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!)

Freshly Made Sketches #670

Hi there!  I'm back today with a card for our latest challenge at Freshly Made Sketches.  Amy is our hostess this week and she's given us a fantastic sketch!

My seasons are a little off because this sunflower is more suited to the end of summer than the dead of winter but I love this image and I thought it would be perfect for this sketch.  I scoured my stash of patterned paper for the perfect backgrounds and found these two SU! beauties.  All of it came together beautifully!

Thanks for stopping by!  

Supplies
Stamps:  Splendid Sunflower (My Favorite Things)
Paper:  Honey Nut (Papertrey Ink); Early Espresso, Old Olive, Whisper White, Spring Shower DSP, Welcome Neighbor DSP (Stampin' Up!)

Ink: Hello Honey, Baked Brown Sugar, Early Espresso (Stampin' Up!)
Accessories:  Splendid Sunflowers die (My Favorite Things); Yana's Sentiments hot foil plates and dies (Spellbinders)

Freshly Made Sketches #667

I've been a very erratic stamper over the last year, but I managed to carve out some time to join my Freshly Made Sketches teammates for our first sketch of 2025!  Kicking off the new year is Cécile as our hostess, and as usual, I tried to channel my inner CAS Cécile as I designed my card.

I opted for a shaker for this card, mainly because I hadn't done one in so long....and, in this case, lends itself to a CAS card.  Fun!

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you play along with us at Freshly Made Sketches, where my fellow design team members have made some fantastic cards to inspire you to play along with us!

Supplies
Stamps:  Bokeh Burst Round (The Ton); All About You (My Favorite Things)
Paper:  Whisper White (Stampin' Up)
Ink:  Onyx Black (Versafine)
Accessories:  You die (Simon Says Stamp); Royal Garden sequins (Pretty Pink Posh); gold embossing powder

Freshly Made Sketches 642

Well it sure has been a while since I've posted here.  I won't go into the gory details, but suffice it to say that life gets in the way.....of so many things!  But it's my week to be the hostess at Freshly Made Sketches and hostess I will.  My sketch is square and it's got a wavy layer, but as you all know by now, neither is necessary in Freshly Made Sketches Land.  It's all about how YOU interpret the sketch!

I decided to use the gorgeous colors at the Just Us Girls challenge to make a square birthday card.  Blue flowers are hard to come by in my neck of the woods, but they are easy to find when you are the architect!  I love these pops of color!

Thanks for stopping by!  As usual my Freshly Made Sketches teammates have made some amazing cards with this sketch!

Supplies
Stamps:  Birthday Messages (Mama Elephant)
Paper:  Midnight Muse, More Mustard, Bermuda Bay (Stampin' Up!); vellum (Papertrey Ink); Watercolor Wash (My Favorite Things)
Ink:  Onyx Black (Versafine)
Accessories:  Upsy Daisy die (My Favorite Things); Curvy Leaves die (Elizabeth Craft Designs)

Freshly Made Sketches 629

We've got a great new sketch for you at Freshly Made Sketches.  Our hostess this week is Amy and what a great sketch she's given us!

I really wanted to use use patterned paper for the background on my card so I scoured my stash for just the right thing.  I ended up choosing one in shades of blue.  I added white daisies and some colorful green leaves for contrast.

Thanks for stopping by!  My Freshly Made Sketches teammates have made some awesome cards with this sketch so be sure to check them out!

Supplies
Stamps:  Scripty Sayings (Gina K Designs)
Paper:  Baha Breeze, Kiwi Kiss, So Saffron, Whisper White, Walk in the Park DSP (Stampin' Up!)
Ink:  Onyx Black (Versafine)
Accessories: Upsy Daisy die (My Favorite Things); Scallop Border dies (The Stamps of Life)

Freshly Made Sketches 619

Hi friends!  I've been a bad stamper lately, but I'm back with a card for our newest Freshly Made Sketches challenge.  Our hostess this week is Judy and her card put me in mind of butterflies!

The color challenge at The Paper Players influenced the design of this card.  I used some grungy Stampin' Up! DSP for the black and white background and then used a butterfly as my pop of color.  

Thanks for stopping by!  My fellow Freshly Made Sketches design team members have made some fabulous cards with this challenge so I hope you check them out!

Supplies
Paper:  Black Licorice (My Favorite Things); Tempting Turquoise, Night and Day DSP (Stampin' Up!);  vellum (Papertrey Ink)
Accessories:  Papillons die (4enscrap); Blueprints 15 Die (My Favorite Things)

Freshly Made Sketches 614

I've been a bit under the weather and missed last week's Freshly Made Sketches challenge, but I managed to make a card for this week with our new sketch designed by Jen Brum!

Our design team had a bit of a laugh when we saw Jen's sketch -  because she is a self-proclaimed circle-hater!  And this sketch is just chock full of them!  But kudos to her for facing her fears!  I decided to use a bokeh stencil to create the circles on my card.  I added a horizontal vellum layer and a die cut sentiment cut from red foil cardstock.  It's a super simple design and pretty much all my pneumonia-fogged brain could come up with!

We are joined this week by Nancy Elrick, one of our 600th sketch winners.  So be sure to check out her design and the designs of our design team.  Amazing!

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies
Paper:  Lost Lagoon, Vellum (Stampin' Up!); Watercolor Wash (My Favorite Things); Red Foil (Recollections)
Ink:  Frost White (Colorbox)
Accessories:  Bokeh Lights stencil (Simon Says Stamp); Merry Christmas die (Dee's Distinctively)

Freshly Made Sketches 611

I'm the hostess this week at Freshly Made Sketches...insert nail biting here.  I went with a layered design -not something I usually do.  But I like to challenge myself.  I hope you do too!

I'm at the point in the year when I start to worry that I don't have enough Christmas cards in my stash so that's my main focus when I make a new card.  This card uses a pretty plaid with gold and silver accents.  

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies
Paper:  Night of Navy, Gold Foil, Wrapped in Plaid (Stampin' Up!); vellum (Graphix); Christmas Overlay (Marisa Lerin);
Accessories:  Tag Sale #5 die (Papertrey Ink); RyLynn snowflake die (Simon Says Stamp); Let it Snowflake Too die (My Favorite Things); Metallic Gold Rhinestone (Pretty Pink Posh); Shine Gold Twine Cording (Maya Road)

Freshly Made Sketches #610

I am a day late and a dollar short with this card!  I still had Halloween on my mind when I made this card for our newest Freshly Made Sketches challenge not realizing that by the time the card was posted Halloween would be over!  But Halloween it is!  This week our hostess is Jen Timko and we are joined by our guest designer Patti Brunter, one of our FMS600 challenge winners!

I was inspired by the color challenge at Addicted To CAS.  I'm not sure that this card fits the CAS mold, but I love it all the same!  The stenciled clouds were a last minute addition and I'm glad I thought of them!

Thanks for stopping by!  I don't have to tell you that our Freshly Made Sketches design team has made some fabulous cards with this sketch, but I will!

Supplies
Stamps:  Autumn Apparitions (Stampin' Up!)
Paper:  White (Pure Luxury Gina K); Basic Black, Vintage Violet (Stampin' Up!); Simply Chartreuse (Papertrey Ink)
Ink:  Vintage Violet (Stampin' Up!); Onyx Black (Versafine)
Accessories:  Mini Cloud Edges stencil (My Favorite Things)

Freshly Made Sketches 604

We've got a great new sketch for you at Freshly Made Sketches this week!  Our designer is Cécile, and as always when she's given us a sketch I try to channel my inner CAS soul.

When I first saw the sketch I was pretty sure what stamp set I wanted to use for the two splashy background images, but I wasn't sure what the final image on top was going to be.  Then my sister asked me if had any cards with dragonflies on them, as she needed a thank you card for someone who was crazy about dragonflies.  Well I didn't have one, but I knew I could make one.  That was the perfect image I was looking for so this card was born!

Thanks for stopping by!  As always my Freshly Made Sketches design teammates have got some amazing cards to inspire you to play along with us!  

Supplies
Stamps: Abstract Art (My Favorite Things); Tiny Words (Simon Says Stamp)
Paper:  White (Gina K); Island Indigo (Stampin' Up!); vellum (Papertrey Ink)
Ink:  Sea Glass, Ocean Waves (Altenew); Onyx Black (Versafine)
Accessories:  Libellules die (4enscrap)

Freshly Made Sketches 603

We've got a great new sketch for you at Freshly Made Sketches this week.  Our hostess is Jen Brum and her design incorporates three circles.  Well documented here - three of anything gives me the heebie-jeebies!  I have no idea why, it just does!  But her design is perfect for these ho-ho-ho die cuts.  So I cut them from some sparkly red paper and layered them on top of some really old-school holiday paper from Stampin' Up!

After I made this card I realized there are a few things I would change about it!  But it's my Mona Lisa this week and I've already moved on to the next card!  Even still it's full of sparkly goodness!

Thanks for stopping by!  My fellow Freshly Made Sketches design team members have sone amazing cards to show you, so check them out!  

Supplies
Paper:  Old Olive, Holiday Treasures DSP (Stampin' Up!); Foil Paper (Recollections)
Accessories:  Ho Ho Ho die (My Favorite Things); Festive Mix enamel dots (Studio Katia)

Freshly Made Sketches 602

So, the Monday holiday here in the US got me all messed up.  I woke up this morning thinking that it was Tuesday.  I was going to do this blog post when I got home from work - plenty of time before the Freshly Made Sketches post went live on Wednesday.  But after puttering around the kitchen getting ready for work I realized it was actually Wednesday!  So I'm a bit late with this post!

Kim is our hostess this week at Freshly Made Sketches and she's given us a fun sketch.  I didn't immediately think of a tag for that layer on the top half of the card, but once I saw the AAA Cards Challenge I realized a tag would work really well.  I used some bright washi tape on the tag and completed the decoration with a colorful sunflower.

Thanks for stopping by!  We've got some great inspiration for you at Freshly Made Sketches so I hope you check us out and join us in the gallery!

Supplies
Stamps:  Tons of Type (The Stamp Market)
Paper:  Solar White (Neenah); Daffodil Delight, Garden Green, Early Espresso (Stampin' Up!)
Ink:  Onyx Black (Versafine)
Accessories:  Tag Sale #5 die (Papertrey Ink); Sunflower die (My Favorite Things); Stitched Leaves die (My Creative Time); washi tape (Stampin' Up!); crochet thread

Freshly Made Sketches 600

We are celebrating our 600th challenge at Freshly Made Sketches this week!  That's a lot of inspiration!  It started with our debut sketch on September 7, 2011 and continues strong to this day!  To help us celebrate this milestone we've got some guest designers joining us!  Here is our sketch and my take on it.

I used this gorgeous dahlia stamp as my "circle" on the sketch and decided at the last minute that the horizontal layer should be this lovely burlap ribbon.  I hot foiled the sentiment in gold - and can I just confess that every time I attempt hot foiling I put the foil upside down and I end up foiling the plate and not the cardstock.  I've got a mental block about it apparently!

As I mentioned we are joined for this momentous 600th sketch challenge with some guest designers.  These lovely ladies have featured as our "queens of clean" frequently and we thought it fitting to invite them to play along with us for this anniversary sketch.  You'll find their cards at the top of our Freshly Made Sketches post.

And, of course, our Freshly Made Sketches design team has rocked it out of the park for this challenge.  I hope you are inspired to join us in the gallery!

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies
Stamps:  Delightful Dahlia Additions (Papertrey Ink)
Paper:  Layering White (Gina K); Solar White (Neenah); Wild Wasabi (Stampin' Up!)
Ink:  Sea Breeze, Turquoise, Starlight (Altenew)
Accessories:  Yana' Sentiments Hot Foil Plates and Dies (Spellbinders); Burlap ribbon (Stampin' Up!)

Freshly Made Sketches 599

Hi everyone!  It's my turn to be the sketch hostess at Freshly Made Sketches this week.  I tried my hand at a design with a few layers - I can't be clean-and-simple all the time!  Sometimes I just get a hankering to make a card with some weight to it!

I love this color combo of kraft, black, white, and yellow and for no particular reason picked it to use on my card.  The yellow then inspired sunflowers so I die-cut a couple of those from a daisy die (ssshhh don't tell) and layered them over this fun gingham paper.  I wanted a bold sentiment and chose this one from the now-closed Reverse Confetti.  

Thanks for stopping by!  Of course, my fellow Freshly Made Sketches design teammates have made some amazing cards with my sketch!  I hope you'll check them out.

And next week we'll be celebrating 600 sketches at Freshly Made Sketches.  We've got some fun surprises so I hope you will join us!

Supplies
Stamps:  Posted Notes Sentiments (Reverse Confetti)
Paper:  Desert Storm (Neenah); Black Licorice (My Favorite Things); Crushed Curry, Wild Wasabi, Whisper White (Stampin' Up!); True Black Gingham (Papertrey Ink)
Ink:  Nocturne (Versafine Clair)
Accessories:  Upsy Daisy die, Vertical Greetings II die (My Favorite Things); enamel dots (My Mind's Eye)

Freshly Made Sketches 578

After a busy week and a missed challenge I'm back at Freshly Made Sketches for our newest challenge.  Our hostess this week is Jacquie and after contemplating her sketch I went with a layered stenciled design.

I think it's a fun design to layer images over one another - and pop one up on foam tape over the other. I chose to use vellum for the horizontal layer on the sketch so that the stamped images on the card base were still visible.

I was inspired by the spring challenge at The Paper Players too!

Thanks for stopping by!  My Freshly Made Sketches design team has made some beautiful cards with this sketch so be sure to check them out!

Supplies
Paper:  Whisper White, Vellum (Stampin' Up!
Ink:  Wisteria, Hydrangea, Ultraviolet, Forest Glades (Altenew)
Accessories:  Climbing Cosmos layering stencil (The Ton); Pierced Rectangle STAX (My Favorite Things)

Freshly Made Sketches 576

Hi friends!  It's time for a great new challenge at Freshly Made Sketches with our hostess Amy!  I was lucky enough to meet Amy in real life a few months ago.  She lives in Texas and I live in Massachusetts so it's not like we can get together for lunch whenever we want!  It's a strange crafty phenomena that we have these friendships that are created from a shared interest and chance meetings on design teams.  We live in different states, countries, or even different continents and sometimes our chances of meeting each other are very slim.  So I consider myself lucky that I have gotten to meet three of my fellow Freshly Made Sketches design team members in person.  Would that I could meet them all!  ❤️

But now on to our challenge.  Amy's circles became sweet little daisies on my card.  I took a chance and did some white flowers on a white background (always hard for me to photograph) and then took a bigger chance by adding in some white blobs of Nuvo drops that I prayed would flatten out into artistic discs after a bit of finger flicking from below.  They did -- whew!

I was going to stamp a sentiment somewhere but was afraid of smudging it and messing up the whole thing so I opted to leave it off.  I can always add one later when I'm feeling more brave!

Thanks for stopping by!  There are some great interpretations of this sketch from my fellow Freshly Made Sketches design team members so be sure to check them out.  I hope we'll see you in the gallery!

Supplies
Cardstock:  Solar White (Neenah); Green Parakeet (Papertrey Ink): Poppy Parade, Daffodil Delight (Stampin' Up!)
Accessories:  Upsy Daisy die (My Favorite Things); Gloss White Crystal Drops (Nuvo)

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)

Freshly Made Sketches 565

Tis the season!  I was inspired by the latest Freshly Made Sketches challenge to make another Christmas card.  Our hostess is Karren and her sketch is classic!

This is a Santa from and old stamp set that I've had in my stash for a long time.  He's a jolly old elf - but don't color him after you've had a few cups of coffee!  LOL!  He's featured on a festive ho-ho-ho background stamped in Christmas green with a few spots in red to be interesting.

And speaking of Santa, at The Paper Players they are searching for him.  Luckily I found him!  LOL!

Thanks for stopping by!  Check out my fellow Freshly Made Sketches teammates cards.  I have no doubt they will inspire you to play along with us!

Supplies
Stamps:  Jolly Holiday (Stampin' Up!); Ho Ho Ho Background (My Favorite Things)
Paper:  Whisper White, Shimmery White, Call Me Clover (Stampin' Up!); Vellum (Papertrey Ink)
Ink:  Black Licorice (My Favorite Things); Just Green (Altenew); Real Red (Stampin' Up!); Copics
Accessories:  Merry Christmas die (Impression Obsession)

Freshly Made Sketches 564

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)

Freshly Made Sketches 561

I'm really, really late posting my card for the newest challenge at Freshly Made Sketches!  But better late than never.  Our hostess this week is Linda and her sketch inspired some snowflakes, of all things!

I do love cards with sparkly snowflakes!  And I added some clear droplets around the white space because it looked quite plain to me otherwise.

Be sure to check out all the inspiration at Freshly Made Sketches and join us in the gallery!

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies
Stamps:  Blizzard Hugs (The Ton)
Paper:  Just Jade (Stampin' Up!); Solar White (Neenah); glimmer paper (Recollecltions)
Ink:  Lagoon (Altenew)
Accessories:  Alexis Snowflake die (Simon Says Stamp); Let it Snowflake Too die (My Favorite Things); Clear Droplets (Pretty Pink Posh)