Freshly Made Sketches 24

It seems like I've been seeing a lot of butterflies in blogland and I realized that it's been quite some time since I've made a card with a butterfly.  I can feel spring in the air, so the timing is perfect.  Rita's fantastic sketch this week at Freshly Made Sketches is so versatile and I thought it was perfect for me to ink up and show off my favorite butterfly stamp.

I used some Rose Red dp from Thoroughly Modern which I thought looked pretty striking with the Basic Black card base.  But I ended up setting this card aside for a day because I felt like something was missing and I needed to think about it.  When I came back, I added the So Saffron ribbon which lead to the cardstock and little flower.

The gorgeous butterfly is from the retired set, Simple Friendship.  I inked it up with Rose Red then heat embossed it with clear embossing powder.  That makes cutting it out so much easier.  The little layered flower is from the same set and I finished it off with a black brad in the center.  And since mother's day will be here before you know it, I decided to get a jump start on a card for my mother and stamped it with this lovely sentiment from Well Scripted.

I hope you have a chance to join us this week at Freshly Made Sketches.  I think you'll agree that Rita's sketch has tons of possibilities.  It's so fun to see everyone's entries each week because everyone puts their own unique "stamp" on the card (if you'll pardon my pun)!  Here's the round up from our super-talented design team.

Lesley Croghan

Linda Callahan

Cindy Hall

Tui Nathan

Jennifer Timko

Rita Wright

Kim Singdahl

Tracey Vidal 

                                       

colourQ 126

For some reason my supply of birthday cards has dwindled to practically nothing.  I know I've made some, I'm just not sure where they went.  But I checked and double-checked and they're gone.  So I'm mounting a birthday card campaign and figured the colourQ challenge this week was a great place to start.

It seems like it's been ages since I've used Early Espresso, so it was nice to see that deep, rich color again!  The perfectly matched polka dotted designer paper is from Berry Blossoms (gotta love that Stampin' Up! matchy-match)!  I think the crowning achievement on this card, though is my carefully colored sentiment from Delightful Dozen.  I never quite know how it's going to come out when I color a stamp like this with individual markers, but this one came out quite nice despite a little bleed between the Pumpkin Pie and Daffodil Delight.  I thought the scallop and circles looked a little lost so I added the Lucky Limeade flourish and the Daffodil Delight button.

Now head on over to colourQ and check out the AMAZING creations of the design team.  Loads of inspiration there!  Then I hope you have a chance to join us for this yummy color challenge.

Paper Players 84

I'm happy to say that I was very productive in my stamp room this weekend.  That doesn't always happen so it's reason to celebrate in my book!  One of the cards I made was for the Paper Players sketch challenge this week.

I've got to confess that once I had this card made I realized that I forgot one layer.  I think I was so focused on getting the images stamped and arranged that I completely forgot about the vertical layer down the middle.  But I spent so much time fussing over the images that I decided to post what I had anyway.  Heartfelt apologies to LeAnne, who designed the sketch.

I finally inked up my Fresh Vintage stamp set after seeing so many gorgeous cards made with it.  For the center image I colored directly on the stamp with Baja Breeze, Poppy Parade and Pear Pizzazz markers.  The background paper is from Everyday Enchantment.  My"ribbon" is actually some crochet thread that I passed around the cardstock a few times.  I adhered a Verve stamp punched with my Word Window punch on top of it.

Thanks for stopping by!

CCMC190 and Color Throwdown 180

The colors this week at Color Throwdown threw me for a loop (pun intended)!  But I don't like to back down from a challenge once it is issued so I pressed on and came up with this.

This is the first time I inked up my Bordering on Romance stamp set and I would ordinarily color the leaves green, but duty calls and green had no place in my card today!  I don't have any Barely Banana anymore (it was a lovely color and I miss it) so I substituted So Saffron instead.  I colored the stamp set with my blender pens and laid down a little So Saffron in the center of the flowers and finished them up with Pumpkin Pie.  I wasn't sure what those circles were supposed to be (are they flowers, are they dew drops?)  so I used a little artistic license and colored them with some Bashful Blue.  Then using even more artistic license, I colored the leaves with Basic Gray!

The layout is from the latest Create With Connie and Mary challenge, which is a sketch this week.  

I wasn't sure how I was going to treat the ribbon portion of the sketch and then I remembered that I had some So Saffron buttons in my stash.  So I adhered one of those and tied a little bow through it with some Baker's Twine.

It's been quite a bit windy here today.  And the skies have been alternating between sun and clouds all day.  Many times there have been snowflakes flying around - sometimes with the sun still shining!  I've got to say that this has been a strange winter here in New England this year, but I hope that spring is just around the corner.  I'm looking forward to warm days and spending time in the garden!

Thanks for stopping by!

Cardabilities 49 and Stampin' Royalty 112

I found a new (to me) sketch challenge called Cardabilities so I thought I'd play along.

I got some new stamping goodies yesterday so I wanted to ink them up right away.  I chose my colors from the Stampin' Royalty challenge this week and sat down to get inky.

These colors were harder for me than I thought they would be.  I changed my mind a million times about the focal point on my card until I settled on this cute notebook paper and the flower.  By the way, the layered flower is heat embossed with Cherry Cobbler.  It looks so rich in real life!

Thanks for stopping by!

My New Blog Banner

I'm so happy to show off my new blog banner designed by the amazing and talented Lesley.  I just knew that Lesley would create a special banner for me that would perfectly suit my style - and boy, did she deliver.   She even created a "signature" for me!  

If you are interested in a personalized banner, then run (don't walk) over to Banners by Lesley.  You won't be disappointed!

Freshly Made Sketches 23

I haven't needed to make a baby card in a long while, but I found myself needing one and the Baby Prints stamp set was perfect for what I had in mind for Tui's sketch this week at Freshly Made Sketches.

A few years back, Stampin' Up! had a similar stamp set with baby fingers and toes and I always kicked myself that I didn't have it, so when this set showed up in the Mini I jumped at the chance to buy it.  I used a color combo of Whisper White, Bashful Blue, and Night of Navy - true boy colors to be sure!  And in my never-ending quest to use up my stash of designer paper, I used a piece from the Spring Showers dp pack that was brand-new when I was young and had no gray hair.

Isn't this sketch fabulous?  You know it is!  And just wait until you see what Tui  (the uber talented designer of this sketch) and the rest of the Freshly Made Sketches design team created with it!  I just know that you'll be inspired to join us this week!

Lesley Croghan

Linda Callahan

Cindy Hall

Tui Nathan

Jennifer Timko

Rita Wright

Kim Singdahl

Tracey Vidal 

colourQ 125

Arielle has given us a color combo I can really wrap my head around this week at colourQ!

Oo-La-La.  I love these colors!

Jen Shults' Deconstructed Sketch this week was the perfect layout for what I had in mind for my card.  I used some designer paper from Urban Garden and Urban Oasis (still trying to use up my stash)!  The flowers and leaves are from PTI; the sentiment is Verve.  I wish I had added a little bit more Dusty Durango than the brad in the center of the flower, but at the time I put this card together it was the best I could think of.  I actually woke up yesterday morning with an idea for adding some "branches" from Dusty Durango cardstock, but decided against making any changes.  I hope I'm not the only one who dreams about making cards!

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have a chance to check out the colourQ challenge this week.  The design team has got some amazing inspiration to get your creative juices flowing so don't forget to pop on by and check them out!  Then use the linky tool to add your creation!

CCMC189 and Unscripted Sketches 146

I absolutely LOVED the colors for the challenge this week at Create With Connie and Mary, so there was not way I was going to skip it.

For my first attempt, I tried embossing one of the flowers from Fabulous Florets with the gorgeous Melon Mambo embossing powder, but it didn't look very good against this yummy Lucky Limeade dp.  So I went back to one of my favorite flower stamps from Array of Sunshine.  I stamped it twice and fussy-cut the layers to give it some dimension.  My layout is courtesy of the latest sketch challenge at Unscripted Sketches.

Thanks for stopping by!

Color Throwdown 179 and Pals Paper Arts 129

This has been one of those weeks where I have had absolutely no time to stamp!  I actually have not set foot in my stamp room to get crafty since last Sunday!  Eek!  Today I was determined to remedy that, so I checked out some of my favorite challenges and sat down at my desk.

I recently learned that friend of mine got engaged to be married so I wanted to make a card for her.

I used the wonderful layout from Pals Paper Arts designed by Margaret Moody.  It's a great sketch that can be dressed up or down.  I decided to keep mine pretty clean to show off the lovely lady holding the champagne.  The colors come from Color Throwdown.

I think taking a week off has made my card-making skills rusty because now that I've had a chance to really look at this card I wish I had dressed it up a bit.  Now that I've got my feet wet again, I'll be heading back in my stamp room to get my craft on!

Thanks for stopping by!

Freshly Made Sketches 22

Do you ever start to make a card with a very clear idea in your head how it's going to end up and then somehow you end up changing your mind a million times?  It seems like I've been telling this story a lot lately, but this is what happened to me with my card for the latest Freshly Made Sketch designed by the very talented Jennifer Timko.

I had been pondering what I was going to do with this sketch when I accidentally knocked a box of cards off a shelf in my stamp room.  The cover came off the box and inside was the inspiration for this card - only the colors were completely different.  But I decided to go with the basic design - altered for this sketch.  I'm a huge fan of earthy colors so I used the Woodland Walk designer paper and some Crumb Cake, Chocolate Chip, and Wild Wasabi cardstock.

Then the real trouble began.  I cut out some flowers in Very Vanilla from with my Tattered Florals Sizzix die and stamped it with French Script.  I crumpled the flowers then put them all together with an Antique Brad.  Then I put them against all my cardstock layers and experienced that moment when you realize that you've made a huge tactical error and the flower you've just spent time primping and getting "just so" looks awful.

I tried spritzing it with some Log Cabin Smooch Spritz (which actually looked pretty good) but I decided in the end that my frustration came from the fact that this card lacked color.  So I cut out some more Tattered Florals flowers with some designer paper from the Sweet Pea paper pack, crumpled them and hooked them all together with the Antique Brad.  I added a "happy birthday" sentiment from Something to Celebrate.  Finally a card I could be happy with!

I'm quite sure you didn't come here to read this mini-novel, but rather to hear me gush about the Freshly Made Sketches design team, which has again created some amazing inspiration for you.  So be sure to stop on by and say hello, then head on back to Freshly Made Sketches and show us what you've got.  I can't tell you how amazed we are each week at all the gorgeous creations we get to see!

Lesley Croghan

Linda Callahan

Cindy Hall

Tui Nathan

Jennifer Timko

Rita Wright

Kim Singdahl

Tracey Vidal 

colourQ 124

Happy Valentine's Day!

I don't mind saying that I went back and forth several times as I made this card for the latest colourQ challenge.

I waffled about the sentiment, I waffled about the number of hearts on the card, and I waffled about how to best add in the Cool Caribbean.  I'd already decided on using a large Cool Caribbean square as a base to all the red layers, but I thought the card needed that splash of color somewhere else.  Originally my sentiment used both Cool Caribbean and Real Red, but I couldn't make it work the way I wanted so I ended up with a Real Red sentiment and a small Cool Caribbean heart.

I inked up my new P.S. I Love You stamp set which has these fabulous heart stamps that are made up of tiny hearts.  I stamped them in Versamark then heat embossed them with some ancient Stampin' Up! embossing powder that I have in my stash.  They fit perfectly in the Full Heart punch, so I punched them out (of course).  The sentiment and the tiny row of stamped hearts are from the same set.

I hope you all have a wonderful Valentine's Day.  And after you're done celebrating I hope you have time to head on over to the colourQ and make a card using these fabulous colors!

Less is More 54 and Sketchbook Saturday 49

Somehow I have myself all discombobulated.  I made this card on Saturday with the intention of posting it Sunday night.  But when Sunday night rolled around I got distracted by watching (what I thought was the 2012) Westminster Dog Show on television.  Turns out I was watching a re-run of last year's show.  Now, as I post this I'm watching the current show and find myself distracted all over again!

Those dogs are so cute, but I promise to concentrate enough to tell you about this card.  The inspiration for my layout comes from Chupa's latest Sketchbook Saturday challenge and from the Less is More challenge to make a one layer card with stripes.

I tried to channel my inner Vicky and create a sponged layer for one of my stripes.  Although I did sponge the layer with some Pear Pizzazz, it looks nothing what she whips up with some color and a few sponges, so I'll be heading back to the drawing board.  I added some lines, drawn with the help of a ruler, to the edges of the sponged section then drew some other lines a smidge away from those.  Then I stamped the leafy image in Wild Wasabi from the My Friend stamp set.  I added the "hello" stamped in Wild Wasabi because nothing else I had would fit in the small space!

Thanks for stopping by!  And so far, none of the dogs I've liked, have won their category!  I'm too sentimental.  I pick my favorites based on how cute they are!

Color Throwdown 178 and FTL 177

Today was a lazy, rainy day and I was anxious to get in my stamp room.  But after running a few errands this morning, I found myself puttering around the house doing some cleaning so I didn't have a chance to be creative until late this afternoon.

I thought the Color Throwdown challenge this week was a little unusual for this time of year, but it's got all sorts of colors that I love so started my card there.  I don't have any Summer Sun so I substituted Crushed Curry, which is pretty close.  I even substituted Daffodil Delight for the little flower buttons.  In real life these are so close it's hard to tell they're not the same color!

Then I checked out the sketch at Clean&Simple and thought it was pretty unusual so I wanted to give it a try.

I almost ran into a snag right away.  My card is 4 1/4-inches square and I didn't have a scallop Nestie big enough to create that partial circle.  Then I had an a-ha moment.  (It was actually more like a "duh" moment).  For Christmas I got an electronic cutter that I had been dreaming about for at least a year.  I've been experimenting with it, but I hadn't used it in a few weeks and actually sort of forgot about it.  Thank goodness I remembered it, because the great thing about it is that you can take any shape and make it whatever size you want!  So I just used a scallop circle and made it big enough fit my card!

Thanks for stopping by!

The Paper Players 81 and MOJO 227

This week the challenge at The Paper Players was to make a project with a flower.  How could I possibly resist this?  I'm all about flowers!  I hardly ever make anything without a flower!

I used the awesome MOJO sketch and broke open a couple of new things for this one.  I used the Twitterpated designer paper along with a Twitterpated button to highlight the center of my flower.  The flower, leaf, label and sentiment are from Verve.  And the embossed background is from a PTI impression plate that my nephew got me for Christmas!

I really like this one despite the fact that I made a mess of the bow.  I scrunched up the totally awesome seam binding ribbon which usually translates to a fool-proof bow (because any messiness looks intentional), but it still looks awful.   Hopefully whoever gets this card will think that I meant it to look that way!

Thanks for stopping by!

Freshly Made Sketches 21

It's Wednesday and time for another great sketch at Freshly Made Sketches.

I recently got some new goodies and decided to break them out for my card.  I just love trying out new stuff!

I used one of the sheets from the Everyday Enchantment designer paper available for FREE in the Sale-A-Bration catalog.  I'm not sure I would have thought to put Pool Party and Poppy Parade together, but they look great together.  All the papers in this pack have a lovely tea-stained, vintage look to them that is so pretty.

For the longest time, I couldn't decide what I wanted for my circular layer.  I wanted to use one of my new stamps, but nothing was clicking for me.  In the end I went with an old favorite, Raining Flowers.  I added a simple "thank you" sentiment stamped in Pool Party that shows up much better in real life.  All in all, I think this is a simple card with some interesting colors.

Now don't forget to check out the other fabulous Freshly Made Sketches design team creations, because they are really something to see.  Lots of inspiration there, I'm telling you!

Lesley Croghan

Linda Callahan

Cindy Hall

Tui Nathan

Jennifer Timko

Rita Wright

Kim Singdahl

Tracey Vidal 

colourQ 123

I don't mind saying that the colors Arielle picked this week for us at colourQ were pretty tough!  I went back and forth several times before I settled on this card.

I chose a lovely Regal Rose dsp from a pack called Patterns Pack II for the larger layer because I thought it would set the stage nicely for the Greenhouse Garden flowers which I stamped in Peach Parfait and Poppy Parade.

And did you notice that the scalloped edges of the Regal Rose cardstock and DP don't match up?  For reasons I have yet to figure out, I did not match up these two things when I cut them out using my very awesome new Edgelit Die.  But luckily when I put the two together, their very asymmetry was interesting to me and I put them together anyway.  The result is what you see here.

I hope you have an easier time with these colors than I did, so be sure to check out the colourQ challenge and show us your creation!

Color Throwdown 177 and MOJO 226

I loved the colors for the challenge at Color Throwdown this week.  I've made no secret of the fact that I love adding a Basic Black accent to a card and when I get to pair it with a vibrant color such as Melon Mambo I'm in heaven!

My layered flower is from a PTI stamp.  I added a Melon Mambo brad from Sweet Stitches in the center.  The sentiment is from Verve.  The layout is from the MOJO sketch challenge this week.

Well, today is a big day.  My home-town team the Patriots are playing in the Superbowl against the Giants tonight.  I'm hosting a Superbowl Festival at my house and I've been busy making assorted snacks for everyone.  A little bit later I'll make some chili (yum)!  I'm nervous about the game, but I wouldn't miss it for the world!

Thanks for stopping by!

Paper Players 80 and Cards & Things 106

Tuesday night I sat down in my stamp room and started to put together a card for The Paper Players sketch challenge.  But somehow everything got all balled up (as my grandmother would say).

First, my little flower accent had to go on the bottom left of the square layer rather than the top left because of the layout of the Dream Big sentiment.  Speaking of that sentiment, just before I was ready to lay down the double-sided tape and afix these layers for all eternity, I realized that the sentiment is actually supposed to go on the bottom!  So I had to cut down the dsp layer to accommodate something.  I ended up choosing the "dreams" sentiment from Fabulous Phrases because it kind of, sort of makes a nice thing to say:  "dream big dreams." Sheesh!

The colors are courtesy of the latest Cards & Things challenge.

Thanks for stopping by!