Fusion - Blue Christmas

Hello!

The blue Christmas theme continues with this week's Fusion Challenge inspiration! I attempted to use both sketch and inspiration, although my take on the sketch is very loose. ;-)

I used SU! Snow Swirled stamps, one of my long-time favourite sets. The sentiment is PTI.

Isn't this inspiration photo just beautiful? I really do love a blue/aqua Christmas. And if you look closely, there is a very cute doggy sitting there. :-)

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

Michelle
xxx

LIM 40 and a Question

Hello!

It's been a while since I joined in the fun at Less Is More. Time seems to slip away from me so quickly!  I love red and orange, which is the colour challenge this week. I didn't quite produce what was in my head, but you take a look and let me know what you think.

I also have a question, so if you'd like to give me some advice (and I'd really love it if you would!), keep on reading after you take a look at my card.

The card:

What I used (all SU! other than the ribbon and black ink):
Stamps: Snow Swirled, Dasher, Curly Cute
Card: Real Red, Pumpkin Pie, Whisper White
Ink: Real Red, Memento Tuxedo Black, Versamark
Clear embossing powder, miscellaneous ribbon (which I had to colour to get the orange) and bling.

And now onto my question. I finally purchased a Big Shot. Yay! If you are in Australia, and looking for a good price, Lincraft are selling them online for $99 currently. But my problem is that I have no dies or embossing folders. There are SO MANY of these out there. I want to know from those of you who use die-cutting and embossing machines: Which dies and embossing patterns do you use the most? What could you not live without? Do you have any recommendations for me?

Thanks in advance for any comments or advice you decide to leave me. I appreciate each and every visitor.

Michelle
xxx

An Aussie Christmas

Hello!

It's a colour challenge this week at "Less Is More" and we have been asked to create a card using the colours from our nation's flag.  You may or may not know that I am Australian.  The Australian flag is:

Blue, Red, and White



The card I posted yesterday was my first effort at answering to this challenge, but as you can see, it became "More" rather than "Less" the more I worked on it, so I submitted it elsewhere, LOL.  I really wanted to do the navy blue card base, but every attempt I made didn't quite work for a "Less is More" card.

So, I reverted back to the first idea that came to me, and I am so, so happy that I did.  I'm not sure the photo does this card justice.  In real life it is a beautiful card (and you don't hear me say that very often about my own cards).

Here it is:

What I used (all SU):

Ink: Real Red, Night of Navy

Card: Whisper White

Stamps: Snow Swirled, Four the Holidays

I'm loving this card so much, I might make some more. What do you think?

Michelle

xxx

Christmas

This year the majority of my cards were made at technique classes and at stamp-a-stack sessions with my stamping friends.  This means that the designs were mostly by my friend Manda.  BUT, I did have an idea in mind when Dasher was released, and I worked on it for a while before I came up with my final design.  My idea was blended with an idea I got from one of Manda's cards.  Manda's card is here:

I loved this card, and I did give it away to someone special at Christmas, despite wanting to keep it for myself!  What I came up with for Dasher (the reindeer) this year started as:

and ended up as:

The big thing I learned from making this card was - the more bows you make, the easier they are.  So the next time I'm planning to make bows, I will make them in bulk, because bows are one of my personal challenges (along with cutting out).

I didn't get all my cards out this year, but I live in hope that one year I will make all the cards and send them in time as well!

I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas and that you have a wonderful New Year!

Michelle
xxxxx