Freshly Made Sketches 243!

There's a long weekend coming up and I'm half-way to it.  But before the Independence Day festivities start around here we've got a new sketch to show you at Freshly Made Sketches designed by Amy.  I wish it had occurred to me to use some red, white, and blue but flowers were calling to me instead!

Taking my color cues from the inspiration photo at Just Us Girls I went quite literal with the sketch.  To add some texture I dry embossed the card base (which is really hard to see in the photo) and used some embossing paste on the white layer behind the flowers.  Then I added the fussy cut flowers and some die cut leaves.  Easy peasy.

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to check out the inspiration from our amazing Freshly Made Sketches design team.  I hope we'll get to see you in the gallery!

Supplies
Stamps:  Modern Blooms (My Favorite Things)
Paper:  Soft Stone (Papertrey Ink); Fog (Simon Says Stamp); Solar White (Neenah); Wild Wasabi, Whisper White (SU)
Ink:  Pretty in Pink, Regal Rose, Bashful Blue, Night of Navy (SU); Black Licorice (My Favorite Things)
Accessories:  Guidelines Impression plate (Papertrey Ink); Dot Fade stencil (Tim Holtz); Bold Greenery die (My Favorite Things); white embossing paste (Wendy Vecchi); enamel dots (Freckled Fawn)

colourQ 348!

It feels like summer is in full swing here where I live and what better way to celebrate than a new challenge at colourQ  where the colors are inspired by a pretty bathing suit!

Despite the obviously feminine inspiration, the colors put me in mind of a more masculine design so that's the direction I took.  I actually think this card is gender neutral, but since I left off flowers and butterflies I call it a man-card!

I based my card on the sketch at CAS Colours & Sketches.  Instead of separate rectangular layer, I created a frame with some post it tape then colored in some stencils right up to the edge of the mask to create the impression that a rectangle is there.  I had no idea how it was going to look when I started but I think it came out pretty good.  (The sentiment was stamped in Versamark and heat embossed, which resisted the ink I used on the stencil).  And I did another little substitution when I used a couple of enamel dots to take the place of the two little squares on the sketch.  The challenge this week at Less is More is to use a stencil so that's what I did!

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you can join us at colourQ this week.  Be sure to pop on by there to check out the inspiration from our design team!

Supplies
Stamps:  Big Words (Mama Elephant)
Paper:  Sweet Tooth (My Favorite Things); Pumpkin Pie, Whisper White (SU)
Ink:  Cool Caribbean, Certainly Celery, Night of Navy, Pumpkin Pie (SU); Versamark
Accessories:  Blueprints 20 die (My Favorite Things); Splatters stencil (Tim Holtz); enamel dots (My Mind's Eye); clear embossing powder

Tag You're It 50!

Yay, it's Friday!  And that means it's time for a brand new challenge at Tag You're It.  This week we've some colorful inspiration from Kelly.

I don't believe I own a single fruit stamp so I drew my inspiration from the layers of the tag itself and the colors.  I used a different shade of green, though, and made a Christmas tag.  In keeping with the leafy theme, I die cut a poinsettia and leaves from vellum and arranged it in a similar way to the strawberry and leaves.

The sun is shining, my veggie garden is looking good, and the weekend is nearly here.  Life is good!  Thanks for stopping by and be sure to check out the inspiration from my teamies at Tag You're It.  I hope to see you in the gallery!

Supplies
Stamps:  Great Friend (SU)
Paper:  Real Red, Old Olive, Vellum, Red Glimmer, Ski Slope DSP (SU)
Ink:  Old Olive (SU)
Accessories:  Tag Sale #5 die (Papertrey Ink); Blooming Poinsettia die (Memory Box); white seam binding ribbon; crochet thread

CAS(E) This Sketch 178!

This week at CAS(E) This Sketch we've got a perfectly clean and simple layout for you.  I went one layer with this one using the colors from Can You Case It and the CAS celebration challenge at the Paper Players.

Over at the Paper Players they are celebrating their 300th challenge!  Can you believe it?  That's an amazing milestone to achieve and I couldn't be happier for them. My celebration card features some dandelions that are doing double-duty as fireworks and the coolest celebration sentiment there is!

Many, many years ago Lesley, who created the Paper Players, asked me to be a guest designer over there for a month.  Once I got over the shock that someone who wasn't related to me actually liked some of the cards I created, I replied with a resounding YES!  That was the first time I got to share some of my projects with a new audience and the experience gave me confidence to realize that what I was creating was pleasing to people.  What a cool thing that was.  Well fast forward a few years and here I am celebrating with them again.  Some of the faces have changed over there, but the inspiration and craftiness prevails!  So ladies, congratulations on this wonderful achievement and here's to 300 more!

Thanks for stopping by and I hope I'll get to see you in the CAS(E) This Sketch gallery this week!

Supplies
Stamps:  Dandelion Dreams (Clearly Besotted); Exclamations (CAS-ual Fridays Stamps)
Paper:  White (Spectrum Noir)
Ink:  Smoky Slate, Basic Gray, Real Red (SU); Onyx Black (Versafine)
Accessories:  sequins

Freshly Made Sketches 242!

This week at Freshly Made Sketches we not only have a cool new sketch brought to you by our friend down under, Narelle, but we also welcome two new designers who will be with us through September!  Shannon Jaramillo and Cecile Ribon have graciously agreed to join our little cult group.  We are so excited that they were coerced ecstatic to join us and I hope you have a chance to pop over to their blogs and see what they've been up to!  Now on to my card and the sketch.

One of my circles is a grungy stamp, but you already knew that right?  The colors for this come from the latest challenge at Sunday Stamps and I was lucky enough to have some washi in the brown-ish color that also sort-of matched the Soft Suede I used on those speckles.  I love how washi always steps up to the plate when I need it.  This little horizontal layer was a bit of a stumper for me until I remembered that I've got oodles of washi hanging around for just this purpose!

Incidentally, I wanted to use a white button on the center of the flower, but guess what.  I don't own any white buttons!  How can this be?  It's shocking to be sure and I can assure you that white buttons have been added to my wish list!  In the meantime I used a little textured circle from another flower die set to create an interesting center to my little blossom.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope to see you in the Freshly Made Sketches gallery this week!

Supplies

Stamps:  Dream Big (Verve); Gorgeous Grunge (SU); Distressed Backgrounds and Ink Splats (Whimsy Stamps)

Paper:  White (Spectrum Noir); Pear Pizzazz, Kiwi Kiss (SU)

Ink:  Soft Suede, Wisteria Wonder (SU)

Accessories:  Scalloped Flowers die (Verve); Curvy Leaves die (Elizabeth Craft Designs); Gerbera Daisy die (My Favorite Things); washi tape

colourQ 347!

There was something very cool that appealed to me about the colors this week at colourQ.  Despite the blouse-wearing model in the inspiration pic I could see these colors as masculine.   And yet I could also see them as very warm and not-so-masculine.  As is my habit when I see colors I go looking for a sketch and stumbled across this great one from Match the Sketch which tipped me into the masculine camp.

I used some translucent embossing paste to create some texture on the brown layer then dug into what I believe is the last piece of Blush Blossom card stock I own to cut those little squares.  I wouldn't say I'm a huge fan of Blush Blossom but it is pretty and I confess to feeling a little twinge when I cut it.  It's like the end of an era because I know of no color that is similar to it.  Do you?

As you will not be surprised to read, our colourQ design team has created some really beautiful cards using these colors so be sure to check them out.  I hope we get to see you in the gallery!

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies
Stamps:  Tech Talk (CAS-ual Fridays Stamps)
Paper:  Smoky Slate, Peach Parfait, Blush Blossom, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White )SU)
Ink:  Chocolate Chip
Accessories:  Distress Grid stencil (Sheena); Pierced Square STAX (My Favorite Things); translucent embossing paste (Dreamweaver)

CAS(E) This Sketch 177

Almost done with the work-week!  Who hoo!  But before Friday rolls around we've got Thursday to get through and that means a new challenge at CAS(E) This Sketch!

I went quite literal with the sketch, unless you count the placement of my sentiment which is decidedly lower than it ought to be.  I've had this leafy die cut forever and have never used it so I put it to work here.  The actual arrangement of the die was too wide to fit on my card base so I snipped it in the middle and stuck it down so that it fit in the corner.  The sentiment was die cut with some black card stock and fun foam to give it some dimension.

As you can imagine, the CAS(E) This Sketch design team has made some pretty amazing cards with this sketch so be sure to check them out.  I hope you can join us in the gallery!

Supplies
Paper:  White (Spectrum Noir); Pear Pizzazz, Pretty in Pink, Rose Red, Tempting Turquoise, Basic Black (SU)
Accessories:  Lavish Branch die (Memory Box); The Big the Bold and the Happy die (Winnie & Walter)

Freshly Made Sketches 241!

Wednesday again.  How did that happen?  It's so cliché but true.  Every day seems to go by faster and faster and before you know it it's your birthday and you are one year older!  Good thing a new sketch at Freshly Made Sketches is enough to cheer me up.

This week our sketch comes to you from Karren.  It is the kind of sketch that inspires just about any combination of color, pattern, or texture.  I combined her sketch with the colors at Cupcake Inspirations to come up with this.

Apparently a while ago I used the stencil with some sponged color before using it on today's card.  I don't think I cleaned it very good because traces of yellow showed up on my embossing paste.  I love how it gives a bit of subtle color to the rays so I decided to use.  Luckily yellow is one of the colors I was supposed to use!

Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to check out the inspiration from our Freshly Made Sketches design team.  I hope we'll see you in the gallery!

Supplies
Stamps:  Signature Greetings (Papertrey Ink)
Paper:  White (Spectrum Noir); Neenah Solar White; Vintage Jadite (Papertrey Ink); Hello Honey, Basic Black (SU)
Ink:  Onyx Black (Versafine)
Accessories:  Shine stencil (Memory Box); Daphne Butterfly die (Poppystamps); white embossing paste (Dreamweaver); Blueprints 13 die (My Favorite Things)

colourQ 346!

This week the palette and patteres at colourQ are perfect for a masculine card.  I probably should have made a birthday card, but for I came across an old stamp set and  decided to make a graduation card instead.

I used the layout from Sunday Stamps and although I really like how this card came out I have no idea what I am going to do with it!  I don't know anyone graduating this year.  And I usually try to make my graduation cards match the school colors of the recipient.   I think I'd be hard pressed to find school colors as eclectic as this!

Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to pop on by colourQ and check out the inspiration from our fabulous design team.  I hope to see you in the gallery!

Supplies
Stamps:  Grads and Dads (The Craft's Meow); Ink Splats (IndigoBlu)
Paper:  Bashful Blue, Night of Navy, Old Olive, Whisper White, Basic Gray (SU)
Ink:  Old Olive, Basic Gray (SU)
Accessories:  Pierced Rectangle STAX (My Favorite Things)

CAS(E) This Sketch 176

This has been such a crazy week at work and I am so glad that it is nearly over and that it is Thursday.  Happily it is also the day where we debut a new sketch at CAS(E) This Sketch.

There were so many ideas swirling around my head for this sketch.  That wide open layer leaves much to the imagination.  After tossing around a few ideas in my head I decided to go with some purple colors from the Less is More challenge and a bokeh design for the background.  The sentiment banner was cut with Vellum and the sentiment itself was cut multiple times in my shades of purple and glued together to give this some dimension.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope that you have a chance to join us at CAS(E) This Sketch this week!

Supplies:
Paper:  Sweet Tooth (My Favorite Things); Concord Crush, Perfect Plum, Whisper White, Vellum (SU)
Ink:  Wisteria Wonder, Perfect Plum, Concord Crush
Accesories:  

Freshly Made Sketches 240!

Hello, hello and welcome to the latest edition of a card I made for Freshly Made Sketches.  The sketch this week is designed by Jen Brum who makes some seriously beautiful cards.  I pondered this sketch for a while then I was telling a friend at work about it.  I showed her the sketch and, without blinking, she said it looked like a cake.  Never one to ignore a perfectly good idea I turned the sketch on its side and went with it.

At first I was going to make the cake using layers in the colors of the challenge at CAS Colours & Sketches.  I got it all assembled then began looking for some images of candles in my stash to finish it off.  I didn't find any candles but I happened to spy an old wedding stamp set which had a very simple tiered cake with a few flowers on it for decoration.  So I scrapped my original idea and went with an all white cake and added a few wee flowers in the colors instead.

The top layer of my cake has some dripping icing that is actually a punch in the style of dripping goo.  I got it about a hundred years ago when I used to make little treat boxes that looked sort of like Herman Munster.  The dripping goo made a perfect set of bangs for ol' Herman!  I don't use that punch very often but it's one of those things I'll never get rid of (like my electric fry pan) because it comes in handy every so often!

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you'll hop on over to Freshly Made Sketches to check out the amazing cards from our design team.  There are so many cool renditions of this sketch you will surely find loads of inspiration there.  I hope to see you in the gallery!

Supplies
Paper:  White Linen (Ellen Hutson); Rose Red, Blushing Bride, So Saffron, Whisper White (SU)
Accessories:  Basic Pearls (SU); Drippy Goo punch (Martha Stewart)

colourQ 345!

June is off to a quick start!  It's the 7th already and here we are with our first colourQ challenge of the month!  I love the color combo this week!

Isn't that distressed heart pretty!  It's been a while since I've done any sort of distressing on a card and I kind of wish that I had done that here.  Instead I went with a classic design using the sketch at Fusion.  I stamped the flowers in Taken With Teal but my ink pad has obviously taken a turn for the worse because the color doesn't resemble anything anywhere teal!

Oops!  Now that I've uploaded the challenge graphic I see that I left off that little banner.  I hope the ladies there don't throw me out, but I'll understand if they do!

Thanks for stopping by!  And you won't be surprised to know that my colourQ teamies have made some beauties with the colors this week.  I hope we get to see you in the gallery!

Supplies
Stamps:  Modern Blooms (My Favorite Things)
Paper:  Soft Suede, Buckaroo Blue, Basic Gray, Whisper White (SU)
Ink:  Taken With Teal, Going Gray, Smoky Slate (SU)
Accessories:  Pierced Square STAX (My Favorite Things)

CAS(E) This Sketch 175

I got some new stamps in the mail the other day and was anxious to fire them up with the newest challenge at CAS(E) This Sketch.  This very awesome sketch is designed by Hannelie.

I used my Clarity Stencil Brushes with a stencil to brush on some color behind the sentiments.  I am so glad that I found these brushes because compared to sponging, it is SO much easier to put down even, consistent color.  No spongey-swirl marks here!

The colors for my card come from this gorgeous palette at Fab Friday.  The Blackberry Bliss is really dark on the card stock I used and looks almost black here but I assure you it is that deep, rich blackberry color we all know and love!

Thanks for stopping by!  And don't forget to check out the amazing inspiration from the CAS(E) This Sketch design team this week.  Those gals will knock your socks off!

Supplies
Stamps:  Awesome (Neat & Tangled)
Paper:  White (Spectrum Noir)
Ink:  Hello Honey, Bermuda Bay, Blackberry Bliss (SU)
Accessories:  Chevron Pattern stencil (Simon Says Stamp)

Freshly Made Sketches 239!

The Monday holiday has really messed me up because I can't believe it's Wednesday already!  But it is and that means that it's time for a new sketch from Freshly Made Sketches.  This week Cindy is our hostess and she's given us a fabulous one.

What a shock to find a butterfly on my card!  But that diamond shape put me in mind of either flowers or a butterfly and since I hadn't used this butterfly stamp set in a while I decided that this was the time to!  This is the biggest butterfly in the set and I think it makes a great substitute for that diamond.

There's tic-tac-toe challenge this week at the Paper Players and I chose to play along with the top row and used yellow, twine, and a birthday sentiment.  The linen thread that I used was a little hard to shape into an artsy tangle that didn't look like I spent too much time fussing over and as a result I spent too much time fussing over it.  This lead to an internal discussion with myself of what exactly twine is and whether it would have been easier to work with.  The debate is still ongoing so I have no answer!

My Freshly Made Sketches teamies have made some beautiful cards with the sketch this week so be sure to check them out.  I hope we'll get to see you in the gallery this week!

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies
Stamps:  Painted Butterflies (Altenew); Making a Statement (Verve); Script (Indigo Blu)
Paper:  Sweet Tooth (My Favorite Things); So Saffron, Whisper White (SU)
Ink:  So Saffron, Hello Honey (SU); Onyx Black (Versafine)
Accessories:  Painted Butterflies die (Altenew); linen thread (SU)