Freshly Made Sketches 569

Hi friends!  We've got a new sketch for you today at Freshly Made Sketches!  Our hostess this week is Jacquie and I love how her sketch makes so many designs possible.

My card took many twists and turns this week!  I started out wanting to use a beautiful stenciled flower image, but the image was too big to fit on a landscape oriented card.  I thought about changing it to portrait, but the proportions of the layers would be wrong so I scrapped that idea.  So I went back and increased the scale and found myself with a giant 6 x 6 card.  Still I was not happy so I did what any crafter would do....I slept on it.  

The next day I grabbed this graphic image that's been in my stash for ages, stamped it in black and filled in some of the squares with the colors from the latest Global Design Project challenge.  The slim horizontal layer was just a repeat of those colors in tiny blocks that I glued together.

I have no idea what kind of sentiment I would put on this card, or who I would give it to, but it pleases whatever bit of artistic soul I've got.  😊

Thanks for stopping by!  As you might expect my teammates at Freshly Made Sketches have got some great cards to WOW you with, so be sure to check them out.  I hope we'll see you in the gallery!

Supplies
Stamps:  Arty (KaiserCraft)
Paper:   Whisper White, So Saffron, Cool Caribbean (Stampin' Up!); Lemon Grass (Avery Elle)
Ink:  Nocturne (Versafine Clair); So Saffron (Stampin' Up!); Copics

Fusion - Beach Tiers

We've got a great new challenge for you at Fusion.  I decided to go with an eclectic version of the sketch combined with the colors at Global Design Project.

I wasn't sure what direction I wanted to go with this sketch but then I stumbled on the CASE the designer challenge at Global Design Project.  I loved the colors and the different shapes and thought I could translate those to the Fusion sketch.  It's not perfect but it's inventive!  An outline rectangle, hexagons, and some string are what I used to make this card.

Thanks for stopping by!  I hope you can join us at Fusion!

Stamps:  Simple Sentiments (Avery Elle)
Paper:  Solar White (Neenah); Bumblebee, Magenta Madness, Basic Gray (Stampin' Up!)
Ink:  Onyx Black (Versafine)
Accessories:  Hexagon Die Cover Plate (Papertrey Ink); Pink Party Couture Mix (The Ton); white thread

Fusion - Rainbow Plates

We've got another great challenge for you at Fusion.  The inspiration photo features "rainbow plates" but since I made a rainbow card yesterday I decided to follow the sketch this time around.

Ok, work with me here.  I know the sketch has a couple of circles but I opted for a bit of creative license on my card.  The top of the sketch has a partial circle.  On my card that became a leaf that has a circular shape.  The other circle on the sketch became a flower on my card.  Ta da!  My colors were inspired by the colors of the Global Design Project.

Thanks for stopping by!  My fellow Fusion teammates have made some great cards to inspire you to create along with us so be sure to check them out!

Supplies
Stamps:  Strength Blooms (Altenew); Simple Sentiments 02 (Simon Says Stamps)
Paper:  Whisper White (Stampin' Up!)
Ink:  Forest Glades, Rose Quartz, Puffy Heart, Purple Wine, Cosmic Berry (Altenew); Onyx Black (Versafine)
Accessories:  Bricked embossing folder (Tim Holtz)

Fusion - Laugh Decor

Hi friends!  We've got a great new challenge for you at Fusion.  As always there's a sketch and an inspiration photo - this one about laughter - and I chose to make a card for the sketch this time.

Despite that the vertical panel and the three circles strongly suggested layers I decided to challenge myself and do a one layer card.  Sometimes drawing lines to mimic a layer is just what the doctor ordered!  I stamped three dotted circles in a {somewhat} approximation of the colors at Global Design Project and then drew the lines around them.  I added some squiggles just for fun!

As always at Fusion you have the option of following the sketch, the inspiration photo, or to combine them both.  It's totally up to you!  

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies
Stamps:  Dot Spot (Papertrey Ink); Tons of Type (The Stamp Market)
Paper:  Whisper White (Stampin' Up!)
Ink:  Volcano Lake, Evergreen (Altenew); Crisp Cantaloupe (Stampin' Up!); Onyx Black (Versafine)

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)

Freshly Made Sketches 464

Hi all!  We've got a great new sketch for you at Freshly Made Sketches.  This week our hostess is Judy and I absolutely love her sketch!

Once again it's a Christmas card and once again it features a poinsettia.  I really need to find a new holiday flower to use!  I chose the colors from Global Design Project on this card.

I stamped the leaves in two different shades of green and layered them on top of each other to make one of the layers on the sketch.  Then I cut a poinsettia out of red to make the final layer.  The sentiment is a nice block one that mimics that slim vertical layer nicely.

Thanks for stopping by!  My fellow Freshly Made Sketches design team members have made their usual beautiful cards which will surely inspire you to play along with us!

Supplies

Stamps:  Holiday Bows (Altenew); Joy (The Stamp Market)

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

Ink:  Volcano Lake, Ruby Red (Altenew); Pistachio Pudding, Garden Green, Real Red (Stampin' Up!)

Accessories:  Layered Poinsettia die (Penny Black)

CAS(E) This Sketch 369

I am finally getting around to posting my card for CAS(E) This Sketch!  This week has been a doozey and I've been behind on just about everything.  Even though I managed to squeeze in some time to make a card for the challenge I just had no time to actually post it here.  The sketch is actually a retro one and goes all the way back to #140 which debuted on September 10, 2015.

This sketch had me stymied for a bit 😳even though I played along with it all those years ago and apparently had no trouble with it then!  I made a card last Sunday but wasn't at all happy with it.  So I scrapped it in favor of one using the colors from the Global Design Project challenge.  I used some stamps that haven't seen ink in a long time to make an abstract design and added a fun sentiment. 

Thanks for stopping by.  I hope you are safe and healthy!

Supplies
Stamps:  Watercolor Wonder (Papertrey Ink); True Colors (The Alley Way Stamps); Halftone Circles (Altenew)
Paper:  Whisper White (Stampin' Up!)
Ink:  Mint Julep (Papertrey Ink); Night of Navy, Melon Mambo (Stampin' Up!)

CAS(E) This Sketch 355

Hello!  We've got a great "new" challenge for you at CAS(E) This Sketch.  It's actually a redux of sketch #171 which originally debuted on May 5, 2017.  I made a card for that sketch which you can find here.  I love it when I  can CASE a card I made previously - it's fun to see how I interpret a design in a different way.  Here's my new version of that sketch.

I chose to make a birthday card.  I stamped a couple of grungy stamps in two shades of gray in the corner then added a butterfly stamped in a bright yellow.  I embellished the butterfly with some rhinestones and added a birthday sentiment.  Lucky for me at Global Design Project they want celebrations so my birthday card fits the bill!

Thanks for stopping by!  My fellow CAS(E) This Sketch teammates have some great cards to inspire you to play along with us!

Supplies
Stamps:  Gorgeous Grunge, Papillon Potpourri (Stampin' Up!)
Paper:  Whisper White (Stampin' Up!)
Ink:  Limestone, Industrial Diamond, Jet Black (Altenew); Daffodil Delight (Stampin' Up!)
Accessories: Jewel Basic Rhinestones (Stampin' Up!)

Tag You're It 92

I am pleased as punch to say that I am the hostess at Tag You're It this fortnight!  Since it is July and only 159 days until Christmas (!) I thought I'd give everyone some incentive to get cracking on those Christmas tags!

I'm a sucker for evergreens and berries paired with a warm color like the color of the basket in this photo.  So when I sat down at my desk to make my tag I wanted to stay as close to those design elements as possible plus I threw in a little buffalo plaid as well.

I'm still amazed at all the Christmas in July challenges that I keep finding.  So, or course, I joined in the fun!  The colors at Christmas Card Throwdown were perfect for my tag.  And the sketch at Global Design Project allowed me to show off the greens plus my sentiment.

Thanks for stopping by!  My fellow Tag You're It Challenge teammates have made some incredible tags to inspire you so I hope you will join us.

Supplies
Stamps:  Sending Joy (Papertrey Ink); Fa La La (Simon Says Stamp)
Paper: Truffle (Avery Elle); Desert Storm (Neenah); Real Red, Very Vanilla (Stampin' Up!)
Ink: Truffle, Jungle (Avery Elle); Ripe Avocado (Papertrey Ink)
Accessories:  Traditional Tag STAX, Pierced Traditional Tags STAX (My Favorite Things); linen thread, jumbo eyelet (Stampin' Up!); enamel dots (My Mind's Eye); burlap thread

Tag You're It 86

We've got a great new inspiration photo this week at Tag You're It.  It's artsy and moody and inspires us to call out some color.

So for my tag I used a neutral gray background and then added a couple of daisies layered in white with a small amount of gray.  Then for my color I added one more daisy in two shades of purple.  The layout for my tag was inspired by the sketch challenge at Global Design Project.

How will our Tag You're It challenge inspire you?  I hope you'll join us in the gallery!

Supplies
Stamps:  Tiny Words (Simon Says Stamp)
Paper:  Smoky Slate (Stampin' Up!); Amethyst Allure (Papertrey Ink); Pretty Amethyst (Fun Stampers Journey); Solar White (Neenah)
Accessories:  Gerbera Daisy die (My Favorite Things); Gift Card Holder die (Reverse Confetti); washi tape

Freshly Made Sketches 383

It's my turn to host the challenge at Freshly Made Sketches...always a scary thing!  This time around I designed a sketch that I think provides a lot of opportunity for interpretation.  Here's my card:

There happened to be a "plaid or check" challenge at The Paper Players this week and that heavily influenced my card.  I tend to think of "check" as a spring-time design (like gingham) and plaid as something I would use for Christmas.  I fully intended to make a Christmas card but changed my mind when I saw the CASE the designer challenge at Global Design Project and had a look at my stash of patterned paper.

Turns out I didn't have one single plaid design in Christmas colors (something I will surely remedy!) but I did find this plaid in one of the colors of the inspiration at Global Design Project.   From there I incorporated some of the other colors and I capped off my design with a beautiful butterfly.

Thanks for stopping by!  My Freshly Made Sketches teammates have made some amazing designs with my sketch so I am sure you will be inspired to play along with us!

Supplies
Paper:  Solar White (Neenah); Harvest Gold (Papertrey Ink); Basic Black, Vellum (Stampin' Up!); Perfectly Plaid Rainbow (Lawn Fawn)
Accessories:  Papillons die (4enscrap); enamel dew drops (Freckled Fawn)

Tag You're It 84

We've got a great new challenge at Tag You're It inspired by coffee!  I do enjoy my morning cup of coffee....or two.

I don't have a lot of coffee themed stamps but I do have this to-go cup that has a great sketchy look.  I went digging through my stash of patterned paper to find something that would be good to go along with the sketch challenge at Global Design Project and stumbled upon this ancient SU paper pack.  The design is supposed to be abstract, I think, but those brown ovals looked a lot like coffee beans so I thought it would be perfect for this tag.

I flipped the sketch one turn counter-clockwise but I cheated a bit with the sentiment layer.  After flipping the sketch the sentiment layer should have been vertical but it looked weird to my eye so I placed it horizontally.  Sorry Global Design Project! 😊

Thanks for stopping by!  My teammates at Tag You're It have created some great tags to inspire you to play along with us.  Hopefully we'll see you in the gallery!

Supplies
Stamps:  Latte Love (Stamplorations); Tiny Words (Simon Says Stamp)
Paper:  Chocolate Chip, Woodland Walk DSP (Stampin' Up!); Naturals White (Neenah)
Ink:  Chocolate Chip (Stampin' Up!); Copics
Accessories:  Tag die (Paper Smooches)

Tag You're It 82

We've crossed the bridge into March so that means it's time to start thinking about St. Patrick's day!  Well, at Tag You're It we've got you covered!  Our latest challenge has got a lucky Irish theme!

I was bitten by the gnome craze when I was making Christmas cards last year so I was so happy to find this little Irish gnome that I could use on this tag!  I backed him up with some shamrock digital paper that I found on Etsy.  I used the sketch at Global Design Project for my layout.

Thanks for stopping by!  Our Tag You're It design team has made some great tags for this challenge so be sure to check them out.  I hope you'll join us in the gallery!

Supplies
Stamps:  Beer Gnome (Katy's Card Emporium); Teenky Tiny Wishes (Stampin' Up!)
Paper:  Kraft, Pinefeather (Papertrey Ink); Solar White (Neenah); X-Press It Blending Card
Ink:  Pinefeather (Papertrey Ink); Copics
Accessories:  Traditional Tags STAX (My Favorite Things); Festive Mix (Studio Katia)

Freshly Made Sketches 366 and a DT Call

It's an exciting day at Freshly Made Sketches!  Not only do we have a fantastic new sketch designed by Cécile but we are also looking to add some designers to our merry band of card makers!

You'll find all the details over at Freshly Made Sketches but I'll give you a little teaser.  If you want to join us on the design team just play along with this challenge and/or next week's challenge and when you enter your project in our gallery simply put DT Call after your name!  Simple, right?  I'm so excited to see who wants to join our fun group!

Now let's get on to that fabulous challenge I mentioned earlier.  Cécile's sketch is so clever and I love how each member of the design team interpreted it.  I suspect the gallery is going to be full of eye candy this week!  Here's my card...

I wanted to do something a little unexpected with that striped background and luckily I just had gotten this new diagonal cover up die so I put two die cuts (layered in opposing ways) together and got this cool background.  Then I added a glittery tree and a tiny sentiment.  This went together so quickly - it is literally as easy as it sounds!  Over at Global Design Project they've got a 'Tis the Season challenge going on so I think my little sparkly tree fits in nicely there.

Thanks for stopping by!  I hope to see you in our Freshly Made Sketches gallery!

Supplies
Stamps:  Tiny Words Christmas (Simon Says Stamp)
Paper:  Solar White (Neenah); Champagne Glimmer (Stampin' Up!)
Ink:  Celestial Copper (Delicata)
Accessories:  Cover Up Die Diagonal ('Lil Inker Designs); Sketch Tree die (Memory Box); Skinny Mini Banners die (Papertrey Ink)

Freshly Made Sketches 358

If you like circles you will love our new sketch at Freshly Made Sketches!  Our designer this week is Karren and she assures me that if circles aren't your thing then by all means use the sketch as a jumping point and show us what you've got with whatever shapes you've got up your sleeve!

My fellow design team member Jen Brum unwittingly helped me with my card this week.  Often when I'm challenged by a sketch I'll peek at what the design team has put together to see if I can find some inspiration there.  In this case I was pretty sure I wanted to use a wreath as my big circle but the stamp set that I had intended to use was much too small for my card (even after deciding to do a 4 1/4 inch square card).  Then I spied Jen's card with her die cut wreath and I remembered that I had something similar in my stash.  So I cut my wreath in a dark brown then added some wee stitched leaves in fall colors to take the place of the three other circles and I was done! 

There are a couple of other challenges that are getting into the autumn mood so I'm playing along with Muse this week as well as Global Design Project.

Thanks for stopping by!  My fellow Freshly Made Sketches design team members have created some beautiful cards with this weeks sketch so be sure to check them out.  I hope to see you in the gallery!

Supplies
Stamps:  Fall Colors (Precious Remembrance Shop)
Paper:  Classic Ivory (Flourishes); Truffle, Jungle (Avery Elle); Cajun Craze (Stampin' Up!); Honey Nut (Papertrey Ink)
Ink:  Truffle (Avery Elle)
Accessories:  Whirl Wreath die (Penny Black); Stitched Leaves die (Lawn Fawn)

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)