Freshly Made Sketches 470

Hi all!  We've got a great new sketch for you at Freshly Made Sketches!  Our hostess is the lovely Jen Brum and she's given us a great sketch!

I've had enough of making Christmas cards for now so I thought it would be a good idea to make a Valentine.  The two circles on either ends of the sketch got me thinking about hearts so I went deep into my stash and found an oldie-but-goodie Valentine set and inked up a couple of hearts from it.  I put those on one corner and for the opposite end I opted for a small tag with a heart on it.  Cute!  The big "love" sentiment is the real star, though!

Thanks for stopping by!  As usual my teammates at Freshly Made Sketches have made some amazing cards with this sketch so be sure to check them out!

Supplies

Stamps:  Love (Hero Arts); I {Heart} Heart (Stampin' Up!)

Paper:  Whisper White, Real Red (Stampin' Up!)

Ink:  Real Red (Stampin' Up!); Onyx Black (Versafine)

Accessories:  Love die (Hero Arts)

In a Row

The challenge at Less is More is "in a row" and I wondered how I could play along.  I stumbled on a die-cut in my stash that I thought might be an interesting take on the challenge.

How about a bunch of tall buildings in a row!  I think I like it!  The right sentiment was a bit of a challenge too.  I settled on this one and thought it might be fun for someone who recently moved and wanted to tell their friends and family.

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies
Stamps:  Mini Stamp Remember (Heidi Swap)
Paper:  Whisper White, Basic Black (Stampin' Up!)
Ink:  Onyx Black (Versafine)
Accessories:  Cityscape Nightline due (Memory Box)

Thank You So Much

I found myself with some extra time today so I put that time to good use and holed up in my craft room!  Who needs clean laundry, I say to myself!!  The first thing I did was make a card for the Color Throwdown challenge.

I loved the inspiration photo and I imagined myself making a card with shades of cream and plum offset with a bit of black for dramatic flair.  What I ended up with was a card that was really hard to photograph.  I love the stamp I used - I actually had completely forgotten about it and stumbled on it a few days ago.  But trying to get the colors right in my picture was really difficult.  Gah!  Some day I'll get it right!

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:
Stamps:  Abstract Poppies (Rubbernecker Stamps); Tons of Type (The Stamp Market)
Paper:  Very Vanilla (Stampin' Up!)
Ink:  Perfect Plum (Stampin' Up!); Nocturne (Versafine Clair); Onyx Black (Versafine)
Accessories:  Quick Strips die (The Stamp Market)

CAS(E) This Sketch 405

This is a bittersweet post because it is my last one as a member of the CAS(E) This Sketch design team.  After an eight year run, CAS(E) This Sketch is coming to an end.  😢  I joined the design team in November of 2015 and I have loved how the unique sketches have allowed me to think outside the box and stretch my creative wings.  My card today, is another creative take on a sketch.

The sketch is a retro one that first debuted on April 25, 2013 designed by Jackie Rockwell, the creator of the challenge.  I thought and thought about how to handle those little tags but ultimately decided that tags were not the thing for me.  For the slim vertical layer I used a birch tree, added some snow to the background (a nod to the snow challenge at The Paper Players) and used a trio of bright red cardinals in place of those tags.  The scene looked peaceful to me so the sentiment was a no-brainer.

Thanks for stopping by!  And special thanks to Chrissy who invited me to join the CAS(E) This Sketch design team all those years ago.  It's been an absolute blast!

Supplies
Stamps:  Ways to Say Merry Christmas (Papertrey Ink)
Paper:  Solar White (Neenah); Real Red (Stampin' Up!)
Ink:  Onyx Black (Versafine)
Accessories:  Birch Tree die (My Favorite Things); Forest Majesty die (Whimsy Stamps); Falling Snow stencil (Simon Says Stamp); pearlescent embossing paste (Dreamweaver)

Fusion - Flowers

It's time for a new challenge from Fusion!  This week we've got a great sketch and some floral inspiration.  I opted to go with the flowers.

I don't have to state the obvious but I will just say that watercoloring is not my forte.  However, when I saw this inspiration photo I thought maybe I'd give it a go - especially since I had no other idea for those flowing flowers in the inspiration photo other than this wildflower stamp.  Since the stamp is a solid image I splashed down some colors behind it, added a raised sentiment, and I was done.  I also used the sketch from Fab Friday, turned clockwise.

Thanks for stopping by!  Join us at Fusion and be inspired by the sketch, the photo, or both!

Supplies
Stamps:  Going to Seed (Woodware); Easy Expressions Birthday (The Ton)
Paper:  Pure Ivory (Gina K); Desert Storm (Neenah); Distress Watercolor (Tim Holtz)
Ink:  Nocturne (Versafine Clair); Kuretake Gansai Tambi watercolor
Accessories:  Easy Expressions Birthday die (The Ton)

Freshly Made Sketches 469

Hey all!  It's time for a brand new challenge at Freshly Made Sketches!  We've got a great sketch for you from our hostess Kim.

There's a whole lot of snow falling in blogland so I thought I'd hop on the bandwagon.  Ironic since I hate snow in real life.  I always say, the only good snowflake is a pretty one on the front of a card!  But real snow aside, for this sketch I stamped a few grungy background lines in silver and followed it up with a couple of snowflakes layered together.  I think I even used a Christmas sentiment on the inside which puts me one more in the Christmas-card-stash plus side.  I don't think I've made so many Christmas cards so early in the year in my life!

There's snow at Addicted to CAS and snowflakes at Challenge Up Your Life.

Thanks for stopping by!  Our always-amazing Freshly Made Sketches design team has made some fabulous cards to inspire you to play along with us.  We hope you'll join us in the gallery!

Supplies
Stamps:  Mixed Media Elements (Stamplorations); December Typed Words (Papertrey Ink)
Paper:  Whisper White, Vellum (Stampin' Up!); silver glimmer (Recollections)
Ink:  Silvery Shimmer (Delicata); Onyx Black (Versafine)
Accessories:  Snowflake Trio die (a.must studio); Let It Snowflake Too die (My Favorite Things); silver cord (Stampin' Up!); clear embossing powder

CAS(E) This Sketch 404

My card for the latest CAS(E) This Sketch challenge did not quite end up as I envisioned but I love it all the same!

I started out wanting to make a one layer card.  I intended that the dotted circle be split in the middle by some white space.  I used some frisket film to mask off that white space then happily inked up the stamp in the colors of the Color Throwdown challenge.  But when I went to peel off the frisket film it was a bit too sticky and it peeled off layers from my card base. 😡So to cover up the mistake I added a layer and stamped the sentiment on it.

Thanks for stopping by!  CAS(E) This Sketch is ending soon 😢 so we'd love to see you play along with us.

Supplies
Stamps:  Bitty Burst Turnabout (Concord & 9th); Scripty Sayings (Gina K Designs)
Ink:  Parrot, Magenta (Altenew); Pacific Point (Stampin' Up!); Onyx Black (Versafine)

Freshly Made Sketches 468

Hi all!  It's Wednesday so that means we've got a new challenge at Freshly Made Sketches.  Our hostess this week is Linda and her great sketch got my card growing and growing!

So I got it in my head that I wanted to use a particular stamp on that small horizontal layer.  But I couldn't get it to fit it onto a layer that fit a regular A2 card.   So I had to keep increasing the size of the card so that I could accommodate a bigger layer that fit the stamp.  I finally found the sweet spot- yay - but I think the final card is something north of 5 inches square!  

The colors of my card come from the challenge at The Paper Players.  Originally I wasn't sure that I could make those colors work together but eventually I figured out that the stamp I used made it easy to combine them.

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies
Stamps:  Wreath Turnabout (Concord & 9th); Keep It  Simple Sympathy (Papertrey Ink)
Paper:  Solar White (Neenah); Premium White (Catherine Pooler); Blueberry Sky (Papertrey Ink)
Ink:  So Saffron, Blackberry Bliss (Stampi' Up!); Bluberry Sky (Papertrey Ink); Only Black (Versafine)

CAS(E) This Sketch 403

We're starting the year at CAS(E) This Sketch with a great sketch and some news.  January will mark the end of this amazing creative journey we've loved since 2012.  CAS(E) This Sketch will be ending at the end of January. 😞  I'm so sad but I'm also thankful to have been part of this amazing design team.

I decided to go retro with my images and chose this great modern flower for some background color.  Then I really went retro and dug out my paper crimper - remember those !!! - and created some texture for that horizontal layer.  The sentiment is new to me 😉

Chrissy asked me to join the CAS(E) This Sketch design team back in November 2015.  I can hardly believe it's been more than five years since I've been creating alongside this group of talented card makers and I've loved every minute of it.  I'm sure everyone who has joined us over the years has enjoyed it as well!

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies
Stamps:  Funky Florals (Papertrey Ink); Easy Expressions Birthday (The Ton)
Paper:  Whisper White, Powder Pink (Stampin' Up!)
Ink:  Frosty Pink, Coral Berry, Ruby Red (Altenew); Nocturne (VersaFine Clair)
Accessories:  Easy Expressions Birthday die (The Ton)

Fusion - Cocoa

I don't know why I keep making Christmas cards but I've made another one for our latest challenge at Fusion!  At least I'm padding my 2021 stash!  It's our first challenge of the year at Fusion and the theme is cocoa, but I chose to do the sketch combined with the colors of the inspiration photo.

 

That circle on the sketch got me thinking about a wreath and the colors got me thinking of kraft, brown, with a pop of red.  So I put together a one layer card using an old-favorite wreath stamp.  The two vertical layers on the sketch had me stymied for a bit but I ended up drawing some lines in brown to mimic ribbon behind the wreath.

Thanks for stopping by!  My fellow Fusion teammates have made some fantastic cards for our challenge so be sure to check them out!

Supplies
Stamps:  Wreath For All Seasons (Papertrey Ink)
Paper:  Desert Storm (Neenah)
Ink:  Dark Chocolate, Pure Poppy (Papertrey Ink); Chocolate Chip marker (Stampin' Up!)

Freshly Made Sketches 467

After a short holiday hiatus we are back at Freshly Made Sketches for our first sketch of the year!  And I'm super excited about it because I'm the hostess!  I decided to go with a slimline design for a ton-in-cheek reason.  The new year is full of resolutions and many of them have to do with "slimming down."  So I thought maybe our cards needed a slim-down as well!

I bought a bunch of new supplies recently for making slimline cards so I've been busy trying them out.  This card uses a striped background die that was a little tricky to glue down, so I queried my stamping friends who gave me some suggestions to try.  I see some experimentation in my future!

Thanks for stopping by!  We're excited to start off the new year at Freshly Made Sketches and hope you are inspired to join us.  My fellow design team members have made some fantastic cards so I hope you'll play along!

Supplies
Stamps:  It's a Wrap (The Stamp Market); Easy Expressions Birthday (The Ton)
Paper:  Solar White (Neenah); Lemon Tart (Papertrey Ink); X-Press It Blending Card

Ink:  Nocturne (VersaFine Clair); Black Licorice (My Favorite Things); Copics

Accessories:  Candy Cane Stripes die (The Ton); Easy Expressions Birthday die (The Ton)

Global Design Project - Guest Designer

Happy new year - a few days late!  I haven't been active on my blog for a couple of weeks but you may have seen me around Instagram.  I've been busy adding to my crafty stash - not that I actually need anything - and I've been trying out some new things.  But using well-loved items that I've had for ages is also good for the soul!

Today I'm excited to join the design team at Global Design Project as their guest.  The challenge features some beautiful colors that made me think of flowers.

I didn't have the exact green and pink colors but what I did have is pretty close, I think.  The background is simply two layers of a diagonal coverplate die that I layered together and the flowers and leaves make a simple spray in corner.  My "thank you" card stash is just about depleted so I figured I better get going making some more!

I want to thank the design team at Global Design Project for inviting me to play along with them this week.  They are a crazy-talented team of crafters so it's a real treat to join them!

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies
Stamps:  Summer Silhouettes (Stampin' Up!); Simple Sentiments (Avery Elle)
Paper:  Whisper White, Night of Navy (Stampin' Up!); Mint Julep (Papertrey Ink)
Ink:  Sweet Blush (Papertrey Ink); Night of Navy (Stampin' Up!)
Accessories:  Diagonals Plaid Cover Up die (Lil' Inker Designs); Songbirds die (Papertrey Ink)