Happy Little Stampers Watercolour Challenge - Happy New Year!

Hello!

Happy New Year to you all! I hope that 2017 brings you all things wonderful!

I'm starting off the year with a new design team. I've been an admirer of Kylie and Happy Little Stampers for a while now and so when the opportunity came along to join the HLS design team, I threw my hat into the ring. I was absolutely thrilled when Kylie told me she'd selected me!

This month's Watercolour Challenge has an optional twist to use a stencil. I did not use the optional twist this time around, instead creating a freeform watercolour background using lots of water and then adding salt. I created a bit of a grungey look for my background and my date. I quite like how it turned out!

I used HLS Big Bold Numbers stamps, PTI die, and Winsor & Newton Cotman watercolours to create the background.

Thanks so much for coming by to visit me! I hope you join in the watercolour fun with us this month!

Michelle
xxx

Fusion Returns from "Summer" holidays!

Hello!

After a long break over the Northern hemisphere Summer holidays, Fusion Card Challenge is returning for your fortnightly cardmaking fun! This first inspiration and sketch are sure to get your creative ideas flowing.

While I did follow both the inspiration and the sketch to create a Fusion card, my following of the sketch was a little abstract. I hope you can still see it in there.

We have quite a few new faces in our design team and I hope you'll pop over to welcome them to the team. The Fusion Challenge team is now:

Becca Cruger
Betty J
Carol Mayne
Jeanne Jachna
Karren Johnson
Linda Callahan
Lyndal Higgins
Michelle Leone

Michelle Lupton

and me, of course!

Thanks for visiting!

Michelle
xxx

CAS(E) This Sketch 148

Hello!

I'm back for this week's CAS(E) This Sketch! This week we have a new design team member joining us. It's the one and only Jen Mitchell! Yay! Welcome, Jen!

My card is simple with a very tiny little bit of glitter so that the butterfly is the star of the show. I turned Leigh's gorgeous sketch on its side.

I used PTI Think Big Favorite stamps, Matt Stack 1 die, and Memory Box butterfly dies (Asti Wings and Vivienne).

That butterfly can be any shape, you don't have to use a butterfly. I just can't resist any excuse to use butterflies on my cards. ;-)

Life has been very busy this week. Work is crazy and unlikely to settle down any time soon. Family life remains as busy as ever. Thank-goodness for time to make cards and relax!

Thanks for visiting! I hope you're inspired to join in the fun.

Michelle
xxx

Dynamic Duos #25

Hello!

Tomorrow is my hubby's birthday! Fortuitously, the Dynamic Duos colours this week are orange and black, two of his favourite colours!

This is the card. I must start concentrating on the angle of my cards in the photos!

I used PTI Background Basics: Circles for the background stamping. Colours are SU! Pumpkin Pie, Basic Black, and Whisper White. The vellum is PTI. The die cuts are PTI Mat Stack and Mat Stack Layers (Mmmmm, #1 I think).

Here is the colour inspiration, the dessert option being die-cuts.

Thanks for popping by!

Michelle
xxx

CAS happy in black

Hello!

Whew! I've had a busy week-end this week-end. I have managed to squeeze one more card out of my limited time. I really didn't want to miss the opportunity to enter these three challenges. Too often I miss out because I run out of time, despite feeling inspired!

This is my card.

I used SU! Basic Black and Crumb Cake card. Ink is Real Red and Certainly Celery. Stamps are PTI -  Happy Hexagons (sentiment) and Flower Fusion #11. Twine is Twinery Maraschino (the twine is where I get the white for the colour challenge!). Embossing Folder is Swiss Dots. And dies are PTI - Flower Fusion and Mat Stack #3.

It is really difficult (for me) to photograph black cards! The card in real life actually looks black, and that red is really Real Red, I promise!

I am entering CAS-ual Fridays #62 which asks for a black card base.

My colour combination comes from ColourQ #146 which is too yummy to resist!

And last, but not least, I am entering CASology #2. I missed the inaugural challenge because I ran out of time. I didn't want to miss the second one. My card is a HAPPY birthday card. :-)

Okay, perhaps I'll sneak one more card out of the week-end if I can get the kiddies into bed early enough tonight!

Thanks for dropping by!

Michelle
xxx

Sweet Birthday

Hello!

I have another five year old girl birthday this week-end. I didn't go quite as "little girl" this time. But it is still girly. :-)

Here is the card.

I used Stamps (PTI) - Strawberry Patch, Strawberry Patch Sentiments, Happy Hexagons; Dies (PTI) - Cover Plate: Hexagon, Strawberry Patch, Perfect Patches; Card - PTI White, SU! Pretty in Pink; Ink (SU!) - Barely Banana, Cameo Coral, Pretty In Pink, Certainly Celery, Soft Suede; Twine - Twinery Blossom.

The editing doesn't show this card as soft as it is. It's so pretty I don't want to give it away. I was playing around with my new hexagons, which arrived today. I'm in love already! I decided to just start by using the whole plate and fill it. I'll get more creative a bit later. ;-)

The colours were from this week's Play Date Cafe Challenge #141.

I also intend to enter this over at Moxie Fab World for the Stamp It! Cards Birthday Challenge and the Hooked on Hexagons Challenge.

I made another frame as a present. I used bolder colours in the frame than in the card.

I'm photographing at night again, so it's a bit difficult to get a good photo, especially with the glass on front! I haven't shown my little girl yet, as she is asleep. I hope she AND her friend like it!

Thanks for dropping by.

Michelle
xxx

Runway Inspired #15 - man card

Hello!

Sometimes a card will give me no end of trouble. This is one of those cards. I think I've ended up with a half decent card at the end of it, but it was a challenge to get to this point! Phew! I probably should show you my rubbish pile on this one (no, too embarrassing!) - that sentiment panel had three different versions, all stuck ON THE CARD, so that I had to pull things off and try not to upset my weaving, eek!

This card is for our nephew, a young man who is definitely not into bling or flowers or love hearts... someone tell me an AWESOME stamp set for men (all ages), please! I want to make groovy man-cards!

This is my effort.

It was in response to the Runway Inspired Challenge #15.

I worked the weaving in. I used the colours. I think I got the general feel of the outfit into my card.

I used SU! Not Quite Navy, Real Red, and Crumb Cake. Dies were all PTI - Chevron stripes, Mat Stack #1, Framed Out #3. The sentiment is from Framed Out #3. Oh, I ought to point out, those skinny chevron stripes are from between the two dies - when I die cut the two together, there is always a skinny bit in between that I quite like. :-)

Thanks for coming by! Now I'm off to sleep. :-)

Michelle
xxx

Tuesday Trigger - Poppy

Hello!

I am going to go on record and say that this is one of my very favourite cards that I have ever made. I've been pondering the Tuesday Trigger photo for a few days now. I really wanted to make crepe paper poppies, but I don't have any red crepe paper, and I didn't get to the shops. :-)  So, I was making another card, inspired by something completely different when the idea for this card appeared in my head. I love it when that happens.

This is my card.

And this was the inspiration - A Plateful of Poppies.

I used the PTI Heart Prints die to cut out 8 hearts in Poppy Parade and folded them over to create the petals. The leaves are Sizzlets Little Leaves in Old Olive. The sentiment is Think Big Favorites #12. Card base is PTI White. The brad is SU! Everyday Enchantment.

Thanks for taking a look at this card.  :-)

Michelle
xxx

ColourQ #141

Hello!

I am off to dinner tonight for my friend's and her partner's birthdays. This meant some card-making action was called for. :-)

Here is the card for him.

I used my new PTI chevron die, some stars from Star Prints, and the sentiment from Think Big Sentiments #13. The colours are Night of Navy, Bashful Blue, Old Olive (for Lucky Limeade), and Pool Party (because I have NOTHING resembling brocade blue and this is as close as I could get).

The colours are from this week's ColourQ challenge 141.

This is the card for her.

Yep, I received my PTI Strawberry Patch set, yippee! And Strawberry Patch Sentiments! Colours are Poppy Parade, Certainly Celery, Old Olive, Tuxedo Black, and Daffodil Delight. I also used Dazzling Diamonds glitter on the flowers. This card in real life is so very pretty. I love it!  This card was made just for the fun of it, no challenge. :-)

Thanks for dropping by!

Michelle
xxx

Dynamic Yellow

Hello!

I feel like I've been away forever! I had a busy week-end last week-end. Then I went to Canberra for work for a few days (it's a bit chilly down there at the moment). And I got back last night, but I've been sick with a horrible head cold - painful throat, head full of gunk, and brain not functioning!  I've missed my cards so very much so tonight I dashed off a quick one before I throw myself at that welcoming bed. :-)

Dynamic Duos this week has one of my favourite colour combinations: Yellow and Black.

I just realised I didn't use the dessert option of dry embossing (although I had intended to). Since it is called an "option", I'm hoping it doesn't have to be in the mix to qualify for entry! As there are only a few hours to go before the linky list closes, and my bed is calling my name loudly, I really am not going to go and make another card at this stage. :-)

Here is my card:

I used SU! Daffodil Delight and Memento Tuxedo Black ink. Stamps are PTI Rosie Posie, and Think Big Favorites #13. Dies are Mat Stack #1 and Mat Stack #1 Layerz, oh and Rosie Posie. Card is Daffodil Delight and Whisper White.

It's nice to be back. I hope to make a few more cards this week-end. I have a whole bunch I started last week-end for another challenge, and I have plans to finish them, hopefully, if I can drag myself out of bed. I am way behind in my blog visiting and commenting. I will be back at that sometime soon, too! I miss everyone.

Michelle
xxx

Vintage Vogue Birthday

Hello!

CAS-ual Fridays is celebrating their first birthday this week. So for CAS-ual Fridays Challenge 51 we have been asked to make a CAS birthday card.

To make this extra-special birthday card, I went looking for some additional inspiration and found it over at Tuesday Trigger with the Vintage Vogue photograph.

I can't tell you how much this photograph appeals to me. It's delicious!

There's not much colour there, but there are lovely textures, and that lace! I wanted to make a card that captured that feeling of old lace without being vintage or lacy... if you get what I mean... since I was trying to make a CAS card. So this is what I came up with.

I used PTI Rosie Posie to clear emboss on vanilla cardstock a flowery background. I sponged with SU! Crumb Cake. The label is PTI Mat Stack #1 and Mat Stack #1 Layerz (in vanilla and barely banana). The sentiment is PTI Think Big Favorites #12 in Crumb Cake. I used PTI Filigree border die to make the vanilla border and finished off with some SU! vanilla grosgrain ribbon and pearls.

I quite like this card. It is different colours to what I usually work with, but I love them! And I always love that big daisy stamp from Rosie Posie. :-)

Thanks for coming by to visit.

Michelle
xxx

CASE Study 89 and ColourQ 135

Hello!

I'm a bit distracted, my 4 1/2 year old is using scissors to make bird legs out of paper, eek!  I'm popping in today to show you my entry to CASE Study 89 and ColourQ 135.

The muse over at CASE Study for May is Agnieszka Malyszek.  I am a big fan of Aga's. I have been for a long time. CASE Study has been inviting many of my card-making heroes to be their muses lately. It's wonderful!

Aga's card for us to CASE this week is this one:

From this I have taken the dark card base, the dark on dark embossing, the bright letters, and the two directional sentiment.

I have used the colours from ColourQ 135, which this week are:

I wish I hadn't left this to the last minute. I really love this colour combination. I think I could have made three or four different cards using this one!

And this is my card:

I have used Hero Arts Dots and Flowers background stamp with copper embossing powder.  I bought this powder by accident last Christmas. I grabbed what I thought was dark brown powder. Didn't I get the surprise of my life when I heated it up? LOL! In this photo it looks a bit shinier than it really is, I think. The sentiment is made using Papertrey Ink Block Alpha dies and SU! cardstock - barely banana, ruby red, pool party, white. The card base is early espresso.

I'm quite happy with how this one turned out. After I sat there cursing about sticking down tiny letters in the evening light, I took a look at the finished product and decided the effort was worth it. :-)

Thanks for coming to visit!

Michelle
xxx

For Your Inspiration #28

Hello!

It's time for another challenge over at For Your Inspiration! Yay! Steph's chosen another super photo to get your creativity flowing. Take a look.

I chose to use the colours as my basic inspiration, but you also have that amazing sky and the grass fields, and I could go on...

This is my card.

At this point, I will admit that the purple layer was originally supposed to be on the bottom, to mirror the photo. But, in the effort to get my letters to line up and lay on the card correctly for die-cutting, I forgot about the orientation of the card, LOL! I was quite happy with how it turned out, so I have left it that way. :-)  This card is again inspired by Ange Kelly with the flowers and stripes and negative die-cut.

I used MFT Die-namics for the flowers. I used PTI block alphabet for the sentiment. I used PTI impression plate canvas/linen. Card is SU in crumb cake, perfect plum, lavender lace, apricot appeal, and old olive (I think that's what they are). No stamping at all, that's unusual for me!

Thanks for popping by. Why don't you go and visit the rest of the DT to see what they came up with, too?

Debbie

Debby
Rudlis
Karen

Rochelle

Sara

Steph
Sylvia

Vicki

I hope to see you over at For Your Inspiration soon. :-)

Michelle
xxx

CASE of Ange for Jay Gee's Nook #18

Hello!

This morning, as I was browsing blog world, I came across THESE CARDS on Ange Kelly's blog and my jaw dropped open. It stayed open for a long time. I pinned this card. 51 other people re-pinned it almost immediately. The card did not leave my mind all morning. So at lunch time today, I sat down and had a play to see what I could make in the same style.  First I pulled out PTI Botanical Silhouettes, but what I really wanted to create was a fun card for my two year old niece. So I grabbed PTI Tag-Its #10, Think Big Favorites #13, Block Alphabet dies, and a rainbow of Stampin'Up! inks and off I went.

This is my card.

I already had rainbows and balloons and parties in my head from the inspiration board for challenge 18 over at Jay Gee's Nook for this month. Ange's card just galvanised me to action, immediately!

I will admit that making this card was a little fiddly. Trying to double pop those letters with tiny pieces of foam was difficult, and my hands were shaking, LOL! But I love how it turned out.

Thanks for coming to visit today.

Michelle
xxx

A study in ultra-CAS

Hello!

Today's card is a study in ULTRA-CAS.

I was going to bling it up a bit, but then I thought it was good for a serious male card. The males in my life aren't blingy type guys. :-)  If I end up using it for one of my girlfriends, then I'll pile on the bling to make them smile.

I computer generated the sentiment, using Wisdom Script typeface. The cream panel is embossed with PTI's linen impression plate. The numbers are PTI. Card is SU! black and soft suede, and PTI vintage cream.

This card is made in response to The Play Date Cafe Challenge #125 - black, white, and a splash of brown.

Also, CASE Study #84. Another of Laura's beautiful creations. You can't really tell with the photo of my card, but those numbers are negative die cut, and I used the brown panel (in place of the grey) and black card.

And the third challenge I'm entering this card into is CAS-ual Fridays #46 - make a card based on a song. In case you don't have tweenie/teen girls in your house, my song is "Count on Me" by Bruno Mars.

And one last photo. While I was photographing my card, my loyal companion was lying beside me. Then she just about turned herself upside down to check that I was still there. I was... with the camera. This is Coco, my spoodle (cockapoo).

Thanks for dropping by. If you are leaving me a comment, would you do me a favour and please let me know if word verification has reappeared? I turn it off, and for some reason Blogger keeps turning it back on in my settings. I'd hate to be driving everyone crazy if it has reappeared.

Michelle
xxx

Papertrey March Blog Hop Challenge

Hello!

I think this is the first time that I have managed to organise myself at the right time to participate in a Papertrey Ink Blog Hop. A bit of a miracle. All I need to do now is to remember to link it up in the morning (when it is past 10am US EST). :-)

The inspiration is this:

All of that happy yellow and a touch of aqua. Lovely!

Here is my card:

I used PTI Rosie Posie, Think Big Favorites #12, Mat Stack #1 and Layers Mat Stack #1. I used a Sizzix Stripes embossing folder and covered it in yellow ink before embossing to created the yellow stripes. Colours are SU! Daffodil Delight, Barely Banana (retired), Pool Party, and Soft Suede. I used PTI white card.

I really love those yellow stripes. :-)

Thanks for coming by to visit!

Michelle

xxx

Happy 1st Birthday!

Hello!

Today I attended my niece's 1st birthday party. The card was made using the sketch from Pals Paper Arts Challenge #131 and the colours from CR84FN Challenge #50. I also made it with the guidelines from CAS-ual Fridays #44 which dictates that we use 1. A pattern 2. An image and 3. A sentiment.

It actually looks better in real life. It is very pretty. :-)  I used the new PTI Anniversary Set Pretty Peonies (image and sentiment) and Hero Arts Zig Zag (my pattern). Colours are Pretty in Pink, Pumpkin Pie, Apricot Appeal, Daffodil Delight. The dies are PTI.

And just before I go, I will give you a peek at my niece's very gorgeous cake.

Thanks for coming to visit! It is always lovely to see your comments.

Michelle
xxx

OLW79, LIM55, and Jay Gee's #16 - Colourful flowers

Hello!

I have told you before how much I love rainbow colours, haven't I? :-)  This months challenge inspiration over at Jay Gee's Nook uses so many bright and happy colours, it's irresistible. As is usual for me, I've been pondering this card for ages. The original concept for the card I've made today came from Amber over at Damask Love. For some reason I can't find the card that inspired me, but if you've seen Ambers cards and calendars, you'll recognise the inspiration (Amber does it so much better than me). The layout and design for the card is a very direct CASE from Michelle at Pigment of My Imagination. When I saw Michelle's card, I knew I just had to bring my ideas to reality, right now! Again, Michelle has done it so well, I'm not sure why I am even considering doing it within the same challenge that her card is in (that would be One Layer Wednesday), LOL! I also made this card for Less Is More Week #55 (theme punches or dies), because it has been too long since I visited and had a play there, and I miss it. :-)

Here is my card:

I had to hold it together so that you could see it more clearly:

And here is the colour inspiration collage from Jay Gee's Nook Challenge #16:

Gorgeous, isn't it?

For my card, I used Stampin' Up! inks in a variety of bright colours. I used PTI Fillable Frames #5. I used PTI Rosie Posie, PTI Turning a New Leaf, and PTI Botanical Silhouettes stamps - 8 stamps in total.

I really like this card. It's exactly what I wanted to create. I just love it when a card turns out as I imagined. 

Thanks for visiting. I love having visitors, and hearing what you have to say. :-)

Michelle

xxx