Freshly Made Sketches 147

Hello everyone!  Time for a new sketch at Freshly Made Sketches.  This week our hostess is Jennifer Timko and for those of you who like things in threes, this sketch is for you!  Jen is not only a great sketch designer she's also a great card-maker who loves showing us new techniques, great color combos and fun ideas!

I dug into my huge stash of DSP to make this card and let the colors of the paper guide me.  The colors are a bit subtle, but I love the little touches of black.

Be sure to check out the cards from our amazing Freshly Made Sketches design team this week.  Then link up with us.  We love to see you in the gallery!

Supplies:

Paper:  Sahara Sand, Basic Black, Pool Party, Sweet Sorbet DSP

Accessories:   Smile Word die (Lil' Inker Designs); Femme Frames die (Mama Elephant); baker's twine

colourQ 252

Our last colourQ palette of July features a bit of Christmas inspired by these delightful hand-made ornaments.  It's the perfect opportunity to use the colors to get ahead on some of your Christmas cards, or like some of my teamies have done, use them in a non-holiday way.  These colors are some of my favorites to use on Christmas cards so I jumped in with both feet and added another card to my Christmas card stash!

The latest Wanna Sketch gave me some ideas for my card, but instead of doing three separate banners I created one big one in burlap which I broke up with a red ribbon banner.  I think it's a fun interpretation of the sketch and lets me add some much-loved texture with this gorgeous burlap ribbon.  

And you may notice that the sentiment is slightly askew.  I blame it on the acrylic stamp that slips and slides on an acrylic block when it encounters even the slightest bit of moisture (read humid stamp room with no AC). This KaiserCraft set is one of my favorite Christmas sentiment sets.  I just don't understand why they make them from acrylic instead of photopolymer.  Acrylic doesn't take ink nearly as well as photopolymer and does the whole slip 'n slide thing, which is really annoying.  {Rant over, back to our regularly scheduled programming}.

Ok, so our always amazing colourQ design team have got some beautiful cards to inspire you.  Hop on over there to check them out.  I hope you can join us in the gallery this week!

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:

Stamps:  Modern Christmas (Clearly Besotted); Christmas Quotes (KaiserCraft)

Paper:  Kraft (Avery Elle); Early Espresso, Whisper White (SU)

Ink:  Certainly Celery, Early Espresso, Real Red (SU)

Accessories:  Real Red Stitched Ribbon (SU); Berry Blend sequins (Avery Elle); burlap ribbon

A Note of Thanks

This past week I had one of those weeks at work that was totally draining.  By the time I got home at night I had no energy to cook, clean or even {gasp} make a card!  The last time I set foot in my stamp room was last Sunday and I was feeling very guilty about that.  Not to mention nervous because I had no crafty ideas running around my head that were bursting to get out.  But Saturday night I soldiered on and checked out some color and sketch challenges then settled in for some crafting.

The first card I made I will refer to as "practice."  It was one of those cards that looked way better in my head than it did in the execution.  Too embarrassed to post it, I scrapped it and created something completely different.  Here is version two using the colors at Colour Me and the As You See It sketch.

Admittedly, the sketch had a layer with a fringe that seemed to extend beyond the edge of the card, but as I had nothing in my stamping repertoire that even remotely looked like a fringe I just went with a little piece of textured cardstock.

Well, I'm exhausted after all this creative thinking and am going to call it a night. (Yes, I'm typing this Saturday night with the post scheduled to go live on Sunday morning.  What would we do without the wonders of modern technology)?  

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:

Stamps:  Thank You Kindly (SU); Textures (Dina Wakely Media)

Paper:  Pure Luxury (Gina K); Basic Black, Whisper White (SU)

Ink:  Daffodil Delight (SU); Black Licorice (My Favorite Things)

Accessories:  Sprightly Sprigs die (Verve); Sentiment Strips die (My Favorite Things); Unforgettable Firsts enamel dots (My Mind's Eye); gold cord (SU)

Freshly Made Sketches 146

It seems like lately I've been running across more and more monochromatic color challenges.  This week I found one at The Paper Players that fit neatly into my idea for the latest layout at Freshly Made Sketches.  This week at Freshly Made Sketches our hostess is Amy O'Neill (who has got a great eye for design and is not afraid to mix bold colors for maximum impact)!  I suspect that you are going to love her sketch.

As soon as I saw the sketch I thought of my somewhat neglected stash of washi tape and I knew that I wanted to combine a strip of it with some of the images from SU's Gorgeous Grunge.  Luckily the color the washi tape matched the color of my ink perfectly!  I debated briefly about whether to add a flower or a butterfly as a focal image, and as you can see the butterfly won!

There are quite a few butterflies to be found on the cards from the Freshly Made Sketches design team this week as well as some floral images too.  Dare I say we might find a super hero or two among the cards in the gallery soon?

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:

Stamps:  Gorgeous Grunge (SU); Botanical Silhouettes (Papertrey Ink)

Paper:  Pure Luxury White (Gina K); Berry Sorbet, Sweet Blush (Papertrey Ink)

Ink:  Regal Rose (SU); Onyx Black (Versafine)

Accessories:  Chrissy Butterfly die, Leanna Butterfly die (Simon Says Stamp); Basic Rhinestones (SU); washi tape

colourQ 251 and Seize the Sketch 25

Happy Tuesday and welcome to my own personal installment of the new palette at colourQ and the new layout at Seize the Sketch.  I have no problem admitting that the colors, inspired by this bracelet, were really hard for me to combine!  The sketch, designed by Mona Pendleton, is a great one with lots of layers and room for embellishment and ended up working perfectly with the colors.

This card is kind of growing on me, but at first when I finished it all I could think is "what a hot mess this is!"  These colors, together, are not something I would normally put together but they really do work and after getting a look at the cards from the colourQ design team I saw how beautifully they can be combined!  

And I have another teeny weeny confession to make.  The bottom layer (with the polka dots) is Concord Crush and I had an old pack of SU buttons that I thought were the same color so I happily attached it to my card.  It wasn't until it was stuck fast that I realized the button is actually Night of Navy.  But honestly in real life the color of the cardstock and the button look identical!  Lucky me!

I hope you have a chance to play along with colourQ or Seize the Sketch (or both)!  We all love to see you in the gallery!

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:

Stamps:  Kinda Eclectic, Gorgeous Grunge (SU)

Paper:  Classic White (Flourishes); Concord Crush, Pretty in Pink, Melon Mambo, Whisper White (SU)

Ink:  Calypso Coral, Melon Mambo, Pretty in Pink (SU); White (WPlus9)

Accessories:  Chevron Stripe die (My Favorite Things); Springtime Vintage button, Basic Pearls (SU); Berry Blend sequins (Avery Elle); crochet thread

Celebrate You Tag

I was so disappointed that I missed playing along with the first Tag You're It challenge that I was determined to play along with the second.  The inspiration tag had a wonderful sponged background so that's where I started with my interpretation.

I did a little emboss resist by stamping the floral images with some Versamark and heat embossing it in clear.  Then using the Just Us Girls challenge colors I sponged shades of blue and green with Distress Ink.  I added a sentiment (I'm obsessed with these label sentiments) and a die cut and I was done (although to be fair I added an eyelet, some black seam binding ribbon and a bit of baker's twine).  

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies

Stamps:  Label Love (Altenew); Going to Seed (Woodware)

Paper:  Ultra Smooth Pure White (Avery Elle); Whisper White, Basic Black (SU)

Ink:  Onyx Black (Versafine); Broken China, Mowed Lawn, Crushed Olive (Distress Ink)

Accessories:  Tag You're It die (My Favorite Things); You die (Simon Says Stamp); Old Olive eyelet (SU); clear embossing powder; black seam binding ribbon; baker's twine

Thank You for CTS85 and CMCC29

Just popping in with a quick card that I made last night.  I was too tired once I was done to get my post scheduled and I nearly forgot to do it this morning.  I've got loads of errands to do today so this will be short and sweet.

I really liked the nearly monochromatic colors at Colour Me and I thought they'd be perfect with this flower and leaf combo from Altenew.  I added in the sketch at CAS(E) This Sketch and this is what I came up with.

Once again I added some Crystal Effects to the center of the flower (so glad I remembered that I had this stuff).  I'm sure you can't really see it in the picture but it really adds a fun little spot of shine.

That's it for me.  I'm off to do some running around, then I hope to spend some quality time in a lounge chair on the patio!  Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:

Stamps:  Off the Grid (SU); Hennah Elements (Altenew); Botanical Silhouettes (Papertrey Ink)

Paper:  Classic White (Flourishes); Express-It Blending Card

Ink:  Black Licorice (My Favorite Things); Island Indigo (SU); Copics

Accessories:  Collectible enamel dots (My Mind's Eye)

Freshly Made Sketches 145

This week at Freshly Made Sketches Narelle is our hostess.  She's been recovering from a broken elbow but even wounded she still manages to create amazing fussy cut cards.  She's truly a stamping hero!  This week she's given us a sketch that has got her signature layers!

For my part I spent way too much time fussing over this card.  I started out with a circle, but wasn't happy with it so I changed it to this awesome new tag that I recently got.  I turned the tag into a shaker and stuffed it with sequins.  And since I was using sequins, I made sure to use papers and a sentiment that would make this a Christmas card that fits the sequin challenge at Merry Monday. 

Our amazing Freshly Made Sketches design team have got some great cards to show you so be sure to check them out.  We hope to see you in the gallery this week!

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:

Stamp:  Happy Christmas Greetings (Amy R Stamps)

Paper:  Crumb Cake, Cherry Cobbler, Always Artichoke, Very Vanilla, Deck the Halls DSP (SU)

Ink:  Chocolate Chip (SU)

Accessories:  Anytime Tag die (Lil' Inker Designs); Pierced Fishtail Flags STAX (My Favorite Things); Cherry Cobbler seam binding (SU); Berry Blend, Winter Blend and Gold sequins (Avery Elle); Rustic Twine (Papertrey Ink); burlap

colourQ 250

There's a great new palette over at colourQ and guess what?  You get to pick some of the colors!  You start off with some black and white then add one other color, or five colors, you decide!

I went with the orangey-red color which I thought looked a lot like Poppy Parade.  Not to mention I love the color combo of black, white and red!  I paper pieced the flowers and the circles are nothing more than the cut out center of the flower.  I thought the flower looked a little bland so I added some Crystal Effects to the center (something I had completely forgot that I even owned, but was reminded of when I saw my colourQ teamie Lisa use a similar product on a recent card here).  I like the look so much that I wish I had done it to the other circles.

The layout for my card comes from the Week Two challenge at Viva La Verve. I loved the way the large rectangular layer was divided in two and thought it would be a perfect opportunity to use some black embossing paste.  (I love this stuff)!  Incidentally, the name of the leafy die (from Verve) is Sprightly Sprigs but for some reason every time I see the die in my stash the name that comes to mind is Spacely Sprockets.  What do you think - too much of The Jetsons when I was a kid?

The design team at colourQ were not so squeamish as me about using all of the colors in their projects this week, so be sure to make time to hop on over there and see what they've created!  And thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:

Stamps:  Lean on Me (Verve)

Paper:  Basic Black, Poppy Parade, Whisper White (SU)

Ink:  Onyx Black (Versafine)

Accessories:  Sprightly Sprigs die (Verve); Diagonal Stripes stencil (Simon Says Stamp); black embossing paste (Studio 490); My Girl enamel dots (My Mind's Eye); Crystal Effects (SU)

Thanks a Bunch

Sometimes I find it hard to participate in color challenges when there are just two colors, but I liked the combo at Colour Me too much to not give it a try.  I never in a million years would have thought to put Soft Sky with Elegant Eggplant but once I saw the cards from the design team I realized how pretty the colors looked together.  I added in the latest Sketch Saturday and went to work.

I'm actually re-thinking my decision to use vellum for one of the flags.  Originally I was going stamp a sentiment on it but then changed my mind and used one of these label sentiments because I love that stamp set so much and want to use it all the time!  The placement of it deviates from the sketch but I think you can still see the sketch in there.

It's too nice a day to spend cooped up in the house so I'm headed outside to try and dig up a stubborn patch of grass that has taken root in my garden.  I've sprayed it with weed killer thinking that it would help to pull it out but the roots on this grass are shooting all over the place and I'm having a tough time liberating it from the soil.  But I will prevail.  No stupid grass will get the best of me!  Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:

Stamps:  Label Love (Altenew)

Paper:  Soft Sky, Elegant Eggplant, Whisper White, Vellum (SU)

Ink:  Elegant Eggplant (SU)

Accessories:  Gerbera Daisy die, Fishtail Flags STAX (My Favorite Things); Honeycomb stencil (Heidi Swapp); white embossing paste (Dreamweaver)

Ink Splatters and a Hello

I haven't been in a very crafty mood lately.  I think its party the fault of my day job and partly the fault of the gorgeous weather we've been having.  I just can't seem to rustle up the energy to get crafty.  Case in point, it took me two days to make a card for the bold color challenge at Pals Paper Arts and the card I ended up with isn't even the card I started out with!  I wanted to combine the colors with the latest CAS(E) This Sketch but I've got such a liberal interpretation of the sketch I just might get kicked out of the gallery.

I got some new stamps in the mail on Friday which probably explains why I ditched the card I started with on Thursday.  I really wanted to use the grid design that I used as the horizontal layer on the sketch.  Then I added some ink splatters to break up all that yellow and since I already had the flowers fussy cut and colored from the Thursday reject I added those with dimensionals. I cut three of the 'hello' die and glued them together so there's a bit more dimension on the card too.

This beautiful weather we've been having has been great for my vegetable garden, especially compared to last year when some heavy spring rain water-logged a lot of my plants.  I've a zucchini  ready to be picked and in another day or so a summer squash.  Yum!  Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:

Stamps:  Gorgeous Grunge, Everything Eleanor (SU); Textures (Dina Wakely Media)

Paper:  Ultra Smooth Pure White (Avery Elle); Night of Navy (SU)

Ink:  Daffodil Delight, Night of Navy (SU)

Accessories:  Hand Lettered Hello die (WPlus9)

Freshly Made Sketches 144 and Color Throwdown 300

Today is extra special because it's the reveal of a new sketch at Freshly Made Sketches and I'm also doing a little guest spot at Color Throwdown.  Last week I was chosen as the featured stamper at CTD and so this week I get to play along with the design team over there as a guestie!  And how sweet that this is their 300th challenge!  That's quite an accomplishment and I'm honored to be a part of it!  Over at FMS, Karren is our hostess this week and she's designed a sketch for us with an ever-popular flag.  I admire Karren's fearless approach to card-making.  There doesn't seem to be any technique she's not willing to try and I always seem to learn a thing or two when I pop over for a visit!  Now on to my card.

I will admit I gave a little squeeeee of delight when I saw these colors.  First of all Baja Breeze is one of the best blues ever and I'm not sure I'll ever forgive Stampin' Up for retiring it.  And there's just something about how it looks with a nice navy blue and a true orange that speaks to me.  These colors also inspire me to make less "girly" card, which is not something I do very often, but need to do to stay sharp in the man-card department!

I softened the navy blue rectangle a bit by adding a piece of velllum over it, but I shifted it slightly off to the side so that you could see the blue peeking out.  Then I decided that making my own plaid paper was in order so I set about sponging away.  Finally, I die-cut several of these "hi" letters and glued them on top of one other so that I would have some dimension to my sentiment.  A button, some fiddled-with thread and voila - I was done!

So I owe a huge thank you to the ladies at Color Throwdown who let me join in their challenge this week.  I admire all of them so much and drool over their cards week after week!  And speak of drooling, I suspect  you are going to do some of that yourself when you check out the cards the Freshly Made Sketches design team made to inspire you this week.

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:

Paper:  Baja Breeze, Night of Navy, Pumpkin Pie (SU); Solar White (Neenah)

Ink:  Baja Breeze, Night of Navy, Pumkin Pie (SU)

Accessories:  Fishtail Flags STAX, Happy Hellos die (My Favorite Things); Woodland Park button (October Afternoon); thread

colourQ 249 and Seize the Sketch 24

Are you ready for some groovy colors and a great sketch today?   Well if you are then you've come to the right place!  There's a new palette at colourQ and the inspiration photo will transport you right back to the days of The Partridge Family when you used to drool over David Cassidy.  C'mon don't try to pretend you didn't!  And at Seize the Sketch our hostess this week is Vicki Dutcher who has got an amazing eye for color and is not afraid to create bold designs.  So let's get to it!

I was very excited to pull some More Mustard out of my stamping stash, since I haven't used that color in a dog's age.  I search vainly around my stash for some companion patterned paper but couldn't come with anything so I used the next best thing:  embossing paste in a cool polka dotted design.  It adds great texture and doesn't make the More Mustard layer look so boring!

It occurred to me after I put this together and added the sentiment that these funky flowers look a bit like fireworks.  And that certainly plays to the whole 'celebrate' sentiment I think!  Maybe next year I'll use these on a card celebrating our American Independence!

Alrighty then, you know what comes next.  I don't need to tell you (but I will) that the colourQ design team and the Seize the Sketch design team have got some great projects to inspire you so make some time to check them out.  You won't be sorry!

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:

Stamps:  Funky Florals (Papertrey Ink); Label Love (Altenew)

Paper:  Island Indigo, More Mustard, Coastal Cabana (SU); Solar White (Neenah)

Ink:  More Mustard, Poppy Parade (SU); Black Licorice (My Favorite Things)

Accessories:  Bubble stencil (Tim Holtz); Pierced Rectangle STAX (My Favorite Things); translucent embossing paste (Dreamweaver); My Girl Enamel  Dots (My Mind's Eye); Springs Sprinklers (October Afternoon)