Freshly Made Sketches: Heal Peace Rest

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!

OK, I admit it. I've been looking for an excuse to use this set so I made it fit the sketch. I haven't colored in forever. I really need to do it more because I thoroughly enjoyed making this card. I also store my Copics way too far away from my crafting table and it's just a complicated step to use them. But I already had them out finding my Copic matches for the new Stampin' Up in colors so decided to show off all of my picks. 

I added cardstock in each of the colors so you can see whether you like the Copic colors that I picked. Just keep in mind that (1) cardstock impacts the colors and (2) your eye impacts the color. Yellow is my best example (although there isn't a yellow in this batch).  I'm not a fan of plain yellow.  I don't know why because I know plenty of other people who pick it as their favorite color. That's my eye. So when I pick a Copic match for yellow (and remember, I did these matches for my use - I am not associated with Stampin' Up in any way), I will always tend toward a more golden hue than a bright yellow. It may not be the best match, but it will blend well and it's what I would use.

These are the Copics I used on my card.  The lighter of each of these colors is my pick to match In Colors.  The full chart of my selected Copic Markers for all Stampin' Up are available here and always on my sidebar. 

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

SUPPLY LIST

Stamps: Stampin' Up Country Flowers, Comforting Thioughts

Dies: Stampin' Up Country Flowers and Stylish Shapes, My Favorite Things Oval Shadows (retired)

Cardstock: Stampin' Up Pretty in Pink, Petunia Pop, Peach Pie, Shy Shamrock, Summer Splash

Other: Stampin' Up Eyelet 3D Embossing Folder, Adhesive-Backed Dappled Dots

Freshly Made Sketches: Feel Better

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!

 

Oddly, my first plan for this sketch actually involved the stripe. I have these patterned stripes from Taylored Expressions that I hadn't used yet. As I was looking at them, I focused on these three patterns and they drew me toward a get well card. I see those stripes as sunshine, rain and rainbows and I love that imagery for a get well. I tried to make it a bit more obvious with the sweet little sun and the subtle background of clouds. The bold sentiment is from scrapbook.com - it's what I wanted to say plus it fit perfectly!

My latest retirement-exploration trip went well and the Black Hills area of South Dakota is staying on the list! It was beautiful there but I knew that because I grew up there and it just hasn't changed that much. I had some gorgeous walks and hikes while he found some great fishing holes. One of the fishing spots that he liked in the Hills is only 14 miles from Rapid City plus there is actually fishing right in the town! Compare that to Colorado where he can't get anywhere in less than 2 hours due to traffic and then might not be able to find a spot along the river due to the sheer volume of people. 

We still have a few years to figure this all out. We've visited two likely places this year, so now we need to figure out where we'll explore next year. It must have easy access to fly fishing for him and biking/walking/hiking options for me plus enough of a town that there are entertainment and social options. And it has to be reasonably priced - many of our very favorite areas have been "discovered" and we just can't keep them on the list (looking at you Bozeman, Montana and Buena Vista, Colorado.)

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

SUPPLY LIST

Dies: Taylored Expressions Easy Strips - 1/4" Patterns, Scrapbook.com Feel Better, Poppystamps Whittle Sunshine, Spellbinders Postage Edge Rectangles

Paper: Stampin' Up Sunshine & Rainbows, cardstock in Flirty Flamingo, Mango Melody, Pool Party, So Saffron

Freshly Made Sketches: Get Well Flowers

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!

 

Just a couple of cards ago, I used the new Stampin' Up In Color inks - all five of them! On this card I used three of the cardstocks. (Then I have an order coming tomorrow and after that I should quickly be coloring with my chosen Copic color matches.)  I like this year's colors. Part of the reason I especially like them is because in all of my collections of cardstock from other companies, not a single color was equivalent so these colors are all fresh and new to me. Of course I'm saying all of that and nothing else on the card is from Stampin' Up. I'll probably always use Stampin' Up colors - I have every color of cardstock back to the very beginning so can't stop now!

I decided to stick with the circles on the sketch and went right to the Pinkfresh Floral Circles. (They seem to be retired but I love them so will continue using them regularly.)  I had used the pierced rectangle on the main panel for some interest then found a sentiment die that also had pierced detail - then finally picked a sentiment that fit.  Seems a little backwards but it's always good to have a quick get well card in the stash. 

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

SUPPLY LIST

Stamps: Papertrey Ink Say It Essentials

Dies: Pinkfresh Floral Circles, Avery Elle Double Pierced Rectangles, The Greetery Sentiment Suites dies, Mama Elephant Femme Frames

Cardstock: Stampin' Up Petunia Pop, Peach Pie, Shy Shamrock, Basic Beige

Ink: Stampin' Up Petunia Pop

Other: Stampin' Up 2024-2026 In Color Shimmer Gems

Freshly Made Sketches: Take Care

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 got the Catherine Pooler Flight of the Dragonfly some months ago because I loved the samples in which those detailed butterflies were colored in multiple bright colors.  Funny thing - when I get around to using the set, I simply white embossed them - no coloring at all!  I'll color them before it's over but I loved the idea of multiple stripes with simple dragonflies.  I actually started out with plain black and white dragonflies but they needed a bit more color.

The sentiment is from Pinkfresh.  I wasn't sure what type of card I was making when I added the dragonflies. As I paged through my stash, this sentiment jumped out because of its font - it just felt right for the look of the card.

I already have another card done with these dragonflies - I think I'll post on Friday - and guess what? They still aren't colored in!  I had a couple of extras from this card as I experimented with various colors. I think this set is going to have to stay in my not-yet-used stash until I used it in the way I had planned.

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

SUPPLY LIST

Stamps:Catherine Pooler Flight of the Dragonfly + dies

Dies: Pinkfresh Take Care

Cardstock: Stampin' Up Mango Melody, Coastal Cabana, Flirty Flamingo, Bermuda Bay

Other: Various Gumdrops from Your Next Stamp

Freshly Made Sketches: Get Well with Spring Flowers

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!

This was a 10-minute card which never EVER happens for me.  I might be the slowest cardmaker on the face of the earth.  I have to see everything (I can't visualize it) so I cut and re-cut, change colors, re-arrange and don't even get me started on how long bling takes to add. But I belatedly realized that I needed to send a card along with my husband who was heading to the airport to go help his mother through a surgery.  He was packing and I was in a panic. I hadn't made a card for this sketch yet and I thought that a gorgeous flower die in the corner would be just right for both my MIL and the sketch.

I was flipping through dies and saw this cover die and the skies opened and the birds sang! I don't think I've ever had quite this strong a moment of total mojo overload. So much sweet detail for MIL and a flower in the corner for the sketch.

Is it a perfect card? No. If I had had time to obsess, it would probably have a different sentiment and probably a different flower center and maybe different bling.  Do you see what I mean? I am such a slow cardmaker. But sometimes it just feels good to get it done and be happy with it!

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

SUPPLY LIST

Stamps: Waffle Flower Essential Sentiments (and die)

Dies: Pretty Pink Posh Spring Corner Frame

Cardstock: Taylored Expressions Salt Water Taffy and Granny Smith , Stampin' Up Pale Papaya and Pumpkin Pie

Other: Stampin' Up Tasteful Textiles Embossing flder, Studio Katia Apricot Glaze Pearls

Fab Friday: Loving Thoughts

I let the Stampin' Up Sale-A-Bration set Thoughtful Blooms come and go, then after it went, I saw a number of cards that I fell in love with.  I loved when cardmakers stamped a large number of them and made a spray across the card.  Then I started seeing people use the different sized blooms with the same punch - such a fresh and clean look!  I recently found it on a retired sale and am thrilled to now own it.

My first card with the set does a spray across the card and uses the different sized blooms, just like I fell in love with.  I used the colors at Fab Friday because I wanted a bright and cheerful get well card. 

To make it even more cheerful, I added some gems in the middle of each flower.  The background is one of my favorite embossing folders - I adore the texture of the brick   The sentiment is a two-parter; the inside says "you'd be better already" and I added some of the small blooms around it so even the inside is cheerful!

Thank you to Fab Friday for the inspiration!

SUPPLY LIST
Stamps: Stampin' Up Thoughtful Blooms and Sending You Thoughts (both Sale-a-bration sets)
Punches and Dies: Stampin' Up Small Bloom Punch, Tasteful Labels dies
Ink: Stampin' Up Bermuda Bay, Daffodil Delight, Pumpkin Pie, Poppy Parade
Paper: Stampin' Up Bermuda Bay
Other: Stampin' Up Brick and Mortar 3D Embossing Folder

Freshly Made Sketches: A Milestone

This is a big week for Freshly Made Sketches - in fact so big, we'll be celebrating for the entire month.  We just passed 399 challenges which kind of makes this 400 but we're doing something a little different to celebrate.  Our first challenge opened way back on September 7th, 2011.  Isn't that amazing?!  You should check it out - you'll see some familiar names!  A big thank you to all of our players.  Some of you play along week after week; some pop in when you need inspiration.  But you are always here and keep this challenge vibrant.

To celebrate the 400th sketch, we are going back to #1 (which was also #100) and using the same sketch.  Over the month, we'll revisit some of the other milestone sketches with a lot of other fun events mixed in.  Here is #1.

You can see that the sketches have always been fun and unique - yet still so fresh and clean!!  Here's my  take on it.


As I was making this card, I didn't have any special needs to point me in a direction.  I flipped through my dies and saw my very-favorite bird set.  It made sense to use my very favorite bird on this special day for my very favorite challenge!!  I sat him on some stitched lines as wire - then added some clouds and a rainbow-colored pattern.  It seemed like such a cheerful card, it made sense to add a get well sentiment!


I did not join the design team until September of 2014 but I did play along with that first challenge - details here.  And I'm very proud to say I was a "Perfect Princess" for the week!  It was fun to see that Jen Timko was a perfect princess that week too!  Here's what I did on this sketch the first time around - 400 sketches ago.

I hope to see you playing along this week.  It's a big one!!  And it's so much fun to browse the gallery - I think I'll even head back to the first time on this sketch and see how things have changed.

SUPPLY LIST (for the new card!)

Stamps: Simon Says Stamps Messages for Everyday

Dies: My Favorite Things Birds of a Feather, Stitched Strip

Cardstock/Paper: Taylored Expressions Confetti Cake, Candy Corn, Pineapple and Hello Sunshine Paper Pack

Other: Taylored Expressions Cloudy Days

Taylored Expressions: Ink Blending Ideas

With the amazing new product from Taylored Expressions - the Blender Brushes and their Storage Caddy (the brushes are waitlisted here due to the overwhelming responses) - it seemed like the perfect time to share a variety of ink blends!

I used a variety of inks and the Double Diamond Stencil and created a variety of seasonal color combinations.


I couldn't let a good blended background go to waste - so here are the cards that I created, along with more detail on the inks.

These spring-themed colors just called out for a grouping of flowers and greenery.  Then when I had that all together, it seemed like exactly the right mood for a get well card.


Then I moved on to summer. What says "summer" better than watermelon colors!


I splattered on some black for the watermelon seeds.  I adore that sentiment and that little die-cut.  


To be perfectly honest, I didn't start out with the idea of seasonal.  I started with the first blend as soft and feminine and this next blend as masculine.  But as soon as I was done with this blend, it said "winter".



 To mirror the look of the stencil, I used simple triangles for the trees to create this simple, graphic card.

These were fun!!  I really don't do it enough.  I tend toward clean and simple card, but if you look at these, they are very simple - and really quite clean even with the interest of colors fading into each other.  And they are so easy with a great tool for blending it all together!
SUPPLY LISTS


Sending Get Well Wishes

One in a Melon
Winter Joy

Taylored Expressions: A Boo-Boo

My son who is away at college called a month ago and started the conversation with "Are you sitting down? I don't want you to panic."  That's never good.  The next sentence was "I was riding my bike and was hit by a car." I realized immediately he was in good enough shape to be calling me so I did not panic.  And as it turns out, he had a minor case of road rash and the bike was totaled - but otherwise, all is well.  After being a good, sympathetic mother - I did end the call by explaining why he should never start a conversation that way ever again!!

Interestingly, he and the driver of the car were moving very slowly - but both had looked over to a severe crash that was happening on the other side of the median.  I think he was more shaken up by seeing the other crash up close and personal.  I wanted to send a card but I wanted it to be a bit silly - just to bring a smile.  I knew I had a sentiment that had just the right tone in Taylored Expressions Listen to Your Heart, then I flipped through my Taylored Expressions collection and found a "grumpling" in Grouchy Grumpling that had just the right expression.


For the background, I used the Triangle Toss stencil.  I masked off a square area, then I lightly brushed on Granny Smith, Salt Water Taffy and Confetti Cake.  I put the stencil on top and put a heavier layer over it of the same colors. It gave my little goat some ground and sky but with a quirky look.

He's OK.  I visited him a few weeks ago.  I could still see the scrapes on his legs - but he's already purchased a new bike.  I picked him up for lunch, then dropped him off at a friend's house where he had left his bike the day before and I last saw him pedaling back to his apartment!
SUPPLY LIST

The Paper Players: Butterfly Wishes

The current challenge at The Paper Players gave me the perfect chance to use as many items as possible from my latest Stampin' Up order.  I used 6 new items on this card (plus one older sentiment) - the paper, doily, wooden elements, butterfly stamp, sequins and stitched rectangle (which I lengthened by cutting one side part way and flipping around and moving it before cutting the other side.)  I have two more items to go from this order but I just couldn't fit on another paper and an embossing folder.  FYI - the strip down the side is not part of the sketch, but it let me use one of my new papers!


I love the sentiments in the Butterfly Gala set - a fabulous mix of fonts! But this card is going out to a friend who is just not recovering well from an illness.  I thought this simple sentiment from Wishing You Well would be just right.   I stamped the upper part of the butterfly in Lemon Lime and then filled in the leaves with some darker markers.  The bottom part is Coastal Cabana.

Funny story.  I've been ordering from my Stampin' Up friend for over a decade.  She ships to her house, then we arrange to meet in a parking lot (either my church, Town Hall or Hobby Lobby depending on where we are both coming from.)  She hands me a bag out her car window, I hand her payment.  One time her husband was with her - he had been in law enforcement and just shook his head and said he was very glad he knew what was going on because it was highly suspicious!! It is my addiction and I do pay well for it!

Here's the sketch (sorry for the extra strip!)

SUPPLY LIST
Stamps: Stampin' Up Butterfly Gala, Wishing You Well (sentiment)
Dies/Punch: Stampin' Up Butterfly Duet and Rectangle Stitched Framelits
Ink: Stampin' Up Lemon Lime Twist, Coastal Cabana
Paper: Stampin' Up Gingham Gala dsp
Other: Stampin' Up Colored Doilies, Gingham Gala Adhesive Backed Sequins, Butterfly Elements

Freshly Made Sketches: Sending Get Well Wishes

It's time for a new sketch at Freshly Made Sketches! Today we have a sketch by Jennifer Timko.

I am a fan of big sentiments, particularly in a variety of fonts.  As soon as I saw this sketch, I could see that it would be just right for a sentiment plus a splash of color in the bottom strip for interest.


I had liquid watercolors out on my desk for a different card and I decided a rainbow of color behind a cut-out sentiment would be nice.  I painted the background to the sentiment, then cleaned up all of my watercolor supplies before it occurred to me that it would have been really nice to have a coordinating watercolor strip across the bottom.  It was a tough choice - get everything back out, use it and clean it up again - or find a plan B.  As luck would have it - I have a piece of paper that is exactly the same colors as the background that I watercolored!  Plan B won.
I hope to see you playing along!!
SUPPLY LIST

Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge: Succulent

Copic charts for the 2017 Stampin' Up In Colors are now linked on my sidebar!

Just a reminder that there is still time to play along with the challenge at the Curtain Call Inspiration Challenge: Succulent.

blog.freepeople.com

I only have one stamp set of succulents but luckily, I absolutely love it.  It's just full of cute little images - and the sentiments are in a fabulous font!


I was very inspired by the blue/green color with the pink in the inspiration photo.  I wanted a terracotta pot - so I did tuck in some orange - but I love the contrast.  I went with Get Well Wishes because it seems that we're passing something around my office, so I figured I'd be prepared!!
Hope to see you playing along!
SUPPLY LIST

Simply Succulents Stamp & Die Combo	TE Premium Cardstock - Sugar Cube	TE Premium Cardstock - Candy Corn	TE Premium Cardstock - Toffee
Doodlebug Glitter Sprinkles - Blue Jean

InLinkz.com

TE Release Day: A Suitcase and Bandages

It's release day at Taylored Expressions!  Everything you have seen this week is now available! But first, I have two more peeks at this release.

Last month, we had a new die to create cute little matchboxes - here's what I did with it.  This month, we have an add-on die called Matchbox Accessories-Suitcases.  Check out what it does with the matchbox!!


It's a cute little suitcase!!  With corners and straps and a handle!!

I turned it into a graduation present. With a new graduate preparing to leave home, it's a perfect way to celebrate!!


I cut my own little piece for the inside - mostly because I wanted that sentiment from the new Wonderful World set to fit on it - but it thought it worked well to have it slightly arched so that a monetary gift could easily be tucked underneath (and easily taken out!!)

Here's the supply list for this card but be sure to keep reading for one more card!

SUPPLY LIST

Matchbox	Matchbox Accessories - Suitcase	Little Bits - Grad Confetti	Little Bits - Hats Off
Little Bits - Diploma	Wonderful World	TE Premium Ink - Oreo - Full Pad	TE Premium Cardstock - Oreo
TE Premium Cardstock - Strawberry Milkshake	TE Premium Cardstock - Sugar Cube	TE Premium Cardstock - Metallic Neutrals	Strawberry Milkshake Enamel Shapes

InLinkz.com

Next I want to show you the new stamp set Listen to Your Heart along with the new Little Bits - Bandage.  I am in love with the fonts on these sentiments.  I wanted to keep the rest of the card simple so the full focus is on the sentiment.


How cute are those bandages??!  I couldn't resist a trio holding the two pieces of white cardstock together - then just a pop of color with the enamel shapes.

Just a quick post from me because it's time to head over to the TE Blog for links to all of the designers and to find out if you won a prize if you've been answering the Question of the Day. Then head to the TE Store because it's now full of new products!

SUPPLY LIST

Listen To Your Heart	Little Bits - Bandage	Stitched Square Stacklets	TE Premium Cardstock - Sugar Cube
TE Premium Cardstock - Jelly Donut	TE Premium Cardstock - Toffee	TE Premium Ink - Poppy Seed - Full Pad	Cookie Monster Enamel Shapes
Jelly Donut Enamel Shapes	Granny Smith Enamel Shapes

InLinkz.com