Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #206


Hello!
Happy Wednesday!  I hope you're having a great week!  I haven't gotten as much time in my craft room this week as I would have liked so I'm hoping to be able to create some cards this afternoon!  The activities are commitments are starting to ramp up around here so it's not leaving a lot of left over time for crafting!  I'm wondering if my family really needs to eat meals?!!!!  Think of the time I could save!!!

We have a great new sketch this week at Freshly Made Sketches!  Our amazing hostess this week is Linda Callahan!  Linda makes such beautiful cards!  I love her creativity!  She also has a fabulous sense of humour!  You need to check out her blog!
Now, you can only imagine the joking that went on in our group when Linda posted this sketch.  At first I thought she was trying to do me in.  Not only is there a big circle on it, there are THREE!  Seriously!  Actually, I knew right away I wanted to use coffee cups on this card.  I just love these sweet cups!  I wanted to create a really simple card.  I love simple (but you already know that!).  I love Kraft paper as well.  It speaks to me about as much as a pure white background!  I added a little heart from the Natural Elements and it was done!

Supplies:
Cardstock: Kraft, Whisper White
Stamps: Coffee Cozy (Lil Inkers)
Ink: Black Stazon
Other: Coffee Cozy Dies (Lil Inkers), Natural Elements, Dimensionals

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  Please had on over to the Freshly Made Sketches blog to see the amazing cards the design team has created for you!

I hope you have a fabulous day!

Jen


Saturday, September 26, 2015

Snowflake Fun


Hello!
Happy Saturday!  I almost forgot to do this post up!  I hope you're having a great weekend.  It was a beautiful day here.  Some friends and I went to check out the local "Made in Canada" Etsy craft sale today.  I must say, there are a lot of very talented people out there!  Wow!  I was impressed!

I had a few minutes this afternoon while the boys were out flying with my husband to get a card made!  I decided to go with this week's CAS(E) This Sketch challenge!  I loved the sketch!  I couldn't decide what type of card to do but realized that my Christmas card stash is basically non-existant so I figured that was a good place to start!


I decided the card looked a little plain without the embossing but used the new Softly Falling embossing folder from SU to create the background!
I must say I'm not happy that my sentiment has bumps on it.  That's not from running it through the embossing folder, it's from the die.  I tried using wax paper and even adding in another piece of paper in while I cut it out but nothing seemed to make the bumps go away.  If you know a trick, let me know!
This is a stamp and ink free card!  I was rather excited about that!

Supplies:
Cardstock: Whisper white, Silver
Other: Snowflake Punch, Softly Falling Embossing Folder, Basic Rhinestones, Christmas Greetings Thinlits, Dimensionals

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  I hope you have a fabulous day!!!

Jen!

Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #205


Hello!
Happy Wednesday!  We are officially into fall now and it has to be one of my favourite seasons - okay, it's my favourite.  I love the coolness in the air and the beautiful colours of the leaves.  I also love pumpkins...have I mentioned that before?!  I have an obsession with stuffed ones.  Okay, so I have only just started this obsession but I found the cutest knit one at Hobby Lobby when we were vacationing in Kentucky.  It made the trip home with us!  As I told my friend Linda Callahan the other day,  I'm a funky nut!

So we have a  great new sketch at Freshly Made Sketches today courtesy of the amazing Rita Wright.  She is our in house colouring queen.  Well, many of our team colour fabulously but Rita can colour anything!  Head to her blog and you'll see exactly what I'm talking about.
I was a little stumped with Rita's sketch but then decided I would give a fall'ish wreath a try.  I whipped out the Wondrous Wreath stamp set and die and after about 4 tries finally got a half decent wreath I could use.  If you struggle with this stamp set, know you aren't alone.  If you don't struggle, know you are alone!!!!

I decided to keep the background and my banner white, though in hindsight it probably should have been vanilla.  Oh well.  I like white!  I threw on some Crushed Curry flowers and some pearls and called it a day!

Supplies:
Cardstock: Whisper White, Early Espresso
Stamps: Wondrous Wreath, Acorny Thank You, Pictogram Punches
Ink: Sahara Sand, Early Espresso, Crushed Curry
Other: Wondrous Wreath Framelits, Itty Bitty Punches (?), Basic Pearls, Banner Framelits, Itty Bitty Banners, Dimensionals

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  I hope you get the chance to pop over to the Freshly Made Sketches blog and check out the beautiful cards the design team has created!  You won't be disappointed!

Have a fabulous day!
Jen

Monday, September 21, 2015

Sunday Donuts!


Hello!
Happy Monday!  I hope you've had a great start to your week!  Mondays are grocery day at our house.  Well, almost every day is grocery day around here the way some people eat but we won't go there!  There may also be a rhubarb crisp currently baking in the oven!  The boys will be excited when they come home from school!!!!

I had a few minutes yesterday while the boys were out flying to work on a couple of cards!  I haven't played along with the Sunday Stamps challenge in far too long!  I must say I really do love having some extra time during the week to get some cards made up!


I really liked the sketch this week and decided to combine my Reverse Confetti "Donut You Know" stamp and die with the Cherry on Top DSP stack from Stampin' Up.  I originally had my card turned the other way but I couldn't get a sentiment to fit properly so I had to turn it landscape!

I added a little Glassy Glaze Enamel to my donut to give it that glazed look!   Oh how I love donuts!  I really think that donuts should be a food group!

Supplies:
Cardstock: Whisper White, Bermuda Bay, Early Espresso, Watermelon Wonder, Pool Party
DSP: Cherry On Top DSP Stack
Stamps: Donut You Know (Reverse Confetti)
Ink: Stazon Black, Versamark
Other: Heat and Stick Powder, Glassy Glaze Enamel, Stitched Rectangle Dies (Lil Inkers), Donut Confetti Cut (Reverse Confetti), Dimensionals

Thanks so much for stopping in today!  I hope you have a fabulous day!

Jen!


Sunday, September 20, 2015

CAS(E) This Sketch Celebrate



Hello!
Happy Sunday!  It's a beautiful day here, a little cool but that's okay.  It's starting to feel a bit more fall'ish around here!  I may have gotten out some of my fall decorations yesterday!  I LOVE pumpkins (especially stuffed ones) and I couldn't wait to have them sitting out!  Don't get me wrong, I like them now but give me a few weeks and I'll be wanting to put them away again!  Thankfully Canadian Thanksgiving is early!

I made this card for this week's CAS(E) This Sketch challenge.  I must admit that I did find the sketch tricky and I'm not happy with my card!   Some people can create such beautiful cards with "randomly placed" elements.  I cannot.


I decided to use my Dot Spot stamp set from PTI.  I love that set and don't use it nearly as much as I should.  It's so fun to play with.  I love Bermuda Bay and Pool Party together.  They just strike me as happy colours!  I hadn't used my Natural Elements Sayings yet so I wanted to try those out as well!

Supplies:
Cardstock: Whisper White, Bermuda Bay
Stamps: Dot Spot
Ink: Bermuda Bay, Pool Party
Other: Bitty Banners Framelits, Stitched Squares (Lil Inkers), Bermuda Bay Sequins, Natural Elements Sayings, Dimensionals.

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  I hope you have a great day!

Jen

Wednesday, September 16, 2015

Nutty Acorns


Hello!
I hope you've had a great Wednesday!  Hump day!  We are halfway through another week!  Today was cleaning day here.  Not my favourite day but I do love a clean house!  I had a few minutes this afternoon and I decided that I would tackle another card!  I know this season of having extra free time doesn't last long so I want to take advantage of it while I can!

I decided to start with the colours from this week's ColourQ challenge.  I do love the colours this week.  I didn't have Kiwi Kiss or Soft Sky so I used Pool Party and Lucky Limeade as a substitute.  I was fairly certain that I had Kiwi Kiss somewhere but I couldn't find it!

I went on and decided I would try my hand with the sketch from this week's Global Design Project!  Now, I'm sure you guys all know me pretty well and know that when I took one look at that circle I cringed!  Why do I hate circles so much?!  I think I'd cringe no matter what shape it had been!
I decided to use my Acorny Thank You stamp set for this one!  I need to make an anniversary card for my husband!  Our anniversary is coming up next month and I usually leave the card until the very last minute!  I LOVE acorns.  Not sure why.  My son and my mom had this little thing about collecting acorns years ago and now every time I see an acorn I smile!
I decided a plain background wasn't going to work for this card so I used the Woodlands Textured Embossing Folder to create the background.  I glued all the pieces together and then ran it through the big shot to emboss it.

Supplies:
Cardstock: Whisper White, Not Quite Navy, Sahara Sand, Pool Party
Stamps: Acorny Thank You
Ink: Not Quite Navy, Pool Party, Lucky Limeade
Other: Woodland Textured Embossing Folder, Acorn Punch, Basic Rhinestones, Double Stitched Circles (Lil Inkers), Heart Punch,  Dimensionals

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  I hope you have a fabulous day!

Jen

Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #204


Hello!
Happy Wednesday!  I trust your week is going well!  Can you believe we are halfway through September already?  Honestly, where is the time going?  My oldest asked me today how many more days until Christmas!  I couldn't believe it!  Christmas?  It's just over three months away.  I guess I should get going on my cards!

We have a great new sketch at Freshly Made Sketches this week courtesy of the amazing Jennifer Timko!  Our dear Jennifer celebrated a very special birthday on Tuesday!  If you haven't checked out her blog and her beautiful cards, head over there and do it and give her a little birthday love!!!


Our sketch this week is a great one!  I must say that I had to sit and think about this one for a while.  I had a few ideas and tried some different things before I finally decided on a design.  I figured I had better get some Christmas cards at least started.  I used some of the fun new products from the Stampin' Up Holiday Catalogue which was super fun!

Supplies:
Cardstock: Whisper White, Basic Black, Silver
Stamps: Holly Jolly Greetings
Ink: Stazon Black
Other: Big Rhinestones, Christmas Greetings Thinlits, Stitched Rectangles (Lil' Inkers), Stitched Tags (Lil' Inkers)

Thanks for stopping in today!  I really appreciate your visit!
I hope you'll head on over to the Freshly Made Sketches blog and check out the fabulous cards the Design Team has created for you!  You will not be disappointed!

Have a wonderful day!
Jen

Tuesday, September 15, 2015

CAS(E) This Sketch Birthday Wishes


Hello!
I hope you're all having a great week!  It's been beautiful here and the weather has been so summery! I do hope this weather continues for awhile!

I had a few minutes at home alone this morning and decided I would play along with a challenge I had been unable to join in on in a very long time.  I am hoping to be able to take part in more challenges over the next little while but we shall see!

CAS(E) This Sketch is one of my favourite challenges and I loved this week's sketch but this one did stump me!  I don't do so well with washi tape so I knew I would have to use stamps!


I don't think my card is much like the sketch - I took a very liberal interpretation of the sketch.  I don't usually do that.   I feel kinda guilty!  Anyhow, I got my Butterfly Basics stamp set out and went to town!

I used some of the thicker Whisper White cardstock for the card base and it's fantastic!  Sure helped give my card a lot more stability!

Supplies:
Cardstock: Whisper White
Stamps: Butterfly Basics
Ink: Smokey Slate, Crushed Curry, Blackberry Bliss, Stazon Black
Other: Butterfly Basics Thinlits, 3/4" circle punch, Basic Rhinestones, Dimensionals

Thanks for stopping by today!  I will be back shortly with this week's new Freshly Made Sketches sketch!!!!  It's a fun one!

Have a great day!
Jen

Wednesday, September 9, 2015

Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #203 and some Acorns!


Hello!
Happy Wednesday!  I hope you're having a great week!  Yesterday was a big day at our house as it was the first day of school!  I had two boys who didn't want to go.  They thought homeschool sounded like a great option!  Little did they know that though it works for some families, their mom would probably lose the one marble she has left!!!  They came home from school happy and wanting to go back!  Amen!

We have a great new sketch today at Freshly Made Sketches and our amazing hostess is the talented Jen Mitchell!  Jen's style is so fabulous.  I just love it!  I can't wait to be like her when I grow up!  You need to head over to her blog to see exactly what I'm talking about!
I really love the Acorny Thank You from Stampin' Up!  It's such a fun stamp set and I LOVE acorns. Caleb used to love them when he was little and now I love them and cherish the memory of him and his acorns!  Anyhow, brown and gold are some of my favourite fall colours so I embossed me up some acorns and away I went.  I decided I needed to make a shaker box since I am one of the only ones who doesn't do it regularly!

I had some old double sided dimensional tape laying around that I used to create the shaker box.  The hardest part was taking apart all of those sequins!!!!  Now, just to set the record straight, this isn't the first edition of this card!  It started out being all white and then just plain brown but I needed to add in the embossing. It just didn't look right without it!

Supplies:
Cardstock: Whisper White, Early Espresso
Stamps: Acorny Thank You
Ink: Versamark
Other: Acorn Punch, Woodgrain Embossing Folder, Gold Embossing Powder, Gold Sequins, Dimensionals, Circle Dies

Thanks for stopping by today!  I hope you'll hop on over to the Freshly Made Sketches blog to check out the beautiful cards the design team created for you!  We can't wait to see what you'll create for the challenge this week!

Have a great day!
Jen

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #202


Hello!
I hope you're having a great week!  To my American friends, I hope your kids have enjoyed their first week back at school!  Our school board doesn't start until next Tuesday which is fantastic!  I don't mind having another week without the hectic schedule of school!  The boys aren't complaining either!

We have another new sketch at Freshly Made Sketches this week!  Our incredible hostess is Amy O'Neill!  She creates such beautiful cards!  I love all of the amazing colour combinations she comes up with!

Amy's sketch this week is so versatile.  I love that it can be used for pretty much anything.  I needed to make a birthday card for my dad (his birthday is the day after Jacob's).  I decided I would start with Amy's sketch and see where I ended up.  I used the Double Banner Garland Die and Circle Garland Die along with some fun Stitched Rectangles and Squares.

Supplies:
Cardstock: Whisper White, Basic Black, Silver
Stamps: In a Big Way (Reverse Confetti)
Ink: Black Stazon
Other: Stitched Rectangles (Lil' Inkers), In , Stitched Squares (Lil' Inkers), Double Banner Garland Die (Reverse Confetti), Circle Garland Die (Reverse Confetti), Dimensionals, Silver Bling (not sure where I got this one!).

Thanks again so much for stopping in for a visit.  I hope you'll head on over to the Freshly Made Sketches blog to see all the amazing cards the Design Team has come up with to inspire you!

Have a wonderful week!

Jen