Freshly Made Sketches 709

It's my turn to be the hostess at Freshly Made Sketches this week and I went with my favorite kind of card design...a square one!  I don't know why I love them so much but I do!

I used this gorgeous Stampin' Up! patterned paper as my background.  I usually can't figure out how to incorporate paper with bold designs onto my cards, but I thought this one would be perfect for a background.  The horizontal flags added some nice contrast as well as the layered rectangles that I used for the sentiment.

 

Thanks for stopping by!  As always, my fellow Freshly Made Sketches design team members have made some awesome cards with my sketch.  So humbling.  A big shout to out to all of them who put up with my long absences. 💟

Supplies

Stamps:  Inside Greetings - Peace Stamp Set (Papertrey Ink)

Paper:  Whisper White, Ruby Red, Chocolate Chip, Holiday Treasures DSP (Stampin' Up!)

Ink:  Chocolate Chip (Stampin' Up!)

Accessories:  Fishtail Flags STAX die, Pierced Fishtail Flags STAX die (My Favorite Things)

Freshly Made Sketches 684

Hi friends!  It's my turn to be the sketch hostess this week at Freshly Made Sketches and I think I went a bit old-school with a multi-layered design.  I was feeling a little nostalgic for some patterned paper so that's what lead to this particular sketch design.

And even though spring is here and the flowers are blooming where I live, I settled on a Christmas card this week.  Gotta add those to my stash!  

Thanks for stopping by!  Our always amazing Freshly Made Sketches design team have made some fantastic cards this week!

Supplies:
Paper:  Whisper White, Soft Suede, Christmas Cocoa (Stampin' Up!)
Stamps:  Spruce & Sprigs (Papertrey Ink); Joy Stamp (The Stamp Market)
Ink:  Cloudy Sky, Crimson, Evergreen, Mocha, Almond Butter, Moss (Altenew); Onyx Black (Versafine)
Accessories:  Scallop Border die (The Stamps of Life); Spruce & Sprigs die (Papertrey Ink)

Freshly Made Sketches #674

It's my turn to be the sketch hostess at Freshly Made Sketches this week!  The sketch that I made was entirely inspired by a die that I came across while organizing my craft room.  It was a simple die with a gentle stitched curve and I thought it was pretty and would make a versatile design.  Ta da!

And can I just say how much I love layered stencils!  They make me look like a coloring pro when all I'm really doing is sponging on some color through a bunch of stencils.  It's so easy!!

These cosmos make me think of summer - something I wish would hurry up and get here since it's been freezing around here lately.  They are so light and airy and as I perused my stash of sentiments for the perfect complement to them I found this mother's day one and thought I'd get out ahead of that holiday!

Thanks for stopping by!  My fellow Freshly Made Sketches design team members have made some gorgeous cards with this sketch I know you'll be inspired to play along with us!

Supplies
Stamps:  Keep it Simple Mother (Papertrey Ink)
Paper:  Whisper White (Stampin' Up!); The Everyday Collection (Avery Elle)
Ink:  Wisteria, Hydrangea, Ultraviolet, Andromeda (Altenew); Onyx Black (Versafine)
Accessories:  Climbing Cosmos stencil (The Ton)

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 626

I went a bit literal with the Freshly Made Sketches challenge this week.  Our design is by Cécile and her designs always inspire me to dig deep into my CAS roots.  

The colors of my card were inspired by the bright colors of The Color Hues challenge.  I used turquoise and green to create the two half circles and then stamped some leaves and a slim sentiment over them.

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

Supplies
Stamps:  Brushed Off (Papertrey Ink); Natures Treasures II (Uniko); Tons of Type (The Stamp Market)
Paper:  White (Gina K)
Ink:  Parrot, Turquoise (Altenew); Nocturne (Versafine Clair); Onyx Black (Versafine)

Freshly Made Sketches 624

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)

Freshly Made Sketches 615

I'm continuing a mad dash of making enough Christmas cards to mail to friends and family and this week's Freshly Made Sketches provided a great layout.  Our hostess this week is Karren and many thanks to her because the circle on the sketch was a poinsettia no-brainer for me!  We are also joined this week by guest designer Nancy Leppek, one of our 600th sketch challenge winners.  

I used the lovely velvet paper in my stash to create the poinsettia.  It is quite decadent in real life!  I paired it with a textured background and some ancient patterned paper for a quick and easy card.

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies:

Stamps:  Peace Love Joy (Right at Home)
Paper:  True Thyme, Early Espresso, Holiday Thyme DSP, Rose Gold (Stampin' Up!); velour paper (Hygloss)
Ink:  Soft Suede (Stampin' Up!)

Accessories:  Layered Poinsettia die (Spellbinders); Rustic Burlap impression plate (Papertrey Ink)

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 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 588

It's my turn to be the hostess at Freshly Made Sketches this week.  I literally dreamt up this angular sketch in that moment when you wake up before your alarm goes off and you are trying desperately to go back to sleep.  I think I was dreaming about making a card and thought "angles might be fun."  We'll see if you agree!

I wanted an interesting background for those angles so I found this pretty patterned paper in my stash of Christmas papers.  I added the Joy sentiment popped up on foam.  The sentiment was a little blah on its own, so I brushed it with some Wink of Stella.  Poof!  Instant pretty!

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

Supplies
Paper:  Blushing Bride, Ruby Red, Holiday Treasures DSP (Stampin' Up!)
Accessories:  Bold Borders Flurried die (Papertrey Ink); Wink of Stella

Freshly Made Sketches 587

We've got a great new sketch for you at Freshly Made Sketches this week.  Our hostess is Jen Timko and if you like circles, or big and bold shapes, you'll love this design!

I loved the bold colors at the Sunday Stamps Challenge and wanted to incorporate them into this design.  My favorite funky flower stamp was just the thing to make this card come to life!  I stamped the sentiment in a subtle shade of gray so that it wouldn't detract from these fun colors.

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

Supplies
Stamps:  Funky Florals (Papertrey Ink); Simple Sentiments (Avery Elle)
Paper:  Whisper White, Smoky Slate (Stampin' Up!)
Ink:  Azurite, Razzleberry, Fresh Lemon, Gray Denim (Altenew)
Accessories:  enamel dots (Studio Calico; My Mind's Eye)

Freshly Made Sketches 582

Oh boy, am I ever late to share my card for our newest challenge at Freshly Made Sketches.  Special thanks to my design teammates for being so patient with me this week.  The work-life balance thing is way out of whack, but I'm glad I was able to finally put my card together.  Our hostess this week is Karren and her sketch gave me license to play with "round" flowers!

I thought the bold colors at the Sunday Stamps Challenge would work really well with this sketch so I grabbed some big floral stamps and went to work.   The two flowers represent the circles on the sketch - - don't you think?!?!?

Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies
Stamps:  Floral Art (Altenew); Keep It Simple Mother (Papertrey Ink)
Paper: Pacific Point, Whisper White (Stampin' Up!
Ink:  Pinkalicious, Rubellite, Forest Glades (Altenew); Nocturne (Versafine Clair)
Accessories:  Enamel dots (Doodlebug Designs)

Freshly Made Sketches 575

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)

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 566

Hi everyone!  We've got a great new sketch for you at Freshly Made Sketches. I've been making a lot of Christmas cards lately and I felt like I needed to take a step away from that for a moment so I chose to do something completely different for our latest sketch challenge designed by Narelle.

The floral images and the leaves were already in my cast-a-way pile (for another time) so this card went together super easy.  

Thanks for stopping by!  My fellow Freshly Made Sketches teammates have made some fabulous cards for this challenge so be sure to check them out!

Stamps:  Funky Florals (Papertrey Ink); Simple Sentiments (Avery Elle)
Paper:  Mossy Meadow, So Saffron, Whisper White (Stamin' Up!); 
Ink:  Certainly Celery, Mossy Meadow, So Saffron (Stampin' Up!); Nocturne (Versafine Clair)
Accessories:  Festive Leaves stencil (PinkFresh Studio); Subtle embossing folder (Stampin' Up!)

Freshly Made Sketches 563

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)

Fusion - Gingerbread

I'm super behind this week in my posting, but I'm finally here with my card for the latest Fusion challenge.  I decided to go with the sketch and incorporated some of the colors from the inspiration photo.

I love the combination of a kraft background with red and black on a Christmas card.  And the plaid makes me smile too! 😊.  And I added another favorite element, the poinsettia.  

Thanks for stopping by.  Be sure to check out the amazing creations from the Fusion design team too!

Supplies
Stamps:  Joy (Concord & 9th); Sending Joy (Papertrey Ink)
Paper:  Desert Storm (Neenah); Real Red (Stampin' Up!); vellum (Graphix)
Ink:  Nocturne (Versafine Clair)
Accessories:  Poinsettia die (Paper Smooches)

Fusion - Autumn Leaves

My calendar says "autumn" but the weather says "I don't want summer to end!"  It's been lovely here and although I don't want to admit that summer is over, I know that the leaves will be changing soon.  As luck would have it, our challenge at Fusion embraces those autumn-colored leaves  so I jumped on the bandwagon1

I combined these gorgeous Fusion colors with the sketch at The Paper Players.  I stamped a bunch of leaves in these beautiful colors and arranged then haphazardly horizontally to mimic the sketch.  Then I added a simple sentiment at the bottom.

Thanks for stopping by!  Remember at Fusion you can use the sketch, the inspiration, or both! It's up to you!

Supplies
Stamps:  Leaf Prints (Papertrey Ink); Always There (Altenew)
Paper:  Pool Party, Calypso Coral, Whisper White (Stampin' Up!); Ocean Tides (Papertrey Ink)
Ink:  Pumpkin Pie (Stampin' Up!); Honey Drizzle, Burnt Red (Altenew); Ocean Tides (Papertrey Ink); Nocturne (Versafine Clair)
Accessories:  enamel dots (Freckled Fawn)

Fusion - Beach Tiers

We've got a great new challenge for you at Fusion.  I decided to go with an eclectic version of the sketch combined with the colors at Global Design Project.

I wasn't sure what direction I wanted to go with this sketch but then I stumbled on the CASE the designer challenge at Global Design Project.  I loved the colors and the different shapes and thought I could translate those to the Fusion sketch.  It's not perfect but it's inventive!  An outline rectangle, hexagons, and some string are what I used to make this card.

Thanks for stopping by!  I hope you can join us at Fusion!

Stamps:  Simple Sentiments (Avery Elle)
Paper:  Solar White (Neenah); Bumblebee, Magenta Madness, Basic Gray (Stampin' Up!)
Ink:  Onyx Black (Versafine)
Accessories:  Hexagon Die Cover Plate (Papertrey Ink); Pink Party Couture Mix (The Ton); white thread