CAS(E) This Sketch 274

It's time for a new challenge at CAS(E) This Sketch!  This time around I was inspired to make a one layer card.

There's a sunflower challenge at Just Us Girls and it's one layer "thinking of you" at Less is More so I put one big sunflower in the middle of my card then drew a rectangle around it.  What could be more easy than that?  Nothing, I say to myself! 

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to check out the inspiration from the CAS(E) This Sketch design team.  We'd love to see you in the gallery!

Supplies
Stamps:  Simple Sunflower (Papertrey Ink); Hello Hello (The Stamp Market)
Paper:  Classic Ivory (Flourishes)
Ink:  Summer Sunrise (Papertrey Ink); Marigold Morning, Early Espresso (Stampin' Up!)

Freshly Made Sketches 339

I took the opportunity of Jen Brum's new sketch at Freshly Made Sketches to add a masculine themed birthday card to my stash!  Woo hoo!  Those boy cards sure are hard to put together but the angles on the sketch put me in mind of plaid which I associate with babies and men.  That didn't come out right LOL!

I new right away when I saw the sketch that I wanted to use patterned paper on my card.  So I started perusing my stash and found this oldie but goodie from Stampin' Up!  I chose this plaid pattern then decided how big I wanted my triangle to be, cut a rectangle, then cut it from corner to corner to create my rectangle.  Easy peasy, right? 

I made this card a few days ago and was pleased as punch at how easy it went together.  Then Tuesday night I photographed it.  It's funny how things look different through the lens of the camera.  Somehow the reality of what you have created is displayed in a way that you don't see with the naked eye.  Well, in this case I saw that the angle of my triangle in no way matched up the angle of the lines of the plaid.  It's all helter skelter!  Doh!  I still like it (and I'm pretty sure that whatever man is the recipient of this card won't notice) but next time I dig out the plaid I will be a bit more thoughtful before I put it on my paper trimmer!

Thanks for stopping by!  Our Freshly Made Sketches design team has put up some AMAZING cards to inspire you this week so I hope you'll play along with us!

Supplies
Stamps:  Sentiment Birthday (Winnie & Walter)
Paper:  Classic Ivory (Flourishes); Raspberry Ripple, Orchard Harvest DSP (Stampin' Up!)
Ink:  Early Espresso (Stampin' Up!)
Accessories:  Blueprints 15 die (My Favorite Things)

Christmas in May

It's been a while since I've played along with Color Throwdown and Viva La Verve but the two were calling to me so I combined them on this card.

Those Color Throwdown colors may say poppy but when I saw them I thought "Christmas."  That red and blue combo just happens to be a favorite of mine when it comes to Christmas cards so I dug out some patterned paper from an old Stampin' Up! patterned paper pack and used a couple of patterns for the background layers.  Then I cut a poinsettia, a classic Christmas image, and sponged a bit of ink on the edges of it to create some depth. Another Christmas card to add to my stash!

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies

Paper:  Solar White (Neenah); Baja Breeze, Real Red, Ski Slope DSP (Stampin' Up!); glitter cardstock (Recollections); Vellum (Graphix)
Ink: Real Red
Accessories:  Layered Poinsettia die (Spellbiners); Blooming Poinsettias die (Memory Box)

CAS(E) This Sketch 273 Meets Fusion

As I do every couple of weeks I've combined the latest challenge at CAS(E) This Sketch with the Fusion challenge.

I chose to use the pink and peach colors of the Fusion challenge to create my card with some stripes accented with wee flowers.  I couldn't have asked for a better fusion with CAS(E) This Sketch!  At Global Design Project they are looking for a card that has got a theme of "just a note." I happen to have just that sentiment (along with a bit of thanks) in an old Stampin' Up! stamp set that is one of the ones I'll never get rid of.  I love a simple sentiment, in a simple font, in a single line.  It fits so many places!

Thanks for stopping by!  Be sure to check out the inspiration from the amazing design teams at CAS(E) This Sketch and Fusion.  I hope to see you in those galleries!

Supplies
Stamps:  Thank You Kindly (Stampin' Up!)
Paper:  Solar White (Neenah); Blushing Bride, Groovy Guava (Stampin' Up!)
Ink:  Nocturne (Versafine Claire)
Accessories:  Button Stacks die (Papertrey Ink); enamel dots (Studio Calico)

Freshly Made Sketches 338

We've got a fantastic sketch for you this week at Freshly Made Sketches.  It was designed by Kim and has got lots of possibilities.

I decided to do a little ombre coloring on those vertical images.  I also meant to do them dark to light - bottom to top - but forgot that my stamp positioner was a mirror image and after I applied the ink what I got was light to dark.  Oops!  No worries - I like it just the same!  The colors, by the way, come from the latest challenge at Sunday Stamps.  And they are looking for birthday cards at CAS on Friday so I'll be adding this over there as well.

Thanks for stopping by!  We are so happy to have you join us at Freshly Made Sketches.  I hope you check out the inspiration from the design team and join us in the gallery!

Supplies
Stamps:  Abstract Art (My Favorite Things); Totally Random Sayings (Essentials by Ellen)
Paper:  White (Catherine Poolr)
Ink: Regal Rose, Rose Red, Pacific Point (Stampin' Up!)

CAS(E) This Sketch 271

Hello, hello!  It's time for a new challenge at CAS(E) This Sketch.  I went a little liberal with the sketch...take a look.

I wanted to fill up the bottom third of my card with some fun images a-la the sketch so I chose a few swooshes in the colors of the Less Is More challenge.  The big and bold cupcake on the challenge graphic became my birthday sentiment.  This went together so easily!

Thanks for stopping by!  My teammates at CAS(E) This Sketch have got some great cards to inspire you so I hope you'll join us in the gallery!

Supplies
Stamps:  Watercolor Wonder, Birthday Bash Sentiments (Papertrey Ink)
Paper:  White (Catherine Poooler)
Ink:  Harvest Gold, Spring Rain (Papertrey Ink); Industrial Diamond (Altenew); Nocturne (Versafine Clair)

Freshly Made Sketches 337

My nephew and his wife had a baby boy last Thursday so I had babies on my mind when I sat down to make my card for the latest challenge at Freshly Made Sketches!  Our sketch hostess is Linda and her front and center layer has great possibilities.

I filled that layer with a super cute onesie and some blocks that spelled out "baby."  A rare "easy peasy" card for me!  At CAS on Friday they are looking for a cute stamp.  That's rather subjective but I think this onesie plus those blocks are pretty cute so I'm adding this over there as well.

Our Freshly Made Sketches design team has got some great cards to inspire you to play along with our challenge this week so be sure to check them out.  I hope to see you in the gallery!

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies
Stamps:  Welcome Baby (SugarPea Designs); Baby Prints (Stampin' Up!)
Paper:  Solar White (Neenah); Baja Breeze, Smoky Slate; Twitterpated DSP (Stampin' Up!); Enchanted Evening (Papertrey Ink)
Ink:  Enchanted Evening (Papertrey Ink)
Accessories:  Welcome Baby Accents die (SugarPea Designs); Stitched Mini Scallop Square die (My Favorite Things)

CAS(E) This Sketch 271 Meets Fusion

It's time for me to combine a couple of challenges.  Every two weeks I make a card for the CAS(E) This Sketch challenge and the Fusion challenge.  This week the mood of the Fusion inspiration put me in mind of a masculine card.

I thought and thought about this card for quite a few days.  I had decided early on that I wanted to sponge some shades of blue on the main focal panel but didn't know what I would do for that vertical layer.  My first thought was a strip of vellum (when in doubt vellum is the answer!) but started thinking about that lighthouse in the Fusion inspiration photo.  A lighthouse is long and lean like that panel so it would be perfect for his sketch!  I didn't have any lighthouse images in my stash so Etsy to the rescue!  I bought some images, cut a few out with my Scan N Cut, and chose one that looked good to my eye.  I lightly colored it in some shades of gray and there you have it!  I also added a few sequins to my background and reckon that they are stars in the night sky!

At CASology the cue word is Marine.  I'm adding this over there because lighthouses are associated with the seaside.  And things in the sea are marine in nature, right?  Plus my Dad was a Marine!

Thanks for stopping by!  There's a whole lot of fun going on at CAS(E) This Sketch and Fusion so be sure to check out our challenges.  My fellow design team mates have made some gorgeous cards to inspire you.  I sure hope you'll join us in the gallery!

Supplies
Stamps:  It's Your Birthday (Stampin' Up!); Lighthous (Pixelence)
Paper:  Soft Stone, Dark Indigo (Papertrey Ink); Real Red (Stampin' Up!); Marker Paper (Strathmore); Solar White (Neenah)
Ink:  Weathered Wood, Stormy Sky, Chipped Sapphire (Distress); Jet Black (Altenew); Copics
Accessories:  Winter Wonderland sequins (Neat & Tangled)

Freshly Made Sketches 336

Happy Wednesday!  It's time for a new sketch challenge at Freshly Made Sketches and it just so happens that I am the sketch hostess this week.  I chose some tilted layers just because I like to shake things up once in a while!

Last weekend I went to a birthday bash for a friend.  A few days before the party I went searching through my extensive stash of cards for one with a birthday sentiment and I found exactly three cards that fit the bill.  Say what!!!??!!!  I have been seriously neglecting the birthday genre so that changes here and now.

The colors for my card come from Global Design Project and at Cupcake Inspirations they are looking for florals so I took the opportunity to add a pretty flower to my card.  I embossed the background of the large white layer to give it some interest.

Thanks for stopping by!  Our Freshly Made Sketches design team has got some fantastic cards to inspire you so be sure to check them out.  We hope to see you in the gallery!

Supplies
Stamps:  Bloom & Grow (Verve); Scripty Sayings (Gina K)
Paper:  Solar White (Neenah); White (Catherine Pooler); Lemon Lime Twist (Stampin' Up!)
Ink:  Pool Party, Melon Mambo (Stampin' Up!); Jet Black (Altenew)
Accessories:  Elegant Leaves die (Verve); Cracked embossing folder (Tim Holtz); enamel dots (Studtio Calico)

CAS(E) This Sketch 270

We've got a time warp going on at CAS(E) This Sketch.  That's right - it's another retro sketch!  Sketch #167 has been re-imagined as #270 and here's my redux:

I love the colors for this week's Global Design Project challenge and normally would think of a Christmas card with those colors but I decided to challenge myself to do something different.  So I poked around in my stash until I found a stamp set that mimiced those horizontal lines.  From there it was easy peasy to ink one of the images up in the #GDP136 colors.

Thanks for stopping by!  And I hope you can play along with us at CAS(E) This Sketch.  The design team has created some beauties to inspire you so check them out!

Supplies
Stamps:  Live Love Life (Papertrey Ink)
Paper:  Solar White (Neenah); Whisper White, Real Red (Stampin' Up!)
Ink:  Night of Navy, Pool Party, Real Red (Stampin' Up!)

Freshly Made Sketches 335

It's been a while since I've made a Christmas card so I decided that our newest sketch at Freshly Made Sketches was a great way to get back in the Christmas groove.  Our sketch hostess this week is Jen Timko and her classic design had me reaching for some of my old dies that haven't seen the light of day in quite a while!  We also welcome a new guest designer for the month.  The fabulous Jill Hawkins is joining us so be sure to give her a big ol' FMS welcome!

I layerd oval dies using some glitter and white paper onto a white card base.  Then I added a couple of snowflakes cut from vellum and glitter paper and finally a sentiment die cut in white.  White cards are so hard to photograph and my photography skills are sorely lacking so you'll have to trust me that this looks much better in real life.

At Merry Monday they don't want any stamps so a few die cuts later and I was good to play along with them.  And at Addicted to CAS they want GOLD.  I made my card using white and gold accents not realizing until it was done that it fit the ATCAS challenge - what a happy coincidence!

Thanks for stopping by!  And I hope you have some time to check out our latest challenge at Freshly Made Sketches.  We'd love to see you in the gallery!

Supplies
Paper:  Solar White (Neenah); Glitter cardstock (Recollections); Vellum (Stampin' Up!)
Accessories:  Petite Scallop Ovals die, Petite Ovals die (Spellbinders); Lindemon Snowflake die (Simon Says Stamp); Snowflake Trio die (amuse Studio); Merry Christmas die (Impression Obsession); gold sequins (Avery Elle)