Freshly Made Sketches 592

A busy work schedule last week caused me to miss last week's challenge at Freshly Made Sketches, so I was determined to not miss this weeks sketch.  Our hostess is Cécile and her sketch is so fun!

The sketch has got some sailboat vibes but I really wanted to make a card to add to my Christmas stash.  At first I though the triangles might work as Christmas trees, but as I was browsing my stamps I found one that had some wise men with angular shapes that sort of mimicked the sketch so I decided to go with those.  

I sponged the circle and added the star, in keeping with the Christmas theme, and stamped the "wise men" in silhouette.  (Although I think the one on the right is a female (Mary) accepting a gift from the magi).  The sentiment, tucked in perfectly.

As this is a one layer card and pretty simple in nature I'm going to add it to Less is More!

Thanks for stopping by!  I hope we'll see you in the Freshly Made Sketches gallery!

Supplies
Stamps:  Three Kings (Penny Black); Star of Light (Stampin' Up!)
Paper:  Bristol Smooth
Ink:  Fossilized Amber, Wild Honey (Distress Oxide); Onyx Black (Versafine); Nocturne (Versafine Clair)

Freshly Made Sketches 590

We've got a fun new sketch challenge for you at Freshly Made Sketches this week.  Our hostess is Kim and I thought the three horizontal layers on it would be perfect for a few stacked sentiments.  

Once I stamped the sentiments I needed something to take up the rest of the space so I stamped this leafy image in a pale purple.  I got some additional inspiration from the color challenge at Less is More and the one layer challenge at Addicted to CAS. 

Thanks for stopping by!  There's some great inspiration at Freshly Made Sketches so be sure to check us out!

Supplies
Stamps:  Botanical Print (The Stamp Market)
Paper:  Whisper White (Stampin' Up!)
Ink:  Wisteria (Altenew); Onyx Black (Versafine)

Freshly Made Sketches 583

Hi everyone!  We've got a great new sketch for you at Freshly Made Sketches!  Our hostess is Narelle and although my first thought upon seeing the sketch was "rainbow" I ended up with a sunny scene instead.

It's been an age since I've used washi tape on a card so I took the opportunity to use some to make the horizontal layer at the base of my burst of sunshine.  I layered a hot-foiled sentiment over the washi and added a little floral spray.  Fun!

And since I think this card qualifies as CAS I'm going to consider that it qualifies for the challenge at Less is More.

Thanks for stopping by!  My fellow Freshly Made Sketches design teammies have got sone great cards for you to see so be sure to check them out!

Supplies
Stamps:  Kinda Eclectic (Stampin' Up!)
Paper:  Whisper White, Basic Gray (Stampin' Up!); Royal Velvet (Papertrey Ink)
Ink: Daffodil Delight (Stampin' Up!)
Accessories:  Curvy Leaves die (Elizabeth Craft Designs); Button Stacks die (Papertrey Ink); Everyday Sentiments II hot foil plate (Spellbinders); washi tape

Freshly Made Sketches 554

We've got a great new challenge for you at Freshly Made Sketches this week.  Our design this week is brought to you by Karren.  I decided to go with a monochrome one-layer card.  

I thought combining the black and white challenge at Less is More with our Freshly Made Sketches challenge would be a good idea.  I think I was right!  The flower on my card becomes the vertical layer and I drew a rectangle around the sentiment to create the horizontal layer.  The result was a simple, one layer card.

Thanks for stopping by!  My Freshly Made Sketches have some fabulous cards for you to see so I hope you check them out!

Supplies
Paper:  Whisper White (Stampin' Up!
Stamps:  Foral Art (Altenew); Deepest Sympathy (My Favorite Things)
Ink: Onyx Black (Versafine)

Freshly Made Sketches 551

Happy Wednesday!  We've got a fabulous new sketch challenge for you at Freshly Made Sketches.  Our hostess this week is Kim and I love her design.  It's got layers and wide open space - a perfect combination for the imagination!

I chose to keep my card CAS and following the "pink" challenge at Addicted to CAS I used varying shades of pink for the horizontal layers on the sketch.  Then I got the bright idea to incorporate the vellum challenge at Less Is More and added a simple leafy die cut.

Thanks for stopping by!  You don't need me to tell you that my fellow Freshly Made Sketches teammates have some creative takes on this sketch.  So be sure to check them out!

Supplies
Stamps:  Tiny Words (Simon Says Stamp)
Paper:  Solar White (Neenah); Pink Pirouette, Powder Pink, Rococco Rose, Vellum (Stampin' Up)
Ink:  Onyx Black (Versafine)
Accessories:  Feuillages Ajourés die (Simply Graphic)

Freshly Made Sketches 548

Hi friends!  Our latest sketch challenge from Freshly Made Sketches features a straight, vertical layer.  That got me thinking about a stamp set featuring a line of butterflies.  Butterflies seem to abound lately in some of my favorite challenges so I decided to combine my Freshly Made Sketches card with a couple of them.  Our sketch this week is brought to you by Jacquie.  I love her minimalist design.

I wanted to do something simple with my card so I stamped the line of butterflies in a fun color then added a "layer" by drawing a vertical line down the card, being careful to go around the butterflies.  It's a one layer card and so much fun!  There are butterfly challenges at Just Us Girls as well as Less Is More so I'm adding my card to those challenges too!

Thanks for stopping by!  I hope you'll play along with our Freshly Made Sketches challenge!  Our design team will surely inspire you so check out their cards.

Supplies
Stamps:  Butterflies and Moths (Tim Holtz); Tiny Words (Simon Says Stamp)
Paper:  Whisper White (Stampin' Up!)
Ink:  Simply Chartreuse (Papertrey Ink); Onyx Black (Versafine); Copic Multiliner

Freshly Made Sketches 537

Hi everyone!  It's time for a new challenge at Freshly Made Sketches.  Our hostess is Judy and, with a few tweaks, I embraced her sketch wholeheartedly!

The rainbow challenge at Less is More inspired my colorful horizontal layer and I thought a simple "HI" sentiment mimicked the circle on the sketch.  The banner underneath those layers was paper pierced using a Stampin' Up! stencil.  Remember stencils!!  This is why I am a stamping hoarder.  I might only use something once every five years but I'm eternally grateful that it exists in my stash for just the perfect moment!

Thanks for stopping by!  I hope you join us at Freshly Made Sketches!

Supplies

Paper:  Solar White (Neenah); Real Red, Pumpkin Pie, Daffodil Delight, Wild Wasabi, Island Indigo (Stampin' Up!); Enchanted Evening, Royal Velvet (Papertrey Ink)

Freshly Made Sketches 498

I've got a quick post to share with you using the latest sketch at Freshly Made Sketches.  Our hostess this week is Jen Timko and I know you are going to love her design!

That oval layer initially had me a bit stumped.  And when I am stumped I take a day or two to obsess ponder over possible designs.  When I am really stumped I try and CASE one of my own designs and that is what happened with this card.  As I was driving home from work Tuesday (nothing like cutting it close) I remembered this card that I made and thought with some new stamps and colors I could make a brand new design.

So using the shades of blue theme at Less is More I stamped these gorgeous leafy images and highlighted one of them with the dotted image that I heat-embossed in white.  Easy peasy!

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

Supplies

Stamps:  Dot Botanicals, Leaf Clusters (Altenew)

Paper:  Whisper White (Stampin' Up!)

Ink:  Sea Glass, Dusk, Desert Night (Altenew); Versamark

Accessories:  Pierced Oval STAX (My Favorite Things); Opaque Bright White embossing powder (WOW!)
 

Freshly Made Sketches 494

Hi all!  It's time for a brand new challenge at Freshly Made Sketches!  Our hostess this week is Narelle and she's given us her signature clean design which can be dressed up to your heart's content!  For my card I went clean and simple.

It's July so that means CHRISTMAS right?  Sure it does!  I don't know how the Christmas in July thing started but I like to take advantage of it to add to my holiday card stash.  And of course a couple of other challenges helped me along.  Addicted to CAS and Less is More are both looking for Christmas themes and since all that white space fits their criteria I decided to play along with them too.

This card was super simple to put together because as I was perusing my stash for something to use as the long vertical layer I happened upon these trees that were already stamped and cut.  They were long and slim and fit the design perfectly so it was just a matter of adding a sentiment and I was done.  I think I spent more time cutting out small pieces of foam tape to mount them to my card front than I did creating the design!

Thanks for stopping by!  My fellow teammates at Freshly Made Sketches have some amazing cards to wow you with so be sure to check them out!

Supplies
Stamps:  Peaceful Forest (Ink to Paper); December Typed Words (Papertrey Ink)
Paper:  Solar White (Neenah)
Ink:  Old Olive, Cherry Cobbler (Stampin' Up!); Onyx Black (Versafine)

Fusion - Summer Dreamin'

I'm dreaming of summer...and we are at Fusion too!  It seems that dreaming of summer is what I'm relegated to because the weather here in Massachusetts hasn't quite caught up to the actual season.  It goes from heat wave to 70-degrees here in a matter of days and all I want is consistent hot weather!  But at Fusion we've got a great sketch with some summer inspiration for you.

For my card I followed the sketch and incorporated the colors at Less Is More.  I had originally planned on those bottom vertical layers being done with embossing paste but made a tactical error and had to do something different at the last minute.  Stitched dies to the rescue!  This beautiful dahlia is a pain to stamp - lining up the layers is horrible - but the end result is gorgeous.  And in order to not deviate from the color challenge I added leaves die cut in vellum. 

Thanks for stopping by!  We've got some great inspiration for you at Fusion so be sure to check it out - and join us in the gallery!

Supplies

Stamps:  Delightful Dahlia Additions (Papertrey Ink)
Paper:  Solar White (Neenah); Whisper White, Vellum (Stampin' Up!)

Ink:  Iceberg, Eastern Sky, Ultramarine (Altenew)
Accessories:  Vertical Stitched Strips die, Layered Leaves die (My Favorite Things); Daffodil Delight grosgrain ribbon (Stampin' Up!)

Addicted to CAS - Beach

I'm super excited about my post today because I am a guest designer at Addicted to CAS this week!  They liked one of my cards a few weeks ago and invited me to play along with this challenge.  Since CAS cards and I get along really well, I jumped at the chance!  And then Kylie sent me the challenge graphic and I had a mini panic attack!  The cue word was "beach."

Don't get me wrong, I love the beach.  I grew up close enough to Cape Cod in Massachusetts that I spent many happy summers frolicking in the ocean.  The problem is that I don't own a single stamp about the beach.  So for inspiration I turned to Splitcoast Stampers and searched the gallery for the word beach.  What I found was that Stampin' Up! had a stamp set with an abstract images that, if stamped in the right colors, mimicked beach, ocean, and land and while I didn't have that stamp set I had some abstract images of my own that just might work for a similar look.

So I took that abstract image and stamped it multiple times in colors that would call to mind land, sand, and sea.  I couldn't believe how well it turned out!  I know it's an abstract design but I hope you can see the beach there!  And since I find the beach to be a place of calm - there's nothing like feeling the hot sun on my face while the sea breeze is blowing and the sounds of the ocean are around me - that I added this particular sentiment.  To me the beach is a place to just be.

This is a one-layer card, another favorite of mine, so I'm going to join in with the Less is More challenge too.  They are looking for a favorite technique.  I'm not sure a one-layer card is a "technique" but it is in my book!

Thanks for stopping by!  And thanks again to Kylie and everyone at Addicted to CAS for inviting me to be a guest for this challenge.  I loved thinking a bit outside the box with this one!

Supplies
Stamps:  Celebrate Artsy (Stamplorations); Words of Wisdom (Verve)
Paper:  Whisper White (Stampin' Up!)
Ink:  Frayed Leaf, Forest Glades, Sand Dunes, Rocky Shores, Sea Glass, Ocean Waves, Dusk (Altenew); Onyx Black (Versafine)

Freshly Made Sketches 475

We've got a great new sketch challenge for you at Freshly Made Sketches.  This week our challenge hostess is Jacquie and her sketch inspired me to do it in one layer.

Whenever I see three shapes like this I tend to go into panic mode. I don't know why I do, but I do!  So I have evolved a response and that means I dig deep and try to accomplish the sketch in one layer.  Lucky for me the challenge at Less is More is one layer with flowers and I took inspiration from the colors at Sunday Stamps.

I stamped the flowers first onto my card base then cut a small rectangle from scrap cardstock to use as a template and traced around it three times to create those three "layers" on the sketch.  And ta-da I was done!

Thanks for stopping by! Check out our challenge at Freshly Made Sketches and play along with us!

Supplies
Stamps:  Abstract Poppies (Rubbernecker)
Paper:  Whisper White (Stampin' Up!)
Ink:  Lemon Tart (Papertrey Ink); Poppy Parade, Tangerine Tango (Stampin' Up!); Copic Multiliner

Freshly Made Sketches 472

We've got a great new sketch for you at Freshly Made Sketches.  It's an uber clean and simple design brought to you by Narelle.  As much as I'm a clean and simple girl, sometimes all that white space confounds me!  Go figure!

I ended up doing a combination of a sketchy stamp and some washi tape for the two horizontal lines and then added a delicate butterfly and a sentiment.  I'm sure you can't see it in the picture, but the cardstock that I cut the butterfly from has got a lovely shimmer to it.  It's from an old specialty set from Stampin' Up! that I use sparingly because it's so pretty.  Yes, I'm a hoarder!

I chose to do this card in all brown because of the Chocolate challenge at Less is More.  I'm a little unclear about whether I need to use an image of chocolate (as in the edible kind) or whether I can use chocolate colors so I'll let the LIM design team decide whether or not to chuck me from the gallery!

Thanks for stopping by!  Our Freshly Made Sketches design team has interpreted this sketch is fabulous ways!  I'm sure you'll be inspired to play along with us!

Supplies
Stamps:  Easy Expressions Thanks (The Ton); Slash Border (Impression Obsession)
Paper:  Whisper White, Taste of Textiles (Stampin' Up!)
Ink:  Truffle (Avery Elle); Dark Chocolate (Papertrey Ink)
Accessories:  Delaney Butterfly die (Poppystamps)

In a Row

The challenge at Less is More is "in a row" and I wondered how I could play along.  I stumbled on a die-cut in my stash that I thought might be an interesting take on the challenge.

How about a bunch of tall buildings in a row!  I think I like it!  The right sentiment was a bit of a challenge too.  I settled on this one and thought it might be fun for someone who recently moved and wanted to tell their friends and family.

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies
Stamps:  Mini Stamp Remember (Heidi Swap)
Paper:  Whisper White, Basic Black (Stampin' Up!)
Ink:  Onyx Black (Versafine)
Accessories:  Cityscape Nightline due (Memory Box)

Freshly Made Sketches 463

Once again, our latest sketch at Freshly Made Sketches has inspired me to make a Christmas card.  Our sketch designer this week is Amy, and I fell in love with her design!

I'm always intrigued with the one layer challenge at Less is More because I like to try and take a sketch that seems to have layers and make a card without them.  For this card I started with a pierced square die and embossed the center of the card with it (click on the pic to see the detail).  Then I took some rectangular scrap pieces and drew them on the sketch with a black pen "behind" the square.  The square ended up looking a bit lost, so I outlined it in the same black pen.  Then I colored in every other stripe on the H in red to add some color!

Thanks for stopping by!  My fellow Freshly Made Sketches design team members have made some great cards with sketch so be sure to check them out!

Supplies

Stamps:  Santa's Greeting (Close to My Heart)

Paper:  Whisper White (Stampin' Up!)

Ink:  Black Licorice (My Favorite Things); Pentel red pen; Copic Multiliner 3mm

Accessories:  Pierced Square STAX (My Favorite Things)

Freshly Made Sketches 461

We've got a great new sketch for you at Freshly Made Sketches.  Our hostess is Karren and I love the simple lines of her sketch.  So many possibilities!

Using the colors from Less Is More, I made yet another Christmas card!  Washi tape made a colorful patterned stripe and the rest of the card is taken over with a poinsettia that was done in white embossing powder on vellum.

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

Supplies

Stamps:  Winter Flowers (Simon Says Stamp); Joy (The Stamp Market)

Paper:  Solar White (Neenah); vellum (Stampin' Up!)

Ink:  Pool Party (Stampin' Up!)

Accessories:  Opaque Bright White embossing powder (WOW!); washi tape