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 632

Hey there!  I find myself to be the sketch designer at Freshly Made Sketches this week and I am excited to see how you all interpret this sketch.  For me, I used some of my patterned paper stash and added a floral display in shades of purple.

This is a big card - that floral display takes up a lot of room - but I love it!  The sentiment is hot foiled and tucks in to the florals perfectly.

Thanks for stopping by!  If you haven't already be sure to check out the cards my Freshly Made Sketches teammates have made.  They're awesome!

Supplies
Paper:  Solar White (Neenah); Lucky Limeade, Lucky Limeade DSP (Stampin' Up!)
Ink:  Soft Lilac, Lavender Fields, Deep Iris (Altenew)
Accessories:  Climbing Cosmos stencil, Coming Up Cosmos die (The Ton); Super Scripty Thank You hot foil plate +n die (The Stamp Marktet)

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 622

It's my turn to be the hostess at Freshly Made Sketches and the sketch I made was pretty straight forward I thought.  And then as I thought about what my own card might look like I got the idea to do a slimline.  The proportions are a little off, but I think you can see the sketch there.

I used stencils to create these gorgeous floral images.  I love using layering stencils because they provide an super simple way to create dimension.  For the horizontal layer I used a piece of vellum and added a gold-foiled sentiment.  The sentiment is hard to see so I included a close-up so you can see it better.

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

Supplies
Stamps: Miss Your Smile (Pink Fresh Studio)
Paper:  Pure Luxury (Gina K); Certainly Celery, Basic Black (Stampin' Up!); vellum (Papertrey Ink)
Ink: Sea Glass, Dusk, Frayed Leaf, Forest Glades (Stampin' Up)! Nocturne (Versafine Clair)
Accessories:  Superscript Thank you hot foil plate + die (The Stamp Market); Scallop Border dies (The Stamps of Life)

Freshly Made Sketches 612

We've got another fun sketch challenge for you at Freshly Made Sketches!  This week our hostess is Linda and her sketch got me thinking about layering some patterned paper and making a Christmas card.

 

This card is almost entirely made from patterned paper.  Despite my reputation as a CAS card-maker I do love layers once in a while.  😉  And patterned paper is my favorite way to create layers.  Once I settled on the layers for this card I added a die cut "JOY" sentiment plus another small sentiment to finish the thought.

Once again my Sketchbook from Trinity Stamps was a huge help when I was designing my card.  I love that I can sketch out different ideas before I actually start cutting into my precious paper stash.  (And I use a pencil when I'm sketching out my ideas so I can easily erase something that turns out to be the wrong idea).

Thanks for stopping by!  As always my fellow Freshly Made Sketches design team members have made some smashingly good cards with this sketch!

Supplies

Stamps:  Joy Stamp (The Stamp Market)

Paper:  Ruby Red, Old Olive, Chocolate Chip, Real Red, Silver Glimmer, Holiday Treasures DSP (Stampin' Up!); Solar White (Neenah)

Ink:  Onyx Black (Versafine)

Accessories:  Large Joy die (Simon Says Stamp); Glitter Drops: Leaf (PinkFresh Studio)

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 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)

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 545

Hi everyone.  It's time for a new challenge at Freshly Made Sketches.  This week our sketch was designed by Narelle.  She says she threw this sketch together, but I don't believe her!  It's too awesome!

I'm 💯 in to the Christmas in July thing!  This time around I used the colors at Just Us Girls - unusual for a Christmas card - and used my favorite poinsettia die to create this card.  

Thanks for stopping by!  My Freshly Made Sketches teammates have some fantastic cards to inspire you to play along with us, so be sure to check them out.  I hope you join us in the gallery!

Supplies
Stamps:  Joy Stamp (The Stamp Market)
Paper:  Solar White (Neenah); Going Gray, Calypso Coral, gold foil (Stampin' Up!)
Ink:  Onyx Black (Versafine)
Accessories:  Blooming Poinsettia die (Memory Box); Blueprints 15 die, Stitched Rectangle die (My Favorite Things)

Fusion - Wheel Wreath

We've got a great new challenge for you at Fusion this week!  I was so excited when I saw the inspiration photo for this week for reasons that had nothing to do with a card!  More on that later!

So, the inspiration photo was a ship-lap background, a cluster of wheels and some greenery.  Well, it just so happens that I have an accent wall on my front porch that has some wheels on it very reminiscent of these wheels.  (I think mine are vintage baby carriage wheels).  I painted the porch last summer but recently began to think about adding some faux brick wallpaper to the accent wall.  This challenge has made me think that faux ship-lap would look just as good!  

But on to the card.  I cut strips of white cardstock that were 1/2-inch wide and lightly sponged a pale gray on the edges before adhering them to my card base.  Then I stamped a few circles and added some greenery to them to mimic the inspiration photo.  I added some white "berries" using Nuvo drops.  At the last minute I added a sentiment in red.

Thanks for stopping by!  Come and join us at Fusion!  Play with the sketch or the inspiration photo or both!

Supplies
Stamps:  Bokeh Dots (Essentials); Joy Stamp (The Stamp Market
Paper:  Whisper White, Old Olive (Stampin' Up!) Pinefeather (Papertrey Ink)
Ink:  Limestone, Crimson (Altenew); Nocturne (Versamark Clare)
Accessories:  Branch punch (Martha Stewart); Gloss White Nuvo Drops

Freshly Made Sketches 533

Hello!  It's Wednesday so that means we've got a great new sketch for you at Freshly Made Sketches!  Our hostess this week is my hiking hero Jen Brum, who created this wonderful sketch that got me thinking outside the box!

I first made a card using washi tape for the vertical stripes but hated it when all was said and done.  Then when I was at work on Monday I remembered this birch tree die that I had.  (I'm supposed to be working but while I'm at work but I can't help obsessing about my card designs when I'm there.  Don't tell the boss)!  I thought I could use the birch trees to replicate the vertical stripes.  I think they do very well!

The background of the card is the shimmery white cardstock from Stampin' Up!  It doesn't look like much in the picture but it sure is pretty in real life!  The white birch trees really show up nicely against it because they are different shades of white.  I added a few little birds in red because this little scene I created reminded me of winter.  And cardinals are one of those few birds are a bright (red) spot in a white winter scene.

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

Stamps:  Joy (The Stamp Market)
Paper:  Solar White (Neenah); Real Red, Shimmery White (Stampin' Up!)
Ink:  Onyx Black (Versafine)

Accessories:  Forest Majesty die (Whimsy Stamps)

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)

Freshly Made Sketches 517

Well hello!  I've been MIA on my blog for a few weeks enjoying a holiday break, but I'm back today with a brand new card for our challenge at Freshly Made Sketches!  We are starting off the new year with a fun sketch from Amy and I surprised myself by making a Valentine.  Usually the new year has me nostalgic for more Christmas cards but this year I've apparently started a new trend!

Those squares on the sketch became an arrangement of hearts on my card and I added a slim sentiment across them.  To create some interest on the background I embossed it in a diamond pattern and added a bit of color at the top and bottom.  All in all a super easy card to create!

Thanks for stopping by!  Our amazing Freshly Made Sketches design team has some made great cards to inspire you to play along with us so be sure to check them out!

Supplies
Stamps:   I {Heart} Hearts (Stampin' Up!); Tons of  Type (The Stamp Market)
Paper:  Whisper White, Rose Red (Stampin' Up!)
Ink:  Real Red, Melon Mambo, Pretty in Pink, Regal Rose, Rose Red (Stampin' Up!); Onyx Black (Verafine)
Accessories:  Guide Lines impression plate (Papertrey Ink)

Fusion - Pumpkin Mug

We've got a lovely new challenge for you at Fusion.  I decided to combine the sketch with the colors of the inspiration photo and make a birthday card.....with no pumpkins in sight!!

I don't have any decent pumpkin images in my stash so that got me thinking about the sketch.  I thought a slimline card would look good with those long horizontal layers across the bottom.  Then I stumbled on the AAA Birthday challenge, which, you might have guessed by now is to make a slimline birthday card.  So I colored a bunch of gifts using the colors from the Fusion inspiration photo and arranged them on either end of the card.  I didn't want to cover them up with the horizontal layer so I made that out of vellum and a slim white layer so that the gifts would still be visible.  

But the pièce de résistance on this card is the sentiment.  It's from a Stampin' Up! set from 2005!  It's perfect here nestled between the gifts and also a perfect justification for hoarding certain craft supplies.  I love it when I can do a deep dive into my crafting stash and emerge with a winner!

Thanks for stopping by!  I hope you can join us at Fusion where you can follow the sketch, follow the inspiration photo or create some fusion of your own by combining the two!

Supplies
Stamps:  It's a Wrap (The Stamp Market); Sincere Salutations (Stampin' Up!)
Paper:  Solar White (Neenah); White (Spectrum Noir); Pumpkin Pie, vellum, Sweet Pea DSP (Stampin' Up!)
Ink:  Black Licorice (My Favorite Things); Nocturne (Versafine Clair); Copics
Accessories:   Pierced Nested die (The Ton)

Freshly Made Sketches 503

Hi everyone!  It's time for a brand new sketch challenge at Freshly Made Sketches!  Our hostess and sketch designer this week is the incomparable Cécile.  I absolutely adore every card she makes!

Cécile has this minimalist design sense that translates into eye-poppingly beautiful cards every single time she makes one.  I tried to channel her inspiration when I made this card and used simple square outlines and a simple leaf using the colors of The Paper Players challenge.  I softened the color of the leaf by adding an additional layer in vellum.  I tucked in a small sentiment between the squares.

Thanks for stopping by!  I hope you have some time to check out the amazing inspiration from our design team at Freshly Made Sketches!

Supplies
Stamps:  Tons of Type (The Stamp Market)
Paper:  Solar White (Neenah); Hibiscus Burst (Papertrey Ink); Blackberry Bliss, Rich Razzleberry, Old Olive, Vellum (Stampin' Up!)
Ink:  Onyx Black (Versafine)
Accessories:  Quadrangle Frames die (Simon Says Stamp); Lorelai Leaf die (Poppystamps)

Freshly Made Sketches 502

Hi everyone!  I took a little stamping hiatus from Freshly Made Sketches last week because I was embarked on an Extreme Makeover - Home Edition.  I had two weeks to paint three rooms, swap out two pendant light fixtures, and throw in a few oddball jobs-around-the house.   My stamping mojo was completely non-existent.  But I'm happy to say the paint is done, the lights are on, and I'm eager to get inky again.

To that end, our latest challenge at Freshly Made Sketches comes to you from Jen Brum.  It's got fun layers and a banner, which I love, and I went pretty CAS on it.

I recently got a new turnabout stamp from Concord & 9th (and I'll take a moment of your time to gush about how much I love those)!  So I inked it up in the colors of the Sunday Stamps challenge.  I stamped the design twice then cut one layer to pop up over the other.  Then I went all bold and dramatic and added a slim black banner.  I love how that black banner looks against the colorful leaves!  I stamped a slim sentiment on top of the banner and *poof* I was done!

Thanks for stopping by!  My Freshly Made Sketches teammates have got some fabulous cards to inspire you to play along with us.  I hope we'll see you in the gallery!

Supplies
Stamps:  Harvest Wreath Turnabout (Concord & 9th); Tons of Type (The Stamp Market)
Paper:  Whisper White, Basic Black (Stampin' Up!)
Ink:  Sage Shadow (Stampin' Up!); Honey Drizzle, Orange Cream, Autumn Blaze (Altenew); Onyx Black (Versafine)
Accessories:  Fishtail Flags STAX (My Favorite Things)

Freshly Made Sketches 499

Hi friends!  It's Wednesday and time for a new challenge at Freshly Made Sketches.  This week the hostess is yours truly! 😊I opted for my favorite shaped card - a square one.  And feel free to substitute another shape for those triangles in the corner!

I decided that my square card needed to be one layer and when I saw the black and white challenge at Just Us Girls I knew exactly how I wanted this card to look.

This card went together very easily.  I simply stamped the leaf images in the corner in black ink then added a script sentiment in the middle.  Thats. It.  What could be easier than that?  

Thanks for stopping by!  My Freshly Made Sketches teammates have turned my sketch into some beautiful cards so be sure to check them out.  I hope you'll play along with us!

Supplies
Stamps:  Botanical Prints (The Stamp Market); Scripty Sayings (Gina K Designs)
Paper:  White Pure Luxury (Gina K Designs)
Ink:  Nocturne (Versafine Clair)

Fusion - Kitty Butterfly

Our new Fusion challenge is an incongruous mix of a butterfly and a cat - along with a sketch, of course.  Being a cat mom, I love cats.  And as a card-maker butterflies are a favorite element I like to use on my cards.  But in real life...never the twain shall meet!  One is an enemy of the other and I'm sure you can guess which is which!

So for my card I chose to create a bit of fusion - using the sketch, the butterfly, and a couple of colors from the inspiration photo.  As you can see I went uber CAS on this one with an all white background.  For the horizontal and vertical rectangles I simply raised up some white cardstock on foam tape.  The butterfly was die cut with a fairly close approximation of two of the colors from the photo and I added a bit of Wink of Stella so that, in real life, it has a bit of shimmer.

Thanks for stopping by!  My fellow Fusion teammates have made some fantastic cards for this challenge so be sure to check them out!

Supplies
Stamps:  Tons of Type (The Stamp Market)
Paper:  Solar White (Neenah); Calypso Coral, Taken With Teal (Stampin' Up!)
Ink:  Taken With Teal (Stampin' Up!)
Accessories:  Vivienne Butterfly die, Darla Butterfly die (Memory Box)