Freshly Made Sketches: 14 Years and 700 Sketches

Freshly Made Sketches is celebrating because we are on our 700th sketch!  That's 14 years of challenges!  A big thank you to everybody who plays along and keeps this challenge exciting and inspirational! To celebrate, we are using out 14th challenge, then each design team member is showing off their first card as part of the design team. We even have a couple who have been around since challenge #1.  Plus, a few of the early design team members are back to celebrate with us. Be sure to check out the FMS blog for the fun. Here is my card for challenge #700 (which was originally challenge #14).

My first post on the design team was on 9/30/14 for sketch 152 so it's been 11 years for me! Find the details on this card here. 

Although I have to say that I knew this group was special early on because I did play along with their first sketch on 9/9/11. Find the details on this card here.

Then it turns out that I even played along with the 14th challenge which we are re-doing this week. Find the details on this card here.

Here's to another 700! I hope see you playing along with us this week at Freshly Made Sketches.

SUPPLY LIST

Dies: Memory Box Stained Glass Butterfly and Stitched Square Layers (I cut off two sides so that the stitching only showed around the outside of each square), Photoplay Hey Hello Hi

Paper: Stampin' Up 2024-26 In Color dsp, Shy Shamrock cardstock

Other: Stampin' Up 2024-26 In Color Shimmer Gems

Freshly Made Sketches: Thanks & Giving

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

I was struggling a bit with the sketch. I had an idea in my head but after more attempts than I care to count, I just couldn't make it work. So I was getting a little frustrated and flipping through my stash when it hit me that pumpkins are round! Of course, not necessarily the pumpkin I ended up using but at least I had an idea. I wanted to stick with the sketch more and be different on the bottom half of the "circle" than the top half but that sketch difference did give me the idea of having flowers on one half and a butterfly on the other. FYI: The actual die isn't quite this tall. I made the pumpkin then cut it in half across the middle so I could stretch it on both sides of the banner.

I don't have many words today. I'm writing this as I'm running around packing for a trip to Virginia for my mother-in-law's 90th birthday. I am completely obsessive about packing and not forgetting anything so my mind is not on this post. My son just rolls his eyes and reminds me that there are stores where we're going so it's not a disaster if I forget anything. But he doesn't understand how hard it is for a woman-of-a-certain-age to find clothes if I forget clothing or how I wouldn't have time to order the special shampoo that works for my hair. So I'm already in a tizzy and as of the time this posts, I'll only have 8 more hours(!) to get it all done before we leave for the airport. 

You might notice that this is sketch #699 which next week being #700. Be sure to come back for the excitement! I hope to see you playing along with us this week at Freshly Made Sketches.

SUPPLY LIST

Stamps: Pretty Pink Posh Sentiment Strips Fall

Dies: Picket Fence Pretty Pumpkin, My Favorite Things Boxed in Banners, Stampin' Up Textured Notes, Birch Press Simple Butterfly Contour Layer, Taylored Expressions Little Bits Flower Pots

Cardstock: Stampin' Up Mango Melody, Daffodil Delight, Cloud Cover, Granny Apple Green, Pecan Pie and Crumb Cake

Other: Stampin' Up Opaque Faceted Gems

Sunday Stamps: Birthday Rainbow

I am leaving town tomorrow for a short vacation and realized that I needed to get a card made and mailed before I left; otherwise, it would not get to my friend (and Stampin' Up demonstrator) prior to her birthday. So in a panic yesterday, I browsed challenges for some help and found the color combo at Sunday Stamps that called out to me mostly because I had just found the Stampin' Up Sunshine Vibes rainbow die that was totally misfiled in my stash so I already had a mental note to use it!  

The challenge was to use a minimum of three colors, but I fit them all in! Of course, I had to use Stampin' Up products given it's for my Stampin' Up demonstrator.

I backed these bright colors with the neutral Crumb Cake because my friend is much more about the earthy or regal colors so, although I liked the fun rainbow colors, I wanted to tone it down for her. I used a vertical stripe embossing folder down the middle just for a slightly different look.

Thanks to the team at Sunday Stamps for the inspiration so I can get a card to my friend/enabler before her birthday!

SUPPLY LIST

Dies: Stampin' Up Sunshine Vibes, Wanted to Say

Cardstock: Stampin' Up Crumb Cake, Pumpkin Pie, Peach Pie, Daffodil Delight, Fresh Freesia, Coastal Cabana

Other: Stampin' Up Tinsel Gems Three-Pack, Stripes embossing folder

Just Us Girls: Divine Peony

I'm playing along with the Just Us Girls Floral Die Week using the absolutely gorgeous Simon Says Stamp Divine Peony.

On this post, I created a card for my MIL's 90th birthday but I was doubting myself. I love the card and it's the cheerful look that I wanted, but I just wasn't sure it was right for a southern lady's 90th.  I debated in my post about switching things up to red roses but that just didn't hit me right either. Then this morning, I was looking through challenge blogs and Just Us Girls challenged us to use die cut flowers. I knew I had to play along given I have more flower dies than anything else in my stash. I was flipping through my not-yet-used dies and I saw the Divine Peony by Simon Says Stamp.  My MIL problem was solved!!  This is exactly the look that I wanted for her card - not too cute but not as formal as roses!

I let the die and cardstock do all the work. There are so many utterly amazing samples out there using this die with sponged and splattered colors but that is simply not my forte. Also, I am not a gardener so I had to look up peonies and saw a wide variety of pinks with darker leaves so I raided my stash (going back to one long-retired color) to get the look that I wanted.

It is a very good thing this card finally came together because we are flying to Virginia on Wednesday to spend some time with her before the big formal luncheon on Saturday. She's been getting handmade cards from me for over 30 years so it would not have been well-received had I not had come with a card! Thanks so much to the team at Just Us Girls for the inspiration.

SUPPLY LIST

Stamps: Waffle Flower Sweet Lattice Sentiments and die

Dies: Simon Says Stamp Divine Peony, A2 Thin Frames

Cardstock: Stampin' Up Pretty in Pink, Regal Rose, Daffodil Delight, Garden Green and Gold Foil sheets, Taylored Expressions Cupcake and Toffee

Other: Stampin' Up Distressed Tile 3D EF, Studio Katia Gold Foil Pearls

52 Christmas Card Throwdown: Season's Greetings

My card is inspired by this week's sketch at 52 Christmas Card Throwdown.

The sketch first said wreath to me but I was going through my not-yet-used Christmas stash and very surprisingly, did not have a big wreath. But this lamp post and candle just jumped out at me because I imagined a soft yellow circle behind the candle. Then I was flipping through my paper looking for a beautiful night/snowy paper and found this paper that literally had the candle "glow" right in the paper so didn't need the soft yellow circle.

The Old Lamp Post and Melted Candle are both from Memory Box. I decorated it with some holly and small blooms from Spellinders Holiday Blooms. The sentiment is from the retired Stampin' Up Brightest Glow set. I didn't pick it for this outside sentiment but the set has 2 or 3 amazing inside sentiments in the same font that have the theme of "light" or "glow" that makes so much sense with this card.

A big thank you to the team at 52 Christmas Card Throwdown for giving me the inspiration to pull out this lovely die set!

SUPPLY LIST

Stamps: Stampin' Up Brightest Glow

Dies: Memory Box Old Lamp Post, Melted Candles, greenery and flowers are Spellbinders Holiday Blooms

Paper: Whimsy Stamps Blurry Flurries, Stampin' Up Bermuda Bay CS and also in the Glimmer Paper Assortment, light yellow glimmer is from the Memory Box Delicate Pastel Glimmer pad

Freshly Made Sketches: Wildflower Birthday

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

 

I rather selfishly put this sketch together to force me to use one of my Waffle Flower Postage stencils. I really do love all of their postage stencils but I'm just not an inky gal; I'm all about the die-cutting. But I got one last year and actually enjoyed inking it so I got more. I like them probably because there are lots of small inky sections vs. trying to do an entire background. So for this card, I pulled out the Wild Flowers and made a birthday card. Of course, after I got the whole thing inked, I realized I also have the Cupcake postage stencil so coulda/shoulda gone that direction. But I do like the colors on these wildflowers so I'm happy with the results.

If you started with my blog, be sure you check out the cards from the rest of the design team because while I imagined postage, their creative minds saw leaves and even luggage!  I hope to you playing along with us this week at Freshly Made Sketches.

SUPPLY LIST

Stamps: Waffle Flower Elegant Sentiments and dies, Postage Collage Fall, Postage Collage Birthday

Dies: Waffle Flower Postage Collage die, Birch Press Design Pinpoint Contour Plate

Cardstock: Stampin' Up Granny Apple Green

Other: Waffle Flower Wild Flower Stencil

Freshly Made Sketches: Birthday Daisies

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 immediately saw a flower cart with a shaded top in the sketch. Although you can't really see that vision in my finished card, the idea sent me to these flowers. I got the Some Daisies set from The Stamp Market during a recent sale and then I just got the Dainty Daisies when they came back into stock. (The Little Leaves are also from The Stamp Market.) I do like sticking with the same company throughout the main elements of the card, but it turns out I don't have any basic birthday dies or stamps from The Stamp Market (I definitely need to remedy that) so I found one that fit from Paper Rose.

This card is intended for my mother-in-law's 90th birthday in just a few weeks. I love the card but I'm having my doubts that it is appropriate for her. We are having an extravagant luncheon for her in Richmond, Virginia, and all of her southern friends will be there. I've been a South Dakota and Colorado gal my entire life and we are quite casual so I am always surprised by the formality of Richmond or at least the formality of her generation in Richmond. In Colorado, even us older ladies tend to be in hiking pants, Crocs, and a favorite brewery T-shirts! To be more formal, I'm thinking I need to remake this same card with red roses and golden accents. Every time I look at it, I reach a different decision. Sometimes I love the cheerfulness of the current card and I think it make sense for a 90th. Other times I think the red roses make more sense but then I worry that could feel a bit like a get well or sympathy card. I don't know - maybe I'll try it and decide later.

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

SUPPLY LIST

Dies: The Stamp Market Some Daisies, Dainty Daisies and Little Leaves, Paper Rose Happy Birthday Chunky Layered, Taylored Expressions Stitched Edge Scallop Edger

Cardstock: Taylored Expressions Toffee, Pineapple and Cupcake, Stampin' Up Flirty Flamingo, Mango Melody, Daffodil Delight, Lemon Lolly, Granny Apple Green and Lemon Lime Zest

Patterned Paper: Stampin' Up Country Gingham

Other: Taylored Expressions Corrugated Embossing Folder, Studio Katia Arctive Breeze pearls

Freshly Made Sketches: Joyful

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

My creative juices were low this week and I almost didn't play along. We spent a week apartment hunting with my youngest son and it was so darn hot where we were. The AC in the car would just start cooling us off when we were had to get out at the next apartment.  It was supposed to be a trip with half apartment-hunting and half vacation - but by the time we'd look at apartments we were all too drained for the vacation part. (Not that sitting in various air-conditioned breweries was a bad time(!), it just wasn't what we planned.) 

We got back just before this card was due to the design team blog and I was sitting down to email my teammates and tell them I was out. But then I got this idea that I surely had a big sentiment behind which I would put a gorgeous piece of dsp. When I found this sentiment, I let go of the dsp idea because I knew I had the perfect new-to-me embossing folder. Then I didn't want to cover the folder so I turned the large strip in the back into an arched frame. 

My card isn't a creative work of art but I like it. There are always benefits to a too-large stash in which I can always dig up unique sentiments and fun embossing folders!

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

SUPPLY LIST

Dies: Simon Says Stamp Joyful, Essentials by Ellen Essential Arches (I lengthened it by cutting the arch side only then sliding it down, lining it up and cutting the square side)

Other: Sizzix Stars and Lights embossing folder

Freshly Made Sketches: Nordic Hello

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

 

I know the sketch said "any shape" but I was really drawn to the oval. Twenty some years ago, we used ovals on every other card but not so much these days with all of the other fun options. From there I had to figure out what to do in the oval but I quickly landed on a couple of dies from my favorite Nordic line of dies at Poppystamps. 

This is kind of an unusual card for me because I don't generally use pink. I have nothing against pink but there just aren't any people in my life to whom I would send a pink card. I was flipping through my cardstock looking for some bold oranges and yellows for the butterfly but the deep pink just jumped right out at me. I actually think it's due to my first week of retirement. I know that sounds odd, but hear me out.  I'm very much a Type A personality - the right tasks get done at the right time and nothing gets missed. I add things to my to-do lists even if they are already done just to give me the satisfaction of crossing them off! This even applies to my cards - each one has a purpose or someone in mind. But in my first week of retirement, I have very intentionally tried to immediately set a habit of slowing down and doing things for the sheer pleasure of it. When the pink jumped out at me, I was ignoring it but then my next thought was that I liked pink so why not do something different for the sheer pleasure of it! 

NOTE: I used the Delicate Details embossing folder from The Stamp Market. It gives a nice, crisp and dimensional image. However, my clean and simple eye saw all the detail in the leaf and butterfly and, while I liked the look of the folder, I wanted it to be more subtle so I ran it back through the machine with just two plates to squish the pattern a bit so it was clearly in the background. 

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

SUPPLY LIST

Dies: Poppystamps Nordic Belle Butterfly, Nordic Sweeping Branch and Hello Poe Script, Taylored Epxressions Stitched Stacklets Oval and Petite Scallop Oval

Cardstock: Taylored Expressions Guava, Pink Champagne, Cupcake, Cilantro, Peapod and Granny Smith

Other: The Stamp Market Delicate Details embossing folder (run back through to squish the pattern a bit)

Freshly Made Sketches: Grateful

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!

I recently noticed that one of the clearance products at Stampin' Up was their Autumn Leaves die set. I hadn't gotten it when it was originally out because it turns out there really is a point where you can have too many leaf dies - but I'd always liked the set, particularly the dies for the leaf veins. When I saw they were $11 (that's REALLY cheap for Stampin' Up and it's a big set!), it was meant to be. They showed up the day I was going to make the card for this sketch and obviously, those circles are supposed to be leaves!

I actually started out with true autumn colors.  Then after I cut two of the leaves, it just felt wrong to me to post an autumn card. I always feel like autumn cards only happen in autumn . (Oddly, while I have posting "rules" for autumn cards, Christmas can be posted any time!) So I switched directions and created the first card with brighter colors (even though it will be for Thanksgiving) and I felt much better posting it. But I just couldn't leave the first one undone!

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

SUPPLY LIST

Stamps: sentiment from Stampin' Up Falling Leaves (long retired)

Dies: Stampin' Up Autumn Leaves (retired), Tasteful Labels (retired)

Cardstock: Bright: Granny Apple Green, Berry Burst, Timid Tiger, scrap of gold

                    Rich: Crumb Cake, Cajun Craze, Pretty Peacock, Pecan Pie, Oxidized Copper

Other: Stampin' Up embossing folders: Pinewood Planks, Distressed Tile 3D

Freshly Made Sketches: Independence Day

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!

The picnic basket is an OLD set by Papertrey Ink named Vintage Picnic.  It has multiple baskets and even more toppers and has survived all of my downsizing efforts so I must like it. The sentiment is from the Simply Sentimental series by Trinity Stamps. It's the kind of set I adore because it has multiple "happy" stamp and dies (most can be stand-alone) with even more add-on words including "Independence Day".

Using "Independence Day" was particularly important to me because not only is it my country's celebration but it's my personal celebration of independence. Tomorrow is my last day of work EVER. I am retiring!! I think I'm excited but that mood changes hourly.  I am excited to be leaving work but I am unexpectedly anxious about retirement. There's the financial side (will we outlive our savings), there's the keeping busy side (I've never been a sit around and do nothing person) and then there's the concern of how do I keep from killing my husband (in 35 years, we have never spent this much time together - in fact, we haven't really spent even average time together with work travel and opposite schedules). We have planned carefully for all of it so it all should work.

What I don't have a plan for is where cardmaking stands with all of it. I'd like to think I'd spend so much more time in my craft room but I also know that I have 60 less cards to make every year if I'm not making birthday and Christmas cards and others for office mates. I'll eventually search out a church ministry or veterans organization or something like that - but as I've been sharing on my blog, we are also planning to move so I'm not going to get overly involved in anything here. I only share about one card a week right now although I make more - so maybe my commitment for now is to take the time to photo and share the others.

So Happy Independence Day to the U.S.A. and to me!!!

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

SUPPLY LIST

Stamps: Papertrey Ink Vintage Picnic (and dies), Trinity Stamps Simply Sentimental - Happy (and dies)

Cardstock: Stampin' Up Crumb Cake, Poppy Parade, Azure Afternoon, Blueberry Bushel

Sunday Stamps: Paper Posy Thank You

I saw the gorgeous colors at Sunday Stamps and just had to play along. I love the corals and blues, and especially the two rich colors as accents.

I needed a thank you card this week and I already had a plan of using this new-to-me floral die set. I absolutely love the variety of flowers and especially the embossed detail.  My card uses just a handful of the options and I'm looking forward to using all of them.  It's from Concord & 9th and I have a number of bold sentiments from them to balance the flowers so for this one, I found a "thank you". 

I had all of this sitting on my desk but just hadn't quite figured out what to do with it all until I saw the color challenge. Not only did I use the colors but I clearly was inspired by the big image! A big thank you to Sunday Stamps for the inspiration!

SUPPLY LIST

Dies: Concord & 9th Happy Thanks die, Paper Posy dies

Cardstock: MFT Peach Bellini, Coral Crush, Lazy Day, and Jalapeno Popper, Stampin' Up Night of Navy

Other: Concord & 9th Paper Posy embossing folder, Stampin' Up Pinewood Planks embossing folder and Muted Palette Dots

Freshly Made Sketches: His Love

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!

 

You can see that I didn't quite get it right but hopefully you can see that I was inspired by it! I shrunk it down a little with a smaller rectangle cut into the card front because I had settled on those butterflies and they just didn't fill the entire card front. Then those same butterflies became a problem with the sentiment. I had picked a very small sentiment and had every intention to place it across the butterfly as the sketch would indicate but the butterfly was too small and I lost too much of it with the sentiment.

I've been sending regular cards to my 20-year old niece who is working at a church camp this summer and can't even have her phone - but can get mail. I've used up my stash of appropriate cards already, although in fairness most of my stash is for my adult sons and for all my friends who are generally of the same vintage as I am - so it didn't take long to clean out the more youthful, female cards. For a new card, the sketch quickly drew me to butterflies and then this butterfly from Birch Press jumped out at me because it wasn't frilly and detailed, just fun. I went for cheerful colors and then found a scrap for the background that grounded them with the browns and more muted colors. 

I found a perfect pair of stamps in Simon Says Tiny Words Faith. They aren't in the stamp set as separate sentiments, not a pair, but I love how it worked out for my niece working at summer camp. With the outside sentiment being "His love guides us", the inside says "You are exactly where you're meant to be". I have so much respect for her decision to work at a camp and I rather doubt she's struggling at all - but just in case she's homesick or overwhelmed, I wanted the butterflies there to remind her she's in the right place!

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

SUPPLY LIST

Stamps; Simon Says Stamp Tiny Words Faith

Dies: Birch Press Simple Butterfly Contour Layers, Taylored Epxressions Diagonal Stitch Rectangle Stacklets

Paper: Studio Calico Printshop! Paper Pad, Stampin' Up Bubble Bath, Pretty in Pink, So Saffron, Marigold Morning, Coastal Cabana, Summer Splash, Pecan Pie

Freshly Made Sketches: Thanks Berry Much

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

I actually made this a few weeks back (a big thank you to Michele for having her sketch ready for the design team early!) I tell you that because I'm sure you are getting tired of stories of my trip to Michigan but this is another card related to that trip.  I wanted something to give to my son and his girlfriend on the last day of the trip to say thank you. Sarah (my son's girlfriend) likes strawberries so I found a strawberry stem in my die collection to match the sketch. I wanted to do something fun with the sentiment to mirror the sketch but I just had to go punny and used the only Thank You Berry Much that I could find.

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

SUPPLY LIST

Stamps: Gina K Fun Fruit (and dies)

 Dies: Spellbinders Strawberry Patch (Die of the Month Aug 22)

Cardstock: Taylored Expressions Peapod and Granny Apple Green, Stampin' Up Real Red, Poppy Parade, Vary Vanilla, Daffodil Delight

Other: Stampin' Up Cane Weave 3D embossing folder, Loose Frosted Dots (old)

Freshly Made Sketches: Oh Thank You

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 had two requirements for making a card this week - it had to be a thank you and it had to include a cat. My son and his girlfriend took so much time away from their beloved Bucket while showing us around Michigan that I figured I had to send a thank you directly to the cat thanking him for sharing his parents with us.  He's a beautiful cat with a gorgeous coat that's kind of gray, kind of tannish but where most cats have white, his is beige. Here's a pic that shows his coat even though he's looking at the camera upside down while hanging off the edge of the bed.

I kind of forced my needs into the sketch.  I found a round thank you then found a kitty that could be standing next to it. Since Bucket's a boy, it had to be slightly masculine, but since I'm really doing it for Sarah, my son's girlfriend, I picked paper with a hint of pink and yellow too. 

The brick was inspired in a completely different way.  Just the plain blue was not enough so I started playing with my usual polka dots, etc. but they didn't have a "rugged" look to match the look of the paper. Then I was remembering and smiling at the fact that Andrew and Sarah shared that they regularly had "Zillow-time" together. They have a plan for their future and browsing Zillow looking for what/where their dream house could be is an important step. For some reason, that was in my head and out popped the brick embossing folder looking just like the side of a house!!

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

SUPPLY LIST

Dies: Die-Versions Oh Thank You, Simon Says Stamp Kitty Cat, Papertrey Ink Bows Galore

Paper: Stampin' Up Boho Vibes 6x6 dsp, cardstock in Cloud Cover, Daffodil Delight, Secret Sea, Cajun Craze and Sahara Sand

Other: Stampin' Up Brick & Mortar embossing folder

Freshly Made Sketches: Let's Celebrate

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

Not only was I inspired by the sketch on this one - but also by the gift bag!

Given the number of birthdays and other events coming up this month, I knew right away that I would cut balloons out of the Paper Rose Balloon Trio and arrange them around the square as shown in the sketch. I didn't have anything in my mind after that but I had the gift bag and the light bulb came on that I could use the same colors. Then I realized there was even more inspiration in the bag - I added embossed stripes and embossed dots! (I won't tell you how many colors and background I played around with before I realized the inspiration was right there in front of me.)

We spent part of last week visiting our son and his girlfriend in Ann Arbor, Michigan. I have never been in Michigan, but more importantly I hadn't met his very-serious girlfriend. We all played tourists and I have to say, I was very impressed with the state - so many cute and vibrant downtowns in the various "suburbs" with unique stores and restaurants, plus amazing natural beauty including really big (or great) lakes!!  And the girlfriend is absolutely wonderful. It's so good for a mother's heart to see their child settling into a happy life!

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

SUPPLY LIST

Stamps: Altenew Sentiment Strips 2

Dies: Paper Rose Balloon Trio

Cardstock: Stampin' Up Pacific Point, Tahitian Tide, Poppy Parade and Daffodil Delight, Taylored Expressions Candy Corn

Othher: Stampin' Up Stripes embossing folder, Polka Dots embossing folder

Freshly Made Sketches: Happy BDay

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've had this die set in my not-yet-used stash for quite some time. It's been so long that it's retired! I don't even know why it took so long because I love the look of both of the words. With the rectangle on the sketch, I had the perfect chance to use it. I knew I'd need color contrast to make the "happy" stand. The confetti paper on top actually has shiny gold confetti in it (although I didn't realize until this moment that you can't tell in the photo) and I was thrilled when I saw it because the navy and gold work well together.

We're heading out tomorrow for a five days in Ann Arbor, Michigan. My oldest son lives there with his very serious girlfriend and I'm embarrased to say we haven't visited them yet. Although we are there to see them, they have a packed tourist schedule planned for us. We'll see his world - apartment, work, favorite restaurants - and we'll see quite a bit of the area - orchards, museums, and a Great Lake. He's really excited about his life right now and I'm thrilled. And I love that after this trip, I'll be able to imagine him in his daily life!

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

SUPPLY LIST

Die: The Stamp Market Happy Bday

Paper: Stampin' Up Birthday Bash (really old!), Night of Navy cardstock, Concord & 9th Neutral Foils Paper Pack

Other: Stampin' Up Iridescent Sequin Assortment

Freshly Made Sketches: Birthday Bunny

It's time for a new sketch at Freshly Made Sketches! Today we have the first sketch by a new member to our team, Verena, and here’s what I did with it!

I have a lot of cards that I need to make in the next week or so, so the sketch had to work for one of them. None of the cards that I need worked with an actual moon.  I have a couple of beautiful floral stamps that have a nice curve but flowers didn't work for any of them either. Then I remembered this bunny set and one of my card recipients is a bunny lover! I started out absolutely certain I could either find different balloon strings or that I could "bend" the strings enough so that it was clearly the curve in the sketch. I thought I had, but now that I'm looking at my card photo, it's a bit of a stretch that I followed the sketch. The sketch definitely inspired my though. I would never have gone to this bunny set without it and it turns out it is just right for the recipient!

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

SUPPLY LIST

Stamps: Poppystamps Birthday Banners (and dies)

Dies: Spellbinders Floating Bunny (Small Die of the Month March 2022)

Cardstock: Stampin' Up Lemon Lime, Coastal Cabana, Flirty Flamingo, Taylored Expressions Cupcake, Simon Says Stamp Fox

Other: Stampin' Up Glitter Enamel Dots, Spellbinders Head in the Clouds embossing folder

Freshly Made Sketches: Sunshine Vibes

It's time for a new sketch at Freshly Made Sketches! Today we have a sketch by me that I based on a Christmas card that I did last year and particularly liked (found here). Here’s what I did with it this time.

I didn't quite follow my own sketch.  I had a plan that was going to be exact but guess what showed up unexpectedly the night before I was making the card - my order from the new Stampin' Up catalog and I had no choice but to play with it. I pulled out the open rainbow from Sunshine Vibes but I had to use a fairly wide panel to fit it horizontally which obviously made the panel taller vertically too. That meant I had a lot of space below it for a sentiment but not off the edge as it is in the sketch (and in my original Christmas card.)  You'd think I could follow my sketch, wouldn't you?!

I get so excited when I do the sketch.  I have a firm idea in my head of what the sketch is - then you all blow my mind each time with your creative ideas.  I look forwarded to visiting each and every card that shows up in the gallery.  Have fun!

SUPPLY LIST

Stamps: Stampin' Up Comforting Thoughts

Dies: Stampin' Up Sunshine Vibes, Rectangle Stitched

Paper: Stampin' Up Boho Vibes dsp, cardstock in Mossy Meadow, Petal Pink and Cloud Cover

Ink: Stampin' Up Mossy Meadow

Other: Stampin' Up Muted Palette Dots

Freshly Made Sketches: Hedgehog Hugs

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!

 

This is exactly the card that I needed to make for a dear friend who has more going on than any human being should - troubles with her kids, her elderly parents and her own health. She likes cute and pastels and she definitely needs hugs.  I say this because it obviously isn't exactly the sketch simply because it isn't square. But once I saw how it was coming together for my friend, I didn't care!

This is an old Penny Black die called Hedgehog Scene. There are two dies in the set. One has the hedgehog. The second die is the same size with a sun, ground and a tree. It's probably intended to layer but I wanted some color so just snipped the pieces that I needed in different colors. I had the whole square done before I went looking for paper so luckily found this scrap with the right color scheme. (I usually pick paper first so I have a direction for colors.) The dsp gave me the idea of adding colorful dots to the center of the flowers which ended up being just the right cheerful touch.

We had an interesting time this past weekend in our area and especially in our house. According to my son, it was the second time in history that the same town had two game 7s on the same day.  So what's a sports-addicted family to do? Move the dining room table and set up dueling TVs!!

The team on the left, the Denver Nuggets, won! Then very surprisingly, and against all Vegas odds, they just won the first game of the next series.  The team on the bigger TV, the Colorado Avalanche, which is clearly the one we cared most about given the bigger TV, lost.  It was very traumatic because they had pulled ahead and just let it go at the end.  

SUPPLY LIST

Stamps: Mama Elephant In My Heart

Dies: Penny Black Hedgehog Scene

Paper: Stampin' Up Sunshine & Rainbows, cardstock in Balmy Blue, Daffodil Delight and Granny Apple Green

Freshly Made Sketches: With Love

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

The Teardrop Tag die set by Pinkfresh (retired) has a large tag and then a variety of half-circle dies that can be set into it. The tag was too big for the sketch but I found a circle that just barely fit the flowers and it brought it down to a good size. The card is intended as a Mother's Day card but I got everything picked and realized that I don't have a mother's day sentiment that nicely fit into the open space. So I went with "with love" and I'll add a mother's day on the inside.

Our trip to Idaho went well but totally ccomplicated our retirement plan. My husband and I have had to compromise. He would love to retire to an off-the-grid cabin along a fishing stream.  I, on the other hand, want to be able to walk to a grocery store and a good brewery/taphouse/wine bar.  Our compromise is a smallish town that is near everything we both wanted, but not so small that it isn't vibrant. So what did I fall in love with?  Metro Boise! But I don't think 850,000 people is "smallish". It's so green - there's water everywhere! And it's amazingly clean. Plus the traffic isn't bad (at least in comparison to what we live with currently)  All so different from where we live now. And in my opinion, an easy drive to his fishing. That's my story - I'm just not sure I'll be able to convince him. FYI - the mountains of Idaho are gorgeous but we know don't want to live in the mountains for a variety of reasons - we just want to visit regularly. 

SUPPLY LIST

Stamps: The Greetery Sentiment Suite: Love

Paper: Stampin' Up Garden Walk dsp, cardstock in Wild Wheat, Groovy Guava, Crisp Cantaloupe, Watermelon Wonder

Dies: Pinkfresh Teardrop Tag, MFT Stitched Ric Rac, Memory Box Butterfly Delights, Trinity Embossed Edge Circle

Other: Stampin' Up 2023-25 In Color Opaque Sparkle Dots, Stampin' Up Polka Dots embossing folder, Taylored Expressions Brick embossing folder