Fusion #7

Hello!

It's time for a new batch of Fusion inspiration! This week I used both inspiration photo and sketch to come up with this card.

I used such a big selection of products, I'm not sure I can remember them all! Hero Arts Envelope Pattern Background and Collage Music Background stamps; PTI Teach & Inspire and Building Blocks. I also used PTI Dear Jane patterned paper. Card is SU! More Mustard and Soft Suede and PTI Vintage Cream. Inks are SU! Crumb Cake, Soft Suede, More Mustard.

This week the team have all been inspired in quite different ways, it's wonderful! If you haven't visited the others yet, here are the links to their blogs.

Betty J
Cathy Weber 
Dannielle Robeson
Deepti
Geri Freeman
Julia Aston
Katie Brooks
Kelly Griglione
Kimberly Wiener 

Lyndal Higgins

Lynn Mangan 

Michelle Lupton

Sindhu
Stephanie Severin

This week I've been in Canberra for work for a couple of days. My schedule was non-stop from when I landed to when I took off to return home. Crazy! I'm back in Canberra again next week, too. Another non-stop schedule. I miss my hubby and my kids when I travel (and my dog and the chooks). Work travel is definitely not glamourous or exciting. I much prefer to stay at home. :-)

Thank you for visiting! I hope to see you joining us at Fusion sometime very soon!

Michelle
xxx

Clean and Simple 3 - Day 7 - Watercolour

Hello!

I'm here with my homework from Day 7 of Online Card Class Clean & Simple #3. After watching Jennifer Rzasa drawing and watercolouring her image, I decided that tonight was the night for me to finally draw that bird I have been thinking about.

I have never drawn a bird before, not really, not where I actually tried to make the bird look like a particular type of bird... but on the week-end I was looking at the art of Geninne, and in particular her birds, and I was overcome by the desire to draw and watercolour a bird. So, tonight, after Jen inspired me, I looked up photos of robins, wrens, and jays and decided to draw a robin redbreast. I looked at about three different photos of the birds to figure out the colour variations, and the various shapes in different positions and then gave it a go.

The sentiment is from Waltzingmouse Fine Feathers. The bird was painted using Derwent Inktense pencils and a water brush.

So what do you think?

I know it isn't perfect. It is a first try, after all. But I will admit to being so excited and encouraged by this first version that I just might try drawing and painting some more! I'm not sure I can replicate this to make a set and Jen suggested. I'm pretty happy that I even made one, lol!

Thank-you for coming by to visit!

Michelle
xxx

Clean and Simple 3 - Day 6 - Graffiti Stamping

Hello!

I made this card for a lovely friend of mine who has just turned 40. I was inspired by the Graffiti Stamping technique as demonstrated by Kryssi Ng of Mama Elephant fame. I did use Mama Elephant stamps. I also threw in some Stampin' Up! and Papertrey Ink as well.

It's a night-time photo, so not great, but I think you can get the idea. ;-)  This was a really fun card to make. It took some time to select and place the stamps, so not really something I could whip up quickly. It's definitely a technique I'll throw into my bag of tricks.

Thanks for visiting me!

Michelle
xxx

Clean and Simple 3 - Day 5 - Iron-Off Embossing

Hello!

I'm slowly working my way through the Online Card Class Clean & Simple #3. I am so glad that the format this time has two days per set of techniques. It allows us slowpokes to keep up, sort of. I still have lots I'd love to try. But time is not on my side at the moment, so I am thrilled to at least make one card for each set of techniques! I am definitely being given plenty of inspiration, so I will be kept happily experimenting for quite some time.

This card uses masking and the iron-off embossing technique. Jennifer demonstrated the iron-off embossing technique with watercolouring. I like that, but for this card, I used sponging of distress inks, a bit of water splattering, and a little distress paint in bronze. The colours are not ones I'd usually use together, but I wanted to make a card with a bit of visual impact, so I got experimental with colour. It reminds me of a picture of space.

The beauty of the iron-off embossing technique is that it makes my card super flat again, no matter how I treat it while making it, lol! I'm definitely recruiting the iron for future card making endeavours. Lucky for me, the iron has stopped steaming and my husband (the ironer) desperately needs a new one, so I may just have a "craft iron" waiting for me to claim it... just as soon as I get to the shops to buy that new iron. ;-)

Stamp is PTI Wonderful Words: Hello. Inks are Distress Inks Walnut Stain and Broken China. I also used Versamark and clear embossing powder, but they were ironed away.

This card was inspired not only by Jennifer's work, but also by Joni's card over at CASE Study. Isn't it amazing?

Edit to add: I linked up to One Layer Simplicity also, where Just Add Water is still open.

Thanks for coming by to visit me!

Michelle
xxx

Clean and Simple 3 - Day 3 - Stamp Layering

Hello!

Today I sat down to play with Laura Bassen's Stamp Layering technique from Day 3 of Clean & Simple Card Making. I didn't have a big, bold sentiment like Laura, so I had to improvise a bit. I made my background from PTI Sentiment Signs repeat stamped in Mama Elephant Blush. Then stamped my sentiment, and then everything else around it.  Using pigment ink gives a different effect to using dye inks with this technique, and while it is different, I still like it.

Stamps are PTI Ruby Rose and SentimentSigns. Inks are a mix of pigment inks from Mama Elephant and Memento Luxe.

Tonight I'm going out to dinner with one of my lifelong best friends who I have not seen anywhere near enough over the past couple of years. We live around the corner from each other, and yet our busy lives often mean we don't see each other, crazy! I'm really looking forward to a couple of hours together with our families.

Thanks for coming to visit me. No chicken or dog photos today... perhaps next time. ;-)

Michelle
xxx

Fusion #6

Hello!

I'm late! I'm late! For a very important date!

Oops! I forgot to schedule my post for this week's Fusion Challenge. So here I am, finally!

I used PTI Rosie Posie (both sides of the stamps) and Simon Says Stamps Sketchy Banners. Inks are SU! Certainly Celery, Daffodil Delight, Mama Elephant Mojito, and Memento Tuxedo Black.

I took my inspiration directly from the picture. It reminded me of the kitchen in the house I grew up in, which was apple green and yellow, very 70s. :-)

I hope you can find some time to join in with us this time! The rest of the design team have made some wonderful creations, and are well worth a visit, too. :-)

Betty J
Cathy Weber 
Dannielle Robeson
Deepti
Geri Freeman
Julia Aston
Katie Brooks
Kelly Griglione
Kimberly Wiener 

Lyndal Higgins

Lynn Mangan 

Michelle Williams

Michelle Lupton

Sindhu
Stephanie Severin

Thanks for visiting me!

Michelle
xxx

Clean and Simple 3 - Day 1

Hello!

It's Day 1 of Clean & Simple Cardmaking #3 - One Layer Cards. At the beginning of class there was a note for us "purists" (I think they were talking to me) about the various definitions of a one-layer card. I've revised my definition for this class to be "flat card". The exciting part of this new definition is that I'll have MANY more options when making cards. :-) It also frees me up for nights when I really don't have much time to craft (which is most nights) but want to make a card for class - sometimes one-layer can take a LOT more time!

We were shown three techniques today, and I've used one of them so far. The technique I chose was die-cut inlay as demonstrated by Debby Hughes (who I adore). I didn't stray too far from Debby's design due to lack of time to consider my design options. I will definitely explore this technique further, it's so effective!

I'll probably bling this one up later on. Tonight it's after bedtime, and my blinging can take me quite a while! I have used PTI Sweet Speech dies, Wonderful Words: Friends stamp and die. Paper is SU! Watercolour Wonder. Card is SU! Smokey Slate and PTI Basic White. Ink is Mama Elephant Smoke.

And before I go, another picture of my chickens. I have heard chicken-owning bloggers calling their hens "fluffy butts" and I used to wonder what they were talking about. It turns out that chickens really do have fluffy butts, lol!

Thank-you for coming by to visit!

Michelle
xxx