Freshly Made Sketches 532

Hi all!  It's Wednesday so that means we have a great new sketch for you at Freshly Made Sketches!  Our hostess this week is Kim and I know her sketch will inspire so many designs!

I love to take a sketch that looks like it has layers and make a card that has none.  So I stamped a sentiment, masked it off, then stamped the floral design over it.  I drew a box around the whole thing and voila!  I made a card using the sketch!  My colors were inspired by the Just Us Girls challenge and the one layer design was inspired by Addicted to CAS.

Thanks for stopping by!  My fellow Freshly Made Sketches design team members have made some great cards to inspire you to play along with us so be sure to check them out.

Supplies

Stamps:  Botanical Silhouettes (Papertrey Ink)
Paper:  Whisper White (Stampin' Up!)
Ink:  Nocturne (Versafine Clair); Crimson (Altenew)

CAS(E) This Sketch 274

It's time for a new challenge at CAS(E) This Sketch!  This time around I was inspired to make a one layer card.

There's a sunflower challenge at Just Us Girls and it's one layer "thinking of you" at Less is More so I put one big sunflower in the middle of my card then drew a rectangle around it.  What could be more easy than that?  Nothing, I say to myself! 

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to check out the inspiration from the CAS(E) This Sketch design team.  We'd love to see you in the gallery!

Supplies
Stamps:  Simple Sunflower (Papertrey Ink); Hello Hello (The Stamp Market)
Paper:  Classic Ivory (Flourishes)
Ink:  Summer Sunrise (Papertrey Ink); Marigold Morning, Early Espresso (Stampin' Up!)

CAS(E) This Sketch 203!

It's time for our first new challenge of the year at CAS(E) This Sketch.  The holiday hiatuses are over at some of my favorite challenge blogs so I'm excited to dive back into my craft room and see what I can come up with.  This week our sketch is designed by one of the sweetest stampers around Michele Ferguson. 😀

I had an a-ha moment when I was contemplating my design for this card.  I knew that I wanted to use a bold, contrasting patterned paper for the bottom part of the sketch when all of a sudden I remembered that I had a small piece of this black and white gingham paper in my stash.  Eureka!  I added a pretty layered flower, some crimped leaves (yes, I dragged out my crimper for those)! Then I stretched the sentiment a bit to follow the curve of the white layer somewhat.

I am also playing along with the Color Throwdown challenge.  It has been almost one year since I played along over there!  I used to play along a lot more frequently but my usual stamping schedule means that I just miss their challenge window.  So it was a fun treat to join them this week!

Be sure to check out the amazing cards from the CAS(E) This Sketch design team.  There is a lot of inspiration there!  I hope you can join us in the gallery!

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies
Stamps:  Artful Flowers (Simon Says Stamp)
Paper:  White (Spectrum Noir); Old Olive, Melon Mambo, Basic Black (Stampin' Up!)
Ink:  Jet Black (Altenew)
Accessories:  Blueprints 21 die, Plentiful Petals die (My Favorite Things); Dotted Borders die, Modern Leaves die (Avery Elle)

CAS(E) This Sketch 171

The month of May has started off dull and dreary around here.  We are having lots of rain and the temperatures are chilly -  more like November than May!  Hopefully things will turn around soon and we can progress to warm temperatures and some beautiful sunshine to get those flowers and trees blooming!  And speaking of blooming, my card for this weeks challenge at CAS(E) This Sketch has a little blossom on it!

I went quite literal with the sketch and inked up a new little grungy stamp for the background, added some wee paint splatters, a flower (which took me three tries before I liked what I saw) and a sentiment tucked into one of the folds of the flower.  The colors I got from a recent color challenge but the challenge was closed before I could get this posted - drat!

As you can imagine the cards from the CAS(E) This Sketch design team are amazing so be sure to check them out.  I hope you'll join us in the gallery!

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies
Stamps:  Artful Flowers (Simon Says Stamp); Screen Print (Impression Obsession); Textures 1 (Florileges Design)
Paper:  Sweet Tooth (My Favorite Things); Whisper White (SU)
Ink:  Cameo Coral, Calypso Coral, Coastal Cabana, Basic Gray (SU)

colourQ 296

Hello!  It's time for a new palette from your friends at colourQ!  This week the colors are inspired by these flip flops.  They are so gorgeous and I love that bit of bling!  Here's my card:

I've created a bit of an abstract version of the Match the Sketch layout here by layering images rather than card stock or patterned paper.  Then I topped it off with a bright yellow flower and some blue leaves - yes, blue!  That's what I call artistic license!

Thanks for stopping by today!  And please pop on over to colourQ and check out the cards our amazing design team have created with these colors.  I hope you have time to join us in the gallery this week!

Supplies:
Stamps:  Gorgeous Grunge (SU); Ink Splats (Indigo Blu); Artful Flowers (Simon Says Stamp); Family is Everything (My Creative Time)
Paper:  White (Spectrum Noir); Night of Navy (SU)
Ink:  Daffodil Delight, Soft Sky, Marina Mist Night of Navy (SU)
Accessories:  Curvy Leaves die (Elizabeth Craft Designs)

Freshly Made Sketches 146

It seems like lately I've been running across more and more monochromatic color challenges.  This week I found one at The Paper Players that fit neatly into my idea for the latest layout at Freshly Made Sketches.  This week at Freshly Made Sketches our hostess is Amy O'Neill (who has got a great eye for design and is not afraid to mix bold colors for maximum impact)!  I suspect that you are going to love her sketch.

As soon as I saw the sketch I thought of my somewhat neglected stash of washi tape and I knew that I wanted to combine a strip of it with some of the images from SU's Gorgeous Grunge.  Luckily the color the washi tape matched the color of my ink perfectly!  I debated briefly about whether to add a flower or a butterfly as a focal image, and as you can see the butterfly won!

There are quite a few butterflies to be found on the cards from the Freshly Made Sketches design team this week as well as some floral images too.  Dare I say we might find a super hero or two among the cards in the gallery soon?

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:

Stamps:  Gorgeous Grunge (SU); Botanical Silhouettes (Papertrey Ink)

Paper:  Pure Luxury White (Gina K); Berry Sorbet, Sweet Blush (Papertrey Ink)

Ink:  Regal Rose (SU); Onyx Black (Versafine)

Accessories:  Chrissy Butterfly die, Leanna Butterfly die (Simon Says Stamp); Basic Rhinestones (SU); washi tape

colourQ 239 and Seize the Sketch 19

Happy Tuesday!  Today I've melded the beautiful colors from colourQ and the latest sketch from Seize the Sketch to make a little "thinking of you" card.

The colors are inspired by this dress and the sketch comes to you from Jessi Fogan (I love all those little flags)!  I used some really, really old SU DSP for the background layer on my card and I'll admit it was hard to cut into it.  (If you've been here before you may remember that I've mentioned a time or two that I've got a giant stash of patterned paper that I've been slowly working my way through).  Occasionally I come across a particular favorite in my stash and in moments of weakness, I cut it up.  It's for the best really.

I love sketches like this with a big layer on it that is just perfect for anything your imagination can cook up!  I used it to show off these beautiful colors with some stems and butterflies.

Be sure to check out the inspiration from colourQ and Seize the Sketch because there are some great cards all around for you to see!  Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:

Stamps:  Grand Peaceful Wildflowers, Winged Beauties (My Favorite Things)

Paper:  Pretty in Pink, Old Olive, Whisper White, Berry Bliss DSP (SU)

Ink:  Ripe Avocado (Papertrey Ink); Tuxedo Black (Memento); Calypso Coral, Pumpkin Pie (SU); Copics

Accessories:  Winged Beauties die (My Favorite Things); Banner Bundle die (Verve)

Thinking of You for CTS22 and PDCC176

I've taken a mini vacation from my stamp room the last few days and I missed it terribly, so when I got home from work last night I was determined to get in there and create something.  I chose to make a card using the sketch at CAS(E) This Sketch and the colors from The Play Date Cafe.

That little tag on the sketch caught my eye and I knew it would be perfect for the sentiment from The Alley Way Stamps called Jibber Jabber along with this "you" die cut.  Plus I got to use some of my burlap ribbon that has been languishing in my stamp room since last fall!

Well that's it for me today.  Thanks for stopping by!

Freshly Made Sketches 78

It's new sketch reveal day over at Freshly Made Sketches and since I'm the hostess this week, I thought I'd stretch my creative arms and try something a little bit different.  When I designed the sketch, I left some space that I thought might perfect for patterned paper, or stamped images or whatever your creative process could conjure up.  But as I began to contemplate my card for the challenge, I started to fixate on the "any shape" part of the sketch.

So, as I was driving home from work the other day I came up with an idea to do a sketch within a sketch.  Take a look and see if you see what I mean.

First I created a tag, and that tag follows the layout of the sketch.  Then the tag became the "any shape" part of the sketch on my card.  So I've got two sketches in one!  That's like double the fun!  And for extra credit I dug out some really old DSP for this one.  It's called Afternoon Tea and I absolutely adore it, which means that I hoard whatever little scraps I've got left.  But in my never-ending-quest to use up the DSP I've got in my stash I broke out the prettiest pattern in the pack to use on the card front.

My fellow Freshly Made Sketches design team members have got some great cards to inspire you this week, so hop on over to check them out.  Then join us in the gallery because we love to see you there!

Supplies:

Stamps:  Kind Words (Verve)

Accessories:  Sending Love Brad, Basic Pearls, Antique Brass Jumbo Eyelet, (all SU); white seam binding ribbon; brown crochet thread; Daisies #2 die (Sizzix)

colourQ 141

Tuesday, of course, means a new color challenge from Arielle and colourQ.  And what a challenge this is.  I think you'll find that these colors are perfect for that oh-so difficult man-card.  And what timing - especially since Father's Day is right around the corner!

Despite the tie and the man-card colors, I decided to go in a totally different direction!  The latest Deconstructed Sketch gave me a perfect layout to show off these awesome colors and I went with the fabulous PTI flower that I seem to be obsessed with!

I searched my stash, and I didn't have any more Brocade Blue so I substituted Marina Mist instead.  It's a rather poor substitution, but the best I could come up with.  Despite my liberty with the colors, I've got to say that all these blues look fabulous together.  There's light and dark and a little something in between.  And they are all perfect foil for the Lucky Limeade accents!

Be sure to stop by colourQ and check out this challenge and all the inspiration from the design team.  You won't be disappointed!  And don't forget to link up!

Paper Players 99 and Sketchbook Saturday 63

I managed to get a lot done stamping-wise this weekend.  So today I've got a card for the super-awesome color challenge at The Paper Players that I paired with the sketch at Sketchbook Saturday.

I used one of my brand new edgelits called Finishing Touches on my Lucky Limeade layer.  The rest of the card is boring old stuff including some DSP from Urban Oasis, a Melon Mambo button, and a sentiment from Curly Cute.  I have to admit there's some comfort in using the old familiar stuff, especially since I haven't had time to properly learn the new stuff yet.  Hopefully that will improve over the next few days!

Thanks for stopping by!  I hope you have time to pop by tomorrow to see my card for the latest colourQ challenge!

MOJO 240 and Color Throwdown 191

The colors this week at Color Throwdown are so gorgeous I thought it would be easy peasy to put a card together.  Not so, I was soon to discover.  I picked the MOJO 240 sketch as my layout because it had lots of layers and I figured that was a good thing when working with such a diverse bunch of colors.

It took me quite a while to figure out how I wanted to use these colors, and to be honest I'm not entirely sure I like the result.  But after putting so much time and thought into a card, it seems ridiculous to hide it away, so I've gone ahead and posted it anyway.

On my Elegant Eggplant card base I added some Pool Party cardstock and designer paper.  Then I added a Certainly Celery circle with some Wintergreen DSP.  (This is actually a winter-themed paper  pack, but it's the only Certainly Celery DSP I own!  And yes, I'm pretty sure those are snowflakes)!!  I used a little poetic license with my pointy banner because although the base is Elegant Eggplant the DSP I used to layer over it is a bit of Concord Crush from Lap of Luxury.  The two colors actually look pretty good together!

Thanks for stopping by!

Freshly Made Sketches 20

For my Freshly Made Sketches card this week I decided to go through the giant stash of designer paper I have that never seems to get any smaller.  The Thoroughly Modern paper caught my eye mainly because the combination of Rose Red and Bermuda Bay is fabulous together.

Lesley's sketch this week is long and narrow and has loads of room for interpretation!  My card measures 3 x 6 (inches).  I started with a base of Sahara Sand and then layered some Bermuda Bay with the stripey paper.  I stamped the Curly Cute sentiment directly on the Soft Suede designer paper then went over it with clear embossing powder to make it show up a little better.  I stamped the flowers in Rose Red, cut them out and layered them with dimensionals.  An antique brad finishes off the center.

This week at Freshly Made Sketches we welcome our Guest Designers Kim S. and Tracey Vidal who will be with us during the month of February.  They both are frequent players with our challenge, so it will be fun to create with them this month.  Welcome ladies!


I hope you can join us this week at Freshly Made Sketches.  We love to see what you create!


Our oh-so talented design team:


Lesley Croghan

Linda Callahan

Cindy Hall

Tui Nathan

Jennifer Timko

Rita Wright

Kim S.

Tracey Vidal 

ColourQ 119 and Sketchbook Saturday 45

Today is one of those days where I think everything has gone wrong with a card.  I actually started making this last night hoping I could get it finished before the football game started, but nothing was coming together as I wanted so I abandoned it.

This morning I thought I'd start fresh with a clear head.  I had been eye-balling the color challenge at ColourQ and although I found it a little lot intimidating, I wanted to try it.  Then I saw the great Sketchbook Saturday sketch and thought I could put the two together.  That's when everything went awry!

I couldn't find my Bow-Easy so I had to tie that ribbon by hand!  Not an easy feat for the worst bow-tier in history.  So as I'm fussing over that and struggling with getting all these colors to come together in some semblance of order I check the ColouQ blog and see I've got less than two hours to finish it and get it posted.  So slapped it together, ignored the bow, and here it is.

That was hard!  But thanks to the gals at ColourQ for including Going Gray in this challenge.  I really miss that color!

Color Throwdown 172 and Sketchbook Saturday 42

I was so happy to see the fun colors this week at the Color Throwdown.  So I plunked myself down in my stamp room last night to see what I could come up with.

I stamped the big flower from Raining Flowers in Versamark then heat embossed it with Melon Mambo embossing powder.  I layered that onto one of the flowers from the Fun Flowers Sizzix die, which I dry embossed with the Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder.  The scrap of designer paper is from the Welcome Neighbor paper pack.

I got loads of help on this card with the colors at the Color Throwdown and also this great sketch from Chupa's Sketchbook Saturday challenge.  And it also fits the challenge for wet or dry embossing at Scrapbook Essentials.

Well, I've cleared my schedule for this afternoon so that I can watch the Patriots play.  It's going to be a great game because we'll be playing the Denver Broncos and the NFL's latest wonder boy Tim Tebow.  Should be fun!

Thanks for stopping by!

Paper Players 69

This week at The Paper Players is a sketch designed by Nance.

I was intimidated by this sketch at first.  I wasn't at all sure what I wanted to do for that vertical layer, or for that matter what I was going to do for those flowers.  So I poked around with the supplies that I had and ended up letting the colors of the Well Worn designer paper be my guide.

Once again I found myself turning to an old favorite, French Foliage, for this card.  I inked up the leaves in a combination of Cajun Craze, Not Quite Navy and Early Espresso.  In my wildest dreams I never thought I would use a color combo like that to ink up leaves, but I have to say it looks really good.  A little twine, a button, and this card is good to go!

Thanks for stopping by today!