Freshly Made Sketches #708

Hello friends.  Playing along with the Freshly Made Sketches Challenge where this week DT member Jen T has challenged us with a very CAS sketch...

I'm still working on finishing up those Christmas cards and used a NBUS die set from Concord & 9th called Birdhouse Blossoms Die (thanks for another enabled shopping trip Bobby & Michele!) to come up with this card...

I had totally fallen in LOVE with that chubby little birdie, so he was the starting point for my card.  I used black and 2 shades of gray cs (SU!) for my little chickadee and the branch, pine branches & leaf sprig are all from the same die set. I used PB's Ripple Die (cut 4 times for dimension) in place of the circle in the sketch, and then added all to an embossed background using SSS's Holiday Greenery EF.

I matted my embossed background to a layer of black and then all to a white card base.  I did use a white gel pen to add a bit of "snow" to the pine branches and also the leaves behind the birdie.  (A little bit of glitter was also added along with 3 ruby gems from PFS.)  My sentiment from Gina K's All At Once Greetings was embossed in white on a black strip and that completed my card.

This challenge is only open till 3:00PM today (Oct. 20th), so not much time to play, but it is a fun and easy sketch to play with if you have time.

Thanks for stopping by today ... I love it when you do!

Color Hues #120 - Purple & Orange

Hello friends.  It's time for another challenge here at Color Hues and our sweet hostess Stef is looking for PURPLE & ORANGE for the next 2 weeks.

My first thought was Halloween but I went in a Fall direction instead as I already had my Halloween cards done.  I had new dies from PB called abstract pumpkins and they were my starting point.  Take a look...

I love the size and shape of these pumpkins and die cut them from sandable cardstock, which I have become quite addicted to lately!  The pitcher is also PB (handpicked) and stamped and die cut from more of the sandable cs.  

For my background I used Gina K's Thick Brush stencil and lightly blended purple ink to tie in a little more color to the card.  The die cut flowers and leaves are from Honey Bee's Lovely Layers: Autumn Bouquet and I finished with my die cut sentiment from MB's Just a Note Posh Script.  Simple but I really like the Autumn vibes this card gives off!

The DT and our Special GD Bobby have lots of awesome and fun inspiration to get you started and you can check it all out right HERE.  This challenge is open till Wednesday, Oct. 29th @ 9:00AM.   

Thanks for stopping by today ... I love it when you do!

The Flower Challenge #107 - Reminder

Hello friends.  Just a friendly reminder that there's still time to play along with us here at The Flower Challenge where we're looking for you to add some PURPLE to your flower cards.

I have a sweet little card using PTI's Into the Blooms: Above Ground Dies...

I fell in love with the barrel container and had to buy the die set!  I cut if from kraft cs and then ink blended it a bit before adding the die cut leaves and flowers.

For my background I used a PB die (classy frames) and die cut it from white cs and a light purple, and then also stamped the purple with a retired SU! background stamp called Script. I also used SU!'s Subtle embossing folder on the main background piece to add some texture.  The barrel was added with foam tape for some dimension and then I finished with a few Disco Ball sequins (Gina K) and a press plate sentiment from Spellbinders.  

The DT has lots of beautiful inspiration to get you motivated right HERE, so check it out and then play along with us.  This challenge is open till Saturday, Oct. 25th @ 5:00PM.

Thanks for stopping by today ... I love it when you do!

Christmas Kickstart Challenge #103 - SNOW ALERT

Hello friends.  Trying to finish up the last of my Christmas cards and playing along with Jo and her Special Guest Elf Loll over at the Christmas Kickstart Challenge where they are looking for SNOW!!

I automatically think of snowmen when I think of snow (although I try not to think of the real white stuff!!) and this was the perfect opportunity to use my SB's trio of caroling snow dudes (The Snow Notes) again!  Here they are singing their hearts out...

 

Aren't they just the cutest trio of singing snow dudes?!!  I started with a piece of dsp from my sweet friend Michele (can't remember the maker??) that looked like the perfect Winter scene to place my trio.  Next I die cut all the pieces and only used the polka dotted red dsp for a POP of color on the card.  I did some tearing with plain white cs for the snowy hills at the bottom of the card and added glitter to the edges before placing the snowmen behind the hills.  (I also added glitter to all the little snow dots in the background of the dsp but of course it doesn't show...grrrr!!

I did do a bit of gray ink blending on the snowmen and also the caroling notebook to add just a bit of dimension, and then finished with a simple sentiment at the bottom in Cherry Cobbler ink (SU!) from PTI's Stylish Sentiments: Holiday.  

So there's my SNOW ALERT card for the Christmas Kickstart Challenge and you can click HERE to check out all the info to play along.  This challenge is open all month long, so lots of time to play along and get those Christmas cards finished before it's too late!  It always comes much quicker than we think it will!!

Thanks for stopping by today ... I love it when you do!

Freshly Made Sketches #707

Hello friends.  Freshly Made Sketches has such a fun sketch by Judy, that I got so excited to get started right away and forgot to take a close look at the sketch!  Of course after my card was finished I really looked at the sketch and dang it...I didn't really follow it at all!  I thought about re-doing it, but decided nope...it is what it is!  Hopefully I'll learn from my mistake and pay closer attention next time!  Here's the sketch...

And here's what I saw...

I was so excited by how easy the dsp made this card and the cute little critter from PB's Tiny Tinsel that I didn't realize till afterwards that my dsp was cut wrong and the circle was supposed to be off center!  Oh well, as I said earlier, it is what it is and it did turn out cute enough to add to the Christmas stash!  The dsp is from 2 different PB pads called Wintertime & Festive & Frosty and the circle die cut is from PB's Stitched Circle Dies.  My image was Copic colored.

I finished with a little banner from Poppystamps called Holiday Banners and a few red gems from PFS.

Check out all the great cards the DT made using the sketch correctly right HERE and then play along.  This challenge is open till Monday, Oct. 13th @ 3:00PM. 

Thanks for stopping by today ... I love it when you do!

Another Christmas Playdate with Michele & A Bit of Halloween

Hello friends.  Michele and I had another playdate last week and worked on some more Christmas cards, and even a tiny bit of Halloween!  It's always so much fun when we can "borrow" each others supplies when we get together, and this time was no different!  We started with a new Christmas stencil set from Kristina Werner and Concord & 9th called Holiday Icons. I had played with this set before, but Michele had not and absolutely loved it...I knew she would!!  Of course I didn't mind playing with it again (it's one of those that's kinda addicting!!) and picked out 5 very non-traditional ink colors to stencil with...

Well the green is Christmas-y, but not so much the oranges and teals...I still like the color combo though.  Inks are C&9 and the joy sentiment is from The Greetery's Opposites Attract Holiday and PTI's Say It Simply: Merry & Bright sentiment is on the right hand card.  I love that the stenciling does all the work and you just add a sentiment!!

We also played with a Impression Obsession trio of birdies (E19968 by Lindsay Ostrom) I've had for ages and made into this simple card...

I kept my coloring of the birdies very simple (grays & brown Copics) and greens and red for the leaves and berries.  I fussy cut around the bottom edge of the leaves (and tail) and added a piece of plaid from Paper Rose's Merry Little Christmas Patterns. 

I finished with a very thin strip of red glitter cs behind the trio and a sentiment from PTI's Think Big Favorites: #20. Oh and a leftover snowflake from IO with a red gem in the center.  

This little shopping bear is from Michele's PB stash and is part of the Teddy Tidings stamp set.  I colored her with my Copics and then added her to a little scene complete with snowy trees ( PB's tree border) die and a few IO snowflakes.

 I'm not real thrilled about the way I colored the shopping bags, but by the time I added the trees and glitter, the snowflakes & the Double Frames that Michele brought along, the card didn't turn out too bad!  The sentiment is from PB's tiny tinsel stamp set and fit perfectly in the little bit of space I had.

And now a little break from Christmas for a spooky little Halloween card...just kidding! NOT spooky at all!  This sweet little witch is from PB's fa-boo-lous set and I once again colored her up with my Copics.  

After fussy cutting her out, I placed her on a background I embossed with SU!'s Subtle ef and another of Michele's frames (PB plated frames circle dies).  I also added a couple of PB's abstract pumpkin die cuts using sandable cardstock in orange and yellow.  The sentiment is from MFT's Spooktacular Friends. I colored in the stars on her little witch's costume with a silver sparkle pen, so in real life, this card does SPARKLE!! I bought this particular stamp set because of the ghosts, but ended up loving this sweet little witch even more!!  

I will be adding this last card to the current Double D Challenge and also the Penny Black Saturday Challenge.

Once again, we had a fantastic time hanging out together and working on cards...and of course laughing, chatting, and eating too!  I made chilli (even though it was in the low 80's last week) and Michele brought her yummy cornbread and lemon brownies...yummmmmmm!!  You can check out what Michele did while she was at my house right HERE.  I know we'll be blown away as usual!!  Hope you all have a good friend to stamp with too...one of the best treasures I've been blessed with!! :0) 

Thanks for stopping by today ... I love it when you do!

The Flower Challenge #107 - Add PURPLE

Hello friends.  It's time for another new challenge here at The Flower Challenge and for this month we'd like to see you add PURPLE to your florals.

I used another stencil (surprise, surprise!!) for my card and came up with this...

The stencil is from PTI and called In The Meadow, and I used shades of purple and green (Gina K inks) to stencil my background and also blended the purple around the edges of the panel too.  I adhered the panel to a white card base.

I added a tag (PTI - Tag Sale #8) using vellum so as not to cover up too much of the stenciled background, and then embossed my sentiment using PTI's Year Of Psalms - March on it.  I added some purple seam binding ribbon and purple gems to finish my card.

The DT has some beautiful inspiration using purple and florals to inspire you and we can't wait to see what YOU come up with!  You can find all the inspiration and details right HERE.  This challenge is open till Saturday, Oct. 25th @ 5:00PM. 

Thanks for stopping by today ... I love it when you do!

Freshly Made Sketches #706

Hello friends.  Playing along with the new Freshly Made Sketches Challenge hosted by Amy, and as simple as the layout is, I struggled with this one a bit!  

I think I struggled a bit with this one because I went a little rogue (well ok, maybe a LOT rogue!) with my first card and then just felt like it didn't fit the sketch at all!  So much for trying to think outside the box!  I started over again and just followed the sketch and came up with a nice and sunny card using a new die from SB's and Donna Mikasa (Thank you so much Donna!!!). 

The die set is called Sunflower Serenade and I die cut the flower 3 times for dimension and then added the center and leaves using all sandable cs. (You can see the sanding mostly on the leaves.)  I placed my sunny sunflower on a scalloped circle die from PFS and then added that to a Slim Ornate Banner die cut using some Bitty Big DSP from PTI. I added a piece of the green sandable cs at the top of the banner and also added a twine bow to the top. I didn't want to add a piece of the green to the bottom of the banner like in the sketch and cover up the decorative edge of my banner.

I added everything to a panel that I embossed with SU!'s SUNFLOWER 3D ef and a white card base.  A few gold gems (PFS) finished up this sunny card.  I left the sentiment off as it was busy enough, and will add it to the inside when I figure out what I'm going to use it for. I also used a Spectrum Noir Sparkle brush on the center of the sunflower and it sparkles big time in real life!  So anyway, there's my very simple card that I made way too much complicated the first time around and I'm happy with it!  Especially the new die set...thanks again so much Donna!  You are a sweetheart!!

Amy and the rest of the DT have some amazing inspiration for you right HERE, so check it all out and play along!  This challenge is open till Monday, Oct. 6 @ 3:00PM.

Thanks for stopping by today ... I love it when you do!

Color Hues #119 - RUST & YELLOW

Hello friends.  Happy October!  This year is flying by and my favorite season is upon us...I love FALL!!  I get to be the hostess for this current challenge at Color Hues and I've chosen the pairing of RUST & YELLOW.

My first thought for my card was pumpkins and leaves, but ended up changing my mind and going sunflower...I just can't seem to get enough of them this year!!  I did a little bit of ink blending and then used a Gina K stamp called Blooming Sunflower.  Take a look...

I used a circle mask and ink blended Summer Sunrise & Terracotta Tile inks (PTI). I left the mask in place and stamped the Blooming Sunflower in black ink over the mask.  I trimmed it down with a Master Layout #2 die (Gina K) and then ran it through with my Subtle ef (SU!).  

 The DT has some awesome inspiration for you using the rust and yellow color pairing, so check it all out right HERE and then play along with us...we'd love to see YOU in the gallery!  This challenge is open till Tuesday, Oct. 14th @ 9:00AM.

Thanks for stopping by today ... I love it when you do!

Freshly Made Sketches #705

Hello friends.  It's Friday and surprise, surprise...I'm playing along with Freshly Made Sketches Challenge where Narelle has given a FUN sketch to work with this week!

I pulled out a bunch of favorite products from The Greetery to come up with this Fall card...

I started with a cream colored panel and embossed it with an older FSJ Leaves ef, and then started adding on top of that panel.  The Greetery's Shiplap Builder Dies were used for the 3 strip in the sketch (I did move mine from a center position to the left), and then added 2 pumpkins from The Greetery's  (Plump Pumpkins) which I ink blended the edges of for a little more definition.

I wanted to add a couple leaves and when I pulled out The Greetery's BotaniCuts: Mighty Oak die set, there were a few leaves in the package that I obviously had done the year before (or longer).  Don't you just love it when that works out that something is already to use?!  I finished with a sentiment from Clearly Besotted's Autumn Flowers stamp set and then added a few Sparkling Champagne Pearls from PFS.

Lots of fun ideas and inspiration over at the Freshly Made Sketches site from the DT and you can check it all out right HERE.  This challenge is open till Monday, Oct. 29th @ 3:00PM.

Thanks for stopping by today ... I love it when you do!

Double D - Make Your Own Background

Hello friends.  Playing along with the gals over at the Double D Challenge where they would like us to make our own backgrounds.

I had just received Kristina Werner's & Concord & 9th Holiday Icons stencil set which creates a stenciled background that is so much FUN and figured it would fit this challenge perfectly!  It's a large stencil that you use a half sheet of card stock (8 1/2 x 5 1/2) and then you can cut it in half to make two A2 size cards when you're finished.  I had so much fun with different colors that I ended up making 6 cards!  Here's the first set with some pretty bright and non-traditional colors...

You start with the background stencil (I used gray) and then follow through with the other 4 stencils, so you use 5 colors total.  My inks and cs are all C&9 on this one.  My sentiments were stamped and die cut using Gina K's Let Your Light Shine set and then I finished with a few Disco Ball sequins.

 For this set I started by stenciling my background black and IRL it makes a pretty dramatic back drop!  I used the traditional red & green for the rest of the stenciling, and then added frames using Kristina Werner's A2 Thin Frame Dies and sentiments from older PTI dies, both with gold mirror cs.

 My last set of cards was done ombre style using a 6th stencil that is included in the set, starting light and adding more color as I went up.  I matted these in gold mirror cs and then added sentiments from WPlus9's Joyful Poinsettia stamp set.  

This is such a neat set if you need to turn out a lot of cards at once and also just plain fun to play with!  There is a lot of beautiful inspiration from the DT that shows a lot of different ways to make your own backgrounds and you can find them all right HERE.  This challenge is open till Sunday, Sept. 28th @ 8:00PM.

 

Thanks for stopping by today ... I love it when you do!