Freshly Made Sketches: Grateful

It's time for a new sketch at Freshly Made Sketches! Today we have a sketch by Jennifer Timko.

I saw that big panel and decided to use a big leaf that I just purchased.  It didn't quite fit - so I stamped it on a full size white panel, cut out the leaf, then cut out the banner.  I put a couple of layers of black cardstock behind the leaf to lift it a bit and give it a small shadow.  (For the shadow effect, I'd like to have lifted it more, but then I would have had to deal with the sentiment that was half lifted too!)

I hope to see you playing along this week.  That big open space is wide open for your creativity!!
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The glitter paper is my favorite from Michaels.  The sequins are cheapies probably from Michaels (There are so many wonderfully, elegant gold sequins out there - for this card I wanted brassy and shiny!)

Concord & 9th Lace Leaf	Concord & 9th Grateful Leaf	Lil Inker Designs Stitched Woodgrain	MFT Stitched Jumbo Fishtail Banner
Tim Holtz Wild Honey Ink	Tim Holtz Fired Brick Ink	Tim Holtz Distress Rusty Hinge Ink	Tim Holtz Distress Ink Crushed Olive

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The Paper Players: So Very Blessed

I love creating groupings of dies - and I had a not-yet-used die on my desk that has mini pumpkins, gourds and acorns - AND then to totally make my week, The Paper Players came out with this challenge.

It was meant to be!


I created a little basket of fall fruit using a variety of dies from Taylored Expressions.  I wanted a simple die-cut sentiment to put across the top so found this "blessed" die from Paper Smooches. I added a "so very" from a Papertrey set.  The PTI set actually has a blessed die too but it was a little too ornate for my simple little fruit basket.

I do send Thanksgiving cards - not quite as many as I send for Christmas - but it's a day of gratitude and I love sharing that with others.  Thanks to The Paper Players for giving me some motivation and inspiration to create this card!!

SUPPLY LIST

PTI Inspired: Blessed	Paper Smooches Religious Words Dies	TE Little Bits - Fruit Basket	TE Little Bits - Fall Harvest
Taylored Expressions Little Bits - Fruit	MFT Blueprints 24	PPP 4mm Sparkling Clear Sequins

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Freshly Made Sketches: Anniversary Wishes

It's time for a new sketch at Freshly Made Sketches! Today we have a sketch by Amy.

I was ecstatic when I saw this sketch.  Next week is my brother and sister-in-law's anniversary.  I recently purchased the Rose Garden Thinlits by Stampin' Up with them in mind.  They were married in a small stone church in the mountains on a crisp and clear September morning with brilliantly colored fall foliage as their flowers.  I kept the background of the card gray and brick for the church. (I'd have used a stone folder if I had it - but it's the look that counts, right?!)  I played around with colors on the center panel but stuck with white because I love the look of grays and whites with fall colors to mimic autumn frost.  I added a few sequins for the same reason.

I put the die on a piece of watercolor paper and penciled around it so I could differentiate the leaves and the flower..  Then I sponged distress ink before I cut it out.

The banner and sentiment is from Papertrey Ink - I was thrilled that I had a long anniversary sentiment to fit on the long banner on the sketch.  I did have to stretch the Papertrey banner die slightly by cutting in from one side, moving it to make it longer, then cutting in from the other side.

I hope to see you playing along this week.  There is so much open space to let your creativity loose - LOVE these kind of sketches!

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ETA: I forgot to add the brick embossing folder from Stampin' Up!

PTI Banner Sentiments	PTI Double-Ended Banners Die	Stampin Up Rose Garden Thinlits	Tim Holtz Distress Watercolor Cardstock
SU Smoky Slate CS	PTI Smokey Shadow CS	Versamark	Hero Arts White Embossing Powder
Tim Holtz Distress Ink Mustard Seed	Tim Holtz Distress Ink Wild Honey	Tim Holtz Distress Spiced Marmalade	Tim Holtz Distress Ink Crushed Olive
Tim Holtz Distress Ink Peeled Paint	PPP 6 mm Sparkling Clear Sequins

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Taylored Expressions Best. Day. Ever.

It's been so much harder to keep up with friends since I've started working full-time.  We used to be able grab coffee, or lunch, or happy hour - or a walk - or volunteer together at church - anything just to keep up with each other.  Now it's a much more conscious effort.  I wasn't positive I'd be able to find time in both of our schedules get together for one of my dear friend's birthday - so I made sure I had a card done and in the mail.  It needed to be bright and cheerful, more cute than elegant, not over the top girly but still feminine. Here's what I came up with.


I am a huge fan of that sentiment. It definitely fulfilled the "cheerful" part of my card.  Check!  I thought the banner paper was "cute" without being "cutesy".  Check!!  I liked the splashes of pink but it didn't get too girly particularly since I focused on blues and greens in the cardstock.  Check!!!

The presents are from a Taylored Expressions die that is really handy for quick and easy birthday cards.  It cuts the presents and the frame.  Then there are dies to cut the colored paper for behind the presents.  I added a bit more with the trio of banners and the patterned paper - but it's a fabulous card if you just put a sentiment in the open space.



SUPPLY LIST

Presents Cutting Plate	Paw-some stamp & die combo	Banner Stacklets 1	Matched Kit - Hello Happiness
TE 6x6 Paper Pack - Hello Happiness	TE Premium Cardstock - Sugar Cube	TE Premium Cardstock - Cookie Monster	TE Premium Cardstock - Lollipop
TE Premium Cardstock - Mint Julep	TE Premium Ink - Oreo - Full Pad

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Merry Monday: Blessings

I sat down yesterday and counted how many Christmas cards that I had left to do.  Ugh.  I'm definitely glad it is only September and I have a few months left. It also added incentive to sit down at the last minute and play in the Merry Monday Christmas Challenge.

So many directions came to my mind for this one!  But I settled on using a recent purchase.  I just got the Stampin' Up die set - Starlight.  It's full of fabulous Christmas stars, small and large, many are layerable, and this one that is cut right into the paper.  I did not get the coordinating stamp set because I have an old Stampin' Up set (from 2007) that I got off ebay called Star-Studded Season.  I think it's a perfect pairing.

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The stamp is from the long-retired Stampin' Up set called Star-Studded Season.  The silver paper is my favorite glitter paper from Michaels.

SU Starlight Thinlits

SU Real Red CS

SU Real Red Ink

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