Freshly Made Sketches: Sweet Birds

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!

 

After the rush of making Christmas cards, this was the first card that I made and I stepped far away from Christmas, all the way to a spring look! But I figure birds can work any time of the year, especially these cute and charming little guys. They are Sweet Birds on a Branch by Spellbinders and the set includes these three three plus three more (and a branch of course!) I nested them in little circle frames and added some pops of greenery.

I spent the weeks over the Christmas holiday controlling the chaos in my craft area. (I did the same thing at work - so few people are at the office that it gives me time to close out the prior year and clean up all of my files.)  I love going into the new year fresh - whether it be an organized craft room or completed projects at work. This was the first card that I created with my fresh outlook and I'm thrilled with it.

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

SUPPLY LIST

Stamps: Neat & Tangled So Many Sentiments

Dies: Spellbinders Sweet Birds on a Branch, Essentials by Ellen Essential Circles

Other: Taylored Expressions Leafy Vine

The Card Concept: Holiday Gatherings

There's a new inspiration challenge at The Card Concept: Holiday Gatherings. My Clean and Layered card was "inspired" by the colors and the neutral elegance of the scene in the photo.

This card definitely evolved while I worked on it.  I didn't start out planning on Easter card. I did start with the idea of an elegant bouquet using the rich green and a metallic color. After I settled on the green and the linen color, I started seeing the potential for Easter - it would be rich and elegant yet also hopeful with the sweet spring tulips. Not only did the card work, but Easter is our next big holiday gathering so it fit right into the theme!!  But at that point, the gold metallics that I had pulled were just too bold for my soft card so I switched to champagne.  I was definitely inspired by the colors; I just kind of took a left turn along the way!

I hope to see you playing along with us! The theme is Holiday Gatherings with that gorgeous tablescape as inspiration!

SUPPLY LIST

Stamps: Verve Egg-stra Special

Dies: Kat Scrappiness Layered Tulip Bouquet Die Set, Stampin' Up Scalloped Contours

Paper: Papertrey Ink Fine Linen, Pinefeather, Stampin' Up Champagne Foil

Ink: Papertrey Ink Pinefeather

Other: Stampin' Up Champagne Rhinestones

Poppystamps: Cocoa and Warm Socks

I'm on the Poppystamps blog today with my entry for this month's challenge: Let It Snow. What could be better on a snowy day than hot cocoa and warm socks!

I'm looking out my window as I type this and it's gray and cold and there's about 12 hours of snow in front of us. I do have the warm socks on - plus fleece pajamas and a thick, warm robe - I'm just missing the cocoa. So no more typing because that cocoa is calling my name! But there are full details and many more pictures on the Poppystamps blog.

SUPPLY LIST

Stamps: Poppystamps Wintertime Sentiments clear stamp set

Dies: Poppystamps Whittle Cocoa with Whip, Adelaide Snowflakes and Heartfelt Pinpoint Frame (just for the one little heart on the mug)

Paper: Memory Box Fresh Aqua 6x6 pad and Delicate Pastel Glitter Pad

Other: Pastel Jewels

Poppystamps: Peace on Earth

 I'm on the Poppystamps blog today with this gorgeous Pondering Layered Deer die set.

I find him stunning.  I love his expression.  (BTW - the antlers are a separate piece so it doesn't have to be a "he"!) I love the dimension that the dies give you with just a few dies (all good-sized, none of the tiny fiddly pieces that some other companies give you!)  I put him on a simple background using the Snowflake Flurry Collage with glittery white behind it and grounded him with one of the Flowing Curves.

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

SUPPLY LIST

Stamps: Poppystamps Gilded Christmas Wishes clear stamp and die set

Dies: Poppystamps Pondering Layered Deer, Snowflake Flurry Collage, Flowing Curves

Paper: Memory Box Majestic Hues Glitter pad (white behind the snowflakes), cardstock pads in Earth Neutrals and Fresh Aqua

Freshly Made Sketches: Joyful, Merry, Blessed

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!

The flowers and greenery are a beautiful set of dies from The Stamp Market. I love that it can be elegant but just a bit quirky too. Then I really wanted to use that sentiment from Penny Black so I moved the sketch around a bit to accommodate it. In this case, I was making the card for someone specific so I also added a tapestry looking background to give it a classic look. 

This is the last sketch of the year for Freshly Made Sketches. I have a few other posts scheduled over the next few weeks, but mostly it's going to be quiet here.  It's not so much that I need a break from making cards, but I do need to clean up the chaos that has occurred in my craft room during the rush of the Christmas season!  

My youngest son gets home tomorrow.  Then this weekend we are heading north to where my oldest son lives to do a few days of no-holds-barred food and breweries.  (He lives in Fort Collins, CO - a fabulous town for both food and drink!)  Even my husband has promised not to cringe when drinks are ordered (he hates paying the prices for restaurant meals and he gets even more annoyed when he has to pay for drinks).  But this is literally going to be our Christmas present for all of us - the "ho-holds-barred" part being the important part. 

If you can find time in your busy holiday - I hope you play along with us at Freshly Made Sketches. And I'll see you next year!

SUPPLY LIST

Stamps: Penny Black Jolly Snippets

Dies: The Stamp Market Adorning Blooms

Paper: Stampin' Up Real Red and Sweet Sorbet, Taylored Expressions Peapod and Cilantro

Poppystamps: Joyful Whittle Gnome

 I'm on the Poppystamps blog today with their charming Whittle Gnome!

I had not jumped on the gnome trend...until this year.  I found some cute ones - including a pillow with two little elderly gnomes holding hands (perfect for these empty-nesters) and a tacky little guy that flops his jingle bell hat and plays a Christmas version of Shout. They all look a little odd next to my beautiful nativity set - but they make me smile!!  So when it came time to make a Poppystamps card, the new Whittle Gnome was my obvious choice!

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

SUPPLY LIST 

Dies: Poppystamps Whittle Gnome, Joy Freestyle Script, Layered Holly Leaf Trio, Evangeline Pinpoint Frame, Snowflake Flurry Collage (just the bitty little gold bursts)

Paper: Memory Box Jolly Christmas, Polished Foil pad and cardstock pads in Lush Green and Berry Red (the cardstock pads are available on the Poppystamps website)

Freshly Made Sketches: Snow Buddy Greetings

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 die was hard to get.  I did not buy it when it first came out. It's a die from My Favorite Things and I also needed a couple packages of their cardstock that were out of stock so I waited.  Big mistake.  It was out of stock everywhere for more than a month. I was thrilled when I finally saw on online store that said it would be in stock on 11/22 and by golly, I ordered it on 11/22!!

He is so darn cute. I LOVE the way he is looking up with his big hat and striped scarf. It's just such a happy look. I got the simple sentiment stamps that MFT was using for him - they work perfectly on any strip that you would put underneath him.

The paper is from an older package. This card is for my boss - she's not really into Christmas and she's a person who works hard and plays hard - so this happy snowman with his party lights seemed just right!

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

SUPPLY LIST

Stamps: My Favorite Things Cool Christmas Greetings

Dies: My Favorite Things Snow Buddy

Paper: Simple Stories Claus & Co. (buried deep in my stash so likely long gone), Stampin' Up Poppy Parade and Mango Melody, Taylored Expressions Peapod and Granny Smith