Welcome back with a cup of coffee!

OK so don't die of shock, but I'm back posting after a brief (2-and-a-half-year) hiatus.

I have been doing a little crafting on the side, mostly as an excuse to go away for weekends with the girls and chat and catch up, and throw a little paint and wine around on the side lol.

A bit of a shock to realise how many of the stamping companies and challenges I used to frequent are no longer with us!

Here's my offering for this week's combined Masculine and Coffee Christmas Challenges with the fabulous Stephanie & Lauren at Jingle Belles and the Caffeinated Christmas Card Challenge (which I missed thedeadline for!) and playing along with Less is More CAS Challenge.

This little beauty of a stamp set from Stamping Bella, coloured using Born markers (from Kaisercraft I think!) with patterned papers from Kaisercraft and die cuts from Avery Elle.

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CASE me a Christmas Card with Michelle Lupton

So this is my first crafty session in about a year! I was hoping Michelle Lupton's Case me a Christmas Card challenge would inspire me, and it certainly did! Just managed to get my card reveal day messed up, so I'm here a day late but as they say, better late than never!

I used alcohol inks for the background, a combination of Pinata Rich Gold, Mantilla Black, Sapphire Blue and Baja Blue with Tim Holtz Mixative Pearl, Cloudy Blue and Sail Boat Blue. Stitched snowflake diecuts from Lil Inkers, Christmas sentiment diecut from Paper Smooches, Wishes stamp from WPlus9.

Hope you love it as much as I do!

Here's Michelle's gorgeous card that inspired my CASE...

Ardyth came up with a genius acronym to help you make a Case of a card without making a direct copy of it - LIMES. I am going to be using this acronym for all my Cases from now on: 

List: Blue, alcohol inks, die cut, flowers, birthday, two colour stamping, bold greeting, monotone, gold, landscape

Include: Blue, alcohol inks, die cut, bold greeting, monotone, gold  

Modify: flowers  

Exclude: birthday

Spin: Christmas, portrait, curved edge, diecut sentiment 

You can check out Michelle's gorgeous CASE of my card here

Playing along at CAS on Friday (Big sentiment)

Double D's Winter Blues

Simon Says Christmas

Fusion Christmas Wishes...

Hope you can join in the fun @ FUSION for the last challenge of th eyear!

I was inspired by the window shapes in the lantern and snowy Christmas scene. Created using Distress Oxides for the moon and night sky, paired with this gorgeous Memory Box Countryside Circle die cut and super cute Mama Elephant Reindeer flying across the sky, paired with Winnie & Walter Merry and window diecut.

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.

Grab some more inspiration from our super Design Team

Barb Ghigliotty - Jeanne Jachna - Jen Mitchell

Karren Johnson - Linda Callahan - Michelle Leone 

Michelle Lupton - Michelle Williams - Wanda Cullen

Challenge me a Christmas Card with Michelle Lupton and Friends...

So glad you can join me as I play along with 

"Challenge me A Christmas Card with Michelle Lupton and friends".

My challenge for Michelle this year was to combine die cuts and fussy cutting. 

As you can see, I was just a bit excited about this and got carried away, 

with not just one but nine cards...

First two feature Winnie+Walter stamps and Lil Inkers Stitched Oval diecut...

Also playing along with AAA Challenge - Maxi white

Technique Tuesday's Celebrate the Seasons by Ali Edwards sentiment paired with 

My Favourite Things window diecut and santa stamp set...

Also playing along with 
Happy Little Stampers Christmas Challenge

Technique Tuesday's Celebrate the Seasons by Ali Edwards with dies from

Poppy Stamps Pine Tree Border and Memory Box Deer Trio and Lil Inkers Stitched Oval...

Next up two cards featuring Simon Says Stamp Holiday Frames die cut

 and Inkadinkadoo stamp set, with Bo Bunny patterned paper...

Also playing along with 

Challenge up your life - Black and white +1 colour

Inspired by the Bathurst car races on the weekend I was card-making, featuring 

Winnie+Walter Merry and SC Christmas dies..

Also playing along with the fabulous Jingle Belles

Is it Christmas Yeti - add a creature Challenge

And finally two cards featuring Stacey Yacula's Purple Onion snowman, 

and Simon Says Stamp Holiday Frames. Created the sparkly background

using Lindy's Stamp Gang Magical Shaker Afternoon Delight Denim...

Love it if you are inspired to create your own die cut and fussy cut Christmas card!

"Challenge me A Christmas Card with Michelle Lupton and friends"

FUSION Happy Birthday Fishes

Happy Halloween! 

Drew inspiration from this fortnights fabulous FUSION sketch and photo theme. 

Layers of patterned paper die-cuts with Lil Inkers stitched oval, Winnie & Walters "Happy", Simon Says "Birthday" and Avery Elle cupcake dies.

Love to see you play along with some super inspiration from our Design Team...

Barb Ghigliotty - Jeanne Jachna - Jen Mitchell

Karren Johnson - Linda Callahan - Michelle Leone 

Michelle Lupton - Michelle Williams - Wanda Cullen


Also playing along with Seize the Birthday

FUSION Dragonfly

Had fun playing along with this fortnights FUSION creating these two variations on a theme. Both backgrounds were created using Lindy's Stamp Gang Magical Shaker in Afternoon Delight Denim and Time Travel Teal on watercolour paper, die cut with Lil Inkers Stitched Circles. Added Taylored Expressions' dragonfly silhouette, and finished with sentiments from Winnie+Walter and Avery Elle.

Love to see you play along with some super inspiration from our FUSION Design Team...

Barb Ghigliotty - Jeanne Jachna - Jen Mitchell

Karren Johnson - Linda Callahan - Michelle Leone 

Michelle Lupton - Michelle Williams - Wanda Cullen

21st Birthday FUSION Fun...

Super fun inspiration this fortnight at FUSION, just in time for my niece's 21st, although I hope Cyclone Oma does not rain on her celebrations!

Created this super CAS matching card and envelope combo inspired by the rainbow stripes and fabulous FUSION sketch. Created using Lawn Fawn Hello Sunshine patterned paper, Paper Smooches Number dies and Lil Inkers Stitched Rectangle die. 

Remember you can be inspired by just the sketch, just the inspiration photo, or a FUSION of the two as I have - and with such gorgeous inspiration, who wouldn't be?!?

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 - 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!

A Little Christmas FUSION

I am not sure what our endless fascination with snow at Christmas here is in the Southern hemisphere. Maybe we dream of it whilst melting in the sun by our BBQs, or perhaps it is just that because we do not have to deal with the reality of it, it will always keep its little bit of magic. Whatever the case, this fortnights FUSION inspiration is sprinkled with that same magic!

I flipped the gorgeous FUSION sketch on its head this fortnight, and saw the four panels as my window frame, peeking out to see the reindeer fly over the rooftops. Patterned paper is by Bo Bunny, stamps from Mama Elephant's Believe the Magic, and diecut Poppystamps Small Madison Window, Papertry Inc Merry, and Studio Calico Christmas. 

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 LeoneMichelle 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 

Happy Little Stampers Christmas Challenge (optional Snow)

Simon Says Monday B is for Blue

Challenge Me A Christmas Card with Michelle Lupton...

 

So thrilled to join in this year with the fabulous Challenge me a Christmas Card with Michelle Lupton. My challenge was for her to create a card with Alcohol Inks and Die Cuts, although looking at some of her gorgeous recent posts I don't know how challenging it actually was lol. You can check out Michelle's gorgeous creation here.

As Yupo paper can be a tad on the expensive side, I created a themed set of 4 gift cards from one A5 sheet of Yupo paper. The Alcohol ink background was created by randomly dripping combination of Alcohol inks in a variety of shades of greens, mine include Pinata Rainforest Green, Arto Teal, Tim Holtz Limeade and Turquoise with a touch of Pinata Mantilla Black. While the ink was still wet I moved it around the A5 sheet of Yupo paper by tilting the paper in the direction I wanted the inks to run, and the Yupo paper was then blotted with a scrunched up sheet of A4 copy paper in a diagonal pattern. Once the inks were dry, the sheet of Yupo paper was cut in half. One half of the Yupo sheet was used to make the first two cards. 

Onto the second half of the Yupo sheet I also added some Pinata Claro Extender, to reactivate the base layer of inks, together with Tim Holtz Pearl Mixative and Pinata Old Gold. This layer was also blotted with some scrunched up A4 copy paper to create the background of cards three and four.

The first three cards feature the Merry Christmas Holiday Frames photo frame die by Simon Says Stamp, paired with one of the Deer Trio by Simply Dies. The final card once again features one of the Deer Trio by Simply Dies, together with Memory Makers Countryside Circle, and Avery Elle Seasons Greetings sentiment. The American Crafts glitter paper in gold helps to add a little festive sparkle.

I hope you are inspired to challenge yourself and join in the fun of creating with Alcohol inks and die cuts!

Card #1

 Card #2

Card #3

Card #4

Perfect set of gift cards for playing along with Simon Says Stamp & Show

and Simon Says Anything Goes 

Also joining in the fun at Muse Christmas Visions

and the Jingle Belles Christmas

A Little Fun with Alcohol Inks and Die Cuts...

Having a play with my alcohol inks and Simon Says die cuts to create this simple Christmas card. Love when you add white or pearl ink and extender over the blue ink on Yupo paper base, you can then scrunch a sheet of A4 paper into a ball and dab the Yupo paper to remove some of the ink and create an almost crystal effect, to mimic the snowflakes.

Playing along with Simon Says Baby Its Cold Outside

Simon Says (Monday) Let It Snow

FUSION Christmas at Wine O'clock

Inspired by this fortnight FUSION inspiration photo to to recreate a wine bottle gift tag in time for the festive season. The tag was created by cutting a piece of heavy weight MME patterned cardstock just over two inches wide and just over seven inches long, and scoring and folding it so one side is just over five inches, and the other side is just over two inches long. This strip was placed in the largest Paper Smooches Flag Tag die, with the fold just inside the top flat edge of the die, so that when it goes through the die cutter, the folded end remains attached. A one inch hole was then punched in the shorter end of the beer bottle tag and the corners rounded, so this folded flap can be used to hang the tag from the bottleneck. The Paper Smooches Enchanted Elves reindeer was stamped on woodgrain paper, glued to a piece of cardstock for extra strength when fussy cutting. A red Kaisercraft rhinestone and googly eye highlight his red-nosed face. The Paper Smooches Christmas Words sentiment was cut from two shades of green paper, with the darker green words set into the negative space left in the lighter green paper, leaving a bit of the striped tag to peek through, and decorated with a sprig of die cut Paper Smooches Ponsettia holly.

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 Falling for Christmas...

Inspired by this fortnights FUSION to get a wriggle on with Christmas card making! Combined the super versatile sketch with the Autumn wood tones, wreath and candles from this fortnights FUSION inspiration photo. Featuring die cuts from Avery Elle Seasons Greetings, MFT Dienamics Winter Wreath and Memory Box Glowing Candles.

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 this fabulous colour combo from Color Throwdown