Sequins!

Hello!

I'm slipping in at the last minute with an entry to Muse #23 where the Guest Designer is Anita (in France). I love Anita's work, and I couldn't resist playing along. This is my card.

I used PTI Round Repeats and Avery Elle Modern Leaves (sentiment) stamps. Colours are SU! Daffodil Delight, Memento Grey Flannel and Tuxedo Black. Sequins are Avery Elle.

This is Anita's card.

You can see that I pretty much took the layout and turned it on its side. I changed the colour scheme to work with the sequins that I own, because I just HAD to use sequins when CASEing this gorgeous blingy card! :-)

I have another shot of my card, to show you that my sequins really do shine.

I'm also entering this into the Simon Says Stamp Anything Goes challenge.

Before I go, I'll show you a quick couple of photos I took this afternoon. All day it has been rainy and very cloudy here. At sunset, the sky was still covered in low grey clouds, but at the horizon was a small gap where the sun was shining through. The sun lit up the clouds so that they shone orange, turning everything around orange for about 15 minutes. A beautiful colourful end to a dreary day. This photo is unedited, so not showing perfectly what I saw, but it's close.

And this is my daughter turned orange while she edits her own sunset photo on her iPod.

Thanks for coming to visit me!

Michelle
xxx

Dynamic Duos #59

Hello!

Dynamic Duos this week brings us the colour combination of Basic Grey and Your Choice of other colour. How cool! I had a hard time choosing which way to go. Front runner with grey for me is always yellow, so I wanted to challenge myself to something different. I thought about orange. I thought about green. I ended up at Poppy Parade. :-)

I used Mama Elephant Filigree stamps. The sentiment is from Uniko Studios. Inks are SU! Poppy Parade and Memento Grey Flannel. Rhinestones are SU!

I think everyone on the team chose a different colour this week. It makes for some gorgeous samples!

Alison Barclay

Anne Marie Hile

Debbie Henderson

Hayley Kew

Janet Bagnall

Janet Zeppa

Lori Turner

Susie Wittwer

Tara Bourgoin

Tracey McNeely

I'm also entering this into Simon Says Stamp Anything Goes challenge.

Thanks for coming to visit. I hope you can find some time to join us in the fun this week!

Michelle

xxx

Pretty Pastel Birthday

Hello!

When I saw the colours at The Play Date Cafe this week, I couldn't resist making a card. Added together with the sketch at Seize the Birthday, and I had a plan!

I used PTI Lovely Layers and Stylish Sentiments:Birthday. The inks are SU! Pretty in Pink, Orchid Opulence, Hero Arts Pale Tomato, and Ranger Archival Black. I textured the front panel with PTI linen impression plate.

I think I've found a new favourite black ink. Stamping the Ranger Archival Black onto vellum was the easiest EVER stamping on vellum I've done. Crisp, black, and no smudging. :-)

The colour story for The Play Date Cafe Challenge this week is so pretty.

The sketch for Seize the Birthday is so much fun. I've made a card using a similar sketch previously, but the end result was completely different!

I'm still fighting my cold. Today's a little busy. Tomorrow I plan to lay back and relax the whole day!

Thanks for popping by!

Michelle
xxx

ColourQ #195

Hello!

This week at work we said farewell to one of our colleagues. Cue the need for a good-bye card, one that was big enough for us all to write our thank-yous. Our colleague is going to continue studies and embark on a new career path, completely different and completely exciting! I wanted to reflect that in this card.

I used Papertrey Ink Snowflake Flurries and Hero Arts Bicycle stamps. Colours are SU! Orchid Opulence, Summer Starfruit, Pool Party, and Memento Grey Flannel.

I took the colour scheme from this week's ColourQ Challenge. So pretty!

Skip this bit if you don't want to hear me moaning... I have come down with a horrible cold. My throat and chest are raw. My whole body aches. Wah! I spent the afternoon in bed. Once my kids are in bed, I'll be back in my own quick smart. Wishing my hubby was home from his work travels already. :-(

Thanks for visiting.

Michelle
xxx

Fusion #12

Hello!

Another quick one. While I was watching the outcomes of the leadership ballots of the Australian Labor Party, and finding out who our Prime Minister is as a result, I decided to make a card. For those who are interested, and haven't seen the news yet - the ALP caucus voted Kevin Rudd their leader and dumped Julia Gillard. No political comment from me other than the fact that I'm pretty disillusioned by the state of Australian politics generally at the moment. Also on tv tonight is the State of Origin football match (Rugby League) between Qld and NSW. I hear (via the political reporters who thought I may be interested) that Qld was ahead at last count, by a mile, so I'm guessing Qld won that game, LOL! My train home this afternoon was packed full of Qld supporters in their maroon jerseys, as the game was played here in Brisbane. They'll be celebrating tonight. :-)

I'm squeezing in at the last minute for Fusion Challenge #12. I chose to make a fusion of the sketch and the inspiration photo.

I used PTI Background Basics: Circles, and Heart-2-Heart #3. I also used Mama Elephant Basic Borders for the top dotted line. Colours are SU! Gumball Green, Daffodil Delight, Tempting Turquoise, and Hero Arts Pale Tomato.

Okay, off to bed for me! Thanks for coming by!

Michelle
xxx

Papertrey Ink June Blog Hop

Hello!

It's way past bedtime, but I couldn't resist making a card for this month's Papertrey Ink Blog Hop.

Gold embossed sentiment, gold embossed flowers, distressed papers, splatters of gold perfect pearls... ooh, it's something different from me!

The inspiration was beautiful. I was going to go with the blue, but this card called for me first. ;-)

Thanks for visiting!

Michelle
xxx

Dynamic Duos #58

Hello!

Happy week-end to you all! I'm here today with a card for Dynamic Duos #58. The colours are Cajun Craze and Tangerine Tango. I've never used these colours before! To me, they called for a geometric design, so that is where I went. :-) In real life, this card looks like it has little diamond-shaped windows in the white card front. It's an amazing optical illusion which adds a lovely dimension.

I used PTI Square Prints and Stylish Sentiments: Birthday stamped in Cajun Craze, Tangerine Tango, and Early Espresso.

While I had my Square Prints out, I made another card. My hubby thinks it looks like a kilt, and thinks I should remove the top triangles (which I put there on purpose) so that it looks MORE like a kilt, LOL!

I hope you have a wonderful week-end and can join in with us at Dynamic Duos. Before you go, please take some time to visit my Dynamic Dynamo friends. :-)

Alison Barclay

Anne Marie Hile

Debbie Henderson

Hayley Kew

Janet Bagnall

Janet Zeppa

Lori Turner

Susie Wittwer

Tara Bourgoin

Tracey McNeely

Thanks for coming to visit! Catch you later!

Michelle
xxx

Just Smile!

Hello!

I have had the most wonderful day! This morning was the usual round of gymnastics drop-off and collection, mixed in with grocery shopping, filling the car with petrol, and picking up some essentials like Winter pyjamas for my big girl who has grown out of all of her warm woolies and is finding the cold nights a bit difficult to bear (oops!). This afternoon we went visiting and had a long lunch at our friends' new home at the Gold Coast. They live in heaven, surrounded by trees, and yet only a few minutes from the beach. Heaven. We had a great afternoon of friendship and laughter. :-) The weather was nice to us, and even though it was a bit chilly, the blue skies were amazing!

So to celebrate, I used my last few minutes before bedtime to make a card, yay!

I used PTI stamps - Teach & Inspire (chevrons), Heart-2-Heart #10 (butterflies), and Framed Out #3 (sentiment). Colours are SU! Poppy Parade, Cameo Coral, Tempting Turquoise, Gumball Green. 

I used the sketch at CAS(E) This Sketch #33.

I also used the colours from ColourQ Challenge #194, which are such fresh and happy colours.

Tomorrow I am planning to run away to my craft desk for a couple of hours. Wish me luck in this little plan. ;-)

Thanks for visiting!

Michelle
xxx

A missed deadline!

Hello!

I made a card for The Play Date Cafe Challenge #186, but failed to upload it before the deadline. I loved the colours so much, I decided to share anyway. ;-)

I used Simon Says Stamp Flower Friend, stamped in Hero Arts Soft Cantaloupe and Memento Tuxedo Black.

The centres of the smaller flowers are black rhinestones, and add just the right amount of bling.

I hope I can find some time to make and share some more cards this week. Things a little busy in my life right now, and my crafting time is suffering. :-(

Thanks for visiting.

Michelle
xxx

A study in YELLOW

Hello!

If you don't like yellow, you had better switch away now, LOL! I've made a card for CAS(E) This Sketch #32 and CASology #48. It's bright and happy!

I used Daffodil Delight card, Wplus9 star die, PTI Star Prints, Hero Arts Year Round Sentiments, and a little washi.

The sketch is this one:

And the colour came from this cue:

In my last post I was mentioning my daughter's swim meet. The super news is that in all six races she swam personal best times. In one race she took 20 seconds of her previous time (100m freestyle). In another race, her PB time almost won her a medal (missing out by a split second). I'm a very proud Mummy tonight. :-)  All of her hard work in the pool is showing results. She is feeling pretty good, too.

Thanks for coming by to visit!

Michelle
xxx

Dynamic Duos #57

Hello!

Dynamic Duos #57 this week brings us Pear Pizzazz mixed with Black and an optional plant theme. Oh so lovely!

I used Mama Elephant Basic Borders, PTI Harvest Berries, and PTI Heart-2-Heart #10. Colours are SU! Pear Pizzazz and Memento Tuxedo Black.

You should see some of the cards made by the other Dynamos this week! Amazing work!

Alison Barclay

Anne Marie Hile

Debbie Henderson

Hayley Kew

Janet Bagnall

Janet Zeppa

Lori Turner

Susie Wittwer

Tara Bourgoin

Tracey McNeely

Today I am off to a swim meet. The first of the new swimming season for my daughter. In the middle of winter. It's a bit chilly this morning! It will be a challenge to keep her warm between swims, but it's sure to be fun anyway. :-)

Thank-you for visiting! I hope you'll join us at Dynamic Duos this week. :-)

Michelle
xxx

10 minute Filigree

Hello!

Continuing my love affair with Filigree, I made a card for 10 Minute Craft Dash #19. I added that little love heart from one of the other sentiments. I just stuck some washi over the bit I didn't want on the stamp, inked up, removed the washi, and stamped it where I wanted it. :-)

I used Mama Elephant Filigree stamps. Colours are SU! Poppy Parade, Daffodil Delight, and Pool Party. Twine is Caribbean by The Twinery. 

I think this may be my fastest card EVER. How is it possible to make such a pretty card in 4 1/2 minutes? Only a couple of years ago, this card would have taken me at least an hour. I've come a little way over time. :-)

I am feeling like a bit of a hero, for the entire time I was trying to conceive and stamp this card, I had a five year old velcroed to my elbow (the one I was working with).  It's amazing I lined ANY stamps up, let alone making a smudgeless card, LOL!

The colours for the 10 minute craft dash are

Thanks for coming to visit me!  I have a busy few days ahead, so it may be a little while before I return with another card... but then, you never know when I might sneak to my craft table.

Michelle
xxx

More Filigree

Hello!

I've been playing a little more with my new stamp set. This time I added a bit of sparkle in the way of Perfect Pearls and rhinestones.

I used Mama Elephant Filigree and So Breezy. Stamped in Versamark, PTI Hawaiian Shores, SU! Raspberry Ripple. White embossed sentiment. Card base is PTI Soft Stone. Ranger Perfect Pearls brushed across the doily.

The colour combination I took from The Play Date Cafe Challenge #185

It is so dreary today. We have a public holiday for the Queen's Birthday. We are inside, staying dry. Unfortunately I have quite a few loads of washing that are not drying.

Thanks for coming to visit!

Michelle
xxx

Tuesday Trigger - All Sweetness and Light

Hello!

A new stamp set arrived in my house this past week. It has been very difficult to not sit down and play immediately. But I had to wait until today. The stamp set in question is Mama Elephant's Filigree. Oh my goodness, I'm in love! As I usually do with a new stamp set, I sat down and made a simple card to start with. I made this one in response to the Tuesday Trigger: All Sweetness and Light.

I used Mama Elephant Filigree stamps. Colours are SU! Daffodil Delight and Cameo Coral, and Memento Tuxedo Black.

This is the trigger image. I could just jump in there right now. What a pretty bed! There is so much going on in that photo for inspiration, but as I said, I was keeping it simple.

If I were you, I would expect to see a flurry of Filigree cards appearing on my blog. I will definitely be doing some more playing with this set. It's irresistible!

Today was a bit exciting. I spent the morning at the Brisbane Papercraft Expo with my friend Cassandra and our daughters. I was relatively restrained, although it took quite a bit of willpower to walk past a wall FULL of washi tape. Cassandra's daughter makes magic with distress inks, and so my eldest daughter was inspired. We have started with six inks (and lots of sponges), and she had a lesson with her friend right after the show. She came home a master and promptly gave me a lesson. :-)  I forgot to photograph our work. I'll have to show you another day. It was amazing watching those colours blend as my daughter worked. I know, I'm VERY late to this trend.

While my daughter was having her inking lesson. I was sewing up a case for my Kindle. This one is a prototype, as I have other fabric in mind for the final version. I searched the internet for case tutorials, and found a few different patterns. The one I ended up using was THIS ONE. I still need to add buttons or velcro, but this is it almost done. I will say, I added extra seam allowance when measuring, because I added a batting layer and that added to the bulk of the seams. I also added an extra layer of fabric inside (as well as interfacing) to toughen it all up, because my pretty outer fabric is fine Japanese cotton lawn (super soft).

That's probably enough words and pictures for you today.

Thanks for visiting me! I hope I'll be back again soon with something else to show you.

Michelle
xxx

Dynamic Duos #56

Hello!

It feels like forever since I've said hello to you all! I've been busy in my real life job, and ferrying little people around in my "mum job", and the hubby has been away for work, and that's left little time for crafting! Tomorrow I get to spend time thinking crafting when I visit the Brisbane Papercrafts Show... fingers crossed I find some bargains... mixed with a tonne of inspiration. :-) Then I hope to get a little play time to make some cards! Yay!

Today I'm bringing you my card for Dynamic Duos #56. This is the first time I've used this die set and stamp set. It took me a little while to figure out how to work with those tiny little pieces to build the images, LOL! It was worth the effort, this couple look so elegant.

I used PTI Vintage Cream card base. The die is PTI Man & Wife. The sentiment is from Just a Kiss. Groom and bride are made using Soft Suede and Blush Blossom, and I coloured some flowers with Blushing Bride marker. Sentiment is stamped in Soft Suede.

The colours this week are so beautiful. I don't know why I don't use this combination more often!

The rest of the team have some beauties to share with you, if you would care to visit them.

Alison Barclay

Anne Marie Hile

Debbie Henderson

Hayley Kew

Janet Bagnall

Janet Zeppa

Lori Turner

Susie Wittwer

Tara Bourgoin

Tracey McNeely

Thanks for visiting me! I hope to see your entry into Dynamic Duos in the gallery very soon. ;-)

Michelle
xxx

Starry birthday

Hello!

I'm sneaking in a quick blog post while my little one dilly-dallies around instead of getting ready for school. I've nagged 500 times, so now I'm holding my breath before exploding.

My card:

I used wPlus9 Star Stax, Hero Arts Year Round Sentiments. Colours are SU! Pretty in Pink, Pumpkin Pie, and Perfect Plum.

My card is made in response to two challenges. The Play Date Cafe Challenge #184 colours.

And the sketch from Seize The Birthday Challenge #18.

I've been meaning to join in at Seize The Birthday since the beginning, but keep missing the deadline. I think I've squeezed in in time this time! :-)

Thanks for visiting.

Michelle
xxx

Dynamic Duos #55

Hello!

This week's Dynamic Duo's Challenge #55 brings us the pretty colour combination of Raspberry Ripple and Wisteria Wonder.

My card is here. I masked the flower to stamp the leaves. I love how the text shows through the image. I've used this layout before, but not quite like this.

I used PTI Rosie Posie, Text Style II, and one of the Heart-2-Hearts (forget the number).

The rest of the team have done beautiful work, as always! You should really pop over and visit them for some inspiration!

Alison Barclay

Anne Marie Hile

Debbie Henderson

Hayley Kew

Janet Bagnall

Janet Zeppa

Lori Turner

Susie Wittwer

Tara Bourgoin

Tracey McNeely

When you've finished your visiting, I hope you join in with your own creation. :-)

Thanks for visiting me.

Michelle

xxx