CAS(E) This Sketch 192

Hello!

It's time for CAS(E) This Sketch! This week's sketch is so versatile! It's going to be one of my favourites that I go back to. This is my card.

I used WaltzingMouse Funky Feathers stamps.

Somehow I made my card in the reverse of the sketch. That's what happens when I make a card using my memory, haha!

My kids have been on holidays for the past couple of weeks. It's been a lovely rest from all of the rushing to and from school and all the activities. I just wish I could take holidays with them! They're back at school next week for the mad rush of the last nine weeks before Summer holidays. It's always a crazy busy time of year for us all. I need to start bracing myself now... ;-)

Thanks for visiting!

Michelle
xxx

CAS-ual Fridays 157 - My very first shaker card!

Hello!

I've never really been a trend follower, and definitely not a trend-setter, and although I've been admiring the shaker card trend FOREVER it has taken me this long to finally sit down and try it for myself!

I was stuck for a birthday card for my nephew when I saw the latest CAS-ual Fridays Challenge was for Shaker Cards, and inspiration struck! Yay!

My biggest challenge for this card was finding a piece of acetate for the front of the card, haha! The rest of it fell together reasonably easily once I worked out what I was doing. I used Happy Little Stampers Big Bold Numbers, Wplus9 star dies, and the stars and sentiment stamps are Hero Arts.

The card was a hit with my two girls. My nephew, being a 5 year old boy, was more interested in the present than the card. ;-) 

Thanks for visiting!

Michelle
xxx

CAS(E) This Sketch 191

Hello!

It's time for CAS(E) This Sketch Challenge!  I will admit that I was slightly intimidated when I looked at the sketch for this week. It had LAYERS and I find it really hard to create layers and stay CAS. In fact, I find it really hard to create layers, full stop! But, eventually, my terror wore off and my brain started thinking creatively until I came up with this CAS card, an almost complete copy of the inspiration sketch.

The sentiment is from PTI Botanical Blocks.I added some glossy shine to the little heart, for a little extra interest.

This week is my wedding anniversary. I made this card for my hubby. His favourite colours are purple and orange. :-)

Thank-you for visiting me. I hope you take some time to visit the rest of the design team. They always create amazing cards, so it's worth the journey!

Michelle
xxx

Fusion - confetti party!

Hello!

I just love the inspiration photo for the current Fusion Card Challenge! I started well in following the sketch, too, but went off track somewhere along the line, haha! When I saw that fun party scene, I couldn't help creating my own burst of confetti to join in the fun!

That "happy" is shiny gold, but my camera did not want to show off it's shiny goodness.

I hope you're inspired to join in the fun!

Thanks for visiting!

Michelle
xxx

PP313 and HLS CASE the Designer - Apple Thanks

Hello!

I've made an apple thank-you card with a view to using it for one of the many thank-yous I need to deliver to teachers in around 10 week's time. This may be a record for me, starting to prepare in September for the flurry of November card and gift giving! I hope I can keep it up and avoid the stress of the past few years!

I used PTI Enclosed: Apple dies and stamps and SU! Hardwood background stamp.

I'm joining in with The Paper Players Challenge 313 where we have a CAS taste of fall.

I'm also joining Happy Little Stampers September CASE The Designer Challenge.

 Thanks for coming by to visit!

Michelle
xxx

Happy Little Stampers - Christmas Song

Hello,

The September Christmas Challenge at Happy Little Stampers has the theme "song". I just love Christmas and I'm a big fan of Christmas carols, so I had to join in the fun!

I used Mama Elephant Alpine Carolers stamps and coloured with Copics. 

I am also entering this into Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge where it's CAS this week.

I am so far behind in my Christmas card preparation. I really need to get a wriggle on and get some cards made. Before I know it, school will be in the last crazy flurry of the year and I'll have missed the boat!

Thanks for visiting!

Michelle
xxx

Muse 183 - watercolour butterflies

Hello!

I've created a card for the current Muse Card Club Challenge 183 where Tracey has given us the most gorgeous watercoloured beauty to CASE. I was instantly inspired and then it took me several days to find some time to make this card.

I used Happy Little Stampers Butterfly Birthday stamps. The die is Mama Elephant Femme Frames. I coloured using Winsor & Newton watercolours.

This is the beautiful inspiration.

While I was watercolouring AND using Happy Little Stampers stamps, I thought I'd throw my hat into the ring for the watercolour design team at Happy Little Stampers. :-) 

After a very busy week, I've had a relatively quiet week-end, which is a blessing! My kids just started their Spring holidays and it's nice to just hang around at home with them with no homework or sports to worry about. ;-) 

Thanks for coming to visit!

Michelle

xxx

CAS(E) This Sketch 190

Hello!

This week's sketch at CAS(E) This Sketch! calls for a split sentiment. I partially inked up my sentiment stamp and stamped the two halves on either side of my flower. It was a bit fiddly to achieve, but I'm happy with how it turned out.

I used Altenew Beautiful Day stamps and Altenew inks. I stamped the flower first and then masked and stamped the foliage and sentiment. I just love how much dimension I can create with these stamps on a one-layer card.

I'm also linking up over at Altenew's Ultimate Challenge Blog Hop for two reasons: 1. CAS(E) This Sketch is one of the featured blogs (way to go, Chrissy!) and 2. I love Altenew and any excuse to use these beautiful stamps is a good one. ;-)

I hope you join us at CAS(E) This Sketch this week. I can't wait to see what you all come up with using this fabulous sketch.

Thank-you for dropping by!

Michelle
xxx

CAS(E) This Sketch 189

Hello!

It's fairly rare that I manage to follow a sketch exactly but I think that this week for CAS(E) This Sketch I managed to stay almost as close as possible! Yay, me!

I used SU! Blended Bloom and PTI Scripted stamps. I coloured the flower in Copics and the sentiment is heat embossed on vellum.

I just know we'll see some amazing cards in the gallery this week using this sketch! I can't wait to visit you all to check them all out. :-)

Thank-you for dropping by to visit me!

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

VVC23 and LIM292 - Happy Father's Day!

Hello!

Happy Father's Day to all the Dads out there today. I'm sneaking in a quick post as the hubby has a LONG Father's Day sleep in. I think a sleep in is the one thing all Mums and Dads love as their number one present on their special day, haha! Later on we'll go out for lunch and then do my hubby's second favourite thing - eat gelati!

I was stumped for a card this year. My darling has very peculiar taste in cards (according to me) and I always struggle to find just the right design. But then I saw two ideas out there in blogland that got me thinking - peacock colours and mist/spray/splatter. That was all I needed to get started and this is what I came up with.

I used Stampin' Up! Celebrate Today stamps and dies for the balloons. The background is Distress Inks in multiple colours, lots of gold Smooch spray, and bronze paint splatters. The gold cord is from Kikki-K.

I'm entering this into Virginia's View Challenge #23

I am also entering into Less Is More Challenge #292 where we are invited to use Peacock colours.

Thanks for visiting!

Michelle
xxx

MUSE181 and NBUS7 - Happy Day

Hello!

I've created a card for Muse Challenge 181 and for Darnell's NBUS Challenge 7. After a very, very  long time of waiting and several frustrated attempts to buy this stamp set (sold out EVERY time I went to buy it), I recently finally got my hands on Altenew's Beautiful Day stamps. By now I think every idea may have been exhausted by our very talented crafting community but that won't stop me exploring them all again myself! :-)

I took the basic layout of Sarah's Muse card and turned it on its side. I masked and stamped the side strip, masked and stamped the leaves, and then stamped and fussy cut the flowers before arranging them. Once I finished, I decided my sentiment needed to be small to balance the rest of the design (sometimes I get carried away). The sentiment is from Altenew Hennah Elements. Inks are Altenew.

This is Sarah's beautiful Muse inspiration card.

Thanks for visiting!

Michelle
xxx

CAS(E) This Sketch 188

Hello!

For this week's CAS(E) This Sketch challenge I've made a happy bunch of birthday balloons! I didn't completely follow the sketch this week because, try as I might, I just couldn't get those little tags to work for me. I need to give it another go, because I'm sure I can make it work, haha! I just love this sketch.

I used SU! Balloon Celebrations stamps, which is just a fabulous set. The inks are Altenew. They layer with a really interesting effect that I haven't achieved with other die inks. I'm looking forward to playing with them further.

The whole team have come up with some amazing cards this week. I hope you can take some time to visit them all.

Because both my stamps and inks are NBUS, I'm entering this card into Darnell's NBUS Challenge #7.

Thanks for visiting!


Michelle
xxx