Pinks & Pearls

I'm excited to share that I am the guest designer at As You See It for their Pinks & Pearls challenge.  It seems that the design team over there liked one of my cards recently and invited me to be a guest designer!  I always get a goosebump or two when I get recognized for one of my cards!

It's no secret that I tend to gravitate towards clean and simple cards so I love a challenge that has got lots of elements to it.  I get to stretch my creative wings!  For my card I embossed the background and sponged on some color to give it a little depth.  Then I added two layers cut with a deckle die set in shades of pink.  The top layer was cut in white with the same deckle die and sponged on the edges to create an aged look.  Then it was stamped with a simple branch.  The blossoms on the branch were colored with different shades of pink.  I added a few pearls and I was done!  I love how this came out!

Thanks again to the design team at As You See It for inviting me to play along with them!

Supplies
Stamps:  Artfully Asian (Stampin' Up!)
Paper:  Whisper White, Rose Red, Pink Pirouette (Stampin' Up!)
Ink:  Crumb Cake, Rose Red, Regal Rose, Strawberry Slush, Pink Pirouette (Stampin' Up!)
Accessories:  Weathered embossing folder (Taylored Expressions); Deckled Rectangle dies (Spellbinders); Basic Peals (Stampin' Up!)

Freshly Made Sketches 572

Hi all!  It's Wednesday, so that means we've got a new sketch for you at Freshly Made Sketches!  Our hostess is Linda and those big circles on her sketch turned into dahlias on my card!

This dahlia stamp set is very tricky to try and layer but after several years of trying, I think I've finally got it down!  For my card I used blues on the flowers and reds on the background, both inspired by the color challenge at As You See It Challenge.  That horizontal layer is actually some ombre glimmer paper and it is so pretty in real life!

Thanks for stopping by!  My fellow Freshly Made Sketches design team friends have made amazing cards with this sketch so be sure to check them out!

Supplies
Stamps:  Delightful Delightful Additions (Papertrey Ink); Simple Sentiments (Avery Elle)
Paper: Whisper White, In Color Glimmer Paper2022-2024 (Simply Sentiment)
Ink:  Iceberg, Eastern Sky, Ultramarine, Azurite (Altenew)'; Onyx Black (Versafine)

CAS(E) This Sketch 392

I love to use old stamps that have been in my stash for a long time.  They need love too!  So this week for my CAS(E) This Sketch card I dug deep into the stash and found these leafy images that were perfect for the sketch.

I used some traditional colors of fall for my leafy images and added a little natural twine too.   At As You See It the challenge is about stitching so I added a few stitched layers - woo hoo for stitched dies!

Thanks for stopping by!  

Stamps:  Pocket Silhouettes (Stampin' Up!); Simple Sentiments (Avery Elle)
Paper:  Very Vanilla, Old Olive (Stampin' Up!)
Ink:  Crumb Cake, Chocolate Chip, Dusty Durango, Old Olive (Stampin' Up!)
Accessories:  Blueprints 13 die, Slanted Sentiment Strips die (My Favorite Things); Linen Thread (Stampin' Up!)

CAS(E) This Sketch 338 Meets Fusion

It's that time again when my design teams collide and I try to combine the sketch challenge at CAS(E) This Sketch with the inspiration at Fusion.  Fall was definitely on my mind when I sat at my desk to make my card.  And I was helped along by a couple of other challenges too.  How accommodating the crafty world is!

I loved the fall street scene in the Fusion photo so I dug into my extensive stash of leafy dies and chose one that had leaves just the right size.  I got a bit sidetracked by colors and decided to use the ones from the As You See It Challenge - I love how the gold contrasts with the shades of green and teal.   Then I got sidetracked once again by the "splash something on your card" challenge at Just Us Girls!  I see a pattern here!  So, I splashed some color behind those leaves.

Well that's it for me today!  Thanks for stopping by!  There are two great challenges on the block:  CAS(E) This Sketch and Fusion.  I hope you have time to check them out! 

Supplies
Stamps:  Gorgeous Grunge (Stampin' Up!); Scripty Sayings (Gina K)
Paper:  Solar White (Neenah); Tempting Turquoise, More Mustard (Stampin' Up!)
Ink:  Coastal Cabana, More Mustard (Stampin' Up!); Onyx Black (Versafine)
Accessories:  Leaves die (Impression Obsession)

Freshly Made Sketches 386

Apologies, apologies.  I'm so late with my post today!!  I almost didn't make it this week for my Freshly Made Sketches card.  Between late nights at work and silly mistakes on my design that set me back a day I thought for sure that having this card ready for an early morning post on Wednesday would be impossible.  And I was right!  I actually fell asleep while attempting to write this post Tuesday night! But here I am and ready to go for Jen Brum's design which really got my design wheels turning.

It might be hard to see in the picture but that topmost angled layer is actually embossing paste in a striped pattern.  Although my first thought when I saw the sketch was to use patterned paper for that layer I happened to see the challenge at Addicted to CAS where the cue word is "contrast" so I thought I'd play along by keeping my background white and adding pops of color for some....contrast!  The colors come from the latest challenge at As You See It.  It's always fun when I can combine three challenges into one card!

Thanks for stopping by!  I appreciate your visit even though I'm late to the party.  And, of course, my Freshly Made Sketches teammates have got some fantastic cards to get your creative juices flowing so I hope to see you in the gallery!

Supplies
Stamps:   Wallpaper Art (Altenew)
Paper:  Solar White (Neenah); X-Press It Blending Card
Ink:  Black Licorice (My Favorite Things); Copics
Accessories:  Diagonal Stripe stencil (Simon Says Stamp); white embossing paste (Dreamweaver)

CAS(E) This Sketch 310 Meets Fusion

I had a lot of fun combining the sketch at CAS(E) This Sketch with the rainbow challenge at Fusion.  The sketch gave me the perfect opportunity to layer the ROYGBIV colors of the rainbow and top it off with this on-a-line die cut sentiment.

At As You See It Challenge they are looking for the answer to what I think is simple.  Well, that's simple!  It's white space and a focal image that is bold and maybe dramatic.  For this card I love how the bold colors only take up the bottom of the card leaving all that glorious white space!

Thanks for stopping by!  I love these two challenges and I'd love it if you played along with us.  There's a great sketch challenge at CAS(E) This Sketch and at Fusion you've got a sketch and/or an inspiration to choose from!

Supplies
Stamps:  Hand Lettered Hello )WPlus9)
Paper:  Solar White (Neenah); Vintage Violet, Daffodil Delight, Pumpkin Pie, Real Red (Stampin' Up); Green Parakeet, Enchanted Evening, Dark Indigo (Papertrey Ink)
Accessories: Die of the Month May 2018 (Spellbinders)

Freshly Made Sketches 357

It's hard to believe it's October already but the calendar doesn't lie!  So to start off October I've got a new card to show you for our latest challenge at Freshly Made Sketches.  Cécile is our hostess this week and her sketch, at first glance, made me go hmmmm.

I think it was that vertical sentiment that initially gave me pause but once I got going on my card I loved that design element.  I chose the colors from the As You See It Challenge and combined the Diamond cue word at Addicted to CAS to create this.  Rather than add an additional layer for the sentiment I stamped these thoughtful words then drew lines around them with a Copic Multiliner pen to give the illusion of another layer.  For the diamonds I sponged colors through a stencil.

My Freshly Made Sketches teamies have created some beautiful cards with this sketch and I am sure they will inspire you to play along with us.

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies

Stamps:  Many Thanks (Simon Says Stamp)

Paper:  Solar White (Neenah); White (Spectrum Noir); Enchanted Evening (Papertrey Ink); Lemon Lime Twist (Stampin' Up!)

Ink:  Lemon Lime Twist, Bermuda Bay (Stampin' Up!); Enchanted Evening (Papertrey Ink); Nocturne (Versafine Clair)

Accessories:  Texture Diamond stencil (Memory Box)

Freshly Made Sketches 355

Well hello!  It's time for a new challenge at Freshly Made Sketches.  This week our sketch is brought to you from Kim.  I went back to basics for this one!

I've been feeling very much like I'm in a card-making slump lately.  Compared to the artistic creations I see from my fellow cardmakers my cards are sorely lacking.  So I decided to go back through some past cards of mine to see if I could dig up some inspiration.  What I found was that back in the old days I cleverly combined layers with patterned paper and texture.  That may not be as interesting as a watercolor background or some expertly colored images, but those cards made me smile.  So I tried to invoke those roots with this card while simultaneously playing along the "back to basics" challenge at As You See It and using the colors from Just Us Girls.

I used Kim's excellent sketch to use some old patterned paper and an embossing folder as my background for the flower.  I cut one of the die cut flowers and used the dainty outline then cut it again and kept the insides of the flower petals.  I layered the two together, embossed the sentiment on a slim black layer, and I was done.

Thanks for stopping by!  My Freshly Made Sketches teamies have got some great cards to inspire you to play along with us this week.  I hope we'll see you in the gallery!

Supplies
Stamps:  Thank You Kindly (Stampin' Up!)
Paper:  Basic Gray, Calypso Coral, Urban Garden DSP (Stampin' Up!); Black Licorice (My Favorite Things); Solar White (Neenah)
Ink:  White (WPlus9)
Accessories:  Tilth Floral die (Memory Box); Cracked embossing folder (Tim Holtz); enamel dots (Freckled Fawn); crochet thread

Freshly Made Sketches 344

First things first:  I want to wish all my American friends a very happy, fun, and festive Independence Day! 

Right now I am smack-dab in the middle of a big ol' heat wave...and I have to confess that I'm loving it!  People who know me know that winter (and especially snow) is not my thing but turn up the heat and I'm in my glory!  Today marks day four of our 90+ degree days and we've got a few more before we "cool off" to somewhere in the 80s.  But don't get me wrong...I'm not complaining! 

Today we've got a brand new challenge at Freshly Made Sketches.  Our sketch is designed by Cécile and I love that angled layer!

I also love the colors at As You See It so I combined the sketch and colors to make this pretty butterfly card.  It's been a while since I've used this particular stamp set.  Those butterflies are gorgeous and I don't know why I've neglected it so long!  I dabbed color on the solid part of the butterflies with a sponge dauber which makes the stamped image lighter and allows me to use the second layered image with the ink at full strength so the contrast shows up.  That's a tip that I got from my friend Amy O'Neill and it's in my top 10 list of best stamping tricks!

Thanks for stopping by!  The Freshly Made Sketches design team has created some beautiful cards with this wonderful sketch so be sure to check it out and join us in the gallery!

Supplies
Stamps:  Painted Butterflies (Altenew)
Paper:  Classic Ivory (Flourishes); Black Licorice (My Favorite Things); Crushed Curry (Stampin' Up!); Berry Sorbet (Papertrey Ink)
Ink:  Berry Sorbet (Papertrey Ink); Crushed Curry (Stampin' Up!); White (WPlus9); Nocturne (Versamark Clair)
Accessories:  enamel dots (My Mind's Eye); white embossing powder

Freshly Made Sketches 299!

Well here we are again at Wednesday!  Why is it that the days motor on like Speedy Gonzales?  I wish they would slow down because I've got loads of things to do and not enough time to do them!  But enough of that.  Freshly Made Sketches day is, of course, Wednesday and we've got a great sketch by Kim this week.

How's that for a fabulous sketch!  I spent a lot of time thinking about this sketch and how I was going to do those vertical elements.  Luckily I found this unique challenge at As You See It that asked about what  you do when your crafting mojo deserts you.  Well for me, I like to CASE myself.  I find a card that I particularly like and re-work it a bit.  That's how I got my inspiration for todays card:  by CASEing a card I made about a year ago.  I used the same stencil and the same basic sentiment.  Just changed up the layout.  There's a "beach" challenge going on at Cupcake Inspirations that gave me my colors.  I used Sahara Sand and Baja Breeze, both pretty beachy colors!

Thanks for stopping by and you will be wowed, for sure, at the cards the Freshly Made Sketches design team has made for this challenge so be sure to check them out.  I hope we'll see you in the gallery!

Supplies
Stamps:  Awesome (Neat & Tangled)
Paper:  Solar White (Neenah); Baja Breeze (Stampin' Up!)
Ink:  Sahara Sand, Baja Breeze (Stampin' Up!)
Accessories:  Awesome die (Neat & Tangled); Chevron Pattern stencil (Simon Says Stamp); Wink of Stella

Seriously Fabulous

I'm not sure how this happened but I found myself with some free time Sunday night and I managed to make it into my craft room and actually make a couple of cards.  One I'll be posting later in the week but the other is right here!

I made this for the sketch at As You See It using the colors at CAS-ual Fridays and it was super easy to put together.  Once I found an appropriate circle stamp, that is.

Short and sweet for me today.  Thanks so much for stopping by!

Supplies
Stamps:  Fonds Grunge (4enscrap); Brushed Cheers (The Ton)
Paper:  White (Spectrum Noir); Hawaiin Shores (Papertrey Ink)
Ink:  Basic Gray (Stampin' Up!); Hawaiin Shores (Papertrey Ink)
Accessories:  Seriously die (Lil' Inker Designs); enamel dew drops (Freckled Fawn)

Hugs & Kisses

I consider it very fortunate that my at-home schedule has recently given me some extra time to venture into my crafty space and make some cards just for fun.  I'm sure no one will blame me if that "extra time" comes at the expense of not doing a little dusting!  So let's get to my card for today.

The sketch at As You See It, along with the "heart" challenge at CAS on Sunday, and the "plaid" challenge at Cupcake Inspirations collide with my card.

And can I just say how much I love the inspiration photo for the Cupcake Inspirations challenge.  When I was a teenager I had a skirt and jacket outfit that was the exact plaid of the cupcake wrapper in that photo and it was one of my favorite things to wear!  And it just so happens that I recently got a pack of patterned paper that has a couple of plaid patterns in it so I just knew that it was a sign that I had to play along in that challenge!  The plaids may be different but the "sentiment" is the same!

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies
Stamps:  I {Heart} Hearts (Stampin' Up!); Fancy Word Coordinates (Reverse Confetti)
Paper:  Cloud White, True Love (Reverse Confetti)
Ink:  Sweet Blush, Smokey Shadow (Papertrey Ink)
Accessories:  Heart to Heart Extra Large punch (Stampin' Up!); crochet thread

Just Saying Hello

No one was more surprised than me that I had some extra time this weekend to make a card for a few challenges.  I'm trying to be organized and get most of my cards done for the week before the Patriots vs. Steelers game tonight and so far so good.

This card uses the colors from Color Throwdown, the sketch at As You See It (back after a little an unplanned hiatus!) and my butterfly is a nod to the flutter challenge at Inkspirational.

That's it for me.  I'm simultaneously super excited and super scared for the football game tonight.  It's going to be a good one!  Go Pats!

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies
Stamps:  Painted Butterflies (Altenew)
Paper:  Basic Gray, Crumb Cake, Going Gray, Urban Garden DSP, Crumb Cake DSP (Stampin' Up!); White (Spectrum Noir)
Ink:  Grapevine, Ruby Red (Altenew); Basic Gray (Stampin' Up!)
Accessories:  Painted Butterflies die (Altenew); Labels Two die (Spellbinders); Sentimental Strips 2 die (My Favorite Things); enamel dots (Freckled Fawn)

colourQ 352!

It's July 26th.  How in the world did July go by so fast?  Before I know it, I'll be putting on heavy sweaters and shoveling snow.  Boo.  But waaayyyy before that happens I've got a new card to show you that I made for the latest colourQ challenge!

I got a new floral stamp set recently and thought the images in it would look good with the sketch at As You See It.  These flowers are so pretty and I wish I had stamped a few more!  There's a birthday challenge at Can You Case It so I inked up a birthday sentiment from a set I bought ages ago and never used before!  #NBUS

Well that's it for me today.  Short and sweet.  I've been doing a project at work that has my brain fried and my body exhausted every day so I've not been very diligent about keeping up with my blog visiting and commenting.  So if it's been a while since I've popped in to your blog, I apologize sincerely.  I appreciate each and every visitor to my blog and look forward to reading your comments and it pains me greatly that I haven't returned the favor lately.  Hopefully soon, I'll be back to a regular schedule!

Supplies
Stamps:  Floral Sketches (Papertrey Ink); Celebrate Big (My Favorite Things)
Paper:  White (Spectrum Noir); So Saffron, Rich Razzleberry (SU)
Ink:  So Saffron, Pumpkin Pie, Rose Red, Rich Razzleberry (SU)
Accessories:  Festive Fall sequins (Neat & Tangled)