Freshly Made Sketches: Garden Ghost

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

I fell hard for the Halloween release at The Stamp Market especially the Ghost set. This little ghost actually has big brother who is a shaker! I also love the Hocus Pocus patterned paper in the release because it was in softer colors than the typical Halloween paper. With the little tag that had the fence-looking border, I decided to use the floral paper with it - thus the "garden ghost"!

I set out to use the circles as in the sketch but in the patterned paper pack was a sheet of pre-printed tags.  That's where the green tag with the fence-looking border came from.  I dolled it up a little by backing it with cardstock and adding a tag reinforcer.  There wasn't a pre-printed tag with the flowers but it seemed right with the garden "fence" so I used the green tag as a guide and cut a tag out of the flower paper.

I cut my little ghost out of glitter paper.  This is intended for one of my nieces and it definitely needed sparkle and sequins. Finally I added a swirly background because it may be a garden - but it's still Halloween!

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

SUPPLY LIST

Dies: The Stamp Market Ghost, Lil Inkers Quilted Stitched Spiral die

Paper: The Stamp Market Hocus Pocus 6x8 paper

Blah Bunny: I Don't Wanna Adult

 I knew when I picked up the Blah Bunny and the Blah Blah Blah sets from Honey Bee Stamps that at that some point they would be perfect for sons in college. The Blah Bunny might be a little cutesy for my guys but he is definitely feeling "blah".  The sentiment set has tons of options - they are great and I don't know of anything else quite like it.

This is on its way to my oldest son.  He should graduate from college in December.  He LOVES college but not for all the typical reasons.  He definitely loves the school itself and the area surrounding it - Colorado State University is in a stunning setting and within an easy walk/bike there are hiking trails, breweries and Old Town Fort Collins which is full of unique and amazing restaurants and bars.  But mostly he simply loves the act of learning. His perfect world would be to stay in college forever taking class after class - no matter the topic - and soaking in whatever he can learn. He'll graduate with kind of a combination of data analytics/physics/computers and really likes it.  But he also listens to 12-hour long history podcasts on single battles in a war.  He watches YouTube videos on cooking methods and then experiments.  He'd be the best stats guy in about any sport there is. He LOVES learning and good for him.

But it's making him quite a bit less interested in moving on with life and he is feeling "blah".  For a variety of reasons, his next steps should be assured not that he'd share with us but I hope he'll share more when we go up for brunch next weekend! Mostly I just want to know if he's moving in with us for a while since most of what he does can be remote and he'd need to save up for furniture, apartment deposits, etc.

In the meantime, I thought Blah Bunny and especially the sentiment set was about perfect for him!

SUPPLY LIST

Stamps: Honey Bee Stamps Blah Bunny, Blah Blah Blah

Dies: Honey Bee Stamps Blah Bunny, Avery Elle Reverse Pinked die

Cardstock: Stampin' Up Crumb Cake, Bermuda Bay, Coastal Cabana and Granny Apple Green

CAS on Friday: Applesolutely Awesome

I needed a quick card to mail to my youngest son.  My husband recently told me that on their 15 hour drive to take him to college, my husband was fiddling with the car vent scent thing that my son loves and broke it.  So I marched my husband right down to Yankee CandleCompany and had him buy a supply of Macintosh Car Scent Vent Clips.  After all, he broke it - he should replace it! 

As a cardmaker, I can't just mail them - the package had to include a card! And with the apple scented car things, what a perfect time to tell my son he is "applesolutely awesome!"

Whenever I need to do a quick card, I absolutely need a challenge to get me started and preferably a sketch challenge.  And with perfect timing, the CAS on Friday sketch worked!! 

The apples and sentiment are Everyday Doodles and Everyday Punnies by Julie Ebersole at the Ellen Hutson store.  They have been real go-to's for me especially for these quick cards. They are so cute and charming, it doesn't take much to fill the card. The images are just what they say - doodles - with solid images to fill them in. There's quite a variety in the sets to fit many occasions and all really cute.

SUPPLY LIST

Stamps: Essentials by Ellen Everyday Doodles and Everyday Punnies

Dies: Essential by Ellen Everyday Doodles

The Card Concept: So Much Love

 It's time for a new challenge at The Card Concept: Sunny Sunflowers!  It's a perfect challenge for me right now - my brother and SIL have an anniversary coming up. Their fall wedding happened at a stone chapel in the Colorado mountains and the decorations included everything fall - it was stunning.  "Sunny Sunflowers" is the perfect theme for this anniversary card.

My Clean and Layered card was clearly inspired by the sunflowers and the woodgrain background.  I used the colors too but I liked the richness of the reddish/orange in the center of the sunflowers so I added a variety of those colors.  I like the daintiness of the little sprigs so along with my leaves, I added a few sprigs. Then I added lots of glittery things - after all, it's for an 18th wedding anniversary!  There is glitter paper behind the centers of the sunflower and a number of glitter dots.

I used a a few of my favorite products.  I love all the flower dies from Honey Bee.  They have a number of bouquet sets - this is from the Fall Bouquet.  Then I used my all-time favorite background die - it's from L'il Inkers (sorry - they are gone).  Did you notice the little heart in the woodgrain to the left of "love"?

The little heart actually drove my layout.  I wanted the words next to it - and I wanted all of the flowers at the bottom.  There's quite a bit more of the background die above the heart but I realized if I made a 4 1/4" square card, everything would still fit and the heart would be more obvious.

I hope to see you playing along with us at The Card Concept!

SUPPLY LIST

Stamps: Honey Bee Stamps Bitty Buzzwords

Dies: Honey Bee Stamps Bitty Buzzwords dies and Fall Bouquets, L'il Inkers Stitched Woodgrain

Freshly Made Sketches: Thankful

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!

 

I recently got a couple of oversize sentiments for slimlines - this "thankful" from Trinity Stamps being one of them. As I was looking at it, I was also thinking that the larger palette of a slimline would work well with one of my all-time favorite leaves - Honey Bee Stamps Lovely Layers Maple Leaf.  It has a separate background and detail die so can look wonderful with just a couple of die cuts.

I cut the background of the leaf out of the Vivid Craft Consortium Ink Drops pad and topped it with some champagne foil. The hint of soft blue in one leaf drove the background of the thankful; I like how the blue pops with all of the rich fall colors.

Fall cards are one of the few that I attempt to splatter. (I'm not a fan of the lack of control when splattering!)  It's a richly colored season but it's also a bit "messy" as the leaves are falling. Splatters just feel right to give it that feeling.  Then I realized I had a slimline die with wonky stitching. To me, that said breeze and blowing leaves.  I know - I'm overthinking this - but I like how it all came together!

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

SUPPLY LIST

Dies: Honey Bee Stamps Lovely Layers Maple Leaf, Trinity Stamps Scripty Thanks and Wonky Stitched Wilderness Slimline Series

Paper: Craft Consortium Ink Drops - Vivid, Stampin' Up Rich Razzleberry, Seaside Spray, Crumb Cake and Champagne Foil

Other: Fun Stampers Journey Black Licorice Silk, Stampin' Up Champagne gems

Poppystamps: Bravocado

I'm on the Poppystamps blog today with this charming Whittle Taco and Nacho along with their friend Whittle Avocado and some punny sentiments from Life is Sweet.

The Whittle Taco and Nacho set really just has the shells but since this card is destined for one of my sons and we seriously stuff our tacos, I had to add some taco innards!!  I used the smaller taco shell in the set cut in orange and red to give the colors of cheese and tomatoes. Then I used the nacho in green and cut the little corners off for some lettuce shreds.  Finally, I added a white circle that I cut using the avocado pit and plopped it on for my dollop of sour cream.  (Without the all-important sour cream, my sons would have seriously doubted that I made this taco!)

There are many more details and pictures on the Poppystamps blog!

SUPPLY LIST

Stamps: Poppystamps Life is Sweet

Dies: Poppystamps Whittle Taco and Nacho, Whittle Avocado, Word Balloons, Memory Box Stitched Square Layers

Paper: Memory Box Dashing Stripes and Dots, Cottage Stripes and Dots and cardstock packs in Berry Red, Sunny Orange and Lush Green

Poppystamps: Art Deco Birthday Greetings

I'm on the Poppystamps blog with this Art Deco Birthday card.

I never post a card that I don't like - and there are plenty of those - but sometimes I especially love a card and this is one of them.  I had googled Art Deco images and realized many were in black/white or black/gold.  This was perfect inspiration for a birthday card I needed to make for my SIL because she is passionate about black and white photography. All the pictures are on her walls and black and white and it is stunningly elegant.

But it is for her birthday so I wanted to add a pop of color and sparkle.  I love these rounded flowers against the straight lines of the background.

There are more pictures and more chatter on the Poppystamps blog!

SUPPLY LIST

Stamps: Poppystamps Art Deco Birthday Greetings

Dies: Poppystamps Geometric Deco Plate, Village Rose and Background, Orchard Leaves

Paper: Memory Box Graceful Garden Glitter Pad, Cardstock from the Sunny Orange and Lush Green collections

Other: Memory Box Open Studio Fairy Jewels 

Freshly Made Sketches: Oh What Fun

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 thoroughly enjoyed working on this card.  I had the snowman idea right away, but I was thinking of an elegant, open-style snowman that I thought I had with beautiful snowy papers behind him.  It turns out my mental image of that particular snowman was wrong. So I flipped through the other snowmen that I had and this guy just kept saying "Pick me! Pick me!" and I'm so glad I did.  I found some cheerful papers and smiled the entire time that I was working!

I used some soft fluffy paper in the hat and then some glitter paper for the snowflake. I struggled with the sentiment a bit because "oh what fun" fit size-wise but I kept singing "...in a one-horse open sleigh" and there's no sleigh here and that bothers my obsessive side.  But there is "fun" here so I stuck with it. 

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

SUPPLY LIST

Stamps: Hello Bluebird Typed Christmas

Dies: Paper Smooches Snowman 2, 

Paper: Bella Blvd Holly Jolly Christmas (the only paper not in this pack are the orange nose, the very light gray outline and the specialty fluffy paper (SU) and sparkly snowflake (Michaels))

Other: Studio Katia Pink Carnation gems

Freshly Made Sketches: New Home Congrats

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!

 

I needed a "congrats on your new home" card for my brother and his family. They have lived in Colorado just a suburb or two away for the last 25 years so I have had my young nieces (currently 13 and 16) nearby to do girl things with. (My family consists of a husband and two grown sons - all guy, all sports, all stinky bedrooms, all the time!) Sadly for me, my brother's family just moved far away to Milton, Georgia.  It's a great move for them - it makes so much sense for where their life is headed - but I am so going to miss my nieces.  

I wanted to get a congrats card in the mail right away - maybe even the first mail in their mailbox!  I planned it in an entirely different direction.  They bought a house on 3 acres surrounded by big, gorgeous trees so my card was going to be in rich, fall colors. But I was paging through my papers and this one popped out at me. It's a totally different direction, but the paper along with some pink sparkle was just perfect for my nieces.

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

SUPPLY LIST

Paper: Patterned is unknown, Papertrey Ink Limeade Ice, Simon Says Fog And Smoke, Memory Box Delicate Pastel Glitter pad

Dies: Papertrey Ink Love Lives Here, Taylored Expressions Congrats Script, Sizzix Funky Wreaths

Other: Stampin' Up Woodgrain Embossing Folder

Card Concept: Blessed

The Card Concept is back!!  We had so many players during our extended summer challenge, thank you for playing along all summer. I do hope that you continue playing especially with our amazing fall challenges.  Check this one out! And notice the helpful color swatches on the graphic.

I adore autumn leaves.  I can guarantee that if a graphic has a fall leaf, it will be on my card! In this graphic, the brilliant purple caught my eye - so here's my card.

I created my Clean and Layered card with this amazing Botanicuts set from The Greetery. I was surprised to find it in my not-yet-used stash because I loved it from the moment I saw it. In using it, I loved it even more than I thought I would.  I didn't realize it when I got it, but that branch including the veins for the leaves is already put together so you get that graceful swoop without any extra work.  Of course, there are extra pieces so you can arrange it yourself too.

I did a bit of work on the leaves to make them fall-like.  The edges are sponged with a coordinating color.  Then I splattered them with some sparkle ink (I love frost on the leaves in the fall) and with some dark brown ink. I'm a bit afraid of splattering (I prefer having complete control) so they are a bit too subtle. I stopped before I got a big unplanned splatter!

To keep it "in the company", I used the Brick Layer and the Blessed Blooms stamp and die (for the sentiment) also from The Greetery.  

I hope to see you playing along with us this week on our first week back after summer vacation!!

SUPPLY LIST

Stamps: The Greetery Blessed Blooms

Dies: The Greetery Botanicuts Mighty Oak, Brick Layer, Blessed Blooms dies

Cardstock: Stampin' Up Soft Suede, Crushed Curry and Soft Succulents, Taylored Expressions Plum Punch, Fruit Punch, Toffee, Sea Salt and Mocha

Ink: ditto

Other: Fun Stampers Journey Sparkle Silk and Dark Roast Silk

Poppystamps: Oak Leaves and a Forest Squirrel

 I'm on the Poppystamps blog today with this charming Whittle Forest Squirrel and a rainbow of leaves using the Whittle Oak Leaf.

Fall is my favorite season.  I love the cooler weather and I love the brilliant colors.  Mostly I love them together.  The brilliant colors look even more amazing against the wintery skies and with a bit of frost. So behind my squirrel, I added a bluish-gray background and I used the Memory Box Waves 3D Embossing Folder since the waves looked like blustery weather to me. 

Pop on over to the Poppystamps blog for many more pictures and details!

SUPPLY LIST

Stamps: Poppystamps Whittle Everyday clear stamp set

Dies: Poppystamps Whittle Forest Squirrel and Whittle Oak Leaf, Memory Box Stitched Square Layers

Paper: Memory Box 6x6 cardstock packs in Stormy Blue, Earth Neutral, Berry Red, Sunny Orange, Lush Green, Vibrant Violet

Other: Memory Box Waves 3D Embossing Folder, Bright Jewels

Freshly Made Sketches: Autumn Greetings

 Wasn't last week an amazing celebration of 500 sketches at Freshly Made Sketches?!  Have you checked out the list of prizes on the FMS Winner's post? If you played along you might be there!!  I also had prizes with the winner's announced here. 

Now it's time for our 501st sketch and I created it!!  It's always such a thrill to do a sketch and then see how all of you have used it.  Here's my card, then the sketch.

Usually when I do the sketch, I have a solid idea of what I'm going to do with it; in fact, sometimes I've even made the card.  I had a solid idea for this card, but then Honey Bee Stamps had their release that included the Patchwork Pumpkin set and everything changed.  I adore this pumpkin; I hit the order button the second it was available.  

There's actually another layer you can use behind so you have five patterned section and then there's ten patterns to choose from.  Isn't this patchwork look just what autumn is all about?!  (BTW - definitely check out this Patchwork Pumpkin card from my teammate Jen Timko - it's stunning.)  I used an earlier set also from Honey Bee - the Autumn die and the coordinating stamp set to add the sentiment.  Then the patterned paper is from their new release - Gingham Galore: Fall.

  I hope to see you playing along this week at Freshly Made Sketches!

SUPPLY LIST

Stamps: Honey Bee Stamps Patchwork Pumpkin, Autumn

Dies: ditto!

Paper: Honey Bee Stamps Gingham Galore: Fall