Freshly Made Sketches: Joy

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

I love creating little scenes so there was really no doubt what I'd being doing on this one.  I used that small box for my entire scene!


I sponged on three Distress Oxides - Mustard Seed, Tumbled Glass and Broken China.  Then I spritzed it with a glimmer mist and let the Distress Oxides do their thing.  I built a little church with some frosty trees around it (although my short little bush was ill-conceived - it looks like seaweed!) I needed a strip of paper down the side per the sketch and I tried dozens.  I really didn't have any intent to go black and white but I like the more modern feel.  For the sentiment, I thought a simple "joy" said it all!

I hope to see you playing along with us this week at Freshly Made Sketches.

SUPPLY LIST

AAA Card Challenge Guest: On the Move

I am honored to be the guest designer at the AAA Cards Clean and Simple Challenge for the new challenge "On the Move".

"On the Move" is such a fitting challenge for my life right now.  I have one son almost through college and one getting ready to move away and start college.  My husband and I have recently moved for the first time in 27 years. I've had long-time local friends whose lives have changed and they've moved far away.  There's been stress and sadness but there's not been a move that hasn't been a step forward.  It's all part of the journey and it's important to view that journey with joy. 


I love the fonts on this sentiment and I wanted an image/die that was equally charming.  This scooter jumped out as a perfect choice. (Although given it's my two sons that are currently on their journeys and might need a reminder of the "joy", I'm not sure a pink scooter made a lot of sense!!)  I brushed on a bit of blue sky, added a road and then a few sprinkles that are actually flowers but I decided they could be sun sparkles or even an asterisk.
Thanks again to AAA Cards for allowing me to be their guest and for the really fun and creative challenge!!

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Taylored Expressions: Alpaca My Party Hat

I seem to need as many birthday cards in November and December as I do Thanksgiving and Christmas cards.  You'd think people could plan their birthdays better, wouldn't you?  (Of course, this from the mom who has kids with birthdays on December 29th and January 4th!)

This card is for a gentlemen at work who has a thing for goats and alpaca.  Turns out I don't have a single goat in my stash but I do have this fabulous alpaca and/or llama from the Taylored Expressions Llama Love set.


This guy is charming and what makes him even cuter is there are four faces to choose from.  I had used another fun face on this card!!

Since the card was for a guy (and an accountant at that), I kept this card relatively unembellished.  I stenciled on some clouds, then used a simple pattern for the ground.  I just looped some twine for a alpaca-ish, masculine look!

Here's another look at that grinning face!  I can't help but smile back!!



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Freshly Made Sketches: Christmas Wreath

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

I'd love to be creative with this one - but how could I not do a wreath at this time of the year??!!  I have this new to my stash wreath die from Memory Box and sentiment from Right at Home.  I love this sentiment set - it's new to my stash and it will definitely be my go-to this year.


I think the little berries make this card!!  They are Little Things from Lucy's Cards Glossy Berry Mix Pearls.  They have a fabulous golden sheen!
I wanted a simple background but unique - so I used Taylored Expressions Brick by Brick Stencil but I taped off a number of them to give it this random look.  Once I had the stencil all taped up, I did a number of these backgrounds so you'll be seeing more of them.
I hope to see you playing along this week at Freshly Made Sketches.
SUPPLY LIST Stamps: Right at Home Peace Love Joy Dies: Memory Box Pine Wreath, Taylored Expressions Door to Door Summer Decor (the bow) and Stitched Rectangle Stacklets Cardstock: Taylored Expressions Peapod and Granny Smith Miscellaneous: Taylored Expressions Brick by Brick Stencil, Dreamweaver Embossing Paste, Little Things from Lucy's Cards Glossy Berry Mix Pearls, Versamark, Taylored Expressions Fine Detail Gold Embossing Powder

CAS(E) this Sketch!: Give Thanks

I am absolutely thrilled to be the guest designer for this week's sketch at CAS(E) this Sketch!  It's extra exciting because it's like coming home - I was actually on the design team starting with sketch #1 (first card here)!!  Sixty-six sketches later, I had to step away (final card here).  Life got in the way (isn't it sad when that happens?!) and I was busy finishing a second college degree and finding employment.  Since then both of my sons have graduated high school and then we moved after 27 years in the same house.  So it feels like a life-time ago that I was part of this team and it's fabulous to be back for a guest spot.

Here's this week's sketch.

Their sketches are so amazingly creative.  They are clean and simple - yet always have a unique look.  They can be challenging, but I'm always thrilled with my card when I make it work.   (I was asked to be a guest based on this card for Sketch 286 which also happens to be one of my all-time favorite cards!)

I am still in need of Thanksgiving cards so I decided long, thin autumn leaves would work well.  I then found this stamp with a trio of leaves and knew they would add interest if a did a trio of each color, then just some minimal shading.  It's one of my favorite fall sets - Reap a Harvest by Lil' Inker Designs and


This is one of my favorite fall sets - Reap a Harvest by Lil' Inker Designs.  How many of you buy a stamp set and use it once?  Or even never use it??  That would be me!!  Then there's a few sets that stick in your mind.  When I need a simple leaf or berries or an acorn, this is one that occurs to me.  I may not use it every time, but it's an option that I remember. And with the size of my stash - that's saying a lot!!

Thanks to Chrissy and the entire group for letting me join in today!

SUPPLY LIST
Stamps: Lil' Inker Designs Reap a Harvest
Dies: Taylored Expressions Stitched Banner
Sequins: Simon Says Stamp Stay Gold

Freshly Made Sketches: #BLESSED

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

I consider myself a clean and layered stamper.  I love lots of open space, usually white, with a detailed grouping of stamps and dies in one small area.  That's my favorite thing to do.  However, when autumn comes around, suddenly I embrace patterns and colors.  I've spent way too much time thinking about why I change - and I think it makes sense.  Winter is white/gray and pristine.  Spring is soft and fresh.  Summer is bright and sunny.  But fall is a riot of colors and falling, blowing leaves.  So my card for today may not completely embrace "fresh" but I think it is fairly "clean-lined"!!


The die is from the Spellbinders Small Die of the Month Club - October.  Every month, I see people creating with their monthly dies and I love them - I just never got around to signing up.  But when I saw this fall acorn, I signed up immediately.  I've seen samples where it stands alone on a truly CAS card; it has enough detail to do that with gorgeous results. But the other part of fall that I love is curling up in warm, comfy quilts so I added that too with the patterned paper!


I'm looking forward to next month's die surprise (and I'm really wishing I had signed up earlier!)

I hope to see you playing along with this week's sketch at Freshly Made Sketches and be sure to head over to the blog for more inspiration.

SUPPLY LIST

Stamps: Simon Says Stamp You Got This
Dies: Spellbinder October Small Die of the Month Club, Taylored Expressions Double-Ended Banners (cut down a bit)
Patterned Paper: a scrap from Simple Stories
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink Dark Chocolate, Stampin' Up Baja Breeze and More Mustard, My Favorite Things Primitive White
Ribbon: Stampin' Up More Mustard Scallop Dots

CtS and City Crafter: Silver Bells

Twice this week, I saw mention of a new-to-me challenge, City Crafter.  I figured that was a sign that I needed to play along!!  Particularly when I checked it and the current challenge is Silver Bells.  The challenge isn't necessarily bells - but you do have to use silver.  I also had earmarked the current sketch at CAS(E) this Sketch as a must-do.  The two of them came together for this card....


I've had this die in my not-yet-used stash for a few years - it's the Holiday Bell by Echo Park.  My original plan was to do some shading and highlighting but then I decided to keep it simple and modern.  The silvery paper is all from Michaels.  It's hard to see but the strips have a herringbone pattern on them.


This is  a rare time that I did not adhere everything - I wanted the pine branches to tip up for some dimension.  But I'm fairly certain that I'm going go back and adhere it all because I'm quite worried about mailing.  I love when people make their die cuts look like they are floating, but I don't know how those cards survive the post office, let alone even getting it into an envelope.

SUPPLY LIST
Stamps: Simon Says Stamp Tiny Words Christmas
Dies: Echo Park Holiday Bells, Cottage Cutz Spruce Stems, CC Designs Conversation Hearts
Cardstock: Stampin' Up Flirty Flamingo, Gray Granite, Bermuda Bay, Michaels glitter cardstock
Ink: Stampin' Up Gray Granite