Muse ChristmasVisions and my friend Kimberly

I promised my friend Kimberly that I'd play along with her Muse - ChristmasVisions card this week -  who wouldn't want to?  Look at her gorgeous inspiration:

It has several of my favorite crafting, and Christmas-y, things: white embossing, water-coloring, and sentiments!  I had to pull out that darling little Pretty Pink Posh die set that all three of us HAD to buy! at Impress =]  And an oldie-but-goodie PTI holiday set.

For you, my sweet friend:

 

Just in case it isn't apparent, here is how I was inspired: 

• four separate spaces
• similar colors [what I could find in my stash]
• dark card base
• white embossing

I'd love to have your secret for keeping the white embossing white, Kimberly!  Thanks for inspiring me to try!

 

How will you re-create Kimberly's card?  Hmmmm?  See you in the gallery!

 

=] Michele

 

 





CAS[E] this Sketch 135

N@t Ali designed the sketch for this week's challenge ... always a pleasure.  Take a peek:

 

 

Here is my take:

 

Essentials by Ellen Wild Garden dies; and Bohemian Garden stamps & dies;

Sentiment compliments of Neat & Tangled: Jumpstart My Heart. 

SSS cardstock;  MFT Die-namics Pierced Circle die.

 

This is my take on the classic 'he loves me, he loves me not!' 

 



Now!  I don't ordinarily combine CAS[E] this sketch cards with other challenges, but this week, there is a 'new kid' on the block, so this card is inspired by their fabulous graphic:

 

 

 

 

The Pinterest Inspired Challenge's first ever challenge is created by Emily Frasier of Pieces by Emily who is so sweet, talented, and generous with her kind comments ... way to go Emily!!!  She has a fabulous design team ... be sure to check this challenge out!

 

 

 

That's it for me ... well except to encourage you to please check out what my CAS[E] this Sketch teamies have created using N@t's awesome sketch ... I know I'm always inspired by them each week. 

 

Thanks for stopping by, and for your kindness that shines through your comments! 

 

=] Michele

It's the Most Wonderful Time! Christmas in July at 12 Kits of Occasions!

Hi there - thanks for stopping by!  It's 12 Kits time again! 

Our hostess this month is the wonderful Cathy Weber!  Cathy's kit is packed full of fun Christmas treats - though, as a Michigan girl where Summer is way too short, it was a bit tough to get into the Christmas mood - so I turned down the temperature on the AC =]

Here is a little peek of all the goodies we had to play with:

 

This is where my imagination took me for my Christmas in July ... thank you, Cathy, for such a gift-filled kit!



 

 

 

 

Be sure to visit our 12 Kits of Occasions Blog for all the Christmas treats from Cathy and our team-mates!  OH! and an extra gift this month?  Lisa Elton of My Paper Tales is our guest - she'll make magic with this kit, for sure!

 

I truly hope your Summer has been as

magical as any holiday season!

Thanks for spending some time with me today ...

always so appreciated!

 

=] Michele

 

 

Tracey McNeely Premier at Muse #126

It won't be a surprise that I'd want to play cards with Tracey ... though I know she's 'on the move' I know she'll appreciate that I've given her darling Muse card, with blending, a go!

Here is Tracey's card - don't you love it?

 

Not one penguin in the ocean of stamps sets that I own!! I did have another darling set that will do the trick!

 

For Tracey, and Muse #126:

 



 

Since I've used the MFT Cool Day set with its matching dies, a MFT Stitched Circles die-cut for the shape of my blended-stenciled 'waves' [compliments of the Brackets stencil from ARTplorations]I'm just going to pop this into the mix at the MFT Sketch challenge, too!  [Look really closely - you'll see it, I promise!?]



 

I'm so happy to be on this team with you Tracey!  Thanks for the darling inspiration this week, and I'm thinking of you =]

 

I'm off now to see how Tracey has inspired the rest of you Muse Club players... thanks for stopping by, and for playing cards with us at Muse!

 

=] Michele

 



CAS[E] this Sketch #134

Chrissy has done it again, folks!  Challenged my little creative brain and it needed it! Take a looky-loo at this sketch:

Mind blown?

 

I'm finally getting the chance to break out my July SSS kit!  It was waiting patiently in my stack of mail when I arrived home from our trip.  It hasn't seen the light of day since ... and it is so full of wonderful Oceanside goodies. 

 

I've created a little whirlpool of the patterned papers from Authentique right down to the bottom of the sea.  Add one cute little anchor paperclip and, AHOY Matey... okay - she's gone overboard!! But still CAS... I think?

 



 

The sentiment is a die cut from PTI Wet Paint II ... 'anchor me' compliments of Word and my PC.

 

That's a wrap for me today ... can't wait to see what Chrissy has inspired you to make. See you in the CTS #134 gallery!

 

Thanks for hanging out with me for a bit today - always tickles me when you do...

 

=] Michele

 

 

 



The Paper Players!

When I saw this card Lisa Elton created for The Paper Players, I think I actually swooned!  Just look at these gorgeous papers with their vintage feel, and Lisa's incredible talent for making every card look perfect in its design:



A sweet little posy, and that darling, tiny little bow - you will teach me how to tie a bow some day, right Lisa?

I recently purchased a large stash of Glitz Christmas papers [yes, it is Christmas paper!]  One had just the vintage feel I wanted for my card for The Paper Players challenge #255 - a sketch from Sandy:



Okay: the tag, the narrow panel, the vintage-feel paper, an embellishment, die-cut, and string!! Check!




Thanks, Lisa, for the inspiration!

 

Paper: Glitz 'hello December', cardstock SSS; dies: tiny bow from Mama Elephant,

PPP Stitched Tags, Paper Smooches Borders 1 for pea vine, and Green Thumb 2 dies,

and Green Thumb stamp set for Pea Pod.  The sentiment, all mine.

 

Hope you're having a lovely, Summery day!  Thanks for sharing a few moments with me ...

 

=] Michele



Playing cards with Chriss Blagrave!

Before you get really excited, no, I'm not in Austin, Texas - in my dreams - but I am playing cards with my sweet friend today... here is how this happened:

Chriss Blagrave, of Botanical Café, and I began having phone-chats last November. Over our coffee this morning, I asked her if she'd seen Donna Mikasa's fabulous card for MFT - an homage to a beautiful card by Karin Akesdotter's beauty here.  After heaps of gushing - both of us wondering "how do they do this?" - we decided to challenge ourselves!!! 

I thought about the lovely MFT Balloon String background stamp they used, and knew I had several stamp sets with strings but some had words and sentiments... hmmm, could they work? 

Attempt #1:



 Kinda okay - I liked the frame, as Karin had done, the white heat embossing I love ... but it's missing all those lovely spaces created by the cross-over strings.  Which brought me back to a search of my stamp-stash to a very old American Crafts stamp collection called Terrace - one lonely string stamp, and a whole lot of Versa-mark stamping later:

Attempt #2

 

I loved Donna's ocean creation with all the waves colored in many shades of gorgeous colors. Karin's rolling hills, and plains brought our recent holiday to mind:  Purple mountains Majesty, Waves of Grain, and many wonderful memories.

 

I hope that Donna and Karin see these and know that they have been CASE'd today.  Thanks for inspiring me, and Chriss, to try something out of our comfort zone! Love you girls, and your fabulous designs! 

 

So, there you go, Chriss! I can't wait to open the link for your cards!!!  Thanks so much for playing cards with me today!  One day we will do it for reals - I promise!!!

Mwah!

 

How about you guys?  Is there a card that you'd like to CASE?  I'd be overjoyed to play cards with you, too - any day of the week - just let me know!  

 

=]Michele