Freshly Made Sketches 322

Happy Wednesday!  It's time for a new sketch at Freshly Made Sketches.  This week our sketch is brought to you by Cécile and it is simplicity at it's finest!  Let your imagination be your guide!

I made another Valentine!  I think it's because the color challenge at Cupcake Inspiration inspired my theme.  I liked the idea of a bit of black accenting the cream and pink and I thought it would make an interesting Valentine.  My card actually ended up being a postcard.  I made this card over the course of two days.  My only task on Day 2 was to stamp the sentiment.  Well, I wasn't paying very good attention because this top-fold card was bottoms up when I stamped the sentiment so it would have opened bottom side up.  Oops!  No problem, though.  I cut the card along the fold and I'll attach it to another card base - there are no mistakes in staming, right!!??!!

Thanks for stopping by!  And don't forget to check out the inspiration from our always-amazing design team at Freshly Made Sketches.  I hope to see you in our gallery!

Supplies
Stamps:  Love (Hero Arts)
Paper:  Classic Ivory (Flourishes); Black Licorice (My Favorite Things); Pink Pirouette, Regal Rose (Stampin' Up!)
Ink:  Regal Rose (Stampin' Up!)
Accessories:  Love die (Hero Arts); Pierced Rectangle STAX, Rectangle STAX (My Favorite Things); Pink & Pepper Couture sequin mix (The Ton); Wink of Stella

CAS(E) This Sketch 256

And the Valentines continue....We've got a new challenge at CAS(E) This Sketch and as I contemplated all those layers I realized that a heart would look pretty cute embedded in the last one.  Here's what I mean:

From there it was a simple decision to add my little hashtag sentiment.  Voila - a Valentine was born!  I played along with the Paper Players love notes challenge and the CAS on Friday Valentine challenge earlier this week but I can't resist adding these cards there too.

Thanks for stopping by!  My CAS(E) This Sketch teamies have got some great cards to inspire you so be sure to check out their cards for our latest sketch and join us in the gallery!

Supplies
Stamps:  Hashtags (Tim Holtz)
Paper:  Pixie, Cherry (Avery Elle)
Ink:  Cherry (Avery Elle)
Accessories:  Stitched Heart die (White Lotus)

Freshly Made Sketches 321

I don't usually make Valentine cards but for some reason I seem to be making a lot of them lately.  I blame all the cool challenges out there:  be it sketch or color or theme.  Today's Valentine is courtesy of our newest sketch at Freshly Made Sketches plus a couple of other challenges.  Jen Brum is our hostess this week and her sketch is awesome!

My card is quite CAS.  I loved the idea of a few floating hearts on a clean white background paired with a simple sentiment.  They are looking for CAS Love Notes at the Paper Players so this seems to fit the bill and over at CAS on Friday it's all about love and Valentines. 

Thanks for stopping by!  And check out the inspiration from our Freshly Made Sketches design team.  We'd love to see you in our gallery!

Supplies
Stamps:  Fancy Word Coordinates (Reverse Confetti)
Paper:  Solar White (Neenah); Cherry (Avery Elle); Regal Rose (Stampin' Up!)
Ink:  Cherry (Avery Elle)
Accessories:  Slanted Sentiments Strips die (My Favorite Things)

CAS(E) This Sketch 255 and Fusion

My card today is a perfect blend of sketch from CAS(E) This Sketch and theme from Fusion.  I'm excited to say that I'm joining the design team at Fusion and today is my first official post!

The theme at Fusion is coffee and a book so I took up the coffee theme. I had this great stamp with coffee splatters that was perfect for the horizontal layer a-la the sketch.  I added the coffee cup and a simple sentiment and I was done.  Easy peasy!

Thanks for stopping by.  There is amazing inspiration at CAS(E) This Sketch and Fusion so I hope you can play along with us at either (or both)!

Supplies

Stamps:  Ink Splats (IndigoBlu); Latte Love (Stamplorations); Everyday Mini Sentiments (Whimsy Stamps)

Paper:  Classic Ivory (Flourishes)

Ink:  Cocoa Bean (Papertrey Ink); Jet Black (Altenew); Prismacolor Pencils

Freshly Made Sketches 320

It's a month until Valentine's Day and our latest challenge at Freshly Made Sketches is just the thing to put you in the love-mood!  Our hostess this week is Kim and I think you are going to love her sketch!  We've also got some exciting news.  Teresa Kline will be joining us at a guest designer for the next two months.  We are thrilled to have her as a part of our team!

Have I mentioned that I love to make shaker cards?  I made one that I posted yesterday and here I am again with another one.  They're just so darn FUN!  This one is jam-packed with Valentine colored sequins (and even a few hearts).  I got this little sequin pack from my Tag You're It teammate Susan for my birthday and they were just what I needed to make this Valentine perfect!  There's a Valentine challenge at CAS on Friday so I think I'll add this over there too!

Thanks for stopping by.  We'd love to see you in our gallery at Freshly Made Sketches so please join us.  There's loads of inspiration there for you to see from our always-amazing design team!

Supplies
Stamps:  Love (Hero Arts)
Paper:  Cloud White (Reverse  Confetti); Cherry (Avery Elle); Pretty in Pink (Stampin' Up!)
Ink:  Cherry (Avery Elle)
Accessories:  Love die (Hero Arts); stitched heart die (White Lotus)

Love, Joy, and Peace on Earth

It has been a whole month since I made a Christmas card!  So in the spirit of staying on top of things I decided that the color challenge at Merry Monday was just the thing to jump start my 2018 Christmas card stash.  It helped that I had a mix of sequins in just the colors they are looking for.

I seem to be on a shaker card kick lately.  I confess that they are fun to make and the mixes that are available today are super easy to use.  I love how they contain sequins and beads and bugles and all kinds of fun things that I would never to think to mix up on my own.  And for some reason my Christmas shaker cards always seem to pair up with snowflakes.  I love how they look together so I won't question the why of it!

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies
Stamps:  Fa La La (Simon Says Stamp)
Paper:  Solar White (Neenah); Glitter (Recollections); Vellum (Stampin' Up!)
Ink:  Cherry (Avery Elle)
Accessories:  Funky Flakes die (CAS-ual Fridays); Let It Snowflake Too die (My Favorite Things); Christmas Couture sequin mix (The Ton)

CAS(E) This Sketch 254

Blogger SNAFU alert!  I messed up scheduling my latest card for the CAS(E) This Sketch challenge, but here I am, better late than never!

The sketch is gorgeous, as is the banner that goes with it, and originally I thought about using some flowers in the style of the banner but opted to do a shaker instead.  There's a purple challenge going on at Less is More so I thought a simple design using shades of purple would look pretty.  Especially since I had sequins and seed beads to go with it!

I'm happy to play along with this color challenge because I've got a sister that LOVES purple.  Her birthday isn't until August so I'll have to keep this safe until then. *smile*  And in case you're wondering why the sentiment on front is an incomplete sentence - the inside says "filled with lots of cake and ice cream!"  She's going to love it!

Thanks for stopping by!  And apologies all around to my CAS(E) This Sketch teamies for posting so late today.  They have all created some amazing cards with this sketch so be sure to check them out!

Supplies:
Stamps:  Bokeh Burst Round (The Ton); Sentimental Birthday (Winnie & Walter)
Paper:  Solar White (Neenah); Royal Velvet (Papertrey Ink)
Ink:  Pretty Amethyst (Fun Stampers Journey); Royal Velvet (Papertrey Ink)
Accessories:  Lovely Lilac sequins (Neat & Tangled); Lavender Moon sequins (Pretty Pink Posh); seed beads

Freshly Made Sketches 319

Hello, hello Freshly Made Sketches fans!  We are back from our extended holiday break and are raring to go for 2018.  We start the year with a great sketch from Rita.  I was so excited about this sketch that I created my card a whole week early!

I had my dates mixed up and created my card last week as soon as I saw the color challenge at Sunday Stamps.  It wasn't until I went to edit the picture of my card that I realized I was a week early for the FMS challenge.  Apparently, at that time, I decided I deserved a vacation so I didn't edit the pic and forgot all about it.  Blissfully unaware that I still had some work to do I went about my life until last night when I went searching for the edited version of this pic to upload to this very blog post. {gasp}  It was nowhere to be found!  A few clicks of the computer later I figured out what happened and was able to fix it. 

Thanks for stopping by!  Be sure to check out the amazing inspiration from our Freshly Made Sketches design team.  I hope to see you in the gallery!

Stamps:  Dahlia Turnabout (Concord & 9th)
Paper:  Soft Stone (Papertrey Ink); Night of Navy, Regal Rose, Whisper White (Stampin' Up!)
Ink:  Bashful Blue, Night of Navy, Regal Rose (Stampin' Up!)
Accessories: enamel dots (My Mind's Eye)

Hello Butterfly

I found myself with a little extra time this weekend to squeeze in a little project for a few challenges. The colors at Color Throwdown are wonderfully neutral and when I saw them I thought about doing an old technique that, I think, might be called mother of pearl.  It involves crumpled up cling wrap and some shimmery paint.

Well, fast forward a couple of days and I see that the January challenge at CAS Mix It Up is to use cling wrap.  How's that for a coincidence?  Not one to ignore a sign from the crafty muses I got out my supplies and went to work on this card.

I had a really hard time photographing this tag so that it showed off the colors properly.  I used gray, vanilla, and black but the vanilla disappears and my mother of pearl background looks quite dingy.  One of these days I'm going to hire an actual photographer to come to my home and teach me how to take proper pictures!  The butterfly was actually done in two layers.  The solid bottom is done in vanilla and the top is actually done in vellum and has many cut-out dots.  I wish you could see how pretty this is in real life!  **sigh**  And I included one more challenge.  At Crazy 4 Challenges they are looking for tags.

Thanks for stopping by!

Stamps:  Little Notes (The Stamp Market); Mini 72 (PaperArtsy)
Paper:  Smoky Slate, Vellum (Stampin' Up!); Black Licorice (My Favorite Things); Naturals White (Neenah); Glossy (Ranger)
Ink:  Jet Black (Altenew); Frost White for Fantasitx (Tsukineko)
Accessories:  Pappillons die (4enscrap); Tag Sale: Quilted die (Papertrey Ink); enamel dots (My Mind's Eye); baker's twine; white seam binding ribbon

Tag You're It Retrospective

Back on December 8, 2017 we announced that the Tag You're It challenge was ending.  I was so sad to see it end (after 79 wonderful challenges) since I LOVE to make tags.  When Tracey asked me to join the design team way back at #14 I was thrilled to pieces.  I've loved every minute of my time there and as a way to wrap things up the design team has decided that we will each show you our most favorite tag.  Plus I've included a little montage of some of my other faves.

My all-time favorite tag is this little number featuring my favorite super girl.  I love how this girl stands so confidently, arms akimbo.  I gave her some sunny rays and a few lightening bolts as a background because she's a bit electric! 

Here are some snippets from some of my other faves.

I really enjoyed making a variety of tags for this challenge:  from cute and whimsical to floral to Christmas.  Each time a new challenge debuted I was challenged to think outside my usual creative box and to use images and themes that I wouldn't necessarily think of on my own.  And I'll always be grateful to my fellow Tag You're It design team members for their constant inspiration.

Farewell old friends!

CAS(E) This Sketch 253 Meets Fusion

Today is special for so many reasons.  First we're back at CAS(E) This Sketch with our first challenge of 2018!  Second, I am pleased as punch to be joining ladies at Fusion for their anniversary challenge as the guest of my good friend Karren.  And third, there's a big old-fashioned blizzard busy pounding outside today and the concensus is that we're all going to lose power.  (I'm typing this on Wednesday night so I don't know for sure)!

But, like the US postal service, I deliver in rain, snow, and sleet.  So let's get to it!

It's retro sketch time at CAS(E) This Sketch as we bring you an oldie but goodie once again.  My design is based on the colors of the Fusion inspiration photo and I used simple geometric shapes so that this card was a bit more of a man-card.  Those cards are pretty rare for me so when inspiration strikes I run with it!

Thanks for stopping by.  And if you are in the path of this storm as it heads up the east coast then I hope you stay safe!  I hope to see you at CAS(E) This Sketch and Fusion!

Stamps:  Sohcahtoa (Altenew); Sentimental: Birthday (Winnie & Walter)
Paper:  Soft Stone (Papertrey Inkn); Cement Gray (My Favorite Things); Whisper White (Stampin' Up!)
Ink:  Tempting Turquoise (Stampin' Up!); Scarlet Jewel, Smokey Shadow (Papertrey Ink); Cement Gray (My Favorite Things)

CASology 281

Well, it's been a while since I've posted a card here.  I think the Christmas holiday really threw me for a loop and I must have needed some time to regroup.  But I'm back today with a special post.  I'm joining the design team at CASology this week as a guest designer and our cue word is Encourage.

Sometimes I really like to take the whole "white space" theme and kick it up a notch by making it....not white.  In this case a bright colored background frames the glittery die cut YOU and the linear sentiment that I layered over it.  Super simple and so fun.  I love how the glitter paper makes this a bit special!

And special thanks to Melissa and the entire design team at CASology for inviting me to join them this week!  I'm thrilled to pieces to be here!

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies
Stamps:  All About You (My Favorite Things)
Paper:  Melon Mambo, Whisper White (Stampin' Up!); silver glitter (Recollections)
Ink:  Jet Black (Altenew)
Accessories:  You Trio die (My Favorite Things)