Freshly Made Sketches #733

Hello friends.  Jen T has a new sketch for us over at Freshly Made Sketches challenge...

This fun sketch gave me an opportunity to use a cut & foil die set from Trinity Stamps that I've had for a few years now and never used.  Here's what I came up with using the Beautiful Betta foiling die...

I used Speckled Prism foil (SB) on the Betta and then used blue and green ink (residual ink from my blending brushes) to ink blend over him.  I added a crimped circle die cut in Spring Rain (PTI) behind the betta per the sketch and then added a small rectangle of Spring Rain DSP behind a portion of the circle & Betta.  The white background was embossed with SB's Splish Splash ef.

I finished with a strip sentiment from Gina K's All At Once Greetings and a few clear iridescent gems (PFS) over the bubble circles on the Betta.  

Make sure you check out all the inspiration from the DT right HERE, and then play along.  This challenge is open till Monday, April 27th @ 3:00PM.

I will also be adding this card to Darnell's NBUS Challenge #85 since this little Betta has been hibernating for almost 3 years!!

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

Freshly Made Sketches #732

Hello friends.  A fun and easy sketch to follow by DT member Michelle over at the Freshly Made Sketches Challenge...

And here's what I came up with using a new WF stencil & die called Square Postage Daffodil & Square Postage Die...

 I started by stenciling the Daffodils in yellows and pinks and then mounted them to the square postage die cuts.  Did you know there is such a thing as a pink Daffodil?!  I've never seen one in real life but the pictures I've seen online are so pretty!!  

I adhered both postage squares to a background using SSS's Floral Butterfly Bouquets EF and also a strip of Boho Blue cs (SU!) that I stamped with SSS's Nature In Bloom background stamp.  I also added a piece of ribbon (from my stash) to separate the embossed and stamped area.  I didn't follow the sketch on where to place my sentiment, but my little circle sentiment (WF - Postage Collage Circle Sentiments) fit so beautifully for the third image in the sketch. Such a quick and easy card and I really like how it turned out!

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

Freshly Made Sketches #731

Hello friends.  Had a bit of time today to play along with the current Freshly Made Sketches challenge where DT member Donna is sharing her first design sketch with all of us.  Take a look...

After I figured out the math, I came up with this CAS card...

 

I started by cutting a piece of white cs at 3 x 4 1/4 and then ink blended it with pink, orange, yellow & green inks.  I stamped my silhouette image in black (Gina K's Autumn Silhouettes) over the ink blended panel and then cut 3 1inch strips and each of the strips into 2 1/8 inch pieces.  I lined them up on a panel that I embossed using SU!'s Subtle embossing folder and then adhered it all to a top folding white card base.

My sentiment is from Gina K's Natural Silhouettes stamp set and I inked around the edges with a black sharpie and also added a piece of black & white baker's twine, before adding foam tape for a bit of dimension.  Three silver metallic pearls (PFS) finished off my CAS card.

There's still a couple days to play along with this challenge and you can check it all out right HERE.  As always, the DT and Donna have some incredible inspiration to get you started! :0)

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

Freshly Made Sketches #730

Hello friends.  Another card for the Freshly Made Sketches Challenge...I love playing along with this challenge as it gets me out of my same old, same old design layout!  Judy has a FUN one for us this week.  Take a look...

I was still in Easter mode this weekend when I made my card, so hope you aren't tired of seeing them yet?!!  I used PTI's Spring Carrots die set and came up with this...

I started with my background and used a piece of torn Bitty Big DSP from PTI (in Harvest Gold) and SSS's Springtime Bunnies 3D embossing folder and adhered both to a white card base.  Next I die cut 2 little white square frames and adhered them also before adding my little bunch of Springtime Carrots (I used white cardstock and ink blended the orange - the leaves were cut with Evening Evergreen cs)  I did do a bit of splattering on the carrots but it's hard to see in my photos, and also added some glitter to the leaves.

 Here's a close up where you can see some of the detail better.  I finished with a twine bow and an embossed sentiment using The Greetery's Bunny Tales stamps and dies.  And that was all it needed!

The DT has some awesome cards to inspire you with Judy's sketch, so check it all out right HERE and then play along.  This challenge is open till 3:00PM today. 

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

Freshly Made Sketches #729

Hello friends.  Playing along with the Freshly Made Sketches challenge where DT member Amy has an easy and CAS sketch for us to follow...

And here's what I came up with...

I used PB's soft petals stamp set and water colored the simple images with Altenew's water color pan set.  Next I created a mask with an oval die and lightly filled in the oval with Antique Linen DI.  A definite Jill Foster idea for making a one layer card! Except when I blew the one layer idea by adding the strip of vellum for my sentiment.

  My sentiment (PB's inspirational sentiments) was embossed in gold on the vellum and then wrapped around the card panel before being added to the card base.  A few Cream Puff sequins (SSS) were added to the vellum layer and that finished off my card.

There's a lot of beautiful inspiration from the DT using Amy's sketch that you can check out HERE.  This challenge is only open till this afternoon (Monday, March 30th @ 3:00PM), so be quick if you want to play along!

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

Freshly Made Sketches #728 and JUGS #815

Hello friends.  Playing along with a couple challenges today...Freshly Made Sketches and Just Us Girls, where Narelle has a wonderful sketch at Freshly Made Sketches and where JUGS has a BEAUTIFUL Mood Board to follow!

And here's what I came up with using both...

I used an older PTI die set of tea cups in place of the circles in Narelle's sketch and in place of the painted flowers on the rocks in the photo for JUGS.  I ink blended a sheet of white cs with rainbow colors and then die cut the tea cups. I also die cut the Leafy Branch (PFS) from a scrap of bright green cs to go along with the sketch.  My background is black that I embossed with Altenew's Organic Linen 3D ef.

I finished with a strip sentiment from Gina K's All At Once Greetings and called it good!  With all the color I didn't think it needed any bling like I usually add.

Check out all the awesome inspiration from both Design Teams and then play along with one or both of them!

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

Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #727

Hello friends.  Sweet Michele has a new sketch for us to follow over at the Freshly Made Sketches Challenge...

I may not have hit the CAS mark with this card, but I think I used the sketch pretty well.  Take a look...

Been working on some of my Easter cards this week, and pulled out Tim Holtz Bunny Hop dies and used one of the 3 in the set to start my card.  Next I stenciled a background using PPP's Layered Eggs in a rainbow pattern (from top left to bottom right).  I used a couple smaller arch dies (SB) as per Michele's sketch on the stenciled background (along with a few plain arch die cuts for dimension) so I would have an opening for Mr. Bunny.  I also added a piece of clear acetate behind the arch opening so I could make this a shaker card. 

 

To finish I added a sentiment (The Greetery - Bunny Tales), grass instead of the leaf branches Michele used (Gina Marie Designs dies), some pink & white bakers twine, and added the bunny to the front of the "window" along with a stenciled egg for him to hold.  This will probably be going to one of the older grands as the one- and two-year-old would probably try to take it apart to get to the shaker bits (I've learned a few things over the years in this grandparenting gig!!)!

Lots of different ways to interpret this sketch as you'll see from the DT, so check it all out right HERE and then play along!  This challenge is open till Monday, March 16th @ 3:00PM.

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

Freshly Made Sketches - #726

Hello friends.  Playing along with the sketch over at the Freshly Made Sketches challenge and DT member Karren has a fun and easy one to follow:

Last year I bought SB's Shipmates dies because, well, I HAD to have it!  First time using it today! Haha!!  Oh well, better late than never and it will make a cute card for my oldest grandson who will be 9 in May.  I followed Karren's sketch to a "t" and here's what I came up with...

Can you see why I HAD to have him??  I think he's ADORABLE and was quite easy to put together too.  I used scraps to die cut all the pieces and then glued him together before adding him to a MFT's tag die that I stamped lightly with SU!'s En Francais background stamp and also ink blended around the tag too.

For my background, I used a scrap of lighter blue cs that I embossed with SB's Cast Away ef and then ink blended over it with Misty Moonlight (SU!) ink. I attached the skinny red strip next to the blue and then attached the tag and Mr. Wally with foam tape on an angle to the card base.  A small greeting from The Greetery was added at the bottom. Finished and I'm ahead of the game for his May birthday...YAY!!!

This challenge is only open till this afternoon (March 9th @ 3:00PM), so be quick and play along.  You can find the DT's inspiration right HERE to play along.

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

Freshly Made Sketches #725

Hello friends.  Playing along with the Freshly Made Sketches Challenge where DT member Cecile has a FUN sketch for us to play with.

I wasn't too sure what the middle gray piece was in the photo, but after looking at all the DT inspiration, I figured it was "anything goes"...so that's what I did!  I used a PTI stencil called Watercolor Wonderful Stencil Collection and came up with this card...

Looks a little bit like the gray part in the sketch, right?  RIGHT?!! I used the first two stencils in the set with pink and orange inks that were left on my brushes...there is a 3rd stencil that adds splattering but they're too big and I wasn't thrilled about the look of my first card, so this is actually my 2nd attempt and I did my own splattering.  I'll show you the 1st card down below as it isn't a terrible card, I just liked this one better!  The cascade of flowers are from Gina K's Thoughtful Flowers bundle and I embossed them in gold and then stenciled them with the same colors as the water colored background. 

 I die cut the floral spray and added foam tape on the backside for a bit of dimension and then added to the water colored panel, along a with a black matte and white card base.  My sentiment strip is from Gina's All At Once Greetings.

      This was the first card, and you can see that the splatters that are stenciled are quite a bit bigger than the ones that I did with a paint brush.  I added a silhouette stamp (Gina K - Better Together), and while I really like the silhouette against the water colored background, I'm just not thrilled with the larger splatters!  Do you like one better than the other?  Let me know.

The DT has some beautiful cards to inspire you to play along and you can find them all right HERE.  This challenge is open till Monday, March 2nd @ 3:00PM.

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

Freshly Made Sketches #722

Hello friends.  Playing along with the gals over at the Freshly Made Sketches Challenge where Kim has come up with a wonderful sketch...

Whenever I see a card with strips of different widths cardstock, I think of Laura Bassen and her "strippen it up" cards, and this sketch definitely made me think of that!  I came up with a very CAS card using Kim's sketch...

I started with an embossed background using SB's Heart Blooms ef and then added my 3 strips of pink, red, & pink cardstock.

Next I die cut the red heart from The Greetery's Coquette Hearts die and then embossed with the coordinating embossing folder and added the Filigree Heart die cut on top of the heart.  I also embossed the sentiment in white from The Greetery's Simple Valentine Mini Sentiments and then added a bow using The Greetery's Regency Bow No. 1 at the top of the heart.  A pink gem (PFS) was also added to the center of the bow.  VERY CAS and I love the way it turned out.

Check out all the beautiful cards from the talented DT and then play along right HERE.  This challenge is open till Monday, Feb. 8th @ 3:00PM.

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

Freshly Made Sketches #721

Hello friends.  Playing along with the Freshly Made Sketches Challenge where DT member Jen M. has a fun and easy sketch to follow...

I had just recently watched and fell in love with a video on rainbow floral card ideas from Therese Calvrid (watch HERE) and decided to try it out using this sketch.  Here's what I came up with...

I used a SSS stencil (Elegant Rose) and did like Therese showed in the video with using basically stripes of color with each stencil. This particular stencil is a set of 4, so each time I lined it up and started with turquoise, then purple, pink, orange and then yellow, ink blending from the top of the stencil to the bottom. You start very light with the 1st stencil and then get a shade darker with each successive stencil.  Really only 3 stencils (the 4th stencil is the leaves), so you basically need light, medium & dark inks.  

I used PFS's Diagonal Stitched Circle dies to cut out my rainbow rose and then inlaid to a white card base. For the strip in the sketch I used Altenew's Organic Linen embossing folder and also cut the half circle from the strip so I could continue with the inlaid look.  Before I inlaid the circle, I used Sheer Shimmer Sparkle Spray on it for some shine.  My sentiment comes from Gina K's A LITTLE LOVE stamp set and then finished with a few Disco Ball Sequins that are also from Gina K.  This was actually my 2nd attempt at the rainbow bloom...for my first try I started with the turquoise and purple and then used orange and that made BROWN when blending...remember to use colors next to each other that blend to create another complimentary color.  I guess sometimes we have to learn the hard way! Ha!

The DT as usual has wonderful ideas for using the sketch, so check them out right HERE and play along.  This challenge is open till Monday, Feb. 2nd @ 3:00PM.

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

Freshly Made Sketches #720

Hello friends.  I have a very CAS Valentine card to share with you today following Jen T's sketch over at the Freshly Made Sketches Challenge.

Instead of the two circles in the sketch, I substituted two hearts and came up with this...

I've been in LOVE with this red velvet paper (Amazon) lately, and it's so easy to use.  It really feels like velvet, and you just peel off the backing paper and attach it to a piece of cardstock (so it has a bit more sturdiness to it and also makes it easier to die cut).  The velvet paper definitely reminds me of vintage and old time Valentine cards.

I die cut the 2 hearts from The Greetery's Nordic Hearts dies and added the scalloped layer behind them using gold matte cs.  My background was embossed using SSS's Layered Vine ef and matted with more of the matte gold cs, and then both layers added to a white top folding base.

Hopefully in this really close up you can see the details impressed into the velvet paper hearts...IRL it's so much more noticeable!  I finished with a sentiment strip using SSS's Tiny Words sentiment stamp set and a few gold metallic pearls from PFS.  Pretty CAS and I'm happy with the way it turned out!

There's lots more inspiration using the sketch from the DT and you can find it all right HERE.  This challenge is open till Monday, Jan. 26th @ 3:00PM. 

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