Fusion - Pastel Pencils

Hello!

Can you believe that I forgot where I was up to this week? I really did not realise I'd gotten to the end of the week, and as a result, this post is very late for the newest Fusion Card Challenge! But I'm here now, and this is my card.

I used PTI Teach and Inspire and SU! Jar of Love stamps.

I loved this inspiration so much and had so much fun making my card! I hope you're inspired to join us in the fun!

Thanks for visiting!

Michelle

xxx

Fusion - Thank-You Teacher

Hello!

I'm so late with this post! My computer decided to go kaput last night just as I was writing this up. I think it may be on its last legs. Anyway, it's back up and running this morning and I'm making the most of it while it's here. ;-)

I'm bringing you my card for Fusion Card Challenge where this week's inspiration is perfect for those of us just reaching the end of the school year. I think my kids finish up in about four weeks for the Summer. Where did this year go?

I used PTI Teach & Inspire stamps (one of my favourite teacher appreciation sets).

While I didn't use the sketch this week, it's a good one! I hope you're inspired to join us in the fun.

Thanks for dropping by!

Michelle
xxx

Fusion 2nd Anniversary Celebration

Hello!

Happy New Year!

Today we celebrate two years of Fusion Card Challenge! We've all invited some guest designers to join in the fun. The inspiration photo is gorgeous and the sketch is super. I just know you'll be inspired to join us with your own creation!

I used Altenew Wild Hibiscus and PTI Scripted and Teach & Inspire stamps to create my card.

The guest designer that I invited along is Michele Ferguson from I Card Everyone, who I admire greatly for her gorgeous CAS creations. Michele is a wonderful, fun, and friendly person, and I'm so glad I made friends with her!

Michele made two cards and because I couldn't choose just one, I had to share both!

Aren't they beautiful?!

I hope you join us in our 2nd year celebrations! 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

Tuesday's Take 1

Hello!

Have you noticed that Cath Edvalson is back blogging with her new blog Hip and Hooray? Oh my! Cath has not lost any of her eye for the beautiful and her gift with words has only grown. Cath is running a new Inspiration Challenge (for any media) called Tuesday's Take. It's running on Instagram. The tag for the first challenge is #tuesdaystake1. We don't need to blog our entry, but I decided to share here anyway. :-)

I used PTI Teach and Inspire stamps to create my card. Looking at the inspiration photo, I think it's pretty clear where my inspiration was taken from, lol!

Thanks for coming to visit!

Michelle
xxx

CAS(E) This Sketch 132

Hello!

The sketch this week at CAS(E) This Sketch Challenge is just lovely! I had so many ideas swirling around. In the end, I couldn't resist that little tree image.

I used Papertrey Ink Teach and Inspire stamps. I just love that set. I have used it over and over and over! The die is PTI Spiral Notebook. Card base is SU! Gumball Green.

I hope you are inspired to join us in the fun!

Thanks for dropping by!

Michelle
xxx

CASE Study 4th Anniversary Celebrations - Week 1

Hello!

This month marks Case Study's 4th Anniversary. There is a month-long celebration happening with weekly blog hops and amazing prizes! I'm not hopping this week, it's my turn later in the month, but I still wanted to play along.

When I saw Laura's amazing card, inspiration struck. I didn't create exactly what was in my head, because I didn't quite have the supplies I needed... must be time to go shopping! :-)

This is my card, not a touch on Laura's original, of course!

This is Laura's card - rainbow CAS perfection. (If you want to Pin this, please go to Laura's page and pin from there.)

If you haven't already hopped along with the blog hop, I'd recommend you do. All of the cards are fantastic, with some super-spectacular ones thrown into the mix, and you get the chance to win awesome prizes!

Before I go, I have a couple of photos to share from the week-end. The first is a pheasant coucal who decided to visit yesterday. We have never seen one in our backyard before, so we were all out there watching until it decided to leave.

The other is a new photo of my chickens. Because I just know you love my chickens as much as I do. LOL!

Thank-you for coming to visit!

Michelle
xxx

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

Papertrey Ink Anniversary Recipe Card Challenge

Hello,

I'm bringing you a couple of cards today which I made using the sketch and colour recipe cards in the Papertrey Ink Anniversary Challenge.

First up is this masculine Valentine, for the guy who doesn't like gushy and mushy and pink. ;-)

I used PTI Teach and Inspire (chevrons) and Sending My Love stamps. I also used Fillable Frames #10 die. You would not believe the effort in adding that little bit of stitching. The recipe called for stitching, so I persevered, lol!

I turned the sketch upside down.

And I used this colour recipe. Isn't it so pretty?! :-)

My second card is much more girly!

I used PTI Ruby Rose and Stylish Sentiments: Birthday stamps.

I didn't move very far from the sketch recipe, it was just lovely! I didn't want to cover up the pretty flowers, so I used vellum for the sentiment strip, with black embossed sentiment.

The colour recipe was irresistible prettiness.

All seven of the sketch recipes and seven colour recipes are beautiful. I hope I can find some time to get back to making more cards with them.

Today we had our niece come to visit. It was so nice to spend some time with her. My girls love their big cousin. I love that now she is all grown up that she can just jump in the car and drive down to see us sometimes. :-)

Thank-you for dropping by to look at my cards!

Michelle
xxx

Teacher Thank-you

Hello!

Yesterday was the last day of school for the year. My daughter's teacher this year was a young man. I was stumped for a while for what to make for a card, and what to get for a present. I was going to make presents, but I just ran out of time this year. For the classroom teacher we bought a groovy pen. Apparently that pen spent the last day of school securely tucked in the teacher's pocket. My daughter was pleased. ;-) The card matched the pen (but I didn't actually capture a photo of the two together, oops!).

I used PTI Teach & Inspire and Wonderful Words: Teacher. Colours are Memento Tuxedo Black, SU! Daffodil Delight, Coastal Cabana, Real Red.

The die-cut TEACHER was layered in the same colours as the inks. The black top layer was covered in Crystal Effects to make it shiny. Here is a closer look at that.

My Coastal Cabana is one of the new Stampin' Up! inkpads. It's very WET. I struggle to get crisp images using the new inkpads, but I feel like an old fuddy-duddy when I say that I like the old ones better, LOL! For this card, I didn't mind the splotchy effect, but for most cards it would bother me hugely.

Today was my daughter's 4th Grade (AMEB) violin exam. At the end of the exam I grabbed some more work from her teacher to keep her busy over the Summer holidays (5th grade pieces and technical work). I'm pretty sure that is not what my daughter had in mind as fun for the holidays, LOL! To her credit, she didn't moan at all.

Thank you for coming by to visit!

Michelle
xxx

An Apple for the Teacher

Hello!

I'm back! With a simple card that I just love. I cannot begin to explain how happy a really crisp one-layer card makes me feel. :-)

I used PTI Teach and Inspire (apple) and Wonderful Words: Teacher (sentiment). Colours are SU! Poppy Parade and Gumball Green, along with Memento Tuxedo Black.

I know that in the Northern Hemisphere you are all just now back to school, but here in Australia, we are just ending third term and winding up for the last blast before Summer holidays. After Spring break, we only have about 7 weeks left (filled with concerts, exams, and other end-of-school activity). This means I need to start getting organised so that I'm not running around like a mad chook in the last few days of school having forgotten to organise cards and presents for the hoardes of teachers that my girls have, LOL!

I made this card in response to three challenges. This is my first entry over at Curtain Call. I plan to enter many more times in the future. ;-)

I'm also entering CASology, where the theme is Apple.

And last, but not least, CAS-ual Fridays where the theme is also Back To School.

Thank-you for visiting me!

Michelle
xxx

Just Smile!

Hello!

I have had the most wonderful day! This morning was the usual round of gymnastics drop-off and collection, mixed in with grocery shopping, filling the car with petrol, and picking up some essentials like Winter pyjamas for my big girl who has grown out of all of her warm woolies and is finding the cold nights a bit difficult to bear (oops!). This afternoon we went visiting and had a long lunch at our friends' new home at the Gold Coast. They live in heaven, surrounded by trees, and yet only a few minutes from the beach. Heaven. We had a great afternoon of friendship and laughter. :-) The weather was nice to us, and even though it was a bit chilly, the blue skies were amazing!

So to celebrate, I used my last few minutes before bedtime to make a card, yay!

I used PTI stamps - Teach & Inspire (chevrons), Heart-2-Heart #10 (butterflies), and Framed Out #3 (sentiment). Colours are SU! Poppy Parade, Cameo Coral, Tempting Turquoise, Gumball Green. 

I used the sketch at CAS(E) This Sketch #33.

I also used the colours from ColourQ Challenge #194, which are such fresh and happy colours.

Tomorrow I am planning to run away to my craft desk for a couple of hours. Wish me luck in this little plan. ;-)

Thanks for visiting!

Michelle
xxx

Clean and Simple Card Making 2 - Day 3

Hello!

Today's lesson over at Clean & Simple Card Making 2 was wonderful. Three fabulous videos jam-packed with inspiration. Unfortunately my day didn't lend itself to actually using that inspiration so well, but here I am sharing what I did anyway. ;-)

Jennifer showed us a new technique for creating gradient colour. I've never done it before, and I was a bit scared to try, but I'm happy with the outcomes as far as colour go (I won't go into the bits I'm dissatisfied with!).

This card uses PTI Background Basics: Circles and Think Big Favorites #16 (?). Colours are SU! Pool Party, Certainly Celery, Daffodil Delight.

My second card was following Shari Carroll's tuition. The lesson was great, my application of it not quite what I planned. Instead of properly finishing this card, I dealt with a major 5-year-old tantrum. After that, I was too exhausted to play anymore. ;-)

This card uses PTI Teach & Inspire stamps and dies. Colours are SU! Poppy Parade, Certainly Celery, and Early Espresso.

There was more inspiration at Day 3, and I know I'm going to have to revisit the lessons again to soak up all the ideas.

Thanks for coming to visit!

Michelle
xxx

Birthday card and an envelope...

Hello!

Today it is HOT, HOT, HOT!! Again! I think I may expire!

Despite the heat, I pondered the problem of packaging over-size cards.

This is my card. I've been playing around with Papertrey Ink Teach & Inspire stamps to see what I can do that is not a "teacher" card.

I used PTI Teach & Inspire and Happy Hexagons (sentiment). Colours are SU! Crumb Cake, Pretty In Pink, Pumpkin Pie, PTI Berry Sorbet (I don't have Melon Mambo). Card base is PTI Basic White.

I made it in response to two challenges - Color Throwdown #225 and CAS(E) This Sketch #11

Looking at the sketch again, I see that I didn't quite place my sentiment in the right place, but I'm sure you get the picture!

My card has a few points of the star going over the edge, which will require custom packaging. Usually I just get a bigger envelope, but this week at Make It Monday #100 we've been challenged to find a different way to package our oversize cards. I made a few attempts at this. I really like the glassine bags that Dawn used in the video, but I don't have any. So I tried a brown paper bag. It sort of worked, but I got too fancy and it didn't match my CAS card so well. Back to pondering how to get the glassine bag look... and I ended up with greaseproof paper from my kitchen drawer. Turns out greaseproof paper makes a lovely, delicate envelope!

Here they are together.

And then packaged up.

Thanks for coming to visit. Now, should I make another card, or should I jump in that pool?

Michelle
xxx

Teacher Thanks

Hello!

I omitted this card from the previous post! It is a thank-you card for one of my daughter's teachers. She has two classroom teachers who share the teaching duties (2 days/3 days).

I used PTI Teach & Inspire. Colours are PTI Berry Sorbet, SU! Poppy Parade, Pretty in Pink, Old Olive, and Early Espresso.

It's quite a bright card, but I like it! :-)

Thanks for dropping by.

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