Fusion - Bright Fun

Hello!

It's time for another Fusion Challenge! This one has FABULOUS inspiration! I used both sketch and inspiration photo to create my fusion Christmas card in very non-traditional colours.

I used SU! Ornament Keepsakes stamps and dies. The sentiment is PTI.

I'm just going to sit back here and bask in the satisfaction of creating a card with multiple layers (if you know me, you'll know that's rare). I hope you're inspired to join us in the fun!

Thanks for visiting!

Michelle
xxx

Fusion - Gingham Christmas

Hello!

What a big 24 hours in blogland! I'm still hopping along with the PC&S swan song hop (see my earlier post), it's going to take me a few days to get through all 213 posts, but I'm determined, there are some amazing crafters in the hop.

In this post I'm bringing you my card for the new Fusion Card Challenge, where we also have amazing crafters. ;-)  I made a Fusion card using sketch and inspiration.

I used SU! Ornament Keepsakes stamps and dies to create this card. The sentiment is PTI Keep It Simple: Merry Christmas.

My work had a market stall day today. I took along my cards. This card was one of the first to sell. :-) When preparing for the market, I discovered that I have WAY too many cards in my stocks. I think I might need to find a real market to take them to, as I'm a little overstocked for personal use, lol!

Thank-you for dropping by to visit! I hope you can join us at Fusion.

Michelle
xxx

Avery Elle September challenge and a CASE

Hello!

I was wandering through some blogs this morning and was reminded that the September challenge is still on over at Avery Elle. I have had an idea floating around in my head for a while for this one, so I decided to sit down and make it today.

I used Avery Elle Modern Leaves stamps. Ink is PTI Fresh Snow, Hawaiian Shores, Versamark, SU! Daffodil Delight, Poppy Parade, Distress Inks Tumbled Glass, Broken China, Crushed Olive. SU! White embossing powder. Twinery twine in Caribbean. Sequins are Avery Elle.

The inspiration photo had a lovely retro feel, and I tried to mimic that with my blended background. For the chairlift, I created a string of party lights by stamping white pigment ink and then overstamping with dye ink (because I don't yet have coloured pigment inks).

Before I wandered downstairs to my craft desk to make the above card, I popped over to see what the amazing Laura Bassen had made recently. I was so inspired that I CASEd her card immediately. My card isn't quite as bright, but I like this technique so much I think I may make several more using a variety of papers. Thanks for the fantastic idea, Laura!

I used Ranger Archival Ink, SU! Ornament Keepsakes die, My Minds Eye paper, PTI basic white card.

Thank-you for coming by to visit.

Michelle
xxx

Dynamic Duos #63

Hello!

I'm here with a card for this week's Dynamic Duos colour combination of Garden Green and Pear Pizzazz. I don't think I would have ever put these two together, but you know what? They work! Given lots of green to work with, my thoughts went immediately to Christmas. I threw in a spot of grey, and voila!

I used Stampin' Up Ornament Keepsakes stamps and matching dies. The sentiment is from a box full of SU! Christmas sentiments that I can't remember the set names of. Colours are Pear Pizzazz, Garden Green, and Memento London Fog. Twine is from The Twinery.

The rest of the design team has some beautiful work to share, also.

Alison Barclay

Anne Marie Hile

Debbie Henderson

Hayley Kew

Janet Bagnall

Janet Zeppa

Lori Turner

Susie Wittwer

Tara Bourgoin

Tracey McNeely

Thanks for visiting!

Michelle
xxx

Christmas Baubles

Hello!

It's Christmas card season. I have to get some of these posted this week. I do want some of my overseas friends and family to actually receive cards from me this year, and BEFORE Christmas would be great!

I made this card for three challenges.

I used PTI Peace, Love, Joy, and Snowflake Serenade, as well as SU! Ornament Keepsakes. Colours are SU! Soft Suede, Crumb Cake, Early Espresso, Very Vanilla. I embossed the sentiments in gold. Twine is Twinery Cappuccino. 

I can't tell you how long I have been watching Papertrey Ink's Make-It-Monday, and I don't think I've ever entered, despite being endlessly inspired! This is challenge #93, and it is all about splitting die cuts. For these baubles, I stamped the baubles, then I cut top and bottom of the centre strip, and then I die-cut (and the centre fell out). By doing this, I wasn't trying to hold that little bauble in my paper-trimmer and keep a straight line.

Over at Addicted to CAS, for their challenge #2, the code word is BAUBLE. I don't think further explanation is necessary on this one. :-)

And just before I made this card today, the new inspiration board was published at Jay Gee's Nook. This is challenge #26. I loved those coppery-gold baubles, and the creams, and hot chocolate. I couldn't resist!

Thanks for coming by to visit!

Michelle
xxx

Teachers' Gifts

Hello!

Today has been a last minute crafting day. School ends for the year for my daughter in a couple of weeks. I have been slowly making cards for teachers over the past few weeks (there are a few teachers to consider!) and today I covered some notebooks for classroom teachers and music teachers.

First, a music teacher card.

The background stamp is Hero Arts Collage Music Background. The sentiment is PTI. The die is Sizzix for SU! Colours are SU! Eggplant, Perfect Plum, and Pale Plum.

Now for the notebooks. These notebooks are a little bigger than A5 and have a clear plastic cover, so the decoration had to be flat, which suited my one-layer, CAS-loving style. The photos aren't so great, but you'll get the idea. :-) I used PTI Teach & Inspire stamps to create all of these.

Now, back to work for more teacher cards...

Thanks for coming by to visit.

Michelle
xxx

Tuesday Trigger - Ready For Red

Hello!

I am at home, waiting for a doctor's appointment to see about an allergic reaction I had over the week-end. Don't you just love the puffed up face and eyes that accompany the maddening itch of allergy? Ugh!

Anyway, other than putting on a load of washing while I wait, I thought I'd whip up a card for this week's Tuesday Trigger over at Moxie Fab World, Ready for Red.

I embossed Hero Arts Collage Music Background in cream, the SU! Ornament Keepsakes are clear embossed. Colours are PTI Fresh Linen, SU! Early Espresso, Soft Suede, Real Red.

After cutting about five different card bases, the Fresh Linen was the winner. In the photo, it doesn't look like it quite matches, but trust me, in real life it does. :-) None of the dark card bases worked, which is what I was imagining during my design phase on this one.

Anyway, this is the trigger photo. So elegant!

Thanks for coming to visit!

Michelle
xxx

Runway Inspired CAS-ual Christmas!

Hello!

I have been playing with my stamping this afternoon. I really should have been in the swimming pool, it's rather HOT! But I wanted to kick-start my mojo, and a good stamping session was required for that.

First I have created a card for Runway Inspired Challenge #22 and CAS-ual Fridays #75.

It's a tricky card to see in a photograph. The white bauble is glittered up around the edges and it is hanging "over the edge".

Inspiration came from:

and

I used Stampin' Up! Ornament Keepsakes, PTI Snowflake Serenade and Happiest of Holidays. Colours are PTI Fresh Linen, SU! Real Red, and Whisper White.

Thanks for dropping by.

Michelle
xxx

Just Add Ink #139

Hello!

The theme over at Just Add Ink this week suits me just fine... they ask us to use something new... and I have just received a nice big batch of new things that has me very excited (in case you didn't notice the flurry of activity here on the blog, LOL!).

When the new Stampin' Up! catalogue is released, and also that lovely Holiday catalogue (which isn't such a "mini" this year), I find it so hard to write my wishlist and restrict myself to buying just a little at a time. I always want it all, IMMEDIATELY! I'm not a SU! demonstrator, I just really like lots of their products!

Anyway, the item I couldn't hold off on was Ornament Keepsakes (and I got the matching dies, because they are irresistible too).

Here is one of the first cards I've made.

Colours are Real Red, Certainly Celery, and Daffodil Delight. Twine is Twinery (honeydew, maraschino, and lemon drop). Sentiment is PTI.

Thanks for dropping by!

Michelle
xxx