10 Minutes to Create with FUSION...

Having recently arrived home from celebrating my MILs milestone birthday in Christchurch and successfully completing an amazing Accelerated Coaching Course in Sydney, I decided to challenge myself to a 10 minute card making frenzy!

Combining inspiration from this fortnights FUSION sketch and inspiration photo, I created this in under 10 minutes flat - combining papers from the fabulous Kaisercraft Chapter One and American Crafts Amy Tangerine Stitched collections. As it says, anything unattempted remains impossible, a fabulous reflection on my last week!

If you are short on time but would still like to squeeze some crafty goodness in, I challenge you to join in the fun and create a card in 10 minutes too! 

Head on over to the FUSION blog for some more super inspiration from our fabulous Design Team...

Betty J. - Jeanne Jachna - Jen Mitchell

Karren Johnson - Linda Callahan - Michelle Leone

Michelle Lupton - Michelle Williams - Wanda Cullen

Looking forward to seeing what you create with this fortnights FUSION inspiration. 

FUSION - Tea and Bouquets

Super fun FUSION inspiration this fortnight! As it is a tea party, I thought I would run with an Alice in Wonderland theme, with this fabulous stamp set from Emily McDowel & Studio Calico, stamped in Hero ARts Shadow Ink in Soft Cantaloupe and Momento Luxe Rich Cocoa, on a Lil Inkers Stitched Square diecut, atop American Crafts patterned paper.

Head on over to the FUSION blog for some more super inspiration from our fabulous Design Team...

Betty J. - Jeanne Jachna - Jen Mitchell

Karren Johnson - Linda Callahan - Michelle Leone

Michelle Lupton - Michelle Williams - Wanda Cullen

Hope you can join in the fun this fortnight @ FUSION.
Can't wait to see what you create!

FUSION - Penguin Love

So I have to admit, I have more Valentine's cards in my stash than fish in the sea - but hey, I only ever use one a year! Regardless, I could not resist making this little cutie for the FUSION challenge this fortnight. Inspired by the fabulous sketch and super cute inspiration photo, this was created using a selection of patterned papers from American Crafts Amy Tangerine Sketchbook and Yes, Please ranges, die cut using Verve Hearts and Stitched Pennants, together with the super gorgeous Mama Elephant Love Quotes and cute chicks I re-purposed as penguins.

Head on over to the FUSION blog for some more super inspiration from our fabulous Design Team...

Betty J. - Jeanne Jachna - Jen Mitchell

Karren Johnson - Linda Callahan - Michelle Leone

Michelle Lupton - Michelle Williams - Wanda Cullen

Hope you can join in the fun this fortnight @ FUSION.
Can't wait to see what you create!

Also playing along with Addicted to Stamps and More!

FUSION Me Happy...

Had fun with this fortnights FUSION. This super versatile sketch paired with pastel pencil containers made me think of this cute Heidi Swapp crown. Created using Mama Elephant stitched landscape die and Winnie and Walter's "Happy" matched perfectly with American Crafts patterned paper.

Hop along and see the fabulous Design Team for more gorgeous inspiration!

You can find some more fabulous inspiration from the Design Team blogs:

Becca Cruger - Betty J. - Carol Mayne - Jeanne Jachna - Karren Johnson

Linda Callahan - Michelle Leone - Michelle Lupton - Michelle Williams

plus special guest Claire Apostoloff

Hope you can join in the fun this fortnight @ FUSION.

Can't wait to see what you create!

Keep It Simple with Stickers...

Time to play along with Keep It Simple Only Stickers Challenge! I have to admit, I did find this challenging, until I realised I have a truckload of gorgeous alphabet stickers, just waiting to be upcycled LOL! These American Crafts Topography letters were a perfect match to create this "I'm lost without you" sentiment.

Remember to stop by the blogs of the Keep It Simple DT 

for some more terrific Only Stickers inspiration...

Christine

Mia

Tanja

Tenia

Love to see how you are inspired this fortnight!

Inspired by the subway art with a twist by Shari Carroll, over at CASE Study.

Celebrating with Curtain Call Anything Goes Challenge too!

WIN a Birthday KIS...

One of my favourite Challenge Blogs, Keep It Simple is turning one today!!!  So when Christine invited me to play along as a guest, of course I said YES!  To mark the occasion this special celebration is being sponsored by the fabulous The Alley Ways Stamps, so now you have NO excuses not to come along and join the party!!!  All you have to do is create a CAS card inspired by this fabulous graphic.  I was so inspired I created two cards (and there may even be a third before the challenge is over!)

KIS Inspiration Photo

My first card (above) is inspired by the colours and the graphic lines of the inspiration photo, together with the birthday theme. It's a bit difficult to see in my photo, but I have added embossing lines above and below the sentiment. The sentiment is created from The Alley Ways Stamps Chatterbox and Jibber Jabber, with these gorgeous Castaways jelly fish. The background panel was created using Distressed Ink Peacock Feathers, stamped and then embossed, with and the jelly fish being a combination of Distressed Ink Picked Raspberry and Dusty Concord.

As much as I love my first card, I thought it may have been stretching the Keep It Simple philosophy, so I created a second, more CAS card, using The Alley Way Stamps Tag Alongs heart house and arrows. To create the house shaped card I stamped the heart house onto a scrap of paper and photocopied the image at 500% enlargement, cut a cardstock template using the photocopy image as the outline, then cut the card to size. The fabric letters are American Crafts Patchwork Aqua.  Inspired by Virginia, I had originally planned on stamping on coloured paint chips (samples from the hardware store) to create the house and arrows but unfortunately my Stazon ink has dried up, and other inks just tended to smudge on the paint chips, so I just used my inks and markers to colour the house and arrows, and the heart stamped on a piece of the leftover colour panel created for my first card.

You have until Wednesday 27th November to link you cards up here.

First card is playing along with Seize the Birthday Texture Challenge, and 
Simon Says Stamp Got Ink? Challenge too!

P.S. For Always Tri-ing...

I always thought the perfect paper for a triangle card, would be triangle paper LOL!  This simple card is created using papers from the American Crafts Dear Lizzy - Lucky Charm collection, and MFT triangle die-cuts, stamped with Paper Smooches Many Thanks in Hero Arts Navy ink, with Lil Inkers Rectangle Stitched Mat for added interest.  The key to a successful triangle card is in keeping the interest focused within the visual triangles you create, and having such FAB inspiration from Moxie Fab Trendy Triangles Challenge doesn't hurt either LOL!!

Well & truly inspired by this card from Laura Bassen...

Laura Bassen inspiration...

FUSION #14

A few changes to the FUSION formula, and a brand new ZEN look from Lesley!

Sad to be waving farewell to Deanna and Ally, but HAPPY to welcome two new Design Teamies in Geri and Lynn.  FUSION will now be running for TWO WEEKS, giving you a little extra time to put on your thinking caps to decide - will I be inspired to create just from the sketch, just from the photo or combine both to create FUSION???

This week I was inspired by both the sketch, which I flipped on it's head, and the beautiful gold starfish from the photo inspiration.   Stamping in Whisper Mirror Gold, using Sweet Stamp Shop starfish, silver dollar and matching sentiment, using American Crafts pearl gold cardstock, combined with My Favorite Things die-cuts.  

I can't wait to see how you will be inspired!  Here's how you can play along...
PROCEDURES:
1. Play with just the sketch challenge.
2. Play with just the inspiration photo challenge.
3. Or you can create FUSION by combining BOTH challenges into one card.
4. Use the challenge graphic and link back to Fusion in your post.
5. Please read the other considerations on the Experiment Page before playing along.

Hope to see you at the FUSION Challenge Blog soon, in the meantime, here's some more FABULOUS inspiration from the Design Team...

Amy Tsuruta

Geri Freeman

Kelly Griglione

Lynn Mangan

Stacey Schafer

A Scrappy Moxie Play Date...

Moxie Fab Trigger Tuesday!

It's not very often that scraps from a card become the basis for a scrapbooking page - but that's what happened today!  I did not want to part with the overspray cardstock from this card, so I used it as the matting for my photo and this gorgeous sentiment from My Favourite Things, Clearly Sentimental About Emerson "What lies behind us and what lies in before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us".  The Heidi Swapp butterflies mask is Glimmermisted in Black Cherry and Harvest Orange. with the little die-cut butterfly from My Favourit Things, and the heading is in the very funky American Crafts Vinyl Thickers Vera.  A Making Memories die-cut cardstock was used as the template for the Scalloped Square, and the backing cardstock is from Basic Grey.  I hope it's OK to have a layout rather than a card for The Play Date Cafe - but hey - it started out as scraps from a card :)  Just realised there's two weeks at Moxie Fab Trigger Tuesday this time - so you get an extra week to play!!

Hope your day is extra bright and beautiful too!