CAS(E) This Sketch 78 - a little bit of snow

Hello!

Often when I start making a card with a sketch as an inspiration, I stick really close to the sketch. Sometimes I wander happily away on a little tangent. I think that may be what I've done with this week's card for CAS(E) This Sketch, lol! I started with water in mind and ended up with snow!

I used Mama Elephant stamps Merry Greetings and No Peeking. I added some buttons and sequins to finish it off.

It should be Winter here in Australia right now. Instead we're experiencing the hottest Autumn on record in Brisbane, and the temperatures are still high. Today was like Summer. It's crazy. My eldest daughter exploded this morning with, "Where is Winter? I love Winter! I love cold weather! It's too hot!" I agree with her. Tonight at 10pm it is 25c in our home with all the windows open. Too hot even for the doona, sigh!

Speaking of doonas, it's really time for bed! Thank-you for visiting. I hope you can spare some time to visit the rest of the CTS team ---> see over on the sidebar for the links, and then I hope you also find a little extra time to make a card and join in the fun!

Catch ya later!

Michelle
xxx

Case Study 193

Hello!

It's our last week with Wida Miller as our muse at CASE Study Challenge. I took the angled panel, the pale colours, and the sequins from Wida's card. I wanted to take more, but my stamping supplies didn't quite support what was in my head! Must be time to go shopping again... ;-)

I used Waltzingmouse Fine Feathers stamps.

This has been one of those challenging weeks. Work is crazy, life is crazy, and I'd really like a little bit of quiet time, lol!

Catch you later!

Michelle
xxx

Papertrey Ink Blog Hop May 2014

Hello!

I managed to quickly make a card tonight to join in this month's PTI Blog Hop. I hope I remember to come back tomorrow to link it up! ;-) This month we are invited to use the colours aqua and melon.

I used PTI Meadow Greens stamps. Aqua mist patterned paper. Melon Berry card and ink.

Now I need to get myself ready for the week ahead before heading off to bed. Thank-you for dropping by!

Michelle
xxx

Inspired by Nichole

Hello,

I'm attempting to make a few sets of cards for a charity sale that my friend is running. It's for Alzheimer's Australia. I don't usually make sets, but making sets is a really wonderful way to explore a stamp set, or a colour scheme, or an idea.

Back in February, I pinned a card by Nichole Heady when she was introducing Building Blocks, thinking that one day I would use the inspiration. It turns out that I pretty much copied the design, but I loved the design so much, I didn't want to change it. The only change I made was to make it one layer and remove the twine.

Nichole's card is this one:

I love the mix of the uncoloured Doodlie-Do with the colourful Building Blocks.

I also made a set of envelopes to match.

Now for a closer look at those cards.

These last two are my favourites from the set.

Thank-you for visiting. I'll leave you with a picture of what I found in my laundry yesterday when I wandered downstairs.

Yes, the chickens were being harassed by the magpies again and they decided to come inside the house instead of heading to their coop. They were quite cranky when I shooed them back outside. ;-)  See that feather on the ground? It's amazing. I couldn't capture it's light, airy, fluffiness in a photo, but I tried.

See ya later!

Michelle
xxx

CAS(E) This Sketch 77

If you are here for my Fusion card, scroll down or click HERE

If you are here for my Case Study card, scroll down a little further, or click HERE

Hello!

Thursdays are busy around here! This is my third post in 10 hours. The good news is that there are three new challenges to offer you card-making inspiration! :-)

I'm here to share my CAS(E) This Sketch card with  you in this post. I made this card for a little friend of my daughter's. When my daughter (6) looked at the card, she said to me "I see what you mean when you talk about white space on cards... but maybe it would be better with a little less white space?"  She cracks me up! I've been trying to teach her about leaving some space on her cards - she fills every space up with stamping.  She makes beautiful cards, but I always think they're finished when she thinks they're halfway done... she may not be quite as much of a CAS girl as her Mum.

Onto my card. I sprinkled stars across the card and topped it with a vellum banner.

Star stamps are from three separate PTI sets. The sentiment is wPlus9. Inks are Memento Luxe Nautical Blue, Morocco, Dandelion, and Tuxedo Black.

Thank-you for coming to visit! I hope you join us at CAS(E) This Sketch this week!

Michelle
xxx

Fusion 11 - You are so beautiful

If you are here for my Case Study card, scroll down, or click HERE.

Hello!

The Fusion Card Challenge inspiration this week just sings out "love songs" to me. I probably should have found a sentiment that says "to me" for the inside of this card to finish off the song line... and now I have Jo Cocker singing in my head... Anyway, how are you inspired? I didn't use the sketch this week, just the inspiration photo.

I used a mix of washi tape, patterned paper, dies and stamping. The stamps are PTI Heart Prints and MFT Compimentary Greetings.

Unusually for me, I added a sentiment inside the card. I very much feel that beauty is much more related to what is inside a person than what they look like. When someone is beautiful inside, it glows on the outside.

Looking at this inspiration I was wishing I had some cutlery stamps, or little cutlery embellishments!

Thanks for visiting! I hope you have a little time to visit the other ladies on the team, too!

Betty J
Cathy Weber 
Dannielle Robeson
Deepti  
Jeanne Jachna
Julia Aston
Katie Brooks
Kelly Griglione
Kimberly Wiener 

Lyndal Higgins

Lynn Mangan 

Michelle Lupton

Sindhu
Stephanie Severin

Michelle
xxx

Case Study 192

Hello!

This week is flying by. I have a million things to do, my list is getting longer as each day passes! But, here we are at Thursday again, almost to the end of the week. The good news is that it is time for another Case Study Challenge! We still have Wida Miller as our fabulous muse. Wida is so versatile! And every new thing she tries just seems to work, amazing talent!

This week the muse card uses a collage style that I'm not experienced with, and that I wasn't sure I could pull off. So I looked carefully at the elements, the vertical sentiments, the colours, the arrangement, and made my own CAS, one-layer(ish), version.

I used PTI Building Blocks stamps and dies. This set is amazingly versatile for a bunch of words and rectangles!

Wida's card is this one.

I would love to see what you would make following Wida's inspiration card! I'll keep my eye on the gallery to check you all out. :-)

Thanks for visiting!

Michelle
xxx

Watercolour for Card Makers - Day 10

Hello!

Those of you on the Watercolour for Card Makers online class would have seen Jennifer Rzasa's amazing hand drawn bird. I'm not quite ready to try painting a bird in flight, although maybe next time I'll give it a go! Jennifer has long inspired me with her art, and finally I am experimenting a little more to see what I can do.

Yesterday I sat down to draw and paint my second ever bird. My first bird was this one. I think I've improved a little between first try and second try. Imagine what would happen if I sat down to practice more! ;-) I never knew what a Bluebird looked like. I found photos of them when I was trying to find the name of another bird I wanted to draw, and decided I would try a bluebird first. To me they look like little blue robin redbreasts. Are bluebirds robins?

I painted this bird in Inktense pencils. I mixed colours from the pencils with my paintbrushes onto my paint tray when I didn't have the right colour. When I was sketching it to start with I was really struggling with the basic shape. The wings are different to what my brain wanted to draw. So I turned my photos upside down and just worked with the shapes I could see. It worked much better! I painted this over a day, letting parts dry that I didn't want to mush into other sections.

Thanks for visiting!

Michelle
xxx

Watercolour for Card Makers - Days 4 and 8

Hello!

I am WAY behind in Watercolour for Card Makers Online Card Class! This class will keep me busy for months, I think! Today I am bringing you cards I made for Day 4 - Watercolour Stamping and for Day 8 - Faux Hand Painting.

First off is my faux handpainting card. I watched the video by Tasnim Ahmed and just loved the results of her technique. I did notice during her video there were numerous "pauses" for drying time. What I did not realise was that it would take me days to finish my own card, because I was crafting after the kids' bedtimes on work nights, so I only had time for one set of painting per night! This technique does not lend itself to being dried by my heat gun because I would have sprayed my watercolour everywhere! I love the results so much that I am going to try this again, only I'll be more strategic about how I colour and I'll probably run multiple projects at once. ;-)  Enough of the back story. Here is my card.

I used Jane's Doodles Pretty Peonies flower stamp. The sentiment is PTI Meadow Greens. I hand drew the leaves. I used Winsor and Newton Cotman watercolours and Derwent Inktense pencils.

The next card I have stared at for several days wondering if I would share it. It didn't turn out how I had planned and I can't decide if I like it or not. I used all sorts of techniques in building that image. One was that while my first stamping of colour was still wet, I lay the stamp back down to draw the colour back to the leaves. This left the leafy pattern more clearly than the first stamping had. This card took me a couple of days while I pondered and added bits here and there. It was definitely an interesting experiment where I learned quite a bit.

I used PTI Meadow Greens stamps. The colour is a mixture of Cotman watercolour, Inktense Pencils, Distress Inks, and Stampin' Up! dye inks.

Thank-you for visiting! I hope I'll get a bit more watercolour time this week-end in between a crazy kid activity schedule.

Michelle
xxx

CAS(E) This Sketch 76

Hello!

What a great sketch we have at CAS(E) This Sketch this week! It took me a little while to think what I would do with it, and then about a hundred ideas hit me at once! This is one of them.

I used PTI Doodlie-Do stamps, which I coloured in. Card base is PTI Hibiscus Burst.

I hope you are inspired as much as I was. I look forward to seeing your creations in the gallery!

Michelle
xxx

CASE Study 191

Hello!

Today I bring you my first card as a member of the CASE Study Design Team! I still can't believe that I'm in this fabulous team! Wida is our muse this month. I think you can clearly see in my card where I've drawn from Wida's inspiration - the colours, the general layout, the die cuts, a little white-on-white.

I used wPlus9 Whole Lotta Happy stamps and dies. Colours are SU! Poppy Parade, Daffodil Delight, Pool Party, and Memento Tuxedo Black.

To layer up my die cuts, I cut two white layers to sit under the top layer. I used my brand new Xyron sticker maker to glue them up. That tool makes sticking little things down a little easier!

I hope you can join us this week. Wida's beautiful card is full of inspiration, she makes it easy for us!

Michelle
xxx

CASE Study 190 - some amazing news!

Hello!

I have some amazing news. Well, it's amazing to me... and completely exciting... and completely overwhelming! I've been invited to join the CASE Study Design Team! I'm still pinching myself!

The icing on the cake for me is that I get to start in the month when Wida Miller is the Muse! Wida is one of the nicest, friendliest, talented card makers out there. She inspires me all the time, not just when she's the muse at CASE Study. :-)

To celebrate joining the team (as of this coming week), I have made a card to join in this week, too! In Wida's card I saw black, grey, and yellow, stripes, flower, and a window.

I used PTI Sentiment Signs and Doodlie-Do stamps. I've forgotten the brand of the grey striped paper. The yellow card is SU! Daffodil Delight. 

Thanks for coming to visit me and share in my news!

Michelle
xxx

Watercolour for Card Makers - Day 2

Hello!

I'm running very far behind with the Watercolour for Card Makers online class. I have quite a few projects underway, but they need more work (or perhaps they need to meet the bin). Anyway, here is a card I made using the masking technique taught by Jennifer McGuire on day 2 of class.

I used PTI Strawberry Patch stamps. I masked off the stamped area using Pebeo masking fluid. Then I brushed over the top with watercolour, Winsor & Newton Permanent Rose. I used a white eraser to remove the masking fluid, added some sequins, and I was done!

Today is Mothers Day and I have been completely spoiled! My hubby and my girls brought me cards and presents in bed this morning, and then the littlest girl (6) made bacon and eggs for breakfast. My Mum came for morning tea, which was fabulous! My girls have given me the present I asked for - that they are nice to each other and don't fight all day (I may be jinxing myself now, as there are still a couple of hours left before their bedtime). I also received some other wonderful gifts - pyjamas, perfume, scented moisturiser, soap, bracelet. :-)  The best part of the day was when my girls presented me with the cards they made. Because the cards were for me, I couldn't be involved in the making of them. I was rather cranky last night to find my rhinestones in a state of disarray, but this morning all was forgiven, because this is where they ended up.

The one on the left is from my 11 year old. The one on the right from my 6 year old. I love them both (the cards and the girls, lol!).

Happy Mothers Day!

Michelle
xxx

CAS(E) This Sketch #75

Hello!

It's time for a new sketch at CAS(E) This Sketch challenge! The card I made this week uses inlaid die cuts. I wanted it to be flat and easily mailable because it is for my Dad, who is in Italy. When I send him cards that are popped up I always wonder if they'll make it there in one piece! It is my Dad's birthday this week. The card is probably still in the mail. Italian mail can take a while...  My Dad isn't a blingy type of guy, but I did sneak in a shiny yellow star! Happy Birthday, Dad!

I used wPlus9 Whole Lotta Happy stamps and Star Stax die. The tag die is PTI. Colours are SU! Soft Suede, Crumb Cake, Old Olive, Daffodil Delight.

While I had this fabulous sketch in front of me, I also made another card. This one didn't photograph well, so I'll explain it. I punched some hearts and then ran the hearts and card base through the BigShot, causing debossed hearts across the card front. I filled these with Wink of Stella sparkles. The tag I made using Mama Elephant dies and stamps.

I've told you before how much I love these little pandas... my love has not faded yet. ;-)

Thank-you for visiting me! I hope you join us at CAS(E) This Sketch this week!

Michelle
xxx

Fusion #10

Hello!

Wow time flies by quickly these days! It's already time for another Fusion Challenge, yay!

I cannot resist a black, white, and yellow colour combo. It is one of my all time favourite combinations. :-)  This week, I created a fusion of the inspiration photo and the sketch to come up with my card.

I used MFT Complimentary Greetings, Mama Elephant Basic Borders, and SU! Banner Blast. The yellow paper is SU! Watercolour Wonder.

As always, the team have come up with some beauties. I hope you can take some time to pop by and visit them.

Betty J
Cathy Weber 
Dannielle Robeson
Deepti  
Jeanne Jachna
Julia Aston
Katie Brooks
Kelly Griglione
Kimberly Wiener 

Lyndal Higgins

Lynn Mangan 

Michelle Lupton

Sindhu
Stephanie Severin

Thank-you for coming by to visit me! I hope to see you over at Fusion with your take on this fabulous inspiration. :-)

Michelle

xxx

Watercolour for Card Makers - Day 1

Hello!

Watercolour for Card Makers Online Card Class started yesterday. Last night I sat down to work on my day 1 homework and everything I did didn't turn out how I envisioned. So I put it all aside and went to bed. I love watercolour, but for a perfectionist CAS girl, it is very challenging!

So tonight I went back to try again and I saw one of the panels I made last night sitting there. I decided it was quite pretty after all, lol! So I finished the card. :-)

This card uses the emboss resist technique with a soft watercolour wash background. I fused the lessons from Jennifer Rzasa and Kristina Werner to create this card.

I have started another couple of cards tonight, but they're wet, so I have to wait until tomorrow night to play with them again. I need a few days off work to play with these techniques instead of trying to squeeze it all into the hour between the kids going to bed and me going to bed. ;-)

Thanks for coming by to visit! I hope to be back tomorrow night.

Michelle
xxx

Welcome Little One

Hello!

I'm popping in quickly tonight to share a card I made for Retro Sketches and Pals Paper Arts.

I used Mama Elephant Nursery Deco and PTI Sweet Speech stamps. The paper is SU!

I flipped the sketch.

These colours are just fabulous, and I had the perfect paper to match, lucky me!

Not much to say. I'm a bit tired after a busy day at work. My brain has shut down already! It must be bedtime. ;-)

Thanks for visiting!

Michelle
xxx

Watercolour flower

Hello!

I debated whether to share this or not. It was a bit of an experiment. I wanted to play with watercolour and add a little hand drawing. I was not aiming at realism, I hope that is obvious! ;-)  I don't even know what this style is called, but I want to experiment a little more with it. It was fun!  My six year old has the word "special" on her spelling list this week, and that is what prompted the making of the card. She's delighted.

The sentiment is Hero Arts Year Round Sentiments. The watercolours are Winsor & Newton Cotman. The pens are Faber-Castell Pitt markers.

Now, I'm off to prepare for the week ahead. Sunday night, sigh!

Michelle
xxx

CAS(E) This Sketch #74 - I'm on the team!!

Hello!

Today I'm feeling super-excited! I have joined the CAS(E) This Sketch design team! Woo hoo! This team is full of awesome card artists, and I will admit to feeling slightly overawed. I have been a fan of CAS(E) This Sketch since the very beginning, and some of my favourite cards have been made for this challenge (probably as a result of the brilliant sketches!). So, of course, being my first card as a DT member, I was suffering anxiety. I'm sure I'll get over it, lol!

This is my card, which has a liberal sprinkling of Perfect Pearls to make that champagne really sparkle! :-)

I used PTI Propose a Toast stamps and dies. Colours are PTI Fine Linen and Berry Sorbet, and Delicata Gold.

And because I couldn't help myself, I made a second card. Being pale pastels, it is slightly tricky to photograph.

I used MFT Complimentary Greetings, PTI Ruby Rose, and wPlus9 Whole Lotta Happy stamps. Colours are SU! Bashful Blue, Barely Banana, Hero Arts Soft Cantaloupe, Delicata Gold.

Thank-you for joining me here! I hope you join in with CAS(E) This Sketch to help me celebrate! :-)

Michelle
xxx