Freshly Made Sketches: Somebunny Loves You

It's time for a new sketch at Freshly Made Sketches!

I tend toward small images and little groupings - so I decided to take advantage of this sketch and use a bigger image.  I looked through my NBUS stash and came up with this Easter image.  However, I quickly ran into a problem with my idea.  If I centered the image, the mailbox was on the right edge but it opens to the right and I thought that made it look awkward.  It needed to "point" to the center and to the sentiment.  So I spent way too much time with a stamp positioner lining up the image on the bottom panel with the image on the top panel and making sure the bunny could be seen.  It didn't occur to me until I had tried about a dozen times that I would have been much easier to stamp it once and then die cut the smaller panel right out of the main image!

I look forward to seeing what you create!
SUPPLY LIST

TE You've Got Mail - Spring

TE Somebunny Loves You

Lil' Inkers Stitched Mats: Rectangles

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Taylored Expressions: Floral Eyelet Border die

As part of the Baker's Dozen design team, one of the things that I get to do is show off is a die from a previous release.  Today's die is the Floral Eyelet Border die.

There are some fabulous examples in the TE Gallery - just search on Floral Eyelet Border.  I like those that use half of it as a border - it's a pretty, lacy look.  However, since I was assigned to show it off - I wanted to keep it front and center.


I think the colors and the egg-shaped sentiment are a hint that I'm using this as an Easter card.  I didn't have an Easter sentiment that fit this shape, but I didn't think I could go wrong with "great is thy faithfulness".  In my church, we tend to use this hymn for funerals - but I don't really know why.  I'm not sure he could show his faithfulness more than with the sacrifice of his son.
SUPPLY LIST

*floral eyelet border	Faith in Bloom	Egg Stacklets	*flutter-bys
Build a Tag 3	*hemp cord - white (68 yards)	Embossing Folder - Lots of Dots	Premium Cardstock - Sprinkles
Premium Cardstock - Strawberry Milkshake	Premium Cardstock - Peapod	TE 6x6 Paper Pack - Build a Scene	TE Sequins - For Peep's Sake

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Taylored Expressions: Inspired by Pinterest

Taylored Expressions maintains a fabulous array of Pinterest Boards sorted by product and some by theme.  It's a fabulous source of inspiration and the Baker's Dozen design team is tasked with showing you how we were inspired by a card.

First I saw this card by Stephanie Kraft.  You'll see right away that I totally copied the layout! The die on this card and the die on my card are part of the Beauty Lies Within 2 set.

I knew that I was straight up copying the layout but I wanted to be at least a little different. Sometimes when I am in love with a card, it doesn't only inspire me - I want to totally CASE it because it just couldn't be any better.  Then I saw this card by Cassie Trask and it gave me a number of other ideas. I wanted to use some sort of swirling color in my image.; I liked the hint of the flags on each side; and I love the splatter leading from the main image down to the sentiment.  (I quickly discovered that I haven't gotten any better at "splatters" so my splatter became sequins!)

I love this last release at Taylored Expressions. It's full of lovely dies and images for Easter, but so many of them work well for sympathy cards.  I have used their cross dies for sympathy, but decided this tree from Beauty Lies Within 2 works perfectly too.  I simply sponged a sunset behind it and left the rest clean and elegant.

I debated a long time over the sequins.  Sequins and sympathy just don't seem to fit.  But I loved how they filled in the space and finally convinced myself that is the look of tears or rain.  

I have a solid white circle behind the dies.  I sponged across the center with Tattered Rose Distress Ink, then I used Scattered Straw on the bottom - where the two colors merged I got a lovely orange. Across the top is Stormy Sky and it merged with the rose to give me a lavender.  I don't do much sponging and I don't know why - this was so simply and I love the sunset that it created.

SUPPLY LIST

*care & comfort 2	Beauty Lies Within 2	Build a Tag 2	Embossing Folder - Dotted Lattice
Premium Cardstock - Poppy Seed	Premium Cardstock - Sugar Cube	TE Sequins - Build a Scene

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Freshly Made Sketches: Cheerful Birthday Flowers

It's time for a new sketch at Freshly Made Sketches!

I used this sketch to make a card for a wonderful woman who has had an unimaginably difficult year. Her husband of 50 years lost a 12 year battle with cancer, and now she is in the process of cleaning up and selling the family home.  Yet I have never met anyone more cheerful and more willing to volunteer and help out whenever asked.  It was her birthday yesterday.  I didn't want to a make a birthday card full of balloons and other celebratory images - I'm guessing it won't feel like that to her. So I went for a soft floral card in spring colors.

I love the paper but I think it's older so I hoard it.  I can't find the full pad anywhere, but I've linked some individual sheets that have the same pattern.  I was thrilled when I realized that these Paper Smooches dies had the same general shape as the flowers in the paper.

The center of the big flower is from a Reverse Confetti set Petals 'n Posies.  The center of the small lavender flowers are little dots from the Irresistible Pico Embellisher in Wedding Dress White.  I have fallen in love with this stuff.  They are advertised to do all sorts of multi-media things - but I like them just for making little dots in place of enamel dots.  I always run out of the smaller size of enamel dots plus the dots don't even come this small.  
I hope to see you playing along!
SUPPLY LIST

MFT Spotlight Sentiments	RC Petals 'n Posies	Paper Smooches Flowers Dies	We R Memory Keepers Chalkboard
MFT Coral Crush CS	SU Crisp Cantaloupe CS	MFT Summer Splash CS	PTI Limeade Ice CS
PTI Lavender Moon CS	Irresistible Pico Embellisher - Wedding Dress	Versamark	Hero Arts White Embossing Powder
Hemp Cord - white

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Be Your Best Self with New Colors!

I finally got my newest colors from My Favorite Things and wanted to tell you that the MFT Copic Match chart on my sidebar has been updated!  I made a quick card with some of the new colors, only to realize when I was done that MFT has retired this stamp set.  So I have new colors and old stamps!


A quick update on me.  I'm working!!  I am putting my brand new accounting degree to good use as a short-term paid consultant to a preschool.  It's probably for about 8 weeks or so - but these first few weeks have been way more than full-time, then it will slow down.  The preschool hasn't had an accountant for awhile so there's a lot of cleaning and catching up to do.  On the good side, it's going to be a fabulous resume builder - so I've stalled out on a job search just for this experience.  On the bad side, it's seriously cutting into my crafting time.  How in the world do all of you working mothers manage to craft?  I used to craft in the early morning but now I'm getting ready to head out.  By the time I get home, I just want a glass of wine and an early bedtime.

And you should see the state of my blog reader.  I use Feedly and it usually shows the number of blog posts that I have to read in each category (I sort by challenges, design team friends, miscellaneous, etc.) - but most of my categories have switched to an asterisk!!  I wonder how far behind you have to be that Feedly can't even count it!

Enough whining!  I think most of you have been juggling all the balls for years.  I just have to get used to it because I refuse to let go of my cardmaking.  It's my refuge from the numbers at work and the men/boys at home!

SUPPLY LIST

The stamp is from the retired MFT set Be Your Best Self.

MFT Coral Crush CS	MFT Daffodil CS	MFT Pure Plum CS	MFT Summer Splash CS
MFT Inside & Out Diagonal Stitched Square STAX	MFT Staggered Heart Border Die	MFT Graduated Heart Stencil	Wendy Vecchi White Embossing Paste

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