CAS(E) This Sketch 105

Hello!

At CAS(E) This Sketch this week, we are using one of my sketches. When I drew this sketch out, I was imagining a vellum front over a stamped background, so that is what I made with my card.

I used PTI The Sweet Life stamps. I really love these roses. So pretty! Colours are PTI Berry Sorbet, SU! Poppy Parade, Real Red, Certainly Celery, and Old Olive.

I am looking forward to checking out the gallery!

Thanks for visiting!

Michelle
xxx

Kara's 200th Friday Inspiration File celebration

Hello!

Do you know Kara's Friday Inspiration File on Pinterest? I've been following it for a long time now. Every week Kara finds some of the very best cards to be found out in blogland and pins them for us on Friday. Instant inspiration! If you don't follow this board, you're missing out. ;-)

Anyway, Kara is celebrating the 200th Friday Inspiration File with a little challenge. Because I really appreciate the inspiration every week, and I really like Kara, I just had to join in the fun! The challenge is to find a past pin and use it as inspiration for our own card. I found about 100 pins, and made cards using two of them as inspiration.

My first card is inspired by Marybeth from week 180. I loved this card when Marybeth first posted it, and I still love it.

I used wPlus9 Pretty Peonies stamps. Sentiment is PTI.

My second card is inspired by Laura from week 184. When I first saw this card, I fell in love with it. All of those tiny stamps making such a pretty design! I've been itching to CASE it ever since and this is my chance!

I used PTI Sparkle & Shine stamps.

My blog is getting quite a bit of love this week. Don't worry, I'm back to work and my old routine next week, so it will be back to regular (slow) programming. ;-)

Thanks for coming to visit me!

Michelle
xxx

Hippo Birdie!

Hello!

My crafty secret santa this year sent me a lovely selection of stamps, including this cute hippo and birdie set. I have been itching to put these cuties onto a card, and I finally found some time to actually do so! Yay! I have been admiring this pair in blogland for a while now. I'm so happy they've come to live with me. :-)

This card uses Lawn Fawn Hippo Birdie stamps and is coloured using a mix of Copics and SU! Blendabilities.

I'm made this card for a few challenges. Firstly was Darnell's NBUS challenge.

Also, One Layer Simplicity where the theme this month is Attractive Opposites - I used a big hippo and a small bird, and coloured them in complementary colours, yellow and purple.

And finally, this is my second entry to Virginia's View Challenge 11 - clean slate. 

I'm also entering this into Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge where the theme is Anything Goes.

This card didn't even make it into my stash. It seems it made the cut to be used for one of my husband's friends. I might need to make another. It makes me smile. :-)

Thank-you for visiting me!

Michelle
xxx

P.S. My 12 year old daughter has started blogging (all sorts of 12-year-old interests) and yesterday she made a lovely watercolour painting that she shared. I'd love you to take a look and leave some love if you have a little time. :-) Liv Chronicles 

Winter beadwork

Hello!

Virginia's View Challenge this month has the theme "Clean Slate". That sounds right up my alley! I love a good  expanse of white on my cards. :-) I was also inspired by the photo at Curtain Call Challenge which is all white and ivory and beige, yum! The sponsor at Curtain Call is Altenew, so I couldn't resist pulling out my Altenew stamps. I settled on using Modern Beadwork with Label Love for the sentiment.

Once I had finished this card, it gave me the feeling of marble mosaic tiles and I was whooshed off to Italy in my imagination! :-) Colours are PTI Soft Stone, Fine Linen, and Hero Arts Wet Cement.

I'm also entering this into Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge where the theme is Anything Goes.

Today I had a mole excised from my face. It was only a little mole, but it appeared right where I had previously had mole removed through a shave biopsy and found pre-cancerous cells. The fact that a shave biopsy had already been done meant they had to do the excision this time. I really don't like local anaesthetics. I don't like the numb feeling, I don't like the tingling and itching as the feeling comes back, and then I don't like the pain that arrives later on. :-(  I'm such a sook! I have two friends this week with their gallbladders removed, and I'm sooking over a little mole removal, lol! You can check my Instagram account if you'd like to check my sooky face. ;-)

I will be back with more entries to Virginia's View challenge. I just love Virginia's challenges and I am off work this week, so I plan to make good use of my time and make multiple entries.

Thanks for visiting!

Michelle
xxx

P.S. I have started updating my other blog again. I'm putting some of my daily life photos (not professional, just snapshots) and some of my art practice over there. Feel welcome to take a look.

Happy 1st Birthday, Fusion!

Hello!

Happy New Year to you all!

Today we celebrate the 1st birthday of Fusion Card Challenge! One whole year! And I'm still having fun! :-)

To suit the theme, I made a birthday card. I used the photo as my inspiration. It's been a while since I made a card using the chalkboard technique and it was fun to play with it again.

I used PTI Stylish Sentiments: Birthday and Mama Elephant Party Kit stamps. I fussy cut all of those streamers! It's time to buy the die set, I think!

My guest this week: Laura Bassen

As an extra-special element to our birthday celebrations, each of us were allowed to invite someone who inspires us to join in the fun. I chose Laura Bassen of Doublestick Heaven as my guest. I discovered Laura several years ago and I just LOVE her style - in card making and in life! Laura makes beautiful CAS cards and often throws in a rainbow of colour, which makes my heart sing! To add to all the artistic talent, Laura is also a comedienne extraordinaire - she makes me laugh. Laura also introduced me to Turtles - pecan, caramel, and chocolate sweets. Have you had a Turtle? I don't eat many sweets, and I really don't eat much chocolate at all, but I discovered a complete inability to resist Turtles. I am so lucky they don't sell them here in Australia and I'm too lazy to make my own, lol! Please hop over to Laura's blog to check out her contribution to the Fusion celebrations and to leave her some love (even superstars still appreciate those kind comments!).

Enjoy the celebrations! I can't wait to see what you all create!

Michelle
xxx

Papertrey December Blog Hop - Shine bright!

Hello!

It's been a while since I've entered the Papertrey Ink monthly blog hop, but I happen to be at home today, and I had planned to make some cards, and there was the inspiration just begging to be used! Yay! The challenge this month is to use both silver and gold on a single project. The second challenge was to photograph a shiny silver and gold card, lol!

I used Sparkle & Shine stamps and dies and the dots come from Harvest Berries.

As an aside... I have always been good at keeping all of my stamps, not losing a single one, even the little tiny ones. In the past two weeks I have discovered that I have lost a tiny dot, a tiny heart, and a tiny star! I'm devastated! There is no way I'll find those little ones anywhere in the mess that is our rumpus room. I fear they are lost forever. :-(

I hope that you all had a wonderful Christmas. I certainly did. While I complain no end about the heat and humidity of Summer, I just love our Christmases swimming and having fun in the pool! The kids are happy, we're happy, it's awesome!

Edit to add: I'm joining in at CASology where the cue card is LIGHT.

Thank-you for visiting me. I hope to be back a few times over the next couple of weeks as I have a little time off work, which theoretically will translate into a little extra crafting time, yippee!

Michelle
xxx

CAS(E) This Sketch 104

Hello!

I just noticed that I made farm animal cards two weeks in a row for CAS(E) This Sketch! I hope you like farm animals as much as I do! I blame it on the fact that I hadn't yet tidied up my desk and that little pig was just begging me for a place on a card, lol! This may just be my style of Valentine's card - CAS, not too mushy, with just a touch of humour thrown in. ;-)

I used PTI On The Farm. Colours are SU! Pumpkin Pie, Gumball Green, and Early Espresso.

I managed to get a tiny bit of Christmas shopping done today at lunchtime. If I can do a tiny bit more tomorrow, then my Christmas Eve shopping won't look quite so daunting... only one week to Christmas!

Thanks for visiting me! I hope you can join us at CAS(E) This Sketch this week!

Michelle
xxx