Freshly Made Sketches: Christmas Stained Glass

It's time for a new sketch at Freshly Made Sketches! Today we have a sketch by Karren and here’s what I did with it!

The first step was looking for something in a big circle - preferably in my Christmas or Thanksgiving stash. I found this nativity and couldn't believe I hadn't used it. Then I started picking colors.  I quickly settled on Stampin' Up's Petal Pink and then I decided to use the two coordinating colors from last year's in-colors - Starry Sky and Orchid Oasis.  When they came out, I thought they would be the most perfect Christmas colors ever, although more from the winter aspect not really for a nativity! Then when last year's holiday catalog came out - they weren't there at all.  And they aren't there this year.  I feel like they added two in-colors that none of their designers liked.  But I like them - even on a nativity scene!

The plan was to do the actual stripe from the sketch with a sentiment but even with my large stash of sentiments, I just didn't have the right sentiment for the stripe.  So I went with a longer straight sentiment but not on a stripe. 

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

SUPPLY LIST

Dies: Paper Rose Christmas Stained Glass Circle, Echo Park Merry Christmas

Paper: Stampin' Up Petal Pink, Starry Sky and Orchid Oasis, My Favorite Things In the Buff, Taylored Expressions Toffee

Other: Stampin' Up Distressed Tile 3D Embossing Folder

Freshly Made Sketches: Wishing You Joy

It's time for a new sketch at Freshly Made Sketches! Today we have a sketch by Cécile and here’s what I did with it!

I started with great intentions to follow the sketch exactly - right down to the leaf.  It wasn't working for me so I changed ideas...then changed again...and again.  I finally settled on a reindeer but after all the changing, now I'm feeling like I have to struggle a bit to see the sketch. I was definitely inspired...the sentiment along the bottom with two small strips of color above it is not something I would have thought to do without the sketch. I moved my main image off center at the last minute when I decided he really needed to be looking at a star.

The cute little reindeer is from Impression Obsession and there's actually a second one in the set - you can see him in the dies in the corner of the photo. Or leave the antlers off and you have a reindeer couple! The sentiment is from Mama Elephant. Nothing in the set is Christmas-related so this one probably isn't either, but it worked! The set comes with one plain banner to put behind the words, but I cut it in silver and blue, then moved the die and cut a thinner strip for my two narrow stripes. 

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

SUPPLY LIST

Dies: Impression Obsession Two Folk Deer, Mama Elephant Banner Greetings, Alexandra Renke Snowflake Cloud, Memory Box Postage Square Layers and Star of Wonder

Paper: Stampin' Up Pecan Pie, Crumb Cake, Granny Apple Green and Coastal Cabana cardstock plus Brights 6x6 dsp; Memory Box Majestic Hues Glitter Pad and Polished Foil Pad

Freshly Made Sketches: Playful Pumpkins

It's time for a new sketch at Freshly Made Sketches! Today we have a sketch by Jen Brum and here’s what I did with it!

 

This fairly new set from Concord & 9th has both fun stamps (and dies to cut those stamps) and also some stand-alone dies. Last week, at the last minute, I needed a few leaves and flowers so pulled just those out of the set (since it had just arrived in the mail and was still sitting on my desk). But right then, I put this card together.  I couldn't just pull a few leaves and flowers when all of these fun little pumpkins and sentiments were waiting to be used! I don't make a lot of Halloween cards - really just my two older teenage nieces and probably my son's girlfriend.  So the cards can be cute but not too young - I thought these jack-lanterns were just perfect.

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

SUPPLY LIST

Stamps: Concord & 9th Playful Pumpkins and dies

Paper: Catherine Pooler Sweet-n-Spooky 6x6, Taylored Expressions Strawberry Milkshake, Candy Corn and Mushroom

Ink: Taylored Expressions Mushroom, Strawberry Milkshake, Candy Corn and Plum Punch

Freshly Made Sketches: Thankful & Blessed

It's time for a new sketch at Freshly Made Sketches! Today the sketch is by me and here’s what I did with it!

I created this sketch with the idea of something I do often on my cards and that is just a hint of patterned paper. (Of course, if you are playing along with this sketch, you can use any amount of patterned paper that you want - I just added a splash!)  I found a vibrant fall paper. I love the surprise of the blue.  Then I added a pumpkin (by Taylored Expressions).  At that point, it needed a bit more and while I was certain I could find appropriate flowers and leaves in my Taylored Expressions collection, I also happened to have a brand new set from Concord & 9th already out on my desk.  It also has pumpkins, but I skipped past those and used the leaves and flowers.  (I was having a fun card-making afternoon so later I did use those pumpkins - but that's for next week!) I needed a sentiment to fit the sketch and found one by Papertrey Ink.  Finally I used my all-time favorite background - Stitched Woodgrain from Lil' Inkers.  The company has closed and I don't know what I'll ever do if I need to replace my woodgrain die. 

I love fall cardmaking - maybe even more than Christmas.  The days are still hot here, but the nights are cooling off already.  Last night was in the 40s.  So I'm sure the leaves are starting to think about changing - I can't wait!!

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

SUPPLY LIST

Stamps: Papertrey Ink Keep It Simple: Blessed

Dies: Taylored Expressions Layer It - Pumpkins, Concord & 9th Playful Pumpkins die (the leaves and flower), Lil' Inkers Stitched Woodgrain

Paper: Sunny Studio Colorful Autumn, Taylored Expressions Mango, My Favorite Things Orange Zest, Stampin' Up Granny Apple Green and Azure Afternoon

Other: Trinity Stamps Glowing Garnet Embellishment Mix

52 Christmas Card Throwdown: Merry & Bright

The challenge at 52 Christmas Card Throwdown is to use embossing folders and I definitely wanted to play along. There are amazing things you can do with embossing folders and I'll definitely be getting inspiration from their design team and in the gallery.  But I'm a fairly simple cardmaker - I do like embossing folders but generally just subtle polka dots, stripes and maybe woodgrain.  I happened to have this folder that I adore, but is quite busy for me and I figured what better time to use it than for an embossing folder challenge!

I wanted all the details from the folder to show so I only added a sentiment by Paper Rose.  To add interest, I cut it out of an ombre glitter paper. I accented it with an ombre array of glitter enamel dots from various sets by Your Next Stamp. Then I offset it on the background panel.  I've seen that done and I like the idea of it, but I don't think I did it dramatically enough.  It just looks like my glue slipped!!!

A big thanks to 52 Christmas Card Throwdown for not only inspiring me to pull out that embossing folder, but also to use a bigger and bolder sentiment than I would normally use!

SUPPLY LIST

Dies: Paper Rose Merry & Bright

Paper: Stampin' Up Granny Apple Green, Sweet Sorbet and 2022-24 In Color 6x6 Glimmer Paper

Other: Spellbinders Scattered Christmas embossing folder, various Gumdrops from Your Next Stamp

Freshly Made Sketches: Hey Lovely Bloom

It's time for a new sketch at Freshly Made Sketches! Today we have a sketch by Linda and here’s what I did with it!

 

I just got the flower die from The Stamp Market and then we have a sketch that has a big enough open space for me to use it. It was definitely meant to be! I found the paper and then mirrored the colors in my flowers.  Yes, I know one stem of flowers does not have multiple colors. (That's the first thing my husband noticed, bless his heart!)  It's a gorgeous die.  I definitely have more flowers than I'll ever use but then one comes along that calls my name and ends up in my stash. I love the tall stem, but there's also basic leaves in the set so you could use those flowers individually with just a small leaf or two for each one.

I don't use many thank you cards but really should. This became a thank you card just because I loved the sentiment on it. It has a nice shape and it was bold enough to hold its own with the big gorgeous stem of flowers. 

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

SUPPLY LIST

Stamps: The Stamp Market A Few Words and dies

Dies: The Stamp Market Hey Lovely Bloom, Taylored Expressions Stitched Rectangle Stacklet and Petite Scallop Rectangle

Paper: Carta Bella Flora No. 5 6x6 pad, Taylored Expressions Sweet Basil, Mango and Pink Champage, Stampin' Up Watermelon Wonder

Ink: Taylored Expressions Sweet Basil

Other: Pretty Pink Posh Buttercream gems

Hand Stamped Sentiments: Congrats

I needed a card that was very specifically a masculine coffee/tea cup with a big congrats. I was inspired by the colors at Hand Stamped Sentiments. I might have thought to put the blue with one of the brown tones - but I wouldn't have put those browns together and I ended up loving them on my masculine coffee cup.

Why a coffee/tea a cup and a big congrats? Because the adult son who had been living with us while between jobs, to whom last week I sent a card of encouragement when he moved to Michigan, already has a job!!  And it's a coffee/tea company!!!  He's been doing multiple interviews with them over the last three weeks and knew that each interview felt good - like he really connected.  The job is working with data and he can happily talk data all day long (he even makes it interesting!), but he also likes coffee and he really got to know and love unique teas with a favorite hole-in-the-wall tea shop near his college.  It's already a national chain, although small, and planning to grow so he's on the ground floor - doing something he likes, at a company he likes.  Thus the huge "congrats"!

I had the perfect coffee/tea cup - and was inspired by the masculine colors - for just the right card for this situation!!  Isn't this why we all love this hobby???  The coffee/tea cup is a Sizzix/Tim Holtz colorize die set so lots of itty bitty pieces but each piece is labelled "coffee" or "tea" on the back and the die cuts have detail to show you where the next piece goes. Most importantly, I have a good pair of tweezers and a fine point glue bottle to do the job.  The only requirement for the "congrats" was that it be big and bold. I have an old Winnie & Walter set with just the right look.  I played with a variety of patterned papers in the background but finally decided the sun rays on the embossed panel were exactly the look I needed. 

Thanks to Hand Stamped Sentiments for the color combo that made this just right!

SUPPLY LIST

Dies: Sizziz/Tim Holtz Cafe Colorize, Winnie & Walter The Big, The Bold and You, Trinity Stamps Modern Embossed Rectangle

Paper: Stampin' Up Pecan Pie, Copper Clay, Misty Moonlight, Early Espresso, Pebbled Path, Gray Granite

Other: Spellbinders Sun Rays Embossing Folder, Little Things by Lucy Copper Rose Jewels