Freshly Made Sketches: #BLESSED

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

I consider myself a clean and layered stamper.  I love lots of open space, usually white, with a detailed grouping of stamps and dies in one small area.  That's my favorite thing to do.  However, when autumn comes around, suddenly I embrace patterns and colors.  I've spent way too much time thinking about why I change - and I think it makes sense.  Winter is white/gray and pristine.  Spring is soft and fresh.  Summer is bright and sunny.  But fall is a riot of colors and falling, blowing leaves.  So my card for today may not completely embrace "fresh" but I think it is fairly "clean-lined"!!


The die is from the Spellbinders Small Die of the Month Club - October.  Every month, I see people creating with their monthly dies and I love them - I just never got around to signing up.  But when I saw this fall acorn, I signed up immediately.  I've seen samples where it stands alone on a truly CAS card; it has enough detail to do that with gorgeous results. But the other part of fall that I love is curling up in warm, comfy quilts so I added that too with the patterned paper!


I'm looking forward to next month's die surprise (and I'm really wishing I had signed up earlier!)

I hope to see you playing along with this week's sketch at Freshly Made Sketches and be sure to head over to the blog for more inspiration.

SUPPLY LIST

Stamps: Simon Says Stamp You Got This
Dies: Spellbinder October Small Die of the Month Club, Taylored Expressions Double-Ended Banners (cut down a bit)
Patterned Paper: a scrap from Simple Stories
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink Dark Chocolate, Stampin' Up Baja Breeze and More Mustard, My Favorite Things Primitive White
Ribbon: Stampin' Up More Mustard Scallop Dots

CtS and City Crafter: Silver Bells

Twice this week, I saw mention of a new-to-me challenge, City Crafter.  I figured that was a sign that I needed to play along!!  Particularly when I checked it and the current challenge is Silver Bells.  The challenge isn't necessarily bells - but you do have to use silver.  I also had earmarked the current sketch at CAS(E) this Sketch as a must-do.  The two of them came together for this card....


I've had this die in my not-yet-used stash for a few years - it's the Holiday Bell by Echo Park.  My original plan was to do some shading and highlighting but then I decided to keep it simple and modern.  The silvery paper is all from Michaels.  It's hard to see but the strips have a herringbone pattern on them.


This is  a rare time that I did not adhere everything - I wanted the pine branches to tip up for some dimension.  But I'm fairly certain that I'm going go back and adhere it all because I'm quite worried about mailing.  I love when people make their die cuts look like they are floating, but I don't know how those cards survive the post office, let alone even getting it into an envelope.

SUPPLY LIST
Stamps: Simon Says Stamp Tiny Words Christmas
Dies: Echo Park Holiday Bells, Cottage Cutz Spruce Stems, CC Designs Conversation Hearts
Cardstock: Stampin' Up Flirty Flamingo, Gray Granite, Bermuda Bay, Michaels glitter cardstock
Ink: Stampin' Up Gray Granite

Freshly Made Sketches: Hip Hip Hooray

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

Not to get all whiny about it, but it seems like the majority of my friends and family have birthdays in the next few months when I need to focus on making Christmas cards!!  I'm sure I could plan ahead - but I say that every year and here we are in October and I've planned nothing.  I had all those birthdays on my mind when I saw the sketch and decided those little leaves would make fabulous balloons and confetti!


I used some favorite colors in blue, yellow and orange - I like the fresh look.  (Besides...it matches my fake cupcake in the background!)  I love the fonts in the sentiment - they have the same look and shapes as the confetti and balloon strings.  I think I obsess over sentiments more than most anything on each card so I am absolutely thrilled when they work.
I hope to see you playing along with us this week.  Be sure to check out the amazing inspiration from the design team.
SUPPLY LIST

The Paper Players: Wishing You Well

I totally love fall colors so any challenge out there with fall colors is high on my list.  Today I am playing along with The Paper Players and made this card.


And here are their colors...

I'm not 100% in love with my card but given it was attempt 1,001, I wanted to post it anyway.  This simple little card almost filled up my waste basket with failures.  Ugh.  I don't know why I just didn't give up and move on.  I had a light bulb moment though and realized I don't like Mossy Meadow - so I don't think there's any card I could have made that made me happy.  

I am fascinated with personal preferences for color.  I would have preferred a more yellow-toned green. For me, olives are more "alive".  On a different note, I am not in love with the new Stampin' Up colors but this weekend, I had other crafters in my craft room and as they wandered through my obsessively large cardstock collection, guess which colors they loved and pulled out to use - those new colors!  I'm also not a fan of yellows - and other people list it as their favorite color!  Having said all of that, Mossy Meadow may never again come out to play in my craft room!!

Anyway, here's a different angle on my card.  I got this stamp set for that little sheer bow - LOVE it.  I wanted to give it a little shine so covered it with Wink of Stella.  It spread the ink a bit and darkened it but I still love the look.  I also added a few glitter drops in the center of the flowers.

SUPPLY LIST

Stamps: Stampin' Up Wishing You Well

Ink: Stampin' Up Mossy Meadow, Cajun Craze

Cardstock: Very Vanilla

Patterned Paper: unknown - a scrap that was in my Stampin' Up stash

Other: Wink of Stella

Freshly Made Sketches: Boo-Tastic

It's time for a new sketch at Freshly Made Sketches! Today we have a sketch by Narelle.  (Narelle is the undisputed expert at creating stunning floral cards - be sure to check out her card this week - and every other week for that matter!)

I have a sweet little niece who just isn't into the spooky stuff for Halloween.  As I was browsing my stash, I stumbled on this charming couple.  I thought a princess would be absolutely perfect.


Of course, she needed a "prince" and little Dracula was just cute enough to be it.  Then a sprinkling of gems for the princess and it's Halloween but definitely not spooky!

I was also inspired by the Fusion Card Challenge.  I love the pastel Halloween - I wouldn't have thought that direction without the inspiration!!

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

SUPPLY LIST
Stamps: Mama Elephant Bootastic
Dies: Mama Elephant Bootastic dies
Other: Hai Rainbow Rhinestones

Color Throwdown: Blessings

I absolutely adore fall colors so how could I not play along with this week's challenge at the Color Throwdown.



And here's the challenge...

I love the wreath die set from Pink & Main.  I did this Halloween card last week but I wanted to do one with the fall dies from the same set.  Plus I wanted to fill up the wreath a bit more than the last one.  I'm also excited because I got the Winter Wreath Decor set in the mail this past weekend so you'll see more wreaths from me!


I spritzed the wreath itself with some shimmer spray.  Not only do I love fall colors but I love the sparkle of frost each morning.  I thought the "Blessings" die from Paper Smooches had exactly the right look. I wanted some interest in the background so added Lil' Inker Designs Stitched Woodgrain.  I tucked the "Blessings" in so the heart in the stitched background would show.

Thanks for the inspiration Color Throwdown!!

SUPPLY LIST
Dies: Pink & Main Wreath Base, Fall Wreath Decor, Lil' Inker Designs Stitched Woodgrain, Paper Smooches Blessings
Other: Simon Says Stamp Stay Gold Sequins

Freshly Made Sketches: Ghostly Greetings

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

I recently added some seasonal wreath dies to my stash.  They are by Pink & Main - there is the Wreath Base die and also the Fall Wreath Decor dies (which includes both Halloween and general fall).  I also have the Winter Wreath Decor dies on order.  The wreath seems sized so that the images decorate the wreath by going all of the way around but I just added a trio at the bottom per the sketch.  Although it worked perfectly for this little owl on a branch.. 


Since I talk about it often - I'm sure you know that we recently moved after 27 years in a house on fenced acreage.  So I haven't had trick-or-treaters in 27 years.  Now I'm in a neighborhood and I've been excitedly planning for Halloween.  I work with someone who lives just a few blocks away so I asked how much candy I would need. Apparently - not much.  It seems that Halloween has changed in those 27 years I've been away.  Back in the olden days (when we walked to school up hill both ways in 3 feet of snow!), Halloween was a big neighborhood street party.  Now the neighborhood community center throws a big party the weekend before and our cute little downtown area hosts trick-or-treaters on Halloween. I get it.  But I still miss the good old days.  I have one giant bag of candy from Costco and my coworker says I will have leftovers.  I do like candy so perhaps that's the silver lining!
I hope to see you playing along with us at Freshly Made Sketches!
SUPPLY LIST
Stamps: Taylored Expressions Cutting Edge - Ghosts
Dies: Pink and Main Wreath Base Dies and Fall Wreath Decor Dies