Freshly Made Sketches: Birthday Kitties

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

 

A cat-loving workmate's birthday is coming up this week and I had already purchased the kitty die in preparation then when I saw the sketch for this week, it all came together beautifully!! 

I wanted to to give the eyes and noses some color but I didn't want to deal with those itty bitty pieces so I used a hole punch to get small pieces of the pink and jade then adhered those behind the white. I added a piece of gray cardstock behind the white kitties to make it pop from the cardstock.  The jaunty little bow came from another die set but I wanted a little accent on all that white. I picked a bright and cheerful piece of balloon paper which I think makes the white pop even more. I think this is going to be a hit!

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

SUPPLY LIST

Dies: Simon Says Stamp Sneaky Kitties, Memory Box Happy Birthday Posh Script, Papertrey Ink Bows Galore

Paper: Bo Bunny Baby Bump 6x6, Stampin' Up Calypso Coral, Groovy Guava (noses), Just Jade (eyes), Pebbled Path (a gray layer of kitties behind the white)

Other: Pinkfresh Aqua Glitter Drops

30 Years Ago?

My husband is coming up on a big birthday. I saw this sentiment stamp a few months ago and knew it was perfect.  Then I decided to feature it on the outside of the card because when people display cards that's what they see and this sentiment was too good to hide. I was struggling on how to use it and luckily saw the sketch at Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge. And then for even more inspiration, I saw the colors at As You See It which are a fun mix of masculine grays/krafts plus bright colors for a birthday.

The sentiment was new-to-me.  Many of the other products are long gone (sorry!)  That's what happens when I am finally finishing up a massive organization/clean out project.  I see things from the olden days that have gotten lost in the shuffle and I just have to use them.  Then of course they never get "cleaned out".  The little icons are from some very old embosslits by Stampin' Up. The tag is an old Papertrey Ink. (Although I never clean out basic stuff like tags or rectangles/square/circles or backgrounds - you just never know when that exact size or style might come in handy!!)  The embossing folder is an old Taylored Expressions.  Sad story - when we moved to this house about five years ago, one of the things I chose to downsize was a drawerful of embossing folders.  They had been a huge deal on cards, then five years ago they weren't so huge, then after I downsized they became huge again.  So I had to start my collection over - ugh. Teaches me to try to organize and downsize!!

So everything on this card is old - but it's just right for my old recipient!!

A big thank you to As You See It and Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge for the inspiration!

SUPPLY LIST

Stamps: Riley and Company Funny Bones The 1990s

Dies: Papertrey Ink Tag Sale 3 (cut a big shorter)

Paper: Stampin' Up Gray Granite, Crumb Cake, Tahitian Tide, Poppy Parade

Other: Stampin' Up Fashionable Hearts Embosslits and Little Pieces Embosslits (both long retired!), Taylored Expressions Ah-maze-ing

Freshly Made Sketches: Spruced Up

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

Stampin' Up's Spruced Up set was one of my favorite Christmas sets last year but I only used it a couple of times. So I left it in my not-yet-used Christmas stash even though it actually had been used because I wanted to remember to use it more and here it is again.  After I made it, I went back and looked at what I'd already done and this one is remarkably close to this one. That's kind of funny because I didn't get it for the stamps (although I love them) - I got it for the outline dies so I could do cards like Allison's or Akiko's or Madeleine's.  I guess this set has to go right back into my not-yet-used stash!!

And check it out...I decorated the inside!!  I never decorate my insides although I am awe of all of you who do. It's such a special touch.  I'm just not a natural cardmaker so the front saps up all of my creative energy and I am DONE when it's done.  But in this case I had a two-part sentiment and I had one tiny little strip of patterned paper left from when I decided the dsp on the front was a bit too wide and I trimmed some.

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

SUPPLY LIST

Stamps: Stampin' Up Spruced Up

Dies: Stampin' Up Spruced Up Outlines dies, Stitched Shapes, Stitched Rectangles

Paper: Stampin' Up Sweet Sorbet and Pool Party, Sweetest Christmas

Ink: Stampin' Up Garden Green, Pool Party, and Sweet Sorbet

Other: Stampin' Up Toile Tidings Glitter Gems, Winter Snow Embossing Folder

Freshly Made Sketches: Summer Shadows

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 waited a long time to get the Stampin' Up Summer Shadows - clear up until they were on sale when they retired this year.  I don't know why I waited - I adore them!  They are detailed yet still can be fun and playful (although I have seen truly elegant cards made with them also.)  

The other old thing on this card is the sentiment.  Over the last month, I have done what I said I would never do - I weeded out old Stampin' Up sets.  I am famous for never getting rid of a set! Years ago, I started using them all and posted a countdown of sets on Splitcoaststampers.  I'm not even going to discuss how many there were and that was easily a decade ago with my stash continuing to grow.  But I have been making cards for 30 years, almost as long as Stampin' Up has been in business, so of course I have a lot.   

In the meantime, I've been getting older.  I have a new theory about those of us facing a certain age and that is that some go big and some dramatically downsize.  I have friends and family who are getting bigger houses, pools, RVs, every known kitchen gadget and so much more.  And others want a tiny house on a plot of land. We may not be tiny house hunting, but we are definitely in the downsize camp.  I don't want to have to organize or clean or maintain anything.  I just want good walking/hiking shoes, my Kindle, a suitable cardmaking stash and good coffee and wine.

Stampin' Up was the latest area of my life to be downsized.  I can hardly tell you how dramatic it was.  I had stamps going back to the country style and I don't see that coming back around again.  But at the same time, I found some keepers that I had totally forgotten about when they got lost in the chaos.  This sentiment is from Itty Bitty Banners that I think dates back a decade.  It's not all that exciting, but I knew I'd use it and here it is already.  Done in white on black gives it a more modern look and it paired well with these fun flowers.

Clearly I'm feeling chatty.  I guess I need to add a friend who is a good listener to the list of things I want when I downsize!!

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

SUPPLY LIST

Stamps: Stampin' Up Itty Bitty Banners (long retired)

Dies: Stampin' Up Summer Shadows (recently retired), Bitty Banners (long retired) and Scalloped Contours (current!)

Paper: Stampin' Up Flirty Flamingo, Granny Apple Green, Parakeet Party and Daffodil Delight, Taylored Expressions Cupcake, My Favorite Things Pineapple and MFT Black and White Stripes

52 Christmas Card Throwdown: Hope & Light

 I squeezed in one more card over the weekend because I just couldn't walk past the pale blue and red color challenge at 52 Christmas Card Throwdown!  I did end up going more aqua vs. a true blue. I had the little snowflakes cut and adhered before I decided the bottom layer of the card needed to be colored and true blues just didn't work with my little snowflakes!

I used the Decorated Pine dies from Stampin' Up that I believe are retired.  I love the dies - I didn't even get the stamp set, but just the dies have a lovely pine branch and multiple ornaments. I did the ornament in a subtle glitter paper and added little snowflakes in blue. I back them with two other sets and an embossing folder from Stampin' Up.  The sentiment set is still available - it's Brightest Glow. If you follow me, you know I am passionate about my sentiments and this is one special.  I LOVE the font and the unique sayings!

Thanks to 52 Christmas Card Throwdown for inspiring me to use some of my favorite products!

SUPPLY LIST

Stamps: Stampin' Up Brightest Glow

Dies: Stampin' Up Decorated Pine dies, Stitched Rectangle and Scalloped Contours

Paper: Stampin' Up Pool Party, Memory Box Delicate Pastel Glitter pad (the little blue snowflakes), Michael red glitter (the ornament)

Other: Stampin' Up Snow Burst embossing Folder

Atlantic Hearts Sketch: Merry & Bright

I've had a Concord & 9th stamp set in my not-yet-used stash that includes three large sentiments plus some add-on sentiments. I have ideas for two of the sentiments but the biggest one was just...big!  I wasn't sure what to do with it.  When I saw this week's sketch at Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge, the light bulb went on!

I knew the sentiment was going to be the "merry & bright" so then I went looking for paper. Deep in my stash I found Bella Blvd's Holly Jolly Christmas which had some unique colors and really fun patterns. The sentiment actually gave me the bigger headache.  Deep blue on white? A little dull. White embossing on blue? I've never found a truly white embossing powder and with these big letters being embossed, it came up creamy and not at all vibrant on the white background. I tried a few other colors, but I really wanted the blue. Finally I stamped in blue, topped it with Versamark and used a clear sparkly powder.  That was it!!  

Thanks to Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge for the inspiration!

SUPPLY LIST

Stamps: Concord & 9th Big on Christmas (and dies)

Dies: Taylored Expressions Banner Stacklet

Paper: Bella Blvd Holly Jolly Christmas, Taylored Expressions Blue Corn

Ink: Taylored Expressions Blue Corn, Versamark

Other: Spellbinders Scattered Christmas embossing folder (Oct 22 folder of the month), Taylored Expressions Diamond embossing powder, a variety of colors of Pinkfresh Glitter Drops

52 Christmas Card Throwdown: Poinsettia Peace

'Tis the season....Christmas in July!!  I need to start popping out Christmas cards.  Not only because I need them but also because my not-yet-used stash from last year is too big to be able to add any new stash this year. I hate when that happens.  So I took inspiration from 52 Christmas Card Throwdown and used three products out of my stash on this card!

I generally like this card. My one regret is the champagne foil for the accents.  It's a little better in real life, but I really should have used gold - it needs a little more shine than it has. The first not-yet-used product I used is the poinsettias by Sizzix.  I don't think I got the layers lined up quite right but I do like the dimension of them.  The second is the sentiment. It's from Festive Sentiments #1 by Sizzix (I have #2 also). The all have unique shapes and fonts - this being the least unique of the batch.  I think I'll leave them in my not-yet-used stash until I use some of the more eye-catching sentiments.  I also really like the border die by Paper Rose - it will definitely come out to play again.

Thanks to 25 Christmas Card Throwdown for the inspiration.

SUPPLY LIST

Stamps: Sizzix Seasonal Flowers Framelits with Stamps, Sizzix Festive Sentiments #1

Dies: Paper Rose Berry Border

Paper: Stampin' Up Granny Apple Green, Champagne Foil

Ink: Stampin' Up Flirty Flamingo and Sweet Sorbet, Taylored Expressions Granny Smith and Peapod

Freshly Made Sketches: Bunnies and Berries

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!

 

My son has a new girlfriend that seems potentially more serious than what I have seen in the past.  He few out to visit her for her birthday and given this one seems different, I wanted to send a card. When I asked about what she liked - the answer was bunnies and strawberries. I have a variety of bunnies (although I did manage to justify buying a few more from my wishlist) and I ordered a couple of strawberry die sets and this is what I came up with!

The bunny is an older, retired die from Simon Says but I'll always keep him because I love the little heart which seemed perfect for the purpose of this card.  The strawberries come from Lawn Fawn. I added the little flowers from an old Stampin' Up punch. 

I was really happy with the way this came together - and I'm told it was a hit with the girlfriend!

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

SUPPLY LIST

Stamps: Taylored Expressions Itty Bitty Sentiments

Dies: Lawn Fawn Strawberry Patch, Simon Says Stamp Bunny Hugs (retired), flowers are an old Stampin' Up punch

Paper: Stampin' Up cardstock in Sweet Sorbet, Granny Apple Green, Parakeet Party and Crumb Cake, Country Gingham dsp, 6x6 2022-24 In Color Glimmer paper (the bunny's heart)

Sketch Saturday: Big Balloon

I love stripes! And making them out of cardstock of dsp is my very favorite.  The sketch by Sketch Saturday caught my eye obviously for the stripes, but I love the inspiration of that extra little stripe at the top. 

I don't know what possessed me to cover that top stripe with a big balloon. I was actually working on yesterday's card and flipping through dies for that, when I flipped by the big balloon and the light bulb went on. And I've definitely been in the mood to refresh my birthday stash of cards.  Then the paper was another a-ha moment. Not a usual birthday choice for me except I love the stars for the balloon and when I started planning stripes, I saw that some of the other patterns in the pad were fun for those too. 

My sons are still both living in our house. They spend their days job hunting and evenings in their rooms playing video games. Yesterday three of us went up to the mountains for a quick hike and then we checked out a new-to-us brewery.  My husband and I aren't the most exciting of people so it's nice to have other people around for mini-adventures. The funny part of the story is the library of the small town that we were in was having a used book sale and my son with the accounting major found a 1920 accounting textbook that he spent hours paging through.  Tucked into one of the pages was someone's class schedule including things like letter writing and comportment.  I'm the proud owner of a little autobiography named "My First Ninety Years". It was published in 1955 and it's even autographed!  It's just an odd feeling to even hold this book!

But that was enough people time - so I spent the evening in my craft room working with this big balloon!  Thanks to Sketch Saturday for the inspiration.

SUPPLY LIST

Stamps: Papertrey Ink Birthday Your Way (and dies)

Dies: My Favorite Things Perfect Fit Balloon

Paper: Honey Bee Stamps Spring Lullaby 6x6 pad, Stampin' Up Misty Moonlight, Taylored Expressions Pink Champagne and Cupcake

Ink: Stampin' Up Misty Moonlight

Atlantic Hearts Sketch: Birthday Wishes

I wanted to play along with this week's Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge because I had just gotten a wonderful stamp set with big and small sentiments (and I can always find some fun little die cut for the balloon element in the sketch!)

I really had to use the sentiment set - I almost just bought it twice!!  I hadn't remembered to take it off my wishlist after I bought it the first time. So as I was loading my cart for a weekend sale, I had it in the cart again until the total broke my budget and I started taking things out. Out it came. Thank goodness, because not 2 hours after I checked out, I saw it was already in my stash and had to make this card!

Thanks to Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge for the inspiration!

SUPPLY LIST

Stamps: Simon Says Stamp Elegantly Modern Greetings (and dies)

Dies: Sion Says Stamp Posy

Paper: Stampin' Up dsp in Balmy Blue and So Saffron