Freshly Made Sketches 602

So, the Monday holiday here in the US got me all messed up.  I woke up this morning thinking that it was Tuesday.  I was going to do this blog post when I got home from work - plenty of time before the Freshly Made Sketches post went live on Wednesday.  But after puttering around the kitchen getting ready for work I realized it was actually Wednesday!  So I'm a bit late with this post!

Kim is our hostess this week at Freshly Made Sketches and she's given us a fun sketch.  I didn't immediately think of a tag for that layer on the top half of the card, but once I saw the AAA Cards Challenge I realized a tag would work really well.  I used some bright washi tape on the tag and completed the decoration with a colorful sunflower.

Thanks for stopping by!  We've got some great inspiration for you at Freshly Made Sketches so I hope you check us out and join us in the gallery!

Supplies
Stamps:  Tons of Type (The Stamp Market)
Paper:  Solar White (Neenah); Daffodil Delight, Garden Green, Early Espresso (Stampin' Up!)
Ink:  Onyx Black (Versafine)
Accessories:  Tag Sale #5 die (Papertrey Ink); Sunflower die (My Favorite Things); Stitched Leaves die (My Creative Time); washi tape (Stampin' Up!); crochet thread

Freshly Made Sketches #480

Ok, full disclosure here.  Today we've got a new sketch challenge debuting at Freshly Made Sketches and Jen Brum is our hostess.  She designed a beautiful sketch with a beautiful curvy layer and I thought I'd try to get a little creative with that curve.  But I veered off...

First I decided that flipping the sketch would be the thing to do, then I decided a slimline card would be fun, then I decided that this skyline somehow mimicked the curvy line on the sketch.  By the time I was done my card bore little resemblance to the sketch but I was too far in to the project to change it.  For the background I sponged on some shades of yellow and orange and thought they might be a sunrise.  And the sentiment fit my emerging new-day theme.  

I wanted to scrap my project because I thought it was too far off from the sketch but my awesome teammates at Freshly Made Sketches encouraged me to post this card and Jen Brum, our hostess, told me to be a rebel and post it.  So here it is!

And at AAA card the challenge is "two quarters" which according to my math is the same as one-half.  I think that my skyline only takes up half of this card so I'm going to throw this up over there as well.

Thanks for stopping by!  I hope that my non-traditional take on the sketch will inspire you to see the sketch in new ways and that you'll play along with us at Freshly Made Sketches!

Supplies
Stamps:  New Day (Precious Remembrance Shop)
Paper:  Basic Black, Pumpkin Pie (Stampin' Up!); Bristol Smooth
Ink:  Fossilized Amber, Spiced Marmalade (Distress Oxide); Onyx Black (Versafine)
Accessories:  Slim Film City die (Mama Elephant)

Freshly Made Sketches #478

Alright folks - we've got a great new CAS sketch for you at Freshly Made Sketches.  This week is our hostess is my favorite pilot - and by that I mean CAPTAIN - Jennifer Timko!  👏👏👏

I went with a one-layer card and using the colors from the Sunday Stamps challenge inked up some leafy images along the bottom.  This in turn, was good to play along with the AAA challenge of Along the Edge.  

I added the butterfly at the last minute because I think the card needed a little something to finish it off.  I'm pleased at how it turned out!

Thanks for stopping by!  Please check out our challenge at Freshly Made Sketches and play along with us if you can!

Supplies
Stamps:  Pocket Silhouettes (Stampin' Up!); Beautiful Butterflies (Papertrey Ink)
Paper:  Whisper White (Stampin' Up!)
Ink:  Bamboo, Parrot (Altenew); Chocolate Chip (Stampin' Up!)

CAS(E) This Sketch 396

The fun sketch at CAS(E) This Sketch got me thinking about how I could fill up that background with something.  Then I remembered I have a "plaid" coverplate die that if cut twice then layered together in opposing directions would create a cool background.  So that's what I did.

I have been using this "joy" die a lot lately because...wait for it...it fills me with JOY!  I think I've also mostly cut it out of glimmer paper because that is even more joyful!  In this case the red glimmer letters and my maxi white background were also perfect for the challenge at AAA Cards.  

Thanks for stopping by!  My CAS(E) This Sketch teammates have made amazing cards with this sketch so be sure to check them out!

Supplies
Stamps:  Joy Stamp (The Stamp Market)
Paper:  Solar White (Neenah); red glimmer (Recollections)
Ink:  Onyx Black (Versafine)
Accessories:  Joy die (Concord & 9th); Diagonals Plaid Cover Up die (Lil' Inker Designs)

CAS(E) This Sketch 383

Hey there!  It's time for a new sketch from CAS(E) This Sketch!  I went far into my stamping vault for this one and used an old favorite flower die for my card.

A few days ago I was scrolling through my blog searching for a particular card that I made many years ago.  While I didn't find the card that I was looking for I did manage to reminisce about many cards that I had made and forgotten about.  A few cards used this fun floral stamp that I used on my card today.  I remember that when I got the stamp I was so in love with it that I used it frequently.  But then, for one reason or another, it got put in a drawer and I forgot about it - a short attention span is the problem, I suspect!  So I decided that floral stamp needed some love so I inked it up.  I made the card one-layer by drawing frames around the floral stamp and the sentiment.  I love doing that!

The challenge at AAA Cards is maxi white space with optional florals.  I think this passes muster!

Thanks for stopping by!  Check out our CAS(E) This Sketch challenge and all the wonderful cards our design team has made to inspire you to play along!

Supplies

Stamps:  Awesome Blossom, Give Thanks (The Alley Way Stamps)

Paper:  Whisper White (Stampin' Up!)

Ink:  Blush, Jet Black (Altenew); Copic Multiliner

CAS Colours & Sketches 360

I am pleased as punch that the ladies at CAS Colours & Sketches asked me to join them this month as their guest designer!  The first challenge is a color challenge so let's get to it!

I loved the sketch challenge at Sketch Saturday that debuted a couple of weeks ago.  Although the sketch challenge was technically "closed" I used the sketch anyway - must embrace inspiration no matter where it comes from!  And at AAA Cards there is a challenge right up my alley...Maxi White Space.  Ta daaa!

Thanks for stopping by!  And special thanks to CAS Colours & Sketches for inviting me along this month!

Supplies
Stamps:  Tiny Words (Simon Says Stamp)
Paper:  Solar White (Neenah); Call Me Clover, Mint Macaroon, Blushing Bride (Stampin' Up!)
Ink:  Nocturne (Versafine Clair)
Accessories:  Button Stacks die (Papertrey Ink)

CAS(E) This Sketch 330 Meets Fusion

Well here I go combining the latest challenges at CAS(E) This Sketch and Fusion!  Since it's July I decided to go with a Christmas theme! LOL!  I don't know how "Christmas in July" became a thing but I'm happy to jump on the bandwagon - especially if it helps me with my Christmas card stash. 😉

The Fusion inspiration is "ombre" so I started with this big "JOY" stamp and carefully sponged on some colors in shades of pink and red in ombre fashion.  Then to make sure I was following the CAS(E) This Sketch challenge I added a slim sentiment strip. Easy peasy!

There are a couple of other challenges that I played along with too.  AAA Cards is looking for "maxi" white space and Christmas and Watercooler Wednesday is an "all about occasions" challenge.  This was obviously a sign to dig out those Christmas stamps!

Thanks for stopping by!  My teammates at CAS(E) This Sketch and Fusion have made some amazing cards to inspire you to play along with our challenge!

Supplies
Stamps:  Joy (Concord & 9th); Stained Glass Greetings (Simon Says Stamp)
Paper:  Solar White (Neenah)
Ink:  Pink Pirouette, Pretty in Pink, Regal Rose, Strawberry Slush, Rose Red (Stampin' Up!)

Freshly Made Sketches 374

I learned a new word just in time for this week's Freshly Made Sketch challenge.  It's trypophobia and it is the fear of shapes!  This is relevant because our sketch hostess this week is the very talented Jen Brum and, as is well documented, she does not like circles.  So what does she do?  She faces those fears head on and designs a sketch with about a billion circles on it!  Way to go Jen!

For my part, I thought bokeh dots were the way to go...

There are love themed challenges all around blogland this week so I was able to play along with a few of them such as The Paper Players, AAA Cards, and Just Us Girls.  I'm not that confidant in my ability to do a decent watercolor background so I used some patterned paper that did the work for me.  I added my bokeh dots with some stencils and stamped a big old sentiment in the middle.  The idea for this card came to me when I was out walking on my lunch hour on Monday.  The temperatures were near 60-degrees which is a nice bonus in what are normally the coldest winter days around here.  I'm pretty sure the warm temperatures and the sunshine inspired my creativity!

Our Freshly Made Sketches design team have made some fantastic cards this week with this sketch.  I'm always amazed at where these sketches take us!  I hope you can play along with us this week!

Supplies
Stamps:  Love (Hero Arts)
Paper:  Solar White (Neenah); Watercolor Wash Brights (My Favorite Things)
Ink:  Frost White (Colorbox); Nocturne (Versafine Clair)
Accessories:  Bokeh Lights stencil (Simon Says Stamp)

O Holy Night

Recently I was inspired by a card I saw on Instagram to buy a nativity die.  That card was a sponged night-time background and the nativity scene was done in black so it would be a silhouette and I had every intention of CASEing that card for my own personal stash.  But then I saw the "mostly white" challenge at AAA Cards and thought that might be an interesting look with that die.  So I got to work!

My bad photography aside this card is really pretty in real life.  The white on white design is a great look and the the star shining in the east was die cut in glitter paper so it has some great shine.

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies

Paper:  Solar White (Neenah); Dazzling Diamonds Glimmer (Stampin' Up!)

Accessories:  NativityScape die (SugarPea Designs)

Freshly Made Sketches 345

Hello hello!  We're back at Freshly Made Sketches with a brand new challenge this week designed by little ol' me!  I used a tilted layer *gasp* in the sketch so I hope you like it!

I decided to make a Christmas card with a kraft card base (one of my Christmas faves) and finally inked up this stamp set that I've had for at least a couple of years.  That's my cool-dude Santa!

The Jingle Bells challenge is looking for stars and stripes this time around and I used a bit of both here and at AAA Cards it's Christmas in July.  It's kind of fun to think of snowy things when it's 90-degrees outside!

Thanks for stopping by!  And I hope that you will join us at Freshly Made Sketches this week!

Supplies
Stamps:  Tis the Season (Essentials by Ellen)
Paper:  Desert Storm (Neenah); Riding Hood Red (Stampin' Up!); Marker Paper (Strathmore); Heidi Swapp patterned paper
Ink:  Black Licorice (My Favorite Things); Nocturne (Versafine Clair); White (WPlus9); Polychromos pencils
Accessories:  white embossing powder

CAS(E) This Sketch 276

It's time for a brand new sketch at CAS(E) This Sketch!  That background of floating stars really had me thinking a lot about how to interpret them.  First I thought I'd go literal and use some stars (not very original), then I thought about flowers along a vine.  I ended up going with something completely different!

There is a geometric challenge at AAA Cards and a rainbow challenge at Addicted to CAS so I thought I'd combine those two with our CAS(E) This Sketch challenge.  The grid image provided the perfect background for some rainbow colored squares.  I chose a random pattern to color the little squares to mimic the random pattern of the stars on the sketch.  And finally I topped it all off with this bold sentiment.

Thanks for stopping by!  My friends at CAS(E) This Sketch have made some fantastic cards to inspire you this week so I hope you will play along with us!

Supplies
Stamps:  All About You (My Favorite Things); Distressed Grid (Creative Embellishments)
Paper:  Solar White (Neenah); White (Catherine Pooler); Black Licorice (My Favorite Things)
Ink:  Nocturne (Versafine Clair); Black Licorice (My Favorite Things); Copics
Accessories:  You Trio die (My Favorite Things)

CAS(E) This Sketch 264

It's Thursday so that means it's time for a new sketch from CAS(E) This Sketch.  The horizontal blocks put me in mind of my brick wall stencil.

Sometimes uber CAS is just what the doctor ordered.  Here I was helped along by the AAA Cards challenge to use just one third of the card front.  I chose to use green as my accent color so I could play along with the CAS-ual Fridays challenge.

Thanks for stopping by!  And head on over to CAS(E) This Sketch to see the amazing cards from the design team.  I hope you can play along with us! 

Supplies
Stamps:  Totally Awesome (Essentials by Ellen)
Paper:  Solar White (Neenah); Old Olive (Stampin' Up!)
Ink:  Old Olive (Stampin' Up!)
Accessories:  Mini Bricks stencil (The Crafters Workshop); Positive Word die (Essentials by Ellen); white embossing paste (Dreamweaver)

CAS(E) This Sketch 260

Hello hello!  It's time for a new challenge at CAS(E) This Sketch!  I was intrigued by this challenge. I'm sure you will be too!

I loved the idea of using a big die cut sentiment on my card but opted to give it a bit of a background too.  Since my "pow" sentiment was a superhero sentiment I continued that theme with some "bam" bubbles behind it. It's like I'm speaking another language!

The color challenge at Just Us Girls intrigued me so I played along there as well.  My enamel dots are the "kraft" element of the challenge even though they look quite green in the picture!  And at AAA cards they are looking for die cuts only!  Pow!  Done!

Thanks for stopping by!  Don't forget to check out the inspiration from my CAS(E) This Sketch teamies.  We'd love to see you in the gallery!

Supplies
Paper:  Solar White (Neenah); Hawaiian Shores (Papertrey Ink); Purely Pomegranate (Stampin' Up!); Perfectly Plaid Rainbow (Lawn Fawn)
Accessories:  Bam Bubbles die (Paper Smooches); Pow Zap Bam die (Frantic Stamper); enamel dots (My Mind's Eye)

Freshly Made Sketches 316

I'm pretty sure that I've been making Christmas cards non-stop for the last gazillion weeks!  I've actually had enough and this is the last Christmas card that [I think] I'm going to share in 2017.  Never say never, but I think I've got enough cards to cover my entire mailing list so I hope to turn to to other themes now.  BUT, I've got this one last Christmas card to share inspired by the latest challenge at Freshly Made Sketches.  This week our design was created by Jen Timko and I am sure that you are going to love it.  It's got a wide open panel that is up for anything that your creative juices can think of.

My creative juices came up with this big sentiment that stretches across that wide open panel.  The edges of my card are full of glitter (paper) and I added a few sequins to make sure that this card was super sparkly in real life. 

The colors for my card were inspired by the Cupcake Inspirations Challenge and they are looking for Christmas at AAA Cards so I'll be adding this over there as well.

Thanks for stopping by.  And I hope our Freshly Made Sketches design team will inspire you to play along with us!

Supplies
Stamps:  Fa La La (Simon Says Stamp)
Paper:  Solar White (Neenah); Black Licorice (My Favorite Things); Pool Party (Stampin' Up!); glitter cardstock (Recollections)
Ink:  Pool Party (Stampin' Up)!
Accessories:  Fa La La die (Simon Says Stamp); Christmas Couture Mix sequins (The Ton)