Freshly Made Sketches 700!

It's a very special day today!  At Freshly Made Sketches we are celebrating our 700th sketch challenge!  I can hardly believe it!  The challenge debuted on September 7, 2011 and here we are nearly 14 years later, and we're still at it!

To commemorate the event we are resurrecting our Sketch #14 - for 14 years - and I'm going to show you not only my redux of the card I made with that sketch, but my original one, AND the first card that I made for our debut!  So here goes!

Here's my new card.  My original one was a Christmas card so I decided to make another for this challenge...plus it doesn't hurt to add to my Christmas card stash.  Lord knows I don't create anywhere near the volume that I used to so every card helps. 😉 This is one of my favorite poinsettia dies and I love how it looks in the deep red of SU! Cherry Cobbler.

This is the card I made for the original #14 challenge which was from December 7, 2011.  I remember at the time I was enamored of making wreaths by stamping a small snowflake stamp over and over again in a circle until it resembled a wreath.  Add some small hand -drawn circles to resemble berries, some gorgeous patterned paper and a pretty bow, and I had a lovely Christmas card!

And if you'll indulge me for just a moment I want to show you the card that I made for our inaugural sketch.  I was really into patterned paper in those days and I still love how it can enliven a card.  I also used to do quite a bit of stitching on my cards too...still have my Janome mini so maybe I should try that some more!

A lot has changed these last 14 years.  I've got more wrinkles, don't craft nearly as much as I want to, but I still love the joy of creating something lovely.  I'm incredibly lucky to be a part of the Freshly Made Sketches team and I'm grateful that they put up with my long absences. 😝 I'm happy to know that our team inspires each and every one of you each week to create something that you love.  After all, that's what this crafty journey is all about!

Thanks for stopping by!  And once again, our Freshly Made Sketches design team has got some wonderful cards to, once again, inspire you to play along with us. 

Supplies
Paper:  Cherry Cobbler, Old Olive, Very Vanilla, Jolly Holiday, Silver Glimmer (Stampin' Up!)
Accessories:  Stitched Mini Scallop Square die (My Favorite Things); Blooming Poinsettia die (Memory Box); brads (Stampin' Up!)

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Our newest challenge at Freshly Made Sketches comes to us from Kim.  Her sketch just called out to me to use up some of the patterned paper in my stash.

This particular patterned paper that I used is a favorite of mine for Christmas cards because of the earthy colors.  The rich greens and dark reds are perfect together and look great with my favorite Christmas flower:  the poinsettia.  I accented the earthy tones of this card with some leaves in brushed gold cardstock.

Thanks for stopping by!  I hope you have a chance to play along with us at Freshly Made Sketches!

Supplies
Stamps:  Signature Christmas (Papertrey Ink)
Paper:  Crumb Cake, Cherry Cobbler, Always Artichoke, Brushed Gold, Deck the Halls DSP (Stampin' Up!)
Ink:  Onyx Black (Versafine)
Accessories:  Blooming Poinsettia die (Memory Box)

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At Freshly Made Sketches this week our sketch is designed by Judy and we are joined by a new guest designer, Donna Mikasa, who was one of our 600th sketch challenge winners!  Check out the fun sketch!

The proportions of my card is a little off from the sketch 😬 but this card was born out of the scrap heap!  I had this panel with the pinecones hanging around on my desk for a while.  I had made it for a card that ended up not being made (!) and thought it might work nicely for this sketch.  I wanted the background to be bold so I used a dark indigo for the card base and layered on some nice tartan paper too.  There are lots of gold accents too!

Thanks for stopping by!  Of course, the Freshly Made Sketches design team has some fabbo cards to share with you, so I hope you check them out!

Supplies
Stamps:  Stained Glass Greetings (Simon Says Stamp)
Paper:  Dark Indigo (Papertrey Ink); Gold Foil, Whisper White, Wrapped in Plaid DSP, Champagne Glimmer (Stampin' Up!)
Ink:  Dark Indigo (Papertrey Ink)
Accessories:  Classic Pine stencil (Altenew); Peace Jotted Script die (Memory Box)

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It took me a bit longer than I wanted, but I finally got my Freshly Made Sketches card done!  Special thanks to my Freshly Made Sketches teammates for putting up with my delays!  Our hostess and sketch designer this week is Karren and her sketch immediately put me in mind of a Christmas card with one of my go-to design elements:  a poinsettia.  We are also joined this week by Cindy Beach - one of our 600th sketch celebration winners.

The circle on the sketch became a poinsettia framed with a circular die cut of tiny dots.  Once that design element was done the trouble started.  I wanted to use white ribbon for the horizontal layer so I started rummaging through my extensive ribbon stash for white ribbon.  I came up empty!  I must have used it all up!  Then, by some miracle, I found a small scrap of white satin ribbon hiding under the eight million rolls of other ribbon that I've got....and it was the perfect length!  It became my horizontal layer and I put a sparkly die-cut sentiment on top of it!

Thanks for stopping by!  I hope you check out my fellow Freshly Made Sketches design teammates cards, because they will inspire you for sure to play along with us!

Supplies
Paper:  Kraft (Papertrey Ink); Solar White (Neenah); Champagne Glimmer (Stampin' Up!);velour paper (Hygloss)
Accessories:  Circles die (Little B); Blooming Poinsettias die, Peace Jotted Script die (Memory Box); satin ribbon (Stampin' Up!)

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I've really been into making Christmas cards lately.  I don't know if it's the "Christmas in July" phenomena or just general panic that I'll end up short at the end of the year!  But another Christmas card is on tap for our new challenge at Freshly Made Sketches.  Amy is our hostess and I think her layered design called for some patterned paper in the background.

Poinsettias are one of my favorite elements to use on a Christmas card and I paired one with this patterned paper that combines SU! Crumb Cake, Always Artichoke, and Cherry Cobbler.  The poinsettia and leaves were die cut using two of the same colors and I jazzed the card up a bit with some gold glimmer on the die cut sentiment and the center of the flower.  The "peace" sentiment is intended to replicate the rectangular layer on the sketch and I was able to tuck in a complementary sentiment next to the tail of the "P."  

Thanks for stopping by!  

Supplies
Stamps:  Stained Glass Greetings (Simon Says Stamp)
Paper:  Crumb Cake, Cherry Cobbler, Always Artichoke (Stampin' Up!); gold glimmer (Recollections)
Ink:  Onyx Black (Versafine)
Accessories:  Blooming Poinsettia die, Peace die (Memory Box)

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Hi stamping friends!  Today at Freshly Made Sketches we've got a challenge for you designed by Karren and, no surprise, it's a great one!  It's now March and I don't think I've made a Christmas card in a while so I thought I'd better add one to my stash.  This sketch gave me the inspiration I needed.

I recently discovered flocked (or velour) paper and I bought a paper pack recently.  It came in handy for the poinsettia on my card.  Look, what gorgeous texture it adds!  I added some leaves in a shimmery vellum, some enamel dots for texture, and the vertical strip of patterned paper for some extra interest.  The colors I chose were inspired by the Cupcake Inspiration Challenge.

Thanks for stopping by!  As usual my fellow Freshly Made Sketches design team members have made some amazing cards to inspire you to play along with us!

Supplies
Stamps:  Signature Christmas (Papertrey Ink)
Paper:  White Linen (Essentials by Ellen); Pool Party, Blushing Bride, Twitterpated DSP (Stampin' Up!); vellum (Graphix); velour paper (Hygloss)
Ink: Onyx Black (Versafine)
Accessories:  Blooming Poinsettia die (Memory Box); enamel dots (Studio Calico)

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Christmas is in full swing here at my house.  At least for my cards, that is!  And I'm having fun experimenting with my new hot foil machine, as well.  The two things came together for my card for Freshly Made Sketches this week.  Cécile is our hostess and her card inspired a lot of Christmas possibilities for me.

It was hard to capture a decent picture of this card, but the background is a lovely rose-gold foil and I topped it with a scallop circle also cut in rose-gold followed by a vellum poinsettia.  Unfortunately the color of the rose-gold and the poinsettia itself didn't lend well to my not-so-great photography skills.  But the card is very pretty in real life!

I hope you have time to play along with us at Freshly Made Sketches this week.  As usual my fellow design team members have cooked up some fabulous cards to inspire you!

Supplies
Stamps:  Tiny Words Christmas (Simon Says Stamp)
Paper:  Solar White (Neenah); Rose Gold Specialty (Stampin' Up!); vellum (Graphix)
Ink:  Onyx Black (Versafine)
Accessories:  Plaid Tidings Background hot foil plate, Petite Scallop Circles die, Layered Poinsettia die, Rose Gold Shimmer Foil (Spellbinders); Stitched Circles STAX (My Favorite Things); Blooming Poinsettia die (Memory Box); Love Glitter Sprinkles (Doodlebug Designs)

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We've got a great new sketch for you at Freshly Made Sketches this week.  Jen Brum is our hostess and in honor of the snow she's already seen fall at her house this season, I made a card with snowflakes!

I did something on this card that I haven't done in a very long time - spritz some color with a color mist.  It gave the background a little splash of color and makes the snowflakes stand out a bit more.  I'm also joining the snowflake challenge at Perfectly CAS.

Thanks for stopping by!  My fellow Freshly Made Sketches have got some fabulous cards to show you and I know you'll be inspired to play along with us!

Supplies
Stamps:  Ways to Say Merry Christmas (Papertrey Ink)
Paper:  Solar White (Neenah); glimmer paper (Recollections)
Ink:  Nocturne (Versafine Clair)
Accessories:  Lindemon Snowflake die (Memory Box); Let it Snowflake Too die (My Favorite Things); Bazinga Color Mist (Mister Huey's)

Freshly Made Sketches 559

It's vintage for me this time around for my Freshly Made Sketches card.  Jen Timko is our hostess and her sketch is an absolute classic!

My stash of patterned paper is so old I consider it vintage!  And I was able to use a few sheets on this card.  Not to mention the scallop circle die from Spellbinders.  I remember years ago when acquiring Spellbinders Nestabilities was a mission for me!  I've got quite a few of them but sometimes I forget to use them, so it was a treat to see a big circle on the sketch which was perfect for the Spellbinders scallop circle die.  I added a few layers on top of it then topped it with a poinsettia and leaves as my version of the trio of circles.  

Thanks for stopping by!  My fellow design team members at Freshly Made Sketches have some great cards for this week's sketch so be sure to check them out!

Supplies
Stamps:  Fa La La (Stampin' Up!)
Paper:  Early Espresso, Always Artichoke, Cherry Cobbler, Deck the Halls DSP (Stampin' Up!); Desert Storm (Neenah); Gold Glimmer (Recollections)
Ink:  Early Espresso (Stampin' Up!)
Accessories:  Petite Scallop Circles die, Circles die (Spellbinders); Layered Poinsettia die (Penny Black); Blooming Poinsettia die (Memory Box)

Freshly Made Sketches 545

Hi everyone.  It's time for a new challenge at Freshly Made Sketches.  This week our sketch was designed by Narelle.  She says she threw this sketch together, but I don't believe her!  It's too awesome!

I'm 💯 in to the Christmas in July thing!  This time around I used the colors at Just Us Girls - unusual for a Christmas card - and used my favorite poinsettia die to create this card.  

Thanks for stopping by!  My Freshly Made Sketches teammates have some fantastic cards to inspire you to play along with us, so be sure to check them out.  I hope you join us in the gallery!

Supplies
Stamps:  Joy Stamp (The Stamp Market)
Paper:  Solar White (Neenah); Going Gray, Calypso Coral, gold foil (Stampin' Up!)
Ink:  Onyx Black (Versafine)
Accessories:  Blooming Poinsettia die (Memory Box); Blueprints 15 die, Stitched Rectangle die (My Favorite Things)

Freshly Made Sketches 543

Hi all!  It's Wednesday so there's a brand new challenge for you at Freshly Made Sketches!  Cécile is our hostess this week and, once again, her superb CAS instincts shine through on this sketch.  I humbly just try to play along and mimic her style!

I've been wanting to use mesh (drywall) tape on a card for ages.  Every time I see it used on a card, it gets elevated on my to-do list and then, invariably, I forget about it until I see it again.  (I blame menopause for my forgetfulness)!  Since I live in an older home, which occasionally crumbles, drywall tape is something useful to have on hand and I've got quite a bunch.  Well, the other day I saw this card made by my friend Judy and my love of drywall tape started all over again.  

The small square in Cecile's card was perfect for the mesh tape.  I added a silver-glimmer snowflake and a slim sentiment in a bright blue and this card was done.  Easy peasy.

Thanks for stopping by!  Our Freshly Made Sketches design team will surely inspire you to play along with us. Join us in the gallery!

Supplies
Stamps:  Holiday Messages (Mama Elephant)
Paper:  Solar White (Neenah); silver glimmer (Recollections)
Ink:  Dusk (Altenew)
Accessories:  Lindemon Snowflake die (Memory Box)

Freshly Made Sketches 529

It's been a while since I've made a Christmas card so I used Jen T's awesome sketch at Freshly Made Sketches to add one to my meager 2022 stash.

The plaid challenge at Jingle Belles inspired the background for my card.  The bright color of the plaid I chose got me pondering contrasting colors I could use for the other layers of the sketch.  I went with traditional green and red Christmas colors and at first thought I had made a huge mistake!  But after a while I came to like this combination.  It's a little fresh and fun, I say to myself!

Thanks for stopping by!  My Freshly Made Sketches teammates have made some fabulous cards to inspire you to play along with us!  I hope you check them out!

Supplies

Stamps:  Signature Christmas (Papertrey Ink)
Paper:  White Linen (Essentials by Ellen); Mossy Meadow, Real Red (Stampin' Up!); Perfectly Plaid Rainbow (Lawn Fawn)
Ink:  Onyx Black (Versafine)

Accessories:  Blooming Poinsettia die (Memory Box); enamel dots (My Mind's Eye)

Freshly Made Sketches 513

It's almost Thanksgiving day here in the United States and I'm celebrating by being on vacation and making a Christmas card for our newest challenge at Freshly Made Sketches!  Our hostess is Jen Brum and her sketch is a classic one that you are going to love!

All of a sudden winter has arrived here in Massachusetts and I'm not ready.  😬 I've been spoiled by unseasonably warm weather this fall and then whammo - it's freezing outside!  The cold weather inspired another Christmas card and I went with a white poinsettia so that it would show up against the plaid background.  And in true fashion, once I had the card done, photographed, and ready to post I realized I forgot the sentiment.  I hate when I do that!  Apologies to Jen and her pretty sketch!

I'm also playing along with the latest Tic Tac Toe challenge where I'm using plaid, layers, and a die cut.

Thanks for stopping by!  And don't forget to check out Freshly Made Sketches for a great sketch and some design inspiration!

Supplies

Paper:  Solar White (Neenah); Cherry Cobbler, Gold Foil, Wrapped in Plaid DSP (Stampin' Up!)

Accessories:  Blooming Poinsettia die (Memory Box)

Freshly Made Sketches 510

Hi everyone!  We've got a new sketch for you at Freshly Made Sketches and I am the hostess!  Woo Hoo!  I went with a traditional design with lots of room for layers.  Sometimes I like to make a card with layers - there's something about the weight and heft of a card with layers that pleases me. 😊

I went with a Christmas design, using up some old Stampin' Up! designer paper that's been in my stash forever plus a layered snowflake and a simple slim sentiment.  I made this card on Sunday so I was pleased to see that, quite by coincidence, the colors, the poinsettia elements, and the Christmas theme are also on tap for the challenge at Global Design Project (which doesn't go live until Monday).  Somehow I was channelling their challenge before I even knew about it!

Thanks for stopping by!  I hope that you will play along with us at Freshly Made Sketches!  And special thanks to my FMS teamies who have totally rocked this sketch and who will certainly inspire you to play along!

Supplies
Stamps:  Holiday Messages (Mama Elephant)
Paper:  Crumb Cake, Always Artichoke, Cherry Cobbler, vellum, Deck the Halls DSP (Stampin' Up!); glitter paper (Recollections)
Ink:  Onyx Black (Versafine)
Accessories:  Stitched Mini Scallop Rectangle die (My Favorite Things); Snowflake Trio die (amuse.studio); Lindemon Snowflake die (Memory Box)

Freshly Made Sketches 465

I'm still on a Christmas kick with my cards - despite it being December 9th already!  I should be done by now but I've got one last push.  This week Jacquie's sketch at Freshly Made Sketches made me think of a nice big Christmas gift!

I used some watercolor paper for the gift, added some glitter washi tape as ribbon, and finished it off with a big ol' bow!  It's time to celebrate!  And it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas over at The Paper Players so I'll be sharing this over there as well.

Thanks for stopping by! Our always amazing design team at Freshly Made Sketches has some great cards to share with you so I hope you check them out!

Supplies

Stamps: Holiday Bow (Altenew); Bold Christmas Greetings (Memory Box)

Paper:  Solar White (Neenah); Whisper White (Stampin' Up!); Watercolor Wash Brights (My Favorite Things)

Ink:  Dew Drops, Aqualicious, Galactric Stream (Altenew)

Accessories:  glitter washi tape

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It's another Christmas card for me for our latest challenge at Freshly Made Sketches.  Our hostess is Karren and she gave us a big banner as a focal point.  Lots of room for interpretation there!

I dug into my old bag of tricks and used a snowflake stamp, inked in a couple of shades of green, to make a wreath on that banner.  How cool is that!  The "joy" stamp fit perfectly in the center and I embossed a white sentiment onto black for the slim layer to complete the look.  The background is a simple red and gold plaid on white.

Thanks for stopping by!  My Freshly Made Sketches teammates have made some fantastic cards with this sketch so I'm sure you'll be inspired to play along with us!

Supplies
Stamps:  Snow Flurries (Stampin' Up!); Bold Christmas Greetings (Memory Box); Stained Glass Greetings (Simon Says Stamp)
Paper:  Whisper White, Basic Black, Wrapped in Plaid DSP (Stampin' Up!)
Ink:  Pear Pizzazz, Mossy Meadow, Cherry Cobbler (Stampin' Up!); Versamark
Accessories:  Opaque Bright White embossing powder (Wow!)