Freshly Made Sketches: With Love

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!

There is nothing unique or creative about this card but it is exactly what I need it to be. It's for my son and his girlfriend. She loves strawberries and her favorite colors are pastel pink and forest green. (I probably should put something of my son into this card, but isn't Valentine's Day really about the women??!)

The heart set came out of my not-yet-used valentine basket. It has eight hearts all with different patterns. When I bought it, it was strictly because of a design team sample that used all of the hearts and that's what I wanted to do with it. (See it here.) But I only used two of the hearts so maybe the dies need to stay in the basket until I get the full potential out of it!

So most of you guessed because of previous posts regarding our travel over the last couple of years. We are moving to Idaho! Colorado has just gotten too crowded and, in many ways, Idaho is a bit like Colorado was 20-30 years ago. Plus there is so much to explore. The state itself has mountains, rainforests, high deserts, lava flows, deep canyons and wild rivers and even part of Yellowstone and then the ocean is just a state away. We have ordered a Suboverlander which will allow us to experience all these landscapes. (It’s a really, really small camper built into a Suburban that can go into rugged areas!) We will live somewhere near Boise so when we aren’t exploring, we can enjoy the breweries, wineries and food culture; ride our bikes through the gorgeous greenbelt and trails in the foothills; and there’s even nearby fly fishing for my husband. We have some things to do to our house before it goes on the market at the beginning of April (we expected the roof, we didn't expect the sewer - ugh.)  We are going to start in an apartment simply because we don't know exactly where we want our forever house to be. I am extremely excited but completely overwhelmed all at the same time!

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

SUPPLY LIST
Dies: Pretty Pink Posh Stitched Hearts, Gemini by Crafter's Companion With Love, Honey Bee Stamps Scallop A2 Card Frames
Paper: Kat Scrappiness Berry Sweet, Stampin' Up Shaded Spruce, Pretty in Pink and Poppy Parade
Other: Stampin' Up Delightful Decorative Dots

Freshly Made Sketches: Happiest Valentine Wishes

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 tend to follow sketches exactly but I think you are going to be seeing some variety from me for the next few months. Of course the sketches are my inspiration - but there are products I want and need to use so I'll be inspired by the sketch but will make it work for these products. In this case, it's the simple change of going horizontal so I could use the heart set.

Why? If you read my blog, I'm sure you know already since we have been traveling to pick a place for retirement and I have since retired. It's time to move! Our plan is to downsize significantly. We want a sweet and tiny little house that's easy to deal with - but it does have to have lots of amenities (hot tub, beautiful patio/outdoor room, lawn and snow service, etc) Currently I have an entire craft room with a tall wall of built-ins plus a huge number of Elfa and IKEA storage units. I think most of us are collectors as much as crafters and I have stuffed this room full. Not only are we downsizing in our forever home but we will be apartment dwellers for a while so I simply cannot take this whole room.  Don't get me wrong - I'll take a large quantity but not floor to ceiling. I've been working hard at it for a year and even I have to admit that it's really lightened and freshened up my room and it's quite pleasant to work in. Let's hope with the downsizing that I've done, my stash doesn't eventually overwhelm my sweet and tiny little house!

My card uses a heart set that I've had for a while but it was still sitting in my not-yet-used stash. (I guess I should clarify. I have definitely found new homes for a lot of my stuff, but part of the "downsizing" effort is simply organizing by dealing with the huge variety of baskets and boxes, e.g. the valentine/easter not-yet-used basket, the Christmas not-yet-used basket, the perfect-to-use-for-a-specific-person basket and it goes on and on. This heart set and a set I'll be using for next week's card gets rid of the valentine's products in the valentine/easter basket!)

I keep sidetracking, sorry! The heart is a three part Birch Press set called Folk Art Hearts (Layers A, B and C). I love their layered sets but they do get pricey. I got this one (and will keep this one!) because it works for valentines, birthday, feel better and much more. When I realized it wouldn't fit on a vertical card, I knew I wanted a longer sentiment for the horizontal card and found this one in the Pretty Pink Posh Sentiment Strips: Valentine set and I cut it with one of their Sentiment Strips dies. Because it was an open heart, I wanted the strip behind it to be subtle so simply used some polka dot ribbon. 

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

I've talked too much this week so further details on where and when to follow - although if everything goes as planned (and I know it won't), there shouldn't be any disruption on my blog.

SUPPLY LIST
Stamps: Pretty Pink Posh Sentiment Strips: Valentine
Dies: Birch Press Folk Art Heart Layers A-C, Pretty Pink Posh Sentiment Strips
Cardstock: Stampin' Up Poppy Parade and Flirty Flamingo, Taylored Expressions Cupcake
Other: Stampin' Up Polka Dot Tulle Ribbon

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

Strawberry Love

I am quite certain that my son's girlfriend is a keeper. When she came into his life and thus ended up in my card rotation, I asked him what her favorite things are that I could use on cards. He said strawberries and bunnies. So I immediately upped my stash of those two things and what better for a Valentine than some beautiful, red strawberries?!

I spent summers on my grandparent's farm in eastern South Dakota. They sold it when I was very young so I don't have truly strong memories. I do know that my grandfather took great joy in pointing to horses and telling me they were cows and vice versa. It took me years to get over that trauma. I also have memories of a cool, shady and very green strawberry patch. It was a magical place especially because the rest of the farm was all sunlight and openness. (I'm not a gardener - for all I know strawberries need bright sunlight and my memory can't possibly be right. Don't tell me - I like my memory.)  I started pulling out the deep greens I associate with the strawberry patch but the longer that I played around with this card, the more I wanted it to be light and cheerful.  I went for brighter greens (although the strawberries stayed bright red). The sentiment and flower centers are a pearlescent yellow. And just a little basket weave in the background.  It's no longer my magical strawberry patch, but I think it will work for "love day"!

SUPPLY LIST

Dies: Spellbinders Strawberry Patch (Spellbinders Large Die of the Month Aug 2022), Concord & 9th (Kristina Werner) Happy Love Day and Basket Weave Card Front

Cardstock: Stampin' Up Granny Apple Green, Lemon Lime Twist, Poppy Parade and Shimmer White (the little flowers), Recollections Shimmer Yellow

Freshly Made Sketches: Love You

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!

 

This was created for my teenage niece (not the college-aged one I've done cards for the last two weeks.) When I saw those dies by Simon Says Stamp, I knew they would be perfect for either niece (and maybe my sons, although definitely not in these colors!)

I picked the paper for its funky look next to the dies. I like it - but it's a little pink for my niece. I'm hoping she'll forgive me given Valentines are all about the red and pink! Simon Says has lots of good examples for Circle Sentiments on their website - I'm modeling off of one that did the two types of letters. They also have other ideas for those letters (plus there is an "h" and an "i") so you could do "hey you" or even "ho ho ho"!  Plus "LOL" or "YOLO" and there are two samples of those that I will copy at some point!

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

SUPPLY LIST

Dies: Simon Says Stamp Circle Sentiments, Spellbinders Postage Edge Rectangles

Paper: Stampin' Up Sunshine & Rainbows dsp (retired), cardstock in Mango Melody, Pool Party, Flirty Flamingo and So Saffron

Freshly Made Sketches: Pop Heart

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!

This one was a stretch for me and I'm still cringing a little. It's intended for my college-aged niece so I wanted to use a unique color scheme. I pulled out an older paper pack from Stampin' Up named Playing with Patterns that has very unusual color pairings (in my opinion). I've used many of the single color or two-colors patterns from the pack but this is the first time I used one that put them all together.  Not sure I love it. I don't hate it or I would have made something else to show you.

I do like the big heart die - it's Pop Heart from Concord & 9th. It has the fun look that I wanted for my niece. That's probably what pulled the card together for me. I don't really like the card - but I LOVE the heart!  

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

SUPPLY LIST

Dies: Concord & 9th Pop Heart Dies, Taylored Expressions Postage Stamp Edger

Paper: Stampin' Up Playing with Patterns and cardstock in Calypso Coral, Coastal Cabana, Night of navy and Purple Posy

Other: Stampin' Up Playing with Patterns Resin Dots 

Freshly Made Sketches: Strawberry Love

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!

This was specifically designed for my son and his girlfriend.  I have not met her yet. I asked my son early on what she likes so I can personalize cards and he said bunnies and strawberries.  I also know that they read my blog post on their Christmas card.  I'm crossing my fingers that they don't read my blog post every day - just when it's theirs. When they do...

"Sarah and Andrew, Happy Valentine's Day.  I hope you find a special way to celebrate - probably involving strawberries! I'm sorry if you are seeing this early. This card will make it to your mailbox soon.  Sarah, when we do eventually meet and I know you better, we'll know if Andrew was right about the bunnies and strawberries!"

The strawberry paper is from a paper pack available from Stampin' Up during Sale-a-bration. I hadn't really intended to use it today. I did start out knowing I was doing a Valentine with hearts down the side but I just wasn't finding fun hearts that were the right size in my stash. The light bulb came on when I saw this paper sitting on the corner of my desk waiting to be put away. Thank goodness I'm a little behind on organizing my stash! I also knew I had strawberries (purchased for the same girlfriend) then found a bold sentiment 6so it would stand out on that paper, but still decided to add a strip of vellum behind it.

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

SUPPLY LIST

Dies: Lawn Fawn Strawberry Patch, Ellen Hutson Essential Hearts, Gemini With Love, Honey Bee Stamps Scallop A1 Card Frames (just used as a border on the vellum)

Paper: Stampin' Up Sunny Days (sale-a-bration), cardstock in Shaded Spruce, Sweet Sorbet and Crushed Curry, misceallaneous vellum

Other: Stampin' Up Playing with Patterns Resin Dots

Freshly Made Sketches: Valentine Envelope

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!

This is a recent purchase for me. I got it on clearance on a general stamping sight so I think it's older. It is still on the Altenew website so must not be too old.  I LOVE it.  I already have envelopes, flowers and hearts but this set has such a fun and bold look - I know it's going to be my go-to now. I used some of my favorite pinks and greens, then made a kraft envelope so it popped from the white. 

The sentiment is from Impress Cards + Crafts. They have a number of basic word sets (in their brand) that I really like for simple banners.  If you haven't shopped there, they carry a number of other brands too.  It's all carefully curated plus their Project Idea section tends toward clean and simple cards. 

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

SUPPLY LIST

Stamps: Impress Cards + Crafts Valentine Word Set

Dies: Altenew Lovely Envelope, Honey Bee Stamps Scallop A2 Card Frames

Paper: Taylored Expressions Peapod, Granny Smith and Cupcake, Stampin' Up Flirty Flamingo and Daffodil Delight, MFT Natural, and an unkown brand labelled Speckled Chip

Ink: Taylored Expressions Peapod

The Card Concept: Floral Valentine

There's a new inspiration challenge at The Card Concept: Floral Valentine. My Clean and Layered card was inspired by the colors and the three square black heart boxes along the bottom.

 

I created this for my newly-teenage niece.  I'm finding it a hard age for making cards. She's not into cutesy anymore but it can't be too "serious".  I liked the idea of the three black stamps along the bottom but wasn't sure it was teenage-girl enough.  I'm hoping the fun font and the dsp helps!  I also added three little gems because that's a requirement for my nieces. (You should see how depleted my gem stash is when they come to craft.)  I probably should have added more!

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

SUPPLY LIST

Dies: Concord & 9th Sweet Sayings dies

Paper: Stampin' Up Flirty Flamingo and Parakeet Party, Taylored Expressions Cupcake, Honey Bee Stamps Hugs and Kisses 6x6 pad

Freshly Made Sketches: Valentine Bookshelf

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 knew right away what I was doing with this sketch.  Papertrey Ink has an older series of "Storybook" stamps. I recently got all the holidays in the series as it became apparent that my two young nieces were taking their passion for reading into their teen years.  Not only do they love reading - but they love books!  Even old-fashioned me has moved to a Kindle.  Of course, it's mostly because it's lighter and easier to hold as I read - books are heavy!!  When I got the stamp sets, the "books" were bigger than I expected. Then I saw this sketch and knew that there was space for my Valentine bookshelf!

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

SUPPLY LIST

Stamps: Papertrey Ink Storybook Love (and dies), Avery Elle Lots of Love (sentiment)

Dies: Trinity Stamps Modern Embossed Rectangle Stack

Paper: Stampin' Up Sweet Sorbet, Flirty Flamingo and Coastal Cabana, Taylored Expressions Cupcake, Papertrey Ink Aqua Mist, Memory Box Delicate Pastel Glitter

Ink: Stampin' Up Sweet Sorbet

Other: Sizzix Embossing Folder

Poppystamps: Panda Love

 I'm on the Poppystamps blog today with the sweet Whittle Giant Panda along with a variety of brand new Valentines products!

I used the new Heartfelt Pinpoint Frame and layered two coral pink colors from the Memory Box Berry red pad (with the third coordinating color on the heart).  Then the older Double Diamond Lattice Plate works perfectly to showcase the hearts and the stitched accents. The panda was accented with the new Vintage Scalloped Heart which includes the ray pattern which really puts the focus on him.

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

SUPPLY LIST

Stamps: Poppystamps Diamond Sentiments clear stamp set

Dies: Poppystamps Whittle Giant Panda, Vintage Scalloped Heart, Heartfelt Pinpoint Frame, Double Diamond Lattice Plate and Colwell Label Set

Paper: Memory Box Berry Red 6x6 pad

Freshly Made Sketches: Bee Loved

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!

 

Most of the stamps and dies are from Honey Bee Stamps but I'm fairly certain they are older. The Honey Bee die set is one of my all-time favorite sets of bees so, old or not, I'll be using it.  I get a chuckle out of the one little bee flying straight at us.  The hexagons in the background and the sentiment are also Honey Bee.  The only things that aren't are the hexagons behind the bees. I found a hexagon in a Concord & 9th set that fit the bees and had stitching so it helped them stand out.  Then that still wasn't enough so I dug up an old nesting set of hexagons from Lifestyle Crafts and one of them was just perfect behind the stitched sets.  Sometimes I think get more excited over the basic stuff than the fancy new stuff - and the fact that I have two hexagon sets that work with each other - I'm giddy!!!

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

SUPPLY LIST

Stamps: Honey Bee Stamps Bee-You-Tiful Sentiments

Dies: Honey Bee Stamps Bee-You-Tiful dies, Honey Bee, and Hexagon Bunches, Concord & 9th Honeycomb Quilt Top Dies (the white stitched hexagons), Lifestyle Crafts Nesting Hexagons (the black behind the white stitched hexagons)

Other: Stampin' Up Subtle Embossing Folder

Poppystamps: I Love You Deerly

I'm on the Poppystamps blog today with these charming Whittle Forest Reindeer!

These sweet deer come from the Whittle Forest Reindeer Kit which includes all the stamps and dies that you see plus three more reindeer from a sideview (including a fawn) and even more "deer" stamps!  They were part of the fall release at Poppystamps so my first card used a simple hill and trees.  But aren't these just perfect for Christmas??!!  Snowflakes, maybe a red nose - - my creative wheels are turning!

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

SUPPLY LIST

Dies: Poppystamps Whittle Forest Reindeer Kit (includes the stamps)

Paper: Memory Box Cardstock Paper Pads in Earth Neutral, Lush Green and Fresh Aqua; Patterned Paper from Madras Plaid Coral and Green, Woodsy Plaid; Open Studio Watercolor Paper

Addicted to CAS: Snowflake Love

The current challenge at Addicted to CAS is "snowflake".  Other than leaves, I think snowflake dies are the most out-of-control part of my stash so I definitely had to play along. I went to my not-yet-used stash and this is the first snowflake I saw. It's gorgeous and the detail in it creates such a beautiful clean and simple card.

My original plan was to add to my Christmas card stash but then I saw my mini set of snow sentiments from Papertrey Ink. I love the various fonts - and this sentiment tucked into the snowflakes so nicely.  It may still be used for Christmas but it could also be used for a winter encouragement card.

I used Stampin' Up's Balmy Blue which is one of my favorite blues (outside of the many aquas that I have).  I also have an older set of gingham papers from them - and the jewels. I am a very matchy-matchy person and it certainly helps me with my clean and simple cards to just pull out all the matching items and start creating!

Thanks to Addicted to CAS for the challenge and inspiration.

SUPPLY LIST

Stamps: Papertrey Ink Just Sentiments: Snow

Dies: Paper Rose Snowflake Circle

Paper: Stampin' Balmy Blue and retired gingham paper

Other: Stampin' Up Blue Adhesive-Backed gems

Streaming Heart: So Loved

I have one more Valentine to make so I flipped through my stash looking for hearts that I hadn't used yet and came up with this heart by Simon Says Stamp and the background by Honey Bee Stamps

It's a big heart and I wasn't sure how to do a sentiment with it - especially since I had used that cover plate for the background so it was hard to stamp there. I was looking at what I had cut and thinking that I should have done some in patterns because although I love the colors, it didn't wow me.  That's when it occurred to me that I could add a sentiment on one of the streaming pieces!!  I found a straight stamp that worked and I curved it ever so slightly so that the sentiment was streaming too!  (I probably still should have done a few pieces in patterns. Oh well, it's already in the mail!)

I like a hint of black on my cards - I feel like it gives it some depth. I added a thin black mat, then I needed to pull some black into the rest of it so I added five little black gems.

And now I'm done with Valentines. (I don't make many so it wasn't hard to do.)  However, I do make a lot of Easter cards so definitely time for me to move on to the next holiday!

SUPPLY LIST

Stamps: Altenew Sentiment Strips 2

Dies: Simon Says Stamp Streaming Heart, Honey Bee Stamps Fluttering Hearts Pierced Cover Plate

A Zombie Valentine?!

I saw the zombie stamps and zombie dies from Impression Obsession before Halloween but I had a tough time finding them in stock. I recently got them and as I was getting ready to tuck them into my Halloween stash, it occurred to me that I could make zombies work for Valentines, specifically Valentines for my 21+ year old sons. I think it works!!

The Zombie Sayings set is fabulous - there's no doubt that I'll end up using every stamp in the set!  This is the Zombie Edger die, I also got a zombie stamp to change it up a bit. One zombie had to be holding a heart to make it right for Valentines and I found an older die in my stash. Some grungy paper in the background and some black/white accents - and it's just right!

I'm not sure what else to say on this card.  It's not my normal and it's definitely going to stand out from all the other Valentine cards on social media.  But it's perfect for what I needed!!

SUPPLY LIST

Stamps: Impression Obsession Zombie Sayings

Dies: Impressions Obsession Zombie Edger, Trinity Stamps Modern Embossed Rectangle Stack, misc heart and flag

Paper: Paper Rose Rainbow Grunge, My Favorite Things Black and White Stripes, Stampin' Up Cardstock in Poppy Parade and Basic Gray

Other: Sunny Studio Rube Red Jewels

The Card Concept: Love is in the Air

There’s a new inspiration challenge at The Card Concept and the theme is Love is in the Air. My Clean and Layered card was inspired by the delicate wreath with the grouping of pink flowers, the brick background and the colors.

I love this inspiration photo!  That wreath is so delicate and I love it on the fresh white background. I also love this wreath die set by Stampin' Up. I layered a couple of greens in the two different wreaths to get the look of the inspiration wreath. Then I added a variety of pink flowers and a heart clustered in one area. I didn't add a big golden arrow, but I did add a glittery bow.

I almost didn't do a love/Valentine card for this one since the only two I have left to make are for my 20+-year old sons and neither would appreciate this card! But I'm glad I did - I love the card that came out of this inspiration and the die set!

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

SUPPLY LIST

Dies: Stampin' Up Wreath Builder

Cardstock: Stampin' Up Melon Mambo, Polished Pink and Blushing Bride, Taylored Expressions Peapod and Granny Apple Green, gold glitter from Michaels

Other: Stampin' Up Brick & Mortar Embossing Folder, Pretty Pink Posh Valentine Mix gems.

Freshly Made Sketches: Happy Hearts Day

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!

 

Although I don't use stencils very often, I have an overly-large stash.  Obviously I plan on using them and I like the results, but when the chips are down I like nice, clean (literally) diecuts.  I don't end up with the colorful fingers I often get when I stencil.  BUT I knew I had a large heart-shaped stencil in my stash so if there was ever a time when a stencil got used, this sketch was it!

I didn't want to cover all of the stenciled background so I started with the sparkly see-through ribbon.  It wasn't quite wide enough and didn't look balanced so I added a couple of other strips. Then I added a fun "love" die that I recently purchased and I tucked a little black sentiment into it.

All of the pinks are a better match than what the photos show. My natural light in the winter is very blue so I always have to edit it to get rid of some of the blue. But in this case, editing it changed the pinks.  So I went halfway and now I'm not happy with any of it - the photos has a blue cast and the pinks don't match!  I'm so not an expert at this. I probably should learn more about it - but I'd rather spend my time making the cards!!

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

SUPPLY LIST

Stamps: Impress Rubber Stamps Valentine Word Set

Dies: PhotoPlay Say It With Stamps Love and Sentiment Strips

Other: Picket Fence Studios Heart of Flowers stencil, Trinity Stamps Black Heart Jelly Drops, Stampin' Up Tasteful Textiles embossing folder

The Card Concept: Fresh New Year

It's time for a new challenge at The Card Concept!  Check out the amazing tablescape in the photo!  My Clean and Layered card was inspired by the fabulous colors, the bold stripes and the hint of metallic!

Can you even imagine dining at that table? Maybe I've just become too accustomed to living with a husband and sons because in my household, I'm thrilled if dinner isn't on paper plates!  Actually that's not fair of me to say - both my sons love to cook and understand that plating it well is an important step. Plating isn't quite the same as a full tablescape, but I'll take what I can get!

I'm challenging myself to use more of my cover plate dies.  They are not exactly cheap and I have a few too many of them. This cover plate die was an obvious choice for this challenge. I started with black stripes but as the card came together I wanted the softness of the pink.

Then I needed something bold and centered as is the plate - and pulled out this fabulous You Are Loved die. Then it looked a little lost on the stripes and patterns so I was inspired by the metallics in the inspiration photo to create a tiny little frame and add some hearts (although I did go with silver simply because I don't seem to have gold heart gems.)

I hope to see you playing along with us at The Card Concept.  It's always fun to see what inspires each of our players!

SUPPLY LIST

Dies: Simon Says Stamp You Are Loved and A2 Thin Frames, Paper Trey Ink Cover Plate Stripes Horizontal

Paper: Honey Bee Stamps The Bees' Knees, Simon Says Stamp Assorted Holographic, Taylored Expressions Pink Champagne

Other: Studio Katia Magic Heart Gems

The Card Concept: So Much Love

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

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

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

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

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

SUPPLY LIST

Stamps: Honey Bee Stamps Bitty Buzzwords

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