, and again?  Ranger Platinum embossing powder - always smooth, gorgeous color.

I'd better send this off to the gallery now.  Thanks for stopping by!  It gives a rainy day all the rainbow a girl needs!

=] Michele

Doodlebugs Friday!

Are you a stenciling fan?  I find it so relaxing and satisfying!

I'm sharing a way to add a little extra something to your stenciled projects

 on the Doodlebugs Blog today!

Hope to see you there!  Thank you!

=] Michele

CAS Mix Up and CAS Christmas August 2022

 I don't often combine challenges but today's time in my studio turned into the perfect opportunity to combine CAS Christmas, and CAS Mix Up for August 2022!   It also gave me some time to play with my new inks from SU - thanks to a very sweet friend!

I reached for my much loved, annually used Altenew set: Holiday Bow.  The Pine Bough is a two-step session which is great because I could use CP sandcastle ink for the 'branch' after stamping the needles with Evening Evergreen, then again with Versamark, and clear heat embossing it all - that's the magic of Emboss Resist!  All the watery ink that I've added is resisted by the heat embossed images.  Here's a closeup for reference. 

I used that gorgeous Soft Succulent to loosely watercolor the background.  Here's the end result:

That pretty little duo of bells and the sentiment are Wplus9's Silver Bells set

What could be easier than using the same supplies for another card?  This one is heading to CAS Christmas where PINE is the chosen theme by Trina!  Thanks, Trina!  This time I stamped them with the Soft Succulent ink!

Another sentiment from Silver Bells and I'm revisiting those sweet little stitching dies from MFT -

I remember when nearly every one of my cards had it!

Okay, I'd better get these delivered to their galleries - the boss just came home early!

=] 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

Doodlebugs Friday!

 

Looking for another fun way to add color to your blooms?

Colored cardstock to the rescue over at the Doodlebugs Blog today!

Here's my sneaky peek...

=] Michele

The Flower Challenge #71 Circles

We have a fun challenge for you this month at The Flower Challenge - hope you like it!

If you follow my cardmaking journey you've seen my fast and sure love of these wonderful Honeysuckles - I've saved this pretty pink duo just for you today! 

I've incorporated the 'circle' in the shape of my card, and the fun

circular pattern from that hemstitched die - a few round enamels dots 

for good measure!

I had a new set of Concord & 9th sentiment dies to use so I searched my snippets for the perfect green for the shadow layer - loved that it had this wonderful texture, too!

It was high-time I used these perfect pinks, and brilliant greens 

for those honeysuckles!

So, where will you find your circles to share?  We can't wait to see them in The Flower Challenge gallery soon!  Now, let's go see how my talented teamies added circles to flowers - or flowers to circles!  OH!!  and my sweet friend Therese is our guest this month!!!

=] Michele

Color Hues #46 For Lindsey

It is so hard to lose a friend.  The team at Color Hues and Seize the Birthday are honoring their teammate, Lindsey, with their current challenge.  I can't think of a better way to pay tribute to a fellow card maker.   

Here is my card - I'm so sad that Lindsey never got to celebrate her 60th birthday.  I'm sending a little celebration to her in Heaven.

My deepest condolences to all of Lindsey's teamies, and her family.  

=] Michele

MFT Sweet Surprise

Paper Smooches clouds dies

Altenew Rounded Rectangles