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: Celebration for the 600th!!

It's time for a new sketch at Freshly Made Sketches!  And this is the 600th sketch!!  This amazing challenge and all of the inspiration it provides has been going on since 2011!  It is definitely time to celebrate and we're doing it by paying tribute to our multiple challenge winners. Be sure to go to the link above and you'll see not only the design team, but also those that have been a Perfect Princess or Prince multiple times!

Then be sure to play along. Each of us on the design team will be picking our favorite who will be offered a chance to be a guest in an upcoming challenge.

It's occurring to me as I write that that I really should have done a celebration card, but this week's sketch was perfect for something I wanted to do and here it is.

So why is this perfect? We have had both adult sons living with us this summer as they are between jobs (or college to job) and living situations. You have to understand that we have already down-sized so it's been an interesting summer.  But the oldest moved out last week!!  He has moved far away to Michigan. He's still between jobs and living situations but he really needed the mental boost of heading where he wanted to end up.  He's temporarily living with his girlfriend who is extremely appreciative of my cardmaking so I wanted to send a card to him but which appealed to his girlfriend! So I figured a cute critter, bright colors and a "thinking of you" would work.

The little fox is a charming little guy from Honey Bee Stamps Heart Hugs. There are two other critters that I am looking forward to using.  I had the Memory Box Vertical Line Collage out a couple of days ago on this card and I thought it would be fun to create  rainbow by turning it sideways and only cutting half way (then flipping it and cutting the other half, shortening it in the process). 

 I hope to see you celebrating with us!

SUPPLY LIST

Stamps: Simon Says Stamp Messages for Everyday

Dies: Honey Bee Stamps Heart Hugs and Spring Bouquet (the leaves), Memory Box Vertical Line Collage

Paper: Stampin' Up Pecan Pie, Pebbled Path (the hint of shadow behind the fox), Poppy Parade, Pumpkin Pie, Crushed Curry, Boho Blue, Granny Apple Green

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

Poppystamps: Wonderful Friend

 I'm on the Poppystamps blog today with this Whittle Happy Fox in his garden!

This guy just makes me happy.  I LOVE his expression!!  I made him first then smiled as I made the card, then again the next day when I took pictures and edited them, then today as I'm writing this post.  Isn't this just a wonderful hobby?!

I put him in a garden made from the tiniest flower in the Petite Blooms Flowers set. Then to make sure he was the focus, I put him in a frame  from Scalloped stitch Frames with a few stripes behind it. 

There are many more pictures and details on the Poppystamps blog. Be sure to check it out!

SUPPLY LIST

Stamps: Poppystamps Diamond Sentiments

Dies: Poppystamps Whittle Happy Fox, Petite Blooms Flowers, Colwell Label and Scalloped Stitch Frames

Paper: Memory Box/Poppystamps Berry Red, Sunny Orange and Fresh Aqua

Poppystamps: Rainbow is my Favorite!

 I'm on the Poppystamps blog today with this sweet Grand Whittle Pig in her rainbow of accessories!!

In my opinion, there isn't another die out there that competes with the charming expression on all of the Poppystamps Whittles.  Now that some of them have grown up from Whittles to Grand Whittles, those expressions are even more prominent. I've really never done a card with pigs - but when I saw her expression, then the sentiment, then the flowers - it just all came together.  (All stamps and dies are on this card are from the brand new February release.

The flowers in the background are also new - they are from the Flower Field Frame. It's a beautiful full-size die but I liked the accent of just a few flowers peeking out.

Be sure to check out the Poppystamps blog for more pictures and complete details!

SUPPLY LIST

Stamps: Poppystamps Colorful Life

Dies: Poppystamps Grand Whittle Pig, Potpourri Flower Set, Flower Field Frame

Paper: Memory Box Black Glossy Paper Pack

Other: Open Studio Bright Fairy Jewels for all except the purple which is Autumn Fairy Jewels

Poppystamps: A Happy Fox for a Birthday

I am on the Poppystamps blog today with this Whittle Happy Fox and the wonderfully detailed Marzipan Alphabet!

I LOVE the detail on the alphabet - it gives even a clean and fresh card so much eye-catching detail. I started out intending to create a masculine, outdoorsy card so I used Kraft Woodgrain for the letters but then I started envisioning tiki huts. So I surrounded my fox with bright foliage and gems with the colors pulled from the patterned paper. 

There are many more pictures and much more detail on the Poppystamps blog!

SUPPLY LIST

Dies: Poppystamps Marzipan Alphabet, Whittle Happy Fox, Orchard Leaves, Garden Leaves and Berries, Small Blooming Poinsettia

Paper: Poppystamps Kraft Woodgrain, Memory Box Garden Folly and cardstock pads in Earth Neutral, Berry Red, Lush Green and Sunny Orange

Other: Memory Box Bright Jewels

Poppystamps: Birthday Pets

 I'm on the Poppystamps blog today with this birthday card for an animal lover.

The Whittles are so charming.  LOVE this trio of pets with their sweet expressions.  I added little strips of white for their collars each with a sparkly gem.  I thought they worked perfectly with the Playful Happy Birthday. I backed it with a pretty washi tape and some patterned paper from Memory Box.  

There are many more pictures and details on the Poppystamps blog - check it out!!

SUPPLY LIST

Dies: Poppystamps Whittle Scottie, Whittle Dachshund, Whittle Cat, Playful Happy Birthday

Paper: Memory Box Garland Stripes and Dots

Other: Memory Box Cornelia Variegated 1" washi, Pastel Jewels and Bright Jewels

Poppystamps: You Are Jaw-some

I'm on the Poppystamps blog today using this charming shark (not words you would typically use together!)

I really love all of the Poppystamps Whittles.  The animals all have the cutest expressions.  Doesn't this whittle guy look like he knows that he's jaw-some!

There are many more details on the Poppystamps blog - check it out!!

SUPPLY LIST

Stamps: Poppystamps Whittle Sealife Sentiments

Dies: Poppystamps Whittle Shark, Whittle Wave, and Word Balloons

Paper: Memory Box Madras Plaid Blue and Violet, Delicate Pastel Glitter Pad, and cardstock from these pads: Fresh Aqua, Lush Green and Earth Neutral

Other: Memory Box Fairy Drops

Poppystamps: Chin Up, You Goat This!

 I'm on the Poppystamps blog today using the charming Whittle Goat sending lots of words of encouragement.

This was such a fun card to make.  Those little guys have the sweetest expressions and they looked at me and made me smile the whole time I was making the card!!  I cut ten different word balloons and I spent some very happy time trying different sentiments and rearranging until I got the right flow. 

There are more pictures and many more details on the Poppystamps blog - check this card out here!

SUPPLY LIST

Stamps: Poppystamps Whittle Wild Animals Sentiments and Whittle Love

Dies: Poppystamps Whittle Goat and Word Balloons

Paper: Memory Box Garden Folly 6x6 pad

Other: Poppystamps Bold Fairy Jewels

Freshly Made Sketches: Pig Time

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!

 

I'm not sure what got into me with this card.  I started with the idea of a critter instead of the leaf element. Then somehow the square became a barn! The barn is a giant die set that makes a full-size easel pop up card - it's absolutely charming.  But that didn't fit the sketch, so I just cut the top part down through the window - then I trimmed the edges so that I have a mini barn.  It's just the right size for my "Whittle Pig"!

The sentiment is actually a long sentiment.  I trimmed it very close so I could also cut it right down the middle.

I must have enjoyed making this. I very rarely make a card with no idea to whom I will send it but I have absolutely no plans for this one.  My 21- and 25-year old sons would die if they happened to open a card like this in front of their friends.  My nieces are girly teenagers - a pig really doesn't work. But I enjoyed every minute of making this - mostly because the pig made me smile every time I looked at it - so it will go in my stash and hopefully come out someday. 

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

SUPPLY LIST

Stamps: Poppystamps Whittle Wild Animal Sentiments

Dies: Poppystamps Whittle Pig, Whittle Sun, Little Bits of Turf and Country Barn Pop Up Easel set (just the top), Memory Box Wrapped Stitch Rectangles

Paper: Memory Box Berry Red, Lush Green and Earth Neutral Cardstock Collections

Other: Wooden heart

Poppystamps: Feline Good

In my area of the country, we recently had a record-setting blizzard - but then we had record-setting heat!  My indoor cats were thrilled with the open windows and ran from room to room watching birds and squirrels. They spent quite a bit of time at the front door watching the birds on the porch light until I realized I should shoo the birds away before they decided it was a good place for a nest (although my cats would have loved it!)

I was inspired by their antics and I'm up on the Poppystamps blog with full details and more pictures of the card that I created.

SUPPLY LIST

Stamps: Poppystamps Whittle Love

Dies: Poppystamps Grand Madison Window, Swaying Birch, Whittle Cat, Chirping Birds, Colwell Label Set, Fern and Daisy Pop Up Easel Set

Freshly Made Sketches: Hey from a Whittle Monkey

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

 

I love sketch challenges because of the wide open interpretation.  I actually started this card with little terracotta vases, but am not posting it here because I decided it was a bit too hard to see the sketch in it (I think I'll post it tomorrow).  I decided to stick with rectangles. Then I saw a recent purchase on my desk - the wooden letters.  I started thinking of three letters I could use - and when I came up with "HEY" that's when the monkeys in the jungle popped into my head! Now I have another card in my stash for my college kids.  It might be a bit "cute" for 21 and 25 year old sons - but it seems very appropriate!

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

SUPPLY LIST

Dies: Memory Box Wrapped Stitch Rectangles, Verdant Leaf, and Wooden Alpha, Poppystamps Whittle Monkey

Paper: Memory Box Garden Folly 6x6 pad

The Paper Players: Feline Fine

Given the felines in my house, one of whom is currently sitting on the card for this challenge that I need to get a photo of, I had to play along with the current challenge at The Paper Players which is "Feline Fine"

My boys helped rescue the mother of our two cats.  When my guys were in elementary school, on an extremely cold day, the mother was a kitten trying to survive under one of the temporary classroom buildings.  The school wouldn't let them crawl under to rescue them during the school day, but they said any families could come back after hours (in the dark, when it was even colder).  We were one of two families dumb brave enough to risk the bitter cold. After belly crawling on the ice, one of the kids in the other family rescued the kitten and they took her home.  So when that cat later had four kittens, we visited them weekly from the day they were born. When it came time to find them homes, the girls in the other family were struggling with splitting them up so they kept two and convinced us to keep two.  The idea was the cats were the boys' pets.  Right.  Boys grow up - and leave home - but cats seem to stay. And they are such a big help!

Thanks to The Paper Players for the inspiration to create a cat card for my stash to send to one of my boys.

SUPPLY LIST

Stamps: Poppystamps Whittle Love Sentiments

Dies: Poppystamps Whittle Cat, Whittle Clouds and Little Bit of Turf, Memory Box Postage Square Layers

Paper: Memory Box Madras Plaid Coral and Green, Dashing Stripes and Dots, Lush Green Collection and Earth Neutral Collection

Poppystamps: A Whittle Animal Lover

 I'm on the Poppystamps blog today with this card for an animal lover!!

I love that row of Whittles - they make me smile.  I did this for a co-worker who adores animals and loves blue, but can you imagine it in pink with the Whittle Unicorn and hearts.  Or what about with about a bold stripes and various zoo animals from the Whittles line?

Check out the Poppystamps blog for all the details.

SUPPLY LIST

Dies: Poppystamps Happy Birthday Poe Script, Whittle Birds, Whittle Rabbit, Whittle Cupcake, Whittle Paper Hedgehog, Whittle Mouse

Paper: Memory Box Garden Folly

Freshly Made Sketches: Monkey Hugs

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 some new products that were just crying out to be used with this sketch - starting with the Poppystamps Whittle Circle Frames!!  Given it was from the whittle line of dies, I also pulled out the Whittle Hearts and the Whittle Monkey because they had the same look.  It needed some leaves to I used the Orchard Leaves.  My plan was to make this a Valentine, but the new Big Hugs Posh Script die by Memory Box uses such fun fonts I think it really added to the cheerful look of this card.

I hope to see you playing along with us this week!

SUPPLY LIST

Dies: Poppystamps Whittle Circle Frames, Whittle Hearts, Whittle Monkey, and Orchard Leaves, Memory Box Big Hugs Posh Script and Wrapped Stitch Rectangles

Paper: Stampin' Up Crumb Cake, Sahara Sand, Granny Apple Green and Flirty Flamingo, old Sahara Sand dsp

Poppystamps: Greetings from a Whittle Sloth

 I'm on the Poppystamps blog today showing off the brand new Whittle Sloth.

Since the pandemic, my mother-in-law has been staying home.  She has always been a very busy, very extroverted lady. Even in her mid-80s, she volunteers for multiple organizations.  But besides her age, she has other conditions that are keeping her home.  She won't even let us visit. It's a small thing but I get a card sent out to her at least once a week.  I know she appreciates them because she has sent me pictures of her very full fireplace mantle. A card in the mailbox is a change of pace to the long hours.  But it occurred to me recently that most of my cards for her have been florals or leaves.  It was time to change it up.  And I picked the sloth just for her!

All details on this card are on the Poppystamps blog - check it out!

SUPPLY LIST

Stamps: Poppystamps Whittle Love Sentiments

Dies: Poppystamps Swaying Birch, Whittle Sloth, Orchard Leaves, Small Blooming Poinsettia and Colwell Label Set, Memory Box Double Stitch Rectangle Cut Out

Paper: Memory Box Delicate Pastel Glitter Pad (for flower centers)94

Freshly Made Sketches: A Scenic Birthday

Welcome to 2021! It's time for our first sketch of the new year at Freshly Made Sketches! Today we have a sketch by Jen Mitchell and here’s what I did with it!

 

The first slimline die set I got was the Mama Elephant Slim Card Basics. The set has quite a few components and I thought that might be the only set I needed. (That didn't last long.)  But I still haven't used the clouds and ground, nor the scalloped background - so I used those as the base for my card.

All the other little pieces came from a variety of companies and die sets. I originally envisioned just the little scene to the right because that lines up with the sketch (the tree being the bigger circle, the sun and the animals being the little circles). I got that put together and then I struggled with finding a sentiment that filled the space. The sentiment that I settled on had the interesting look that I needed - but it left me too much open space on the left - so I added another scene.  I like how it turned out - and that is the creative fun of a slimline card!

I hope to see you playing along with us in our first challenge of 2021!

SUPPLY LIST

Dies: Mama Elephant Slim Card Basics, Hello Bluebird Happy Birthday Words, Neat & Tangled Scandinavian Print Christmas (the tree), Sizzix Winter Wonderland (the deer), Sizzix Christmas Shadow Box (the bunny and the bird), Sizzix Ornamental Birds (the sun)

Paper: Doodlebug Design 12x12 Special Delivery Petite Prints, Stampin' Up Misty Moonlight and Daffodil Delight, Taylored Expressions Toffee and Cilantro

Other: Studio Katia Misty Rose and Pineapple Petals

Poppystamps: Whittle Notes

 I'm on the Poppystamps blog today with four "Whittle" 3x3 notes for our kids' lunchboxes or backpacks and one regular card for the older kids.  Full details are over there, but here's a peek.

Sometimes with small dies, it can be hard to figure out how to fill a full-size card.  I like to group and layer the dies - my Poppystamps card from last week is an example - but another way is creating these smaller format cards.  I have two sons but my "kids" are 24 and 20 and are away at college so I don't have lunchboxes or backpacks to tuck notes into. My kids still need encouragement so I used the same idea of small square, but put it onto the front of a full-size card with a strip of patterned paper.

The Whittle Fox has to be my favorite Whittle just for the expression on his face - he goes perfectly with the sentiment.  This is exactly how my kids are feeling right now.  There's a lot of unexpected adulting - "how many people in this room - do we meet COVID restrictions" and "darn - I'm quarantined for two weeks - how do I keep up with classes" or "I'm president of a club that can't meet - how do I keep the club going".  I love sending them cards and they love whatever gift card I put inside!!

The monthly challenge at Poppystamps also happens to be Cards for Kids.  It's already the end of the month - there's only 3 days left for the challenge but check it out.  There are prizes!  (You do have to use at least one Poppystamps image or die.)

SUPPLY LIST - all Poppystamps unless noted

Stamps:

Whittle Sayings (the four little notecards)

Whittle Everyday (the adult stamps)

Dies:

Whittle Birds

Whittle Wood Frames

Whittle Clouds

Whittle Mouse

Whittle Hearts

Whittle Squirrel

Whittle Oak Leaf

Whittle Deer

Whittle Trees

Whittle Sleepy Fox

Memory Box Stitched Rectangle Trimmings (these are thin rectangle frames with stitched accents - I trimmed a straight piece of it for the ground)

Paper:

Memory Box Garden Folly 6x6 pad

Poppystamps: An Autumn Hello

 I am thrilled to announce that I am now part of the Poppystamps design team.  I definitely love dies and I love all of their products.  Here are other recent cards that I've made using Poppystamps' stamps and dies.

I posted a "hello" card on the Poppystamps blog today.  It is all about my favorite things - clean and fresh, little groupings of dies, and autumn colors.  Here it is, but check out all of the details on the blog.

I love all the detail on these dies.  I didn't do any coloring or highlighting and they still stand out.  I did add lots of dimension by not adhering the ends of the leaves and by using two different thicknesses of pop dots.

I'm looking forward to many future posts using these fabulous dies!!

SUPPLY LIST

Dies: Poppystamps Brush Hello, Colwell Label Set, Orchard Leaves, Whittle Squirrel, Pile of Pumpkins

CtS and Inspired by: Turtley Awesome

 I have collected a large number of Poppystamps' Whittle collection, both dies and stamps.  I love them for their quirky look and punny sentiments.  They are fun for my college-aged sons because they are cute but not necessarily cutesy.  So when Inspired By challenge announced their "punny" challenge, of course I had to play along.  Then when I got the sentiment out that I wanted and started planning the card, I was helped along by the sketch CAS(E) this Sketch. It gave me a chance to do some fun stripes and give my little turtle some ground.

As soon as I added the glittery water and the gems, this card is no longer for either of my sons.  They take great offense at "bling" on their cards. If you've seen many of my cards, you know I don't use a lot of bling, but I love three little sequins/gems to highlight the sentiment.  When I try to do a masculine card for my boys without any bling at all, the sentiment just seems empty. So after I changed from plain blue cardstock to sparkly blue water, I figured I might as well throw caution to the wind and add my gems around the sentiment. 

Thank you to CAS(E) this Sketch and the Inspired By Challenge for inspiring me to get out this cute little turtle.

SUPPLY LIST

Stamps: Poppystamps Whittle Everyday

Dies: Poppystamps Whittle Turtle, Whittle Mounds and Orchard Leaves