Freshly Made Sketches 589

I had some logistical and technical difficulties this week but I finally got my card for the latest Freshly Made Sketches challenge posted!

Late work meetings this week prevented me from having my card ready on time and then...my phone died.  Ordinarily that wouldn't have any effect on my card-making (and posting), but lately I've been taking pics of my cards on my phone.  No worries, I say to myself, I'll just use my camera to take the picture of the card.  But it's been so long since I've used the camera the battery was dead!  So after some all-day charging of the camera battery I was able to take the picture, edit it, and post it!  

I'm on a full day without a phone, and I've got to say it's a little weird.  I don't have a landline so I am completely unavailable to anyone who needs to "call" me.  I told my sisters if they need to contact me they'll need to use Facebook Messenger or call me during the day while I'm at work.  How weird is that!  I grew up in the generation where if you needed to talk to someone you called them or rode your bike over to their house!  

But on to my card.  Linda is our hostess and her fun sketch got my thinking about long, thin stamps that might fit the verical layer on the sketch.  That lead to this floral image.  Perfect!  The rest of the card came together quickly and the colors were inspired by the challenge at The Color Throwdown.

Thanks for stopping by!  

Supplies
Stamps:  Poppy Field (Rubbernecker Stamps); Scripty Greetings (The Ton)
Paper:  Whisper White (Stampin' Up!)
Ink:  Smoky Slate (Stampin' Up!); Baby Pink (Altenew); Nocturne (Versafine Clair)
Accessories:  Circles die (Little B); enamel dots (My Mind's Eye)

Thank You So Much

I loved the color challenge at The Color Throwdown as soon as I saw it.  And I thought a turnabout stamp would be perfect for showing off those beautiful colors.  I do love me my turnabout stamps!

I'm on a bit of a turnabout stamp kick lately.  I love how they give opportunities to use different colors in a fun and easy way.  No heavy lifting here - just a pretty card that went together very easily!

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies
Stamps:  Wreath Turnabout (Concorn & 9th); Tons of Type (The Stamp Market)
Paper:  Blue Bayou, Whisper White (Stampin' Up!); Dark Chocolate (Papertrey Ink)
Ink:  Blue Bayou, Night of Navy, More Mustard (Stampin' Up!); Dark Chocolate (Papertrey Ink)

Freshly Made Sketchs 556

So we've got a great new sketch for you at Freshly Made Sketches.  Our hostess this week is Amy and I love her classic sketch!

I'm not good at putting together little leafy bits into a pleasing arrangement, but that didn't stop me from trying with this card.  I always feel like the individual pieces get lost in the chaos and they look like a big blob of nothing.  But for this card I just kept sticking them down until I found something I reasonably liked.  Then I added the joy die cut on top.  I think the "joy" is the circle on the sketch!  My colors were inspired by the Color Throwdown.

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

Supplies
Paper:  Sahara Sand, Whisper White, Silver Glimmer (Stampin' Up!); Vellum (Graphix)
Ink:  Old Olive, Mossy Meadow, Blushing Bride (Stampin' Up!); Velvet (Altenew)
Accessories:  Festive Leaves stencil, Festive Leaves die (Pinkfresh Studio); Joy die (The Stamp Market)

Freshly Made Sketches 525

Hi all!  It's time for a new challenge at Freshly Made Sketches!  Our hostess this week is Karren and her design had me thinking and re-thinking my card.  Sometimes big blank spaces provide so much inspiration I don't know where I want to go!  I finally settled on a design featuring some eclectic colors and a leafy design.

The colors at Color Throwdown were interesting to me and I decided to use them to stamp leaves in a random pattern.  I added a script sentiment in black and I was done!  What started out as complicated ended up being super simple!

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

Supplies
Stamps:  Leaf Clusters (Altenew); Just Saying (Wow!)
Paper:  Whisper White, Tempting Turquoise (Stampin' Up!)
Ink:  Rocky Shores, Bamboo, Orange Cream (Altenew); Tempting Turquoise (Stampin' Up!)

Freshly Made Sketches 518

Well hey there!  I'm popping in a bit late with my card for our latest challenge at Freshly Made Sketches, but better late than never.  This week our super sketch is brought to you by our hostess Judy and it's the kind of sketch I love - open to lots of interpretation.

I didn't want to make a card that had a whole lot of white in the background so I did a deep dive into my stash of patterned paper and found this gray checkered paper to use as my background.  I layered it on top of another gray piece of card stock then layered both onto some blue card stock.  There's a method to my madness here as I was incorporating the colors from The Color Throwdown!  To finish off the challenge colors I added a daisy in yellow and some green leaves.  A simple slim sentiment finished the look.

Thanks for stopping by!  My Freshly Made Sketches teammates have made some awesome cards to inspire you to play along with us, so be sure to check them out!

Supplies
Stamps:  Tons of Type (The Stamp Market)
Paper: Enchanted Evening, Lemon Tart (Papertrey Ink); Smoky Slate, Wild Wasabi (Stampin' Up!); Gingham-Linen Rainbow Petite Prints (Doodlebug Designs)
Ink:  Onyx Black (Versafine)
Accessories:  Upsy Daisy die (My Favorite Things)

Fusion - Typewritten Thanks

 We've got a great new challenge for you at Fusion.  The sketch or the inspiration - you choose!

I chose the sketch and a teeny bit of the inspiration photo.  As I was poking around blogland I saw the color challenge at The Color Throwdown and thought I might have a turkey in my stash that I could color up with the right colors.  In a nod to the typewriter I stamped a background in some type written words.  I wanted to add a "thank you" sentiment but couldn't find anything in my stash that fit without overpowering the turkey!  I'm also going to add this at Retro Rubber and their "fallin' for autumn" challenge.  The text background is from 2003 and the turkey is from 2011.  It pays to not de-stash sometimes!

Thanks for stopping by!  We'd love for you to join us at Fusion.  We've got some great inspiration for you to play along with us!

Supplies
Stamps: It's Fall About You (The Alley Way Stamps); By Definition (Stampin' Up!)
Paper:  Desert (Neenah); Chocolate Chip (Stampin' Up!); X-Press It Blending Card
Ink:  Black Licorice (My Favorite Things); Crumb Cake (Stampin' Up!); Copics

Thanks So Much

The color challenge this week at Color Throwdown is one of my all-time favorite combos so I wanted to make sure that I played along.

To my great disappointment I didn't make a card with cats on it as is suggested by the challenge prompt.  I have three cats and I love them dearly, but none of them are black, gray, or yellow so  I had to resort to ........ flowers!  

Thanks for stopping by!  The strange weather here continues.  Wednesday was 90-degrees, Thursday was 80-degrees and today I've got a sweater on because it's only about 55-degrees.  I wish warm weather would arrive already!

Supplies
Stamps:  Best Blossoms (Stampin' Up!); Simple Sentiments (Avery Elle)
Paper:  Solar White (Neenah); Whisper White, Basic Black, Vellum, Night & Day DSP (Stampin' Up!)
Ink:  Maple Yellow (Altenew); Onyx Black (Versafine)
Accessories: Little Leaves Sizzlet (Stampin' Up!); Binding Edge punch (EK Tools)

Mojo Sketch for Mother's Day

By some happy accident I just found that an old favorite sketch challenge of mine, Mojo Monday, is back!  As a new papercrafter, Mojo Monday was one of the first challenges that I played along with regularly as I stretched out my creative wings and I was sad when it retired back in 2017.  But it's back and I'm playing along with the current sketch.

One of the things I always loved about the Mojo sketches were the layers!  They allowed me to get creative with pattern and texture so for this card I dug deep into my patterned paper stash and used a lots of different SU papers.  And in a nod to Julee, the Mojo creator, I used a favorite flower from Verve.  The colors from the latest challenge at The Color Throwdown inspired the floral theme and since Mother's Day will be here before you know it I thought this was a perfect card for that.  And at Tic Tac Toe I managed to squeeze in the first row down - as long as "mother" is a good enough substitute for "mom' LOL! 

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies
Stamps:  Dream Big (Verve); Keep It Simple Mother (Papertrey Ink)
Paper:  Desert Storm (Neenah); Old Olive, So Saffron, Cameo Coral, Whisper White, Sweet Pea DSP, Patterns Stack Brights DSP (Stampin' Up!)
Ink:  Cameo Coral, Old Olive (Stampin' Up!); Onyx Black (Versafine)
Accessories:  Dreamy Leaves die (Verve); Dotted Borders die (Avery Elle)

Thank You So Much

I found myself with some extra time today so I put that time to good use and holed up in my craft room!  Who needs clean laundry, I say to myself!!  The first thing I did was make a card for the Color Throwdown challenge.

I loved the inspiration photo and I imagined myself making a card with shades of cream and plum offset with a bit of black for dramatic flair.  What I ended up with was a card that was really hard to photograph.  I love the stamp I used - I actually had completely forgotten about it and stumbled on it a few days ago.  But trying to get the colors right in my picture was really difficult.  Gah!  Some day I'll get it right!

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:
Stamps:  Abstract Poppies (Rubbernecker Stamps); Tons of Type (The Stamp Market)
Paper:  Very Vanilla (Stampin' Up!)
Ink:  Perfect Plum (Stampin' Up!); Nocturne (Versafine Clair); Onyx Black (Versafine)
Accessories:  Quick Strips die (The Stamp Market)

CAS(E) This Sketch 404

My card for the latest CAS(E) This Sketch challenge did not quite end up as I envisioned but I love it all the same!

I started out wanting to make a one layer card.  I intended that the dotted circle be split in the middle by some white space.  I used some frisket film to mask off that white space then happily inked up the stamp in the colors of the Color Throwdown challenge.  But when I went to peel off the frisket film it was a bit too sticky and it peeled off layers from my card base. 😡So to cover up the mistake I added a layer and stamped the sentiment on it.

Thanks for stopping by!  CAS(E) This Sketch is ending soon 😢 so we'd love to see you play along with us.

Supplies
Stamps:  Bitty Burst Turnabout (Concord & 9th); Scripty Sayings (Gina K Designs)
Ink:  Parrot, Magenta (Altenew); Pacific Point (Stampin' Up!); Onyx Black (Versafine)

Fusion - Holiday Blessings

The inspiration theme at Fusion is "thankful" but this week I decided to play along with just the sketch and make a Christmas card instead.  I'm approaching that time of year when I suspect I'm woefully behind on my Christmas card stash...and I'm too scared to check!  So I keep plugging along and hope I hit my target!

On Tuesday I happened to catch the sneak peak of The Color Throwdown challenge so I used those colors for my card.  They also happen to be a favorite color combo of mine for Christmas cards!

Instead of layering three circular shapes, per the sketch, I used dotted circle dies to create two of the circles then layered blue and red cardstock behind so that the color showed through.  The third circle is, obviously, the poinsettia.  I happen to think this looks pretty good - a clever idea - but I wonder what the recipient will think.  The poinsettia, the sentiment, and the colors say Christmas, but they might be scratching their head over the purpose of those circles!

Thanks for stopping by!  My fellow Fusion teammates have some great cards to show you so be sure to check them out!

Supplies:
Stamps:  Peace Love Joy (Right at Home)
Paper:  Baja Breeze, Real Red (Stampin' Up!); Solar White (Neenah): silver (Recollections)
Ink:  Onyx Black (Versafine)
Accessories:  Layered Poinsettia die (Penny Black); Circles die (Little B)

Funky Florals

I was organizing in my craft room yesterday.  One thing that drives me nuts is that the companies that make ink pads, by and large, don't put a label identifying the ink color on the side of the pad.  So since I store mine vertically I end up having to devise some system so I know what color is where.  Yesterday I attacked my Altenew ink pads and put a small dot on the sides of them. 

While I was in my room I inked up an old favorite stamp set and played along with the challenges at Color Throwdown and CAS Colours & Sketches.

It's a pretty simple card with a wee birthday sentiment.  I should have taken the opportunity to use the colors for a masculine card, but I really wanted to use those flowers!

Here are my dotted ink pads.  I'm almost done with them, but I think we crafters should start a revolution and demand labels on the side!  It seems logical to me...

CAS(E) This Sketch 351

I thought I was done with Christmas cards this year, but it appears I've got one more up my sleeve!  This one will go into my 2020 stash...it feels good to get a head start on next year!  My card layout comes from our latest challenge at CAS(E) This Sketch which is actually a redux of Sketch #73.

The challenge at Color Throwdown gave me the idea to use a poinsettia and leaves on my card and for the big half circle I wanted something that was a bit subtle.  So I used some white glitter paper.  It's quite pretty in real life!

Thanks for stopping by!  My fellow teamies at CAS(E) This Sketch have made some fantastic cards with this sketch to be sure to check them out!

Supplies
Stamps:  Signature Christmas (Papertrey Ink_
Paper:  Solar White (Neenah); Jungle (Avery Elle); Poppy Parade (Stampin' Up!); printable glitter paper (Recollelctions)
Ink:  Jungle (Avery Elle); Pure Poppy (Stampin' Up!); Onyx Black (Versafine)
Accessories:  Stitched Basic Edges die (My Favorite Things); Layered Poinsettia die (Spellbinders)

CAS(E) This Sketch 349

I'm full on Christmas nowadays!  And this week the sketch at CAS(E) This Sketch gave me a reason to use this fun Santa bursting through the front of my card!

I broke out my beloved stash of Stampin' Up! Baja Breeze for this card so that I could play along with the challenge at Color Throwdown.  I even managed to dig up some old designer series paper in the same color.  My Santa is a nod to the Christmas Kickstart Challenge.

Thanks for stopping by!  My fellow teammates at CAS(E) This Sketch have some fantastic cards this week so be sure to check them out.  They will inspire you for sure!

Supplies
Stamps:  Be Jolly (Your Next Stamp); Kelly's Fa La La La La (Hero Arts)
Paper:  Solar White (Neenah); Basic Gray, Baja Breeze, Real Red, Ski Slope DSP (Stampin' Up!)
Ink:  Black Licorice (My Favorite Things); Basic Gray (Stampin' Up!); Copics

Tag You're It 98

It's fall y'all!  And our latest challenge at Tag You're It celebrates those special colors and leaves that we only see this time of year! I decided to simplify those leaves from the inspiration photo into one big one.

It's been a while since I've used this stamp set from Concord & 9th and I thought it might be good for this tag.  So armed with colors inspired by The Color Throwdown I stamped the base of this leaf with red and yellow and topped the lace overlay with a brown.

I added a few enamel dots for a bit of dimension and twill ribbon tied with some brown crochet thread completed the look of this card.

Thanks for stopping by!  My teammates at Tag You're It have made some fantastic tags this week so be sure to check them out!

Supplies
Stamps:  Lace Leaf (Concord & 9th); Great Friend (Stampin' Up!)
Paper:  Truffle (Avery Elle); Very Vanilla (Stampin' Up!)
Ink:  Real Red, Daffodil Delight, Early Espresso (Stampin' Up!)
Accessories:  Traditional Tags STAX, Pierced Traditional Tags STAX (My Favorite Things); Antique Brass Jumbo Eyelets, Natural Twill Ribbon (Stampin' Up!); enamel dots (My Mind's Eye); crochet thread

CAS(E) This Sketch 323

We've got a retro sketch for you at CAS(E) This Sketch.  The original debuted HERE all the way back to 2015!  I love looking at the cards for these retro sketches -- it's fun to see the designs and the trends that were popular at the time!  And here's my card for the sketch redux:

A few weeks ago our fearless leader Chrissy made THIS card which heavily influenced my card today.  I loved the jagged edges of her layers and when I sat down at my desk to make my card for this challenge I couldn't help thinking that jagged layers would be perfect to mimic the lines of the chevrons in the sketch.  So I grabbed a mountain landscape die cut three mountains - the one in the middle is actually a pretty glimmer paper.  Then I added a few snowflakes and a simple sentiment and I had another Christmas card to add to my stash.

Despite the beachy theme of the colors and inspiration at The Color Throwdown I chose to make a Christmas card with them.  This is actually one of my favorite color combos for Christmas cards.

Thanks for stopping by!  I hope you can check out the designs over at CAS(E) This Sketch.  They're pretty amazing!

Supplies
Stamps:  Hand Lettered Holiday (WPlus9)
Paper:  Solar White (Neenah); Enchanted Evening, Pure Poppy (Papertrey Ink); glitter paper (Recollections)
Ink:  Pure Poppy (Papertrey Ink)
Accessories:  Mountain Landscape Layers die (Impression Obsession); In a Word Merry die (Winnie & Waltler); Funky Flakes die (CAS-ual Fridays)

CAS(E) This Sketch 317

I absolutely love the challenge this week at CAS(E) This Sketch.  It's got wide open spaces that leaves lots of room for interpretation.

I fell back to one of my favorite floral stamp sets and created this layered flower.  My Scan N Cut made quick work of the leaves and in no time at all this card was done!  My colors were inspired by the challenge at The Color Throwdown.

Thanks for stopping by!  Check out the designs of my CAS(E) This Sketch teammates for some inspiration.  See you in the gallery!

Supplies
Stamps:  Dream Big (Verve); Simple Sentiments (Avery Elle)
Paper:  Solar White (Neenah); Certainly Celerly, Melon Mambo (Stampin' Up!); American Crafts
Ink: Certainly Celery, Old Olive, Melon Mambo (Stampin' Up!); Nocturne (Versafine Clair)
Accessories:  enamel dots (My Mind's Eye)