Freshly Made Sketches 434

I'm on a recurring theme of being late with my DT posts.  (:  So here I am with my card for our latest challenge at Freshly Made Sketches.  Our hostess and challenge designer is Linda.  I took her sketch and made a Mother's Day card.

All those layers actually gave me some pause.   I tossed around the idea to use some patterned paper for the two background layers but I really wanted to use this beautiful flower stamp and didn't want anything else to overpower those images. So I opted to use some white cardstock for those layers to let the morning glories to be the star of the card.  

I love the morning glories in my garden - the only problem is the resident woodchuck loves them too. Boo.  At CAS on Friday they are looking for a favorite flower.  These are a favorite of mine....and the woodchuck.

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies

Stamps:  Morning Glory (Altenew); Keep It Simple Mother (Papertrey Ink)

Paper:  Whisper White (Stampin' Up!)

Ink:  Frosty Pink, Coral Berry, Ruby Red, Olive, Moss (Altenew); Onyx Black (Versafine)

CAS(E) This Sketch 345

Our newest sketch at CAS(E) This Sketch was incredibly CAS.  Even though I'm all about CAS, it still gave me a bit of trouble!  I was able to pick out a sentiment that I wanted to use right away but I was left with a lot of blank space that troubled me because it seemed too blank.  I pondered how to fill it without compromising the simplicity of the sketch.

I ended up using a stamp set that had three kings - those magi - and I stamped them subtly using Versamark ink.  I then embossed them with matte clear embossing powder so that they would apppear in the background but not overpower the sentiment.  It's an interesting look and I'm pleased with how it looks in real life.  I did manage to squeak in another challenge because at CAS on Friday they are looking for a big sentiment.

Thanks for stopping by!  My fellow teammates at CAS(E) This Sketch have really out-done themselves with this sketch so be sure to check them out.  We hope you'll join us in the gallery!

Supplies

Stamps:  Three Kings (Penny Black)

Paper:  Soft Stone (Papertrey Ink)

Ink:  Versamark; Onyx Black (Versafine)
Accessories:  clear matte embossing powder

Freshly Made Sketches 398

Helloo!  It's time for a new challenge at Freshly Made Sketches!  This week our hostess is Cècile and can I just say that I was in love with her sketch as soon as I saw it!

I used a stencil and embossing paste to make those angled lines then put a daisy on top.  Done!  My daisy was inspired by the challenge at Addicted to CAS and those lines were inspired by the stencil challenge at CAS on Friday. 

Thanks for stopping by!  Our Freshly Made Sketches design team have created some fantastic cards with this sketch so be sure to check them out.  I hope you'll join us in the gallery!

Supplies
Paper:  Solar White (Neenah); Summer Starfruit (Stampin' Up!)
Accesssories:  Daisy die (La-La Land Crafts); Stripes stencil (Tim Holtz); white embossing paste (Dreamweaver); enamel dot (My Mind's Eye)

CAS(E) This Sketch 329

Happy Independence Day to all my American friends!  I hope you are enjoying a day off work, some hamburgers and hot dogs in the back yard, and all the fireworks you can handle!

Today is also the debut of a new sketch from CAS(E) This Sketch!  The sketch has three rectangles on it which gave me an excuse to dip into my never-ending supply of patterned paper.

I was also inspired by the light and airy colors at CAS on Friday and so arranged my rectangles in those colors in a mix of patterned paper and colored card stock.  I added a simple birthday sentiment and this card was done!  Easy peasy!  I celebrate those cards because they don't happen all that often!

My fellow CAS(E) This Sketch teammies have made some amazing cards with this sketch so be sure to check them out!  I hope you'll join us in the gallery!

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies
Stamps:  Sentimental Birthday (Winnie & Walter)
Paper:  Solar White (Neenah); Pool Party, So Saffron, Bermuda Bay, Walk in the Park DSP, Welcome Neighbor DSP (Stampin' Up!)
Ink:  Bermuda Bay (Stamin' Up!)

CAS(E) This Sketch 295 Meets Fusion

It's that Thursday on the calendar when I get to mix two of my favorite challenges.  Sometimes it's not easy to combine the sketch at CAS(E) This Sketch (this week designed by Chrissy) with the inspiration at Fusion but I somehow manage to do it!  This time around the combination was a bit of a stumper for me but I persevered until I made someting  I liked!

What I really wanted to do with those three stripes on the sketch was stamp them with a wood grain patterned image to echo the wood grain pieces in the inspiration photo.  But I didn't have a wood grain stamp in my stash!  So I opted for some simple slashed lines then stamped the wreath overlapping them.  The berries on the wreath were stamped in yellow, orange, and rust colors to capture the feel of that photo.  Clean and Simple on Friday is looking for fall cards so I'll be adding this over there too!

Thanks for stopping by!  We've got a great sketch at CAS(E) This Sketch for you and at Fusion you've got your choice of a sketch or some inspiration or both if you've got a mind to it!  Whatever you choose I hope to see you in those galleries!

Supplies
Stamps:  Wreath For All Seasons (Papertrey Ink); Fall Colors (Precious Remembrance)
Paper:  Classic Ivory (Flourishes)
Ink:  Early Espresso, Cajun Craze, Crushed Curry, Pumpkin Pie, Sahara Sand (Stampin' Up!)

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!)

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 269 Meets Fusion

All the stars aligned for my card this week for CAS(E) This Sketch and Fusion.   I loved the colors of the Fusion inspiration and the sketch at CAS(E) This Sketch was perfect for a brand new stamp set that I got last week!  So combine them all I did.  Take a look:

And if those two challenges weren't enough at House of Cards they want a floral corner, CAS on Friday is looking for black, white, and pink and Where Creativity Meets C9 it's all about spring!   My new turnabout stamp fits in the corner just so and the pink colors say spring to me!  I incorporated several shades of pink plush a dash of silver to make this extra special.  It is a Mother's Day card after all!

Thanks for stopping by!  We'd love it if you joined us at CAS(E) This Sketch and Fusion.  My fellow design teammates have made some GORGEOUS cards to inspire you to play along with us!

Supplies

Stamps:  Wreath Turnabout (Concord & 9th); Keep it Simple:  Mother (Papertrey Ink)

Paper:  Solar White (Neenah); White (Catherine Pooler)

Ink:  Pink Pirouette, Pretty in Pink, Regal Rose (Stampin' Up!); Silvery Shimmer Delicata (Tsukineko); Jet Black (Altenew)

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)

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)

CAS(E) This Sketch 245

Yesterday I made this card using particular colors that called to mind Halloween.  Well today I've got another card using those same colors but it is the exact opposite of Halloween!  This is my card for the latest sketch from CAS(E) This Sketch.

About halfway through making this card I realized that I had used the colors for the latest challenge at Just Us Girls again, but the end result is totally different from the card I had made using the same colors yesterday.  That's the beauty of a color challenge!!  I used a beautiful stamp set from Altenew to create this floral design.  I love how their layering stamps make it so easy to create an image with such depth.  They are looking for floral cards at CAS on Friday so I'll be adding this over there as well.

Thanks for stopping by.  I hope you can join us at CAS(E) This Sketch this week.  We'd love to see you in the gallery!

Supplies
Stamps:  Peony Bouquet (Altenew); Scripty Greetings (The Ton)
Paper:  White (Catherine Pooler)
Ink:  Soft Lilac, Lavender Fields, Deep Iris, Midnight Violet, Frayed Leaf, Forest Glades, Jet Black (Altenew)
Accessories:  Lavender Moon sequins (Pretty Pink Posh)

Freshly Made Sketches 309

Halfway through October and it's no surprise that Halloween themes are in full swing (judging by some of the challenges I've been checking out, that is).  This week I've combined the fantastic sketch from Freshly Made Sketches (courtesy of Linda) with a few other Halloween-themed challenges.

No one was more shocked than me that I was able to capably sponge a decent looking Halloween-ish moon!  I've been experimenting with my Distress Oxide inks and some different papers and I think I've found a combination that works for me.  Finally, I feel like I can sponge colors without getting weird, unwanted streaks from the actual sponge!

Originally I intended this card to be a shaker but once I started putting it together I realized that the bits from the shaker would take away from the cool bat so I nixed that idea.  The bat and the sentiment are from an old Stampin' Up! set that I'm pretty sure I bought strictly because I loved both of them!  It's one of those stamp sets that I'll never get rid of!  The Paper Players are looking for CAS Spooky this week and CAS on Friday wants Halloween so I'm adding this card to both.

Thanks for stopping by!  And don't forget our latest challenge at Freshly Made Sketches.  Our design team has got some fantastic cards for your inspiration.  I hope you'll join us in the gallery!

Supplies
Stamps:  Autumn Apparitions (Stampin' Up!)
Paper:  Black Licorice (My Favorite Things); Strathmore Marker Paper
Ink:  Fossilized Amber, Spiced Marmalade (Distress Oxide)
Accessoies:  black embossing powder, white embossing powder

CAS(E) This Sketch 237

Meow.  That is all.

Actually, that is not all!  It's time for a new challenge at CAS(E) This Sketch and I really wanted to do a fun design with some fun shapes with Chrissy's uber cool sketch but after looking through my stamps I was not very inspired.  Then I happened upon this cat themed stamp set from Concord & 9th (that I think is retired) and my MEOW was born.

Now in case you didn't figure it out, the lines radiating from the seniment are whiskers!  Cat whiskers, that is!  Before I started combing my stamping stash for some ideas on images I had seen the color challenge at CAS-ual Fridays, which is a very simple Kraft and White.  I didn't think I could pull that off with this sketch so I kept on looking for other inspiration.  I also noted that there was a One Layer challenge going on at CAS on Friday.  These two challenges must have been forefront on my brain as I started perusing my stash because as soon as I saw this stamp set with that sentiment I knew I could use those colors and create an embossed sentiment in white and then frame it with the whiskers in kraft and I'd have a fun take on the sketch!

For those of you who don't know I have two kitties myself.  They are my stamping buddies and their job is to supply the cat fur that invariably gets stuck inadvertenly to every card that I make.  I also like to post pictures of them on Facebook, just like every other proud pet-mama.  Well I happen to have an uncle that pretends to hate cats and is always following up my FB posts with some rude comment about my cats.  I responded last year by giving him a framed picture of my two kitties for Christmas.  He promptly put the picture in his bathroom (posting a picture of it on FB for all his friends to see).  All this in a round-a-bout way of saying that I think that I will send him this card for this birthday.  It's fun to keep our little "war" going!

Well, that's it for me.  A bit long winded don't you think?  Thanks for sticking around for my little story.  And don't forget that all important new challenge at CAS(E) This Sketch.  We'd love to see you play along with us!

Supplies
Stamps:  You Crazy Cat (Concord & 9th)
Paper:  Crumb Cake (Stampin' Up!)
Ink:  Versarmark; Crumb Cake (Stampin' Up!)
Accessories:  white embossing powder