Papertrey Ink September Blog Hop

Hello!

I love it when the Papertrey Ink Blog Hop happens on a week-end and I have a spare bit of time to join in the fun! Blackboard technique and autumn colours together, oh so delicious!

I used Doodlie-Do and Stylish Sentiments: Birthday stamps. I white embossed and then brushed with white ink. I coloured with Copics.

This is the beautiful inspiration.

Thank-you for coming to visit!

Michelle
xxx

Playing Cards with Michele and Friends

Hello!

I'm playing cards with Michele Ferguson again, but this time it's even better! We're playing with more friends all together, and we're CASEing Michele! Jenni came up with the idea of CASEing Michele's two colour split image card, but adding a twist with a masculine theme. Talk about a CHALLENGE!

Those of us playing are:
Me :-)
Michele
Chriss
Jenni

It took me forever, and I've only just finished my card at the very last minute, but I did make a card that met the theme - two tone masculine split image.

I used Mama Elephant Party Kit. The sentiment is wPlus9. I embossed in white and silver on PTI soft stone and smokey shadow card. The method I used was to set out my stamps as I wanted them on my block, then stamp and emboss the base, then I lay the panel over the top of the base where I wanted it to end up, and stamped it in the correct position, then embossed that. Not a very elegant way to do it, but I was in a rush, and it worked! Yay!

Michele's inspiration card is this beauty:

I have a secret to tell you. There is a reason I made this card at the last minute. I knew I was playing with Jenni, Chriss, and Michele, and CASEing Michele's card, but I forgot about the two-tone masculine rules. So I made a completely different card to start with. This one here:

I used Altenew Wild Hibiscus stamps. Oh my goodness, these stamps are beautiful! Embossed in silver on white card and a frame of silver shimmer paper.

Okay, I'm late already, so I'd better post. Thanks for visiting! And be sure to visit the other girls, too!

Michelle
xxx

CAS(E) This Sketch 142

Hello!

I'm here to bring you my card for this week's CAS(E) This Sketch Challenge. I love the sketch this week. Those diamonds could be anything, and they flow so beautifully down the card. For my card, I decided they were butterflies.

I used Hello Foxy and Scripted stamps from Papertrey Ink. I coloured my butterflies with pastel Copics. A few rhinestones and I was done!

Today I took my eldest daughter to the airport to head off on a grand adventure to visit her aunty. We have ten days without her. I'll miss her. When she comes home, it is her birthday eve. She turns 13 in just over a week! My little girl is celebrating being an only child at home, haha!

I hope you'll join us in the fun this week at CAS(E) This Sketch!  I cannot wait to see the gallery. :-)

Thanks for visiting!

Michelle
xxx

Last minute superstar!

Hello!

There is a super challenge going on over at the MFT Card Challenge blog. I've been watching the awesome entries loading over the past couple of weeks and kept thinking,  "I should sit down and enter this, too."  And then it came to today, the first time I've had two seconds spare, and I only have two seconds to go before the challenge closes! Well, two hours, but it FEELS like two seconds, haha!

I used my usual super-CAS style to come up with this card. I used MFT Complimentary Greetings and Stitched Circle Frame dies.

Today is a happy day for me. Today is the 16th anniversary of my marriage to my darling. We've spent 22 amazing years together, filled with heaps of fun and joy, interspersed with the usual challenges that a partnership (and kids) brings. :-)

Thanks for visiting!

Michelle
xxx

CAS(E) This Sketch 141 - Celebrate!

Hello!

It's time for the new CAS(E) This Sketch! The sketch this week is fantastic, but it took me a long time to think up my card! I wanted to make a happy, joyful, card, and I think I finally came up with the right idea. :-)

I used SU! Celebrate Today stamps and matching dies.

This sketch reminds me of some of my favourite scrapbook layouts - it's so minimalist but still full of interest. I love it!

Tomorrow I am spending the day at home with my girls. School holidays have begun, and I'm really looking forward to enjoying some time away from work and just lazing around home with the kids, even if it is just one day. :-)

Thanks for dropping by!

Michelle
xxx

Fusion - Peacock inspiration

Hello!

What a busy week. I think this might be the first time I've sat down at my computer! I think I have a lot to catch up on!

I'm here to bring you my card for the new Fusion Card Challenge. The inspiration photo contains peacocks and I was inspired by the colours. Somehow I forgot to also incorporate the awesome sketch!

I used wPlus9 Pretty Peonies and PTI Scripted stamps. All in blues and greens.

I was in Sydney on Monday and Tuesday this week. Unfortunately, it was one of those trips where I flew in, saw the inside of the office, went to my hotel to sleep, then returned to the office before flying out again. I hope my next visit will allow just a little time to see some of that beautiful city. :-)

Edit: I'm also joining in with Colour Me, where they also have peacock colours as inspiration, yay!

Thanks for visiting!

Michelle
xxx

CAS(E) This Sketch 140

Hello!

Today I bring you "Grunge-y CAS" style for CAS(E) This Sketch 140. When I first saw the CTS sketch for this week, I immediately thought of washi tape. Then I was looking through my stamps and thought I'd attempt a CAS masuline creation using stamping only. This is what I came up with.

I used SU! Gorgeous Grunge stamps and the Rotary Alphabet stamp (a very cool and useful tool).

Not many words today. I'm a bit tired. I can report, though, that Spring has sprung with bright blue skies and beautiful mild temperatures. I love this time of year!

Thanks for visiting!

Michelle
xxx

Muse Christmas Visions 18

Hello!

I organised myself to make a card for Muse Christmas Visions again! Woo hoo! Another Christmas card made. At this rate I should have enough by December 2020! Haha!

Kimberly's card used a coloured card base and gold embossed Christmas trees. I used these two ideas to make my version.

I used Mama Elephant Cozy Christmas stamps, gold embossed, and Copic coloured.

Kimberly's beautiful inspiration card is here:

I really must get myself organised to make some more Christmas cards. I almost sold every single one of my cards last year. I nearly didn't leave  myself enough after I'd sold them all! I don't think I'll have extras to sell this year, certainly not at the moment.

Thanks for visiting!

Michelle
xxx

CAS flowers and a cranky chicken

Hello!

I saw the inspiration photo over at Just Add Ink and I just couldn't resist playing along! Such pretty flowers! I used my new favourite flowers - SU! Garden in Bloom - and, because I am also joining in with Happy Little Stampers CAS challenge where the theme is colouring, I coloured with Copics.

I masked the flowers to create my little grouping

Edit to add: I'm joining in at Time Out Challenges, too! I knew there was one I had missed listing!

Before I go, I'll share a photo of my chicken Peggy. She has gone broody and very cranky. She spent all day running around with her tail feathers flared and her hackles up making velociraptor noises (as heard in Jurassic Park). She's rather scary when she's like this, haha!

Thanks for dropping by!

Michelle
xxx

Happy Father's Day!

Hello!

Today is Father's Day here in Australia. It took me forever to think up a card for my hubby, but I thought over the cards that he's liked recently, and they tend to be bold colours and graphic. My hubby loves the colour orange. He also loves purple, but I didn't have the perfect purple for this design. ;-) Looking at this card makes me think of Penguin Books. What does it conjure in your imagination?

I used PTI Square Prints stamp set. Every time I pull out this stamp set I have a heap of fun creating patterns. I'm not fantastic at lining the squares up perfectly, but I actually like the roughly aligned squares. This card may drive some of you crazy though, with those wonky lines, haha! (I am also one of those people who straighten picture frames in other people's houses, so I completely understand...)

I am entering this card into Virginia's View Challenge #18 where the theme is GEOMETRIC patterns. I hope I can enter again. I love this theme!

For those of you who saw the card I made for my Dad for Father's Day, I can happily report that the Italian mail surprised me at just the right time. Dad told me his card arrived in the mail on Friday. Yay!

Now, I'm off to prepare for celebrating my gorgeous husband's awesome fathering of our children. We're going to find the best gelateria in Brisbane to eat gelati and other Italian goodies. As well as loving purple and orange, my darling is a gelati addict.

Thanks for visiting!

Michelle
xxx

CAS(E) This Sketch 139

Hello!

I'm here to share my card for this week's CAS(E) This Sketch. I may have gone wandering slightly away from the sketch when my creativity struck. ;-)

I used PTI Phrase Play #10 die and stamps. I coloured the wreath using Copics.

This card is destined for my darling hubby. He doesn't read my blog (I believe) so I'm pretty safe sharing it here first. :-)  Our wedding anniversary is coming up in a couple of weeks. We've been married for 16 years this year, and together for 22 years. Life really is better with him by my side.

Thanks for visiting!

Michelle
xxx

Fusion - Back to School

Hello!

Surprise!! Fusion is BACK from Summer holidays! And our theme is "back to school". For those of us in the Southern hemisphere, we can start preparing for the end of school - only one term left before Summer holidays, people! Woo hoo! What that means is - I'm behind with my end of year preparations, again... Anyway, this Fusion inspiration has helped me make one more card for the multitudes of teachers in my daughters' lives.

I used PTI Teach & Inspire and Enclosed: Apple stamps.

This is the inspiration:

I used only the inspiration image this time around.

I hope you are inspired to join in the fun - whether you are returning to school, or preparing for the end of the school year. :-)

Michelle
xxx