Wednesday, December 16, 2020

Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #466

Hello!

Happy Wednesday!  I am a tad bit late getting this post out!  I totally forgot to get it ready to go last night.  I was confused on what day it was.  Our youngest is done school for the Christmas break now so I thought it was Friday instead of Tuesday.  My brain just doesn't work the way it used to!  I can't wait to see what it will be like when I'm 60!!!

We have a great new sketch at Freshly Made Sketches!  Our hostess if the truly amazing and talented Jennifer Timko!  Jen is an incredible card maker and her creativity always astounds me!  Head over to her blog to check out her beautiful cards!



I needed a sympathy card for one of my best friends.  Her father-in-law recently passed away after a battle with cancer. The area he lived in is currently in a lockdown due to Covid-19 and so they can't even really have a funeral.  I feel so badly for them.  I wanted a wintery sympathy card and knew my "In the Pines" would work perfectly!

Supplies;

Cardstock: Whisper White, Smoky Slate, Silver

Stamps: In the Pines, Essential Sentiments (MFT)

Ink: Smoky Slate

Other: Softly Falling Embossing Folder, Pine Woods Dies, Dimensionals

Thanks so much for stopping by - even if it's later than usual!

Our Design Team has created some amazing cards so head over to the Freshly Made Sketches blog and check them out!

We hope you'll join our challenge!  You have a bit of extra time for this challenge as we're taking a break for Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

Jen

Wednesday, December 9, 2020

Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #465

Hello!

Happy Wednesday! I hope you're having a great week!  Can you believe Christmas is just over two weeks away?!  I need to get started on my wrapping.  I also have a few Christmas cards to finish up this week - thankfully they're not for me!  Our tree finally got up and while we decorated we sipped on hot chocolate made from hot chocolate bombs.  Okay, this was seriously the best hot chocolate I have had in my entire life.  A local lady makes them and sells them and they were absolutely incredible.  My kids were licking their cups.  The best part was that as you poured the boiling hot milk over them and they opened, marshmallows popped out!  It doesn't take much to amuse me these days!!

We have a great new sketch this week at Freshly Made Sketches! Our hostess this week is the super talented Jacquie Southas!  Jacquie makes gorgeous cards so I know you'll have to head over to her blog to check them out! 


 So, as you can probably guess, this is not my first card.  I had made my original card days ago.  I stared at it for a while and then decided I didn't like it.  I whipped up another one to make up for my first lack lustre performance!  I had a card with some poppies on it sitting on my desk and it reminded me of just how much I love the poppies!

Supplies:

Cardstock: Gray Granite, Whisper White, Granny Apple Green, Cucumber Crush

DSP: Peony Garden

Stamps: Peaceful Moments

Ink: Basic Black

Other: Poppy Moments Dies, Stitched So Sweetly Dies, Tag Die (No idea where this came from), Gray Granite Shimmer Ribbon, Frosted Epoxy Droplets, Dimensionals

Thanks so much for stopping by today.  I hope you'll head over to the Freshly Made Sketches blog and join our challenge this week.  The Design Team has done an incredible job at creating cards to inspire so make sure you check those out!

Have an amazing day!

Jen




Wednesday, November 25, 2020

Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #463

Hello!

Happy Wednesday!  How on earth is it Wednesday already?!  A big Happy Early Thanksgiving to all of my American readers!  I hope you have a wonderful day on Thursday and eat lots of turkey (or whatever you choose to eat!)!  Are you a big Black Friday shopper?  Black Friday in Canada isn't the same as the US.  We're a little more low key!  There are sales but no one seems to line up at unearthly hours to get deals!  My kids are home that day for a PA Day so I won't be going to far!  Hopefully by Friday most of my shopping will be done.  I'm on a mission to have all Christmas shopping completed by the end of the week.  We shall see!  

We have a great new sketch this week at Freshly Made Sketches!  Our hostess this week is the incredible Amy O'Neill!  Amy is so talented and her cards always amaze me.  Head over to her blog to check them out!  


I decided to take a break from Christmas cards this week!  I had received the Playful Pets DSP a few weeks ago and it has just been sitting on my desk begging to be used (get it, "begging"?!)!  I just love this paper!  Of course I had to start with a cat card!!!  I cut the "Grump Cat" from DSP and then added a sentiment!  Who doesn't love a grumpy cat?!

Supplies:

Cardstock: Whisper White, Basic Black, Real Red, Grey Granite

DSP: Playful Pets

Stamps: Itty Bitty Birthdays

Ink: Basic Black

Other: Tasteful Texture Embossing Folder, Dimensionals

Thanks so much for stopping by today! If you head over to the Freshly Made Sketches blog you'll find lots of inspiration!  We can't wait to see what you come up with this week!

Have an amazing day!

Jen



 

Wednesday, November 18, 2020

Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #462

Hello!

Happy Wednesday!  I hope you're having a great week so far!  Have you started decorating for Christmas yet?  I put up my Christmas village on the weekend.  It's a long, tedious process and I tend to do it early so that I can get it done and enjoy it.  The rest of the decorations will need to wait until at least next weekend.  I can't have my tree up that long without going crazy!!  Plus I kinda think Sprite the cat will undecorated the tree this year.  She's a toad!

We have a great new sketch at Freshly Made Sketches this week!  Our hostess this week is the world famous fussy cutter Narelle Farrugia!  Narelle's cards are always gorgeous!  Head on over to her blog to check them out!  

So, I stared at this sketch for a while.  A long while.  I tried one thing and then another and didn't feel inspired.  I figured it was just because I was tired.  Anyhow, I knew I needed to make it Christmassy because I'm still behind on my Christmas cards so I tried pine trees first and when they wouldn't work I went with ornaments.


I realized after I stuck the ornaments on and glued on the sequins that I probably should have embossed the background but it was late and I was tired and so the card is how it is! I'm keeping it simple today people!

Supplies:

Cardstock: Whisper White, Silver Foil

Stamps: Christmas Gleaming

Ink: Basic Black

Other: Ornament Gleaming Punch Pack, Sequins, Dimensionals

Thanks so much for stopping by!  I hope you'll head on over to the Freshly Made Sketches blog and check out the amazing cards there!  Honestly, I am pretty sure this is the best Design Team ever!  Okay, so it's the only one I've ever been on, but I'm pretty sure it's the best one!

We can't wait to see what you create this week!

Have an amazing day!

Jen

Wednesday, November 11, 2020

Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #461

Hello!

Happy Wednesday and Happy Remembrance Day!  I hope everyone is having a great week!  I also hope that today you'll take a minute to stop and be thankful for the freedom that we have.  Regardless of whether you live in Canada, the US or abroad, most of us are so very fortunate to live freely and in safety. Today we will remember those that fought and continue to fight for our freedom and the freedom of others!  

We have an amazing new sketch this week at Freshly Made Sketches!  Our hostess this week is the amazing Karren Johnson!  Karren is so talented and every week she knocks it out of the park with her cards!  Head over to her blog and check them out!


 I recently purchased the In The Pines stamp set and the coordinating Pine Woods dies.  I had seen Narelle make too many amazing cards that I decided I needed these stamps and dies!  Of course when I got them and attempted to make a card, it was a disaster.  This was an "under the wire" card.  Nothing like trying to find good lighting in your house when it's pitch black outside!!!

Supplies:

Cardstock: Whisper White, Basic Black

DSP: Plaid Tidings

Stamps: In the Pines, Star of Light

Ink: Basic Black

Other: Pine Woods Dies, Softly Falling Embossing Folder, Sequins, Dimensionals

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  I hope you'll head over to the Freshly Made Sketches blog to be inspired by the ladies and their beautiful cards!  

Have a fantastic week!

Jen

Wednesday, November 4, 2020

Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #460

Hello!

Happy Wednesday!  I hope you're having a great week so far!  I guess if you live in the US (or anywhere in the world) you might still be waiting for the results of yesterday's election!  I do hope that regardless of who wins or who doesn't that there aren't any riots or unrest.  

We have a great new sketch at Freshly Made Sketches this week courtesy of our giraffe loving Judy Rozema! Judy's cards are always gorgeous!  She's so talented!  Head on over to her blog to check them out!  

When I saw the sketch I was a bit stumped.  I must admit I left making this card a little late!  I felt the pressure to get it done and I'm not overly thrilled with the final creation!  Needless to say I know I need more Christmas cards so that's where I started.  I might have experiments with different paper and a different green for the holly leaves but this is what I settled on.


Supplies:

Cardstock: Basic Black, Real Red, Red Foil, Green Foil

DSP: Tis The Season

Stamps: Star of Light

Ink: Basic Black

Other: Banners Framelits Dies, Poinsettia Dies, Sequins, Softly Falling Embossing Folder, Dimensionals

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  I hope you'll join our challenge this week!  Head on over to the Freshly Made Sketches blog and check out the gorgeous cards my team members have created!  You won't be disappointed!

Have an amazing day!

Jen

 

Wednesday, October 28, 2020

Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #459


Hello!

Happy Wednesday!  I hope you're having a great start to your week!  I know some places around Ontario had snow earlier this week.  Thankfully we did not though it's cold and damp!  I kinda feel like winter might be coming a little bit earlier this year than we're used to!  I also realized that this weekend is the time change.  I kinda think that the pandemic started the weekend of the time change so maybe it will disappear this weekend?!  One can dream right?

We have a new sketch this week at Freshly Made Sketches!  I am this week's hostess!  I'm so excited and hope you guys like the sketch and will play along!  It's definitely not my usual kind of sketch.  I stretched myself with this one and it's totally out of my comfort zone!

Shockingly enough though this was the first edition of this card!  I saw the poppy paper and knew it would work!  Crazy right!  I think I fall in love with this paper more and more when I use it!  I wish I had hoarded a bit more of it!


Supplies:

Cardstock: Whisper White, Rich Razzleberry, Mossy Meadow, Basic Black, Granny Apple Green,  Cucumber Crush

DSP: Painted Poppies

Stamps: You're So (Reverse Confetti)

Ink: Mossy Meadow

Other: You're So Confetti Cuts, Poppy Moments Dies, Dainty Diamonds Embossing Folder, Dimensionals

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  I hope you'll head over to the Freshly Made Sketches blog and check out the gorgeous cards the girls have created!  I hope you'll join us this week and create your own card using my sketch!!   

Have an amazing day!

Jen


Wednesday, October 21, 2020

Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #458

Hello!

Happy Wednesday!!!  I hope you're having a great start to your week!  I bought my first Christmas present yesterday.  Actually, I guess that's not entirely true.  I bought a book for my youngest a week or so ago but I picked up a present for my husband today.  I had to hide it in my son's closet because I didn't know where else to put it.  Ugh.  I must remind myself to tell my son or he'll wonder what is going on!  Thankfully he's old enough to keep it a secret!

We have a great new sketch this week at Freshly Made Sketches!  Our hostess this week is the amazing Kim Singdahlsen!  Kim creates the most beautiful cards!  She is what I would call an enabler!  I often use her cards to make Christmas lists!!!


 As you can imagine, this is not my first card!  I attempted a Christmas card but...as you can see that did not happen!  I opted for the Peony Garden DSP because it's so pretty and I wanted some nice soft colours paired together!  At first I hadn't added the flower but thought the card looked a little naked so went back and added it in.  I coloured it with the Petal Pink Stampin Blends.

Supplies:

Cardstock: Whisper White, Gray Granite

DSP: Peony Garden

Stamps: Prized Peony, Itty Bitty Birthdays

Ink: Gray Granite, Memento Black

Other: Dainty Diamonds Textured Embossing Folder, Stampin Blends,  Peony Dies, Gray Granite Shimmer Ribbon, Golf Club Dies, Elegant Faceted Gems, Dimensionals


Thanks so much for stopping by today!  If you want to see some truly amazing cards, you'll head over to the Freshly Made Sketches blog and check out the cards that the Design Team created!  

We can't wait to see what you create this week!

Have an amazing day!

Jen


Wednesday, October 14, 2020

Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #457


Hello!

Happy Wednesday!  We are coming off a long Thanksgiving weekend in Canada!  We were able to get out for a few hikes this weekend and the trees were so glorious!  That's one thing I would miss if I didn't live where there were gorgeous maples and oaks.  The colours were amazing!  

We have an amazing new sketch at Freshly Made Sketches this week courtesy of the talented Linda Callahan!  Linda makes gorgeous cards!  She is super creative and usually has a great story to go with her cards!  Head over to her blog to check them out! 


I bet you can't guess it, but I had trouble with this one!  I know, shocking right?!  Story of my life these days.  I just couldn't figure out what to do.  Finally my eyes landed on the Honey Bee DSP from SU.  It's some of my favourite paper ever!  I was pretty sure this would work for my card!

I added a couple of little bees and we were off to the races!   

Supplies:

Cardstock: Whisper White, Basic Black, Gold Foil

DSP: Honey Bee Specialty

Stamps: Honey Bee, Celebrate Sunflowers

Ink: Memento Black, Basic Black

Other: Detailed Bees Dies, Tasteful Texture DSP, Stampin Blends, Dimensionals

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  I hope you'll head over to the Freshly Made Sketches blog and check out the gorgeous cards the Design Team have created!  

Have an amazing day!

Jen

 

Wednesday, October 7, 2020

Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #456


Hello!

Happy Wednesday!  I hope you're having an amazing week!  Our week has started well.  We're having some warmer weather and it's just lovely out!  Now, this is my idea of fall!  We will be celebrating Canadian Thanksgiving this coming weekend!  I can't believe it's Thanksgiving already!  I've got my turkey and all the fixings so I guess I will be cooking up a storm!!  I love turkey so it's all worth it!

We have a great new sketch at Freshly Made Sketches this week!  Our hostess is the amazing Jennifer Timko!  Jen is a colouring queen and her cards are absolutely gorgeous!  You need to head over to her blog and check them out!


 So, I saw my Peony Garden DSP sitting there and decided that it would be perfect!  I wasn't quite in the Christmas card making mood so flowers and birthdays it was!  

Supplies:

Cardstock: Petal Pink, Whisper White

DSP: Peony Garden

Stamps: So Sentimental

Ink: Basic Black

Other: Silver Thread, Elegant Faceted Gems, Gray Granite Shimmer Ribbon, Sweetly Stitched Dies, Peony Dies, Dimensionals


Thanks so much for stopping by today!  I know you'll want to see what the Design Team has created so head on over to the Freshly Made Sketches blog! 

Have an amazing day!

Jen


Wednesday, September 30, 2020

Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #455

Hello!

Happy Wednesday!  I hope you're having a great start to your week!  We've gone from having our air conditioning on to sweaters and jeans in a span of 24 hours!  Gotta love season changes!  I love the cooler nights and having the windows open (though my allergies don't agree!).  My summer flower baskets are still doing amazing.  I do not have a green thumb at all and usually by July my baskets look dreadful but this year, they don't.  For some reason these baskets are doing amazingly well and I can't bear the thought of getting rid of them.  Normally I have fall mums outside but I'm going to wait out my summer baskets as long as I can!!!

We have a brand new sketch today at Freshly Made Sketches!  Our hostess this week is the amazing Jen Mitchell!  Jen is our clean queen!  She creates the most gorgeous and elegant cards.  I'm always jealous of her nice clean backgrounds!  Head over to her blog to check them out!



I'm sure you can guess that this card threw me for a loop.  That giant star might as well be a giant circle!  I also kinda forgot that I hadn't done this week's card and was rushed to make it.  I may have tired several other designs before I settled for this one too.  And I say "settled" because I'm not over thrilled with this card.

Supplies:

Cardstock: Early Espresso, Very Vanilla, Gold Foil

DSP: In Good Taste

Stamps: Poinsettia Petals

Ink: Early Espresso

Other: Poinsettia Dies, Gold Sequins, Dimensionals

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  I hope you'll head over to the Freshly Made Sketches blog and check it out!  There are tons of gorgeous cards to inspire you!  We can't wait to see what you create this week!

Have an amazing day!

Jen

Wednesday, September 23, 2020

Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #454


Hello!

Happy Wednesday!  I hope you're having a great start to your week!  I can't believe we're officially into fall!  Fall is my favourite season.  I love decorating, the colours, the smells and the cool nights!  There are some people that get excited to decorate for Christmas, for me it's fall.  I could totally leave up my pumpkins all year round!!  

We have a brand new sketch at Freshly Made Sketches this week!  Our hostess is the amazing Jacquie Southas!  Jacquie is one of our colouring queens and always creates the most amazing cards!  Head over to her blog to check them out!



One would think that this is a straight forward sketch.  It seems straight forward right?  Not for this girl.  I've felt very uncreative lately.  Like really, really uncreative!  Anyhow, I struggled to figure out what I wanted to make for this card.  I wanted a fall card - I just can't help it! You know me and fall! Needless to say, the plaid tidings DSP was sitting there and it won!

Supplies:

Cardstock: Cajun Craze, Whisper White

DSP: Plaid Tidings

Stamps: Fall Foliage (Reverse Confetti)

Ink: Basic Black, Memento Black

Other: Fall Foliage Dies, Copper Thread, Tasteful Texture Embossing Folder, Stampin Blends, Dimensionals

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  I hope you'll take some time and head over to the Freshly Made Sketches blog!  You will love the cards the Design Team ladies have created!  

We can't wait to see what you come up with for our challenge!

Have an amazing day!!

Jen

Wednesday, September 16, 2020

Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #453


Hello!

Happy Wednesday!  I hope you're having a great week so far!  School has officially started for both of my kids.  I have one in school full time and one who goes a bit less than part time.  High school is mostly online and is organized and so far so good.  The elementary schools are trying their best and I'm hopeful that all will be well.  Truthfully if I think about it too much, it makes me want to throw up!  Thankfully my youngest has a great attitude about school and is super excited to be there and doesn't seem to mind wearing a mask all day!

It's Wednesday and that means that we have a fun new sketch at Freshly Made Sketches!  Our hostess this week is the lovely Judy Rozema!  Judy's cards area always beautiful!  Did you see what she created last week out of a blob?!  Check her blog to find out!

For those of you who know me, you know that as soon as I saw that giant circle I freaked out.  Then Judy went and added a second one in as well!  Two!  Oh goodness!  I struggled friend.  Struggled.  It wasn't until I saw some stamp company advertising some new stitched pumpkins that I realized I could make my own giant pumpkin!  Totally old school!  

I used some oval dies, embossed the ovals, inked them and put them together.  The stem is totally hand cut because I didn't know what else to do!  I added some fall foliage and voila, a fall themed card!

Supplies:

Cardstock: Early Espresso, Sahara Sand, Very Vanilla, Cherry Cobbler, More Mustard

DSP:  In Good Taste

Stamps: Acorny Thank You

Ink: Early Espresso

Other: Oval Dies, Tasteful Texture Embossing Folder, Colourful Seasons Dies, Sunflower Dies, Braided Linen Trim, Dimensionals 

Thank you so much for stopping by today!  I hope you'll head over to the Freshly Made Sketches blog and enter our challenge this week!  We can't wait to see what you come up with!  

Have an amazing day!

Jen

Wednesday, September 9, 2020

Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #452


Hello!

Happy Wednesday!  I hope you're having a great week so far!  My oldest starts high school today.  I can't believe it.  How is that even possible?  Wasn't he just starting JK yesterday? I remember his first day like it was just yesterday and here we are 10 years later!  My youngest has one day of school this week so he's enjoying a few more golf games before school starts up!  

We have a great new sketch at Freshly Made Sketches this week!  Our hostess this week is our colour pairing queen, Amy O'Neill!   Head over to Amy's blog if you want to see some incredible cards.  She can mix and match colours, patterns and embellishments like no one else!  Trust me, you won't be disappointed!


At first those two leaves threw me.  I wasn't sure what I wanted to do.  I love fall cards and I'm not sure why I didn't pull out some fall'ish stuff but I also saw some holly leaves and berries and thought that they would work!  

My Mossy Meadow stampin' blend is on it's last legs and I wasn't sure it would last to colour the holly leaves but it did!  Yay!  I decided to add a stitched border and another stitched label for my sentiment and call it a day!  Of course I still had to add some sequins because...well, why not?!

Supplies:

Cardstock: Whisper White, Mossy Meadow

Stamps: Christmas Gleaming

Ink: Versamark, Memento Black

Other: Sweetly Stitched Dies, Stitched Rectangular Frames, Stampin Blends (Mossy Meadow and Cherry Cobbler), Dainty Diamonds Embossing Folder, Copper Embossing Folder, Copper Sequins

Thanks so much for stopping by today! The Design Team has created some amazing cards so you need to head over to the Freshly Made Sketches blog and check them out!   

Have an amazing day!

Jen


Wednesday, September 2, 2020

Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #451


Hello!
Happy Wednesday!  I hope you're having a great week!  I hope school has started well for those of you who are back at it.  The school situation here is very fluid and I am totally going with the flow on it.  That's totally not like me.  I'm trying to just let everything fall into place and trust that the right decision will be obvious and all will be well.  Regardless, there isn't much I can do about it!  So we'll just wait!

We have a fun new sketch this week at Freshly Made Sketches!  Our hostess this week is the incredible Narelle Farrugia!  Narelle is a floral, fussy cutting queen.  She also seems to add the most gorgeous layers to her cards.  I'm always wowed by them!  Head over to her blog and check them out!  


I didn't know what I wanted to do for this card but I saw the Peony Garden DSP sitting there and knew I should probably get that out!  I just love this paper and of course I love that giant magnolia bloom!  I added a textured background and some little gems.  I can't seem to make a card these days without some kind of bling!  And just like that, it was done.  Okay...it took way longer than that to make!!!  

Supplies:
Cardstock: Whisper White, Basic Gray
DSP: Peony Garden
Stamps: Good Morning Magnolia
Ink: Memento Black
Other: Tasteful Texture Embossing Folder, Stampin Blends,  Celebrate Die (Lil Inkers), Elegant Faceted Gems, Dimensionals

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  I hope you'll head to the Freshly Made Sketches blog!  We really hope you'll join us in our challenge this week!

Have an amazing day!
Jen

Wednesday, August 26, 2020

Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #450

Hello!

Happy Wednesday!  I hope you are having a great week!  I hope those of you who with kids who have headed back to school, have had a smooth transition!  It's definitely a different situation for all of us.  Our kids have their first day of school in a couple of weeks.  My boys will be heading back to class but Caleb (high school) will be attending a little less than 50% of the time and doing the rest online.  Jacob will be full time in school.  We're going to try it and see how it goes.  We have until November 20th to change our minds and opt for distance learning.  Strange times that require patience and lots of grace!

We have a great new sketch this week at Freshly Made Sketches!  Our hostess this week is the incredibly talented Karren Johnson!  Karren is a colouring genius!  I dream of heading to New Zealand and learning to colour and craft with Karren!!  Head over to her blog to check out her amazing cards!


Karren's sketch threw me a bit.  I stared at those circles and did not know what to do with them!  I don't know why they stumped me so much.  You know how I get with circles!!

Anyhow, I wanted a fall'ish card and I had one of these copper leaves sitting on my work space so I decided I would make the card around that one leaf!  Yup, I do weird things!  I also had this copper embossed acorn sitting on my desk and decided that it needed to be incorporated into the card as well!  A couple of die cuts from the Give Thanks set (from Concord & 9th).

Supplies:

Cardstock: Whisper White, Early Espresso, Copper Foil

DSP: In Good Taste

Stamps: Beautiful Autumn

Ink: Early Espresso, Versamark

Other: Seasonal Layers Dies, Give Thanks Dies (Concord & 9th), Dainty Diamonds Embossing Folder, Nested Label Dies, Acorn Punch (Autumn Punch Pack),  Copper Embossing Powder, Dimensionals

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  I hope you'll head over to the Freshly Made Sketches blog and check out the gorgeous cards created by the Design Team!  You won't be disappointed!  

I can't wait to see what you make for our challenge this week!

Have an amazing day!

Jen


Wednesday, August 19, 2020

Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #449


Hello!

Happy Wednesday!  I hope your week has started well!  It is golfing week at our house.  I think the kids are golfing pretty much every and my husband is getting a few games in with them as well.  They sure do love golf!  A golf membership was the best investment this summer!  They were able to start golfing mid May and have been at least 3-4 times a week ever since!  One positive thing about this pandemic.  They've gotten lots of fresh air and exercise and have the golfers tans to go with it!

We have a great new sketch this week at Freshly Made Sketches!  Our hostess this week is the super creative Cecile Ribon!  Cecile has the best dies and always uses her elements in the most amazing ways!  Check out her stunning creations on her blog!



This sketch totally stumped me!  I'll be honest.  I had some ideas of what I wanted but could not for the life of me get those ideas "down on paper"!  I struggle and finally caved and hauled out the poinsettias.  I love this background paper so much.  It's so realistic and seemed to work for this card.

Supplies:

Cardstock: Early Espresso, Very Vanilla, Gold Foil

DSP:  In Good Taste

Stamps: Poinsettia Petals

Ink: Early Espresso

Other: Poinsettia Dies, Sequins, Dimensionals

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  I hope you'll had over to the Freshly Made Sketches blog and check out the amazing cards the Design Team has created! 

Have an amazing day!

Jen

Wednesday, August 12, 2020

Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #448


Hello!

Happy Wednesday!  I hope you're having a great start to your week so far!  Can you believe we're cruising into the middle of the month?  It's now dark when I get up in the morning which makes it a little hard to wake up but now I get to see some spectacular sunrises again.  I love watching the sun come up.  To me it's the perfect time of day!

We have a brand new sketch this week at Freshly Made Sketches!  I have the honour of being this week's hostess.  It's always fun to be the hostess and see how many different cards can be created from one sketch!  I love all of the creativity out there.

I wanted to keep this sketch relatively easy.  It leaves a lot of room for interpretation!

I needed a sympathy card for a dear friend of mine who recently lost her sister.  I wanted to keep it fairly neutral but have flowers on it because she has the most amazing gardens!  

I pulled out the Poppy Moments Dies and some of the In Good Taste DSP.  I absolutely love this paper and the fabulous wood grains there are to choose from.

Supplies:

Cardstock: Whisper White, Very Vanilla, Gumball Green, Granny Apple Green, Early Espresso

DSP: In Good Taste

Stamps: Tall Blooms (Reverse Confetti)

Ink: Early Espresso

Other: Poppy Moments Dies, Sequins (Close to my Heart), Dimensionals

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  

I hope you'll head over to the Freshly Made Sketches blog and check out the cards the Design Team has created!  I think I've mentioned once or twice before how amazingly talented these ladies are!

I can't wait to see what you create with my sketch this week!

Jen


Wednesday, August 5, 2020

Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #447


Hello!
Happy Wednesday!  I hope you're having a great week so far!  I am back from an amazing visit with my parents and settling back into routine here.  I can't believe it's already August and the kids only have a month of vacation left.  I must say I have enjoyed having my kids home and will be a little sad to see them go back to school - then again I will not miss 4 people in my kitchen at the same time trying to make their own lunches!

We have a great new sketch this week at Freshly Made Sketches!  Our hostess this week is the incredible Kim Singdahlsen!  Kim makes amazing cards - I often end up spending a tad too much $$ after seeing her cards!  Head over to her blog to check them out!

I had a couple of ladies request some cards and the request involved pink and peonies.  I love the Prized Peony stamp set and really do love the Tasteful Texture Embossing Folder.  I paired them together and added a Nested Label Die cut and voila!  I got the Nested Labels in my last order and I just love them!  I had been eyeing them up for a long time and you'll probably see them on every card now!!

Supplies:
Cardstock: Petal Pink, Whisper White, Grey Granite
DSP: Peony Garden
Stamps: Prized Peony, LJD Birthday Greetings (MFT)
Ink: Memento Black
Other: Nested Labels Dies, Peony Dies, Stampin' Blends, Elegant Faceted Gems, Dimensionals

Thanks so much for stopping by!  Head on over to the Freshly Made Sketches blog to check out the gorgeous cards the Design Team has created!  I must say that I love being on a team with so much talent!  The other ladies truly amaze me with their creativity!

Have an amazing day!

Jen

Wednesday, July 29, 2020

Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #446


Happy Wednesday!  I hope you're having a great week so far!  My husband blessed me with a week by myself with my mom and dad!  He has a light week at work this week so offered to take the kids while I stayed for another week visiting my parents.  After not seeing them for over 7.5 months I was totally game.  Depending on how our Covid #'s look over the next little while, I wanted to get a good visit in in case we get locked back down again.

We have a brand new sketch this week at Freshly Made Sketches!  Our hostess this week is the amazing Linda Callahan.  Linda is not only hilarious but she makes super cute cards!  Head on over to her blog to check them out!

Linda is taking us to new levels with her sketch!  This week we're going slim!  I can't say that I've ever made a slimline card so this was a new experience for me!  If you're wondering what envelopes to put them in, I used a regular long envelope but apparently a #10 works as well (maybe they're the same thing?!)!

I was a little stumped on what to put on my card but my super creative mom suggested a fall card and thankfully has the most wonderful leaf stamps and dies (which I'm thinking might accidentally get put in my bag to make the trip back home!)  She also happened to have some stalks left that I had cut and sent her for fall cards last year!  I am totally going to give her all the credit for the idea of this card!

Supplies:
Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Early Espresso, Cajun Craze, Crushed Curry, Crumb Cake, Pumpkin Pie, Copper Foil
DSP: Plaid Tidings
Stamps: Beautiful Autumn, Vintage Leaves
Ink: Early Espresso, Cajun Craze
Other: Gathered Leaves Dies, Sunflower Dies, Nested Labels, Leaflets Framelits, Dainty Diamonds Embossing Folder, Copper Ribbon

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  I hope you'll go and check out the gorgeous cards on the Freshly Made Sketches blog!  The Design Team did an amazing job creating beautiful cards!

Have an amazing day!

Jen

Wednesday, July 22, 2020

Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #445


Hello!
Happy Wednesday! I hope your week has started well!  The boys and I are at my parents this week and thoroughly enjoying our visit (and being stuffed full of delicious food and sweets!).  We hadn't seen my parents in 7.5 months and are so grateful to be able to visit with them now (after Covid testing of course)!  I've also enjoyed being able to make some cards with my mom!  Doesn't get much better than that!

We have a new sketch at Freshly Made Sketches this week courtesy of Jen Mitchell!  Jen takes her cards to the next level in terms of clean and simple.  I absolutely love her clean backgrounds and pretty designs.  Head over to her blog to check them out!  They sure are stunning.
So I absolutely love the new Gilded Autumn Specialty DSP that will be available in our Mini Catalogue coming out at the beginning of August.  Fall paper and fall colours just speak to me and this paper is right up my alley!  I paired this fabulous paper with the Sunflower Dies and voila!  

I made a second card (also with the same Gilded Autumn paper and sunflower) just because I loved the first one so much! You can never have too many fall themed birthday cards can you?  At least I don't think so!!!


Supplies:
Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Mint Macaron, Gold Foil, Copper Foil
DSP: Gilded Autumn Specialty
Stamps: Beautiful Autumn
Ink: Early Espresso
Other: Sunflower Dies, Nested Labels Dies, Dimensionals

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  I hope you'll head over to the Freshly Made Sketches blog and check out the cards that have been posted.  The Design Team knocked this one out of the park!  

Have an amazing day!

Jen

Wednesday, July 15, 2020

Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #444


Hello
Happy Wednesday!  I hope you're having a great start to your week!  We've had a couple days of gorgeous weather where you could actually be outside and not feel like you were melting!  It's been lovely!  My husband had a bad fall while mountain biking a few weeks ago and he's slowly healing.  He's back on the bike and we're doing some "short" rides around our neighbourhood to help strengthen his damaged muscles.  Several doctors have told him he's very, very fortunate that the damage wasn't more severe!  Thankfully, he was wearing a helmet and didn't hit his head!

We have a great sketch this week at Freshly Made Sketches!  Our hostess this week is the amazing Jen Timko!  Jen's cards speak for themselves!  They are always amazing!  Her colouring is awe inspiring!  Head over to her blog to check them out!


Of course this card has a peony.  Did you expect anything different?  Okay, it could have been a sunflower or a magnolia!  I just can't help it!  I love them!  Though my box of new goodies from the upcoming Holiday Catalogue arrived and I can't wait to play with that!

I also realize that my sentiment and rectangle are on the wrong side of the card.  Apparently when I copied the sketch down I didn't do it properly!  Sometimes I wonder how I can walk and breathe at the same time!!  

I absolutely love the Peony Garden DSP.  I actually just ordered another pack because I've gone through so much!  Maybe that's not something to be proud of!  Ha!

Supplies:
Cardstock: Gray Granite, Whisper White, Gumball Green, Granny Apple Green, 
DSP: Peony Garden
Stamps: Itty Bitty Birthdays
Ink: Basic Black
Other: Peony Dies, Gray Granite Ribbon, Dainty Diamonds Embossing Folder, Sweetly Stitched Dies, Dimensionals

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  I hope you'l head on over to the Freshly Made Sketches blog and check out the gorgeous cards the Design Team whipped up for your inspiration!

Have an amazing day!

Jen


Wednesday, July 8, 2020

Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #443


Hello!
Happy Wednesday!  I hope you're having a great start to your week so far!  I'm thinking that no matter where you live right now, you're roasting!  It has been so hot and humid here.  We have hot weather in Southern Ontario but I feel like this is one of the longest stretches of this crazy heat that we've had.  Topped off with no rain at all.  Hopefully we get a bit of relief soon!

We have a fantastic new sketch this week at Freshly Made Sketches!  Our hostess this week is the amazing Lee Ann Barrett.  Lee Ann is another one of our colouring queens!  I always love to see the beautiful cards she comes up with!  Head over to her blog to check them out!

This week's sketch is super fun!  I must admit when I first saw it I was a little freaked out.  I wasn't quite sure what I would do with it.  Then when I decided what I kinda wanted, it all came together rather quickly!

So yes, I hauled out the peonies again.  I'm sorry.  I love them.  They're so fun to use!  I kept this card neutral!  Grey and White look!  I probably should have added in some colour but I decided I liked it as is!

Supplies:
Cardstock:  Whisper White, Basic Gray
DSP:  Peony Garden
Stamps: Prized Peony, Peaceful Moments
Ink: Basic Black, Memento
Other: Smokey Slate Stampin' Blends, Clear Epoxy Droplets, Dainty Diamonds Embossing Folder, Stitched So Sweetly Dies, Dimensionals

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  I hope you'll head over to the Freshly Made Sketches blog and check out the amazing cards the ladies have created!

Have an incredible day!

Jen


Wednesday, July 1, 2020

Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #442


Hello!
Happy Wednesday and Happy Canada Day to my fellow Canadian friends!!!  I hope you all have a wonderful day "celebrating" that we have the privilege of living in this great nation!  This year's celebrations will not look anything like what we normally do.  There are no public celebrations, there aren't gatherings.  That's okay.  We can still celebrate at home and know that we are so blessed to live in this country!!

We have a great new sketch this week at Freshly Made Sketches!  Our hostess is the amazing Jacquie Southas!  Jacquie makes the most beautiful cards!  She always uses fun, bright colours and her cards are so cheery!  I love it!  Head over to her blog to check them out!

I must say those round'ish shapes may have thrown me for a loop.  I sat and started at paper until I saw this flower sitting already coloured on my desk.  Actually, Pepsi the cat was sitting on it!  I was inspired by Jen M's all white card last week and knew I wanted to make one that was mostly white as well!

I love this new embossing folder from SU and think it's going to be one of my new go-to embossing folders!  I can't help using these peonies!  I've been making cards with them all week!  I just love them!  They're so fun and who doesn't love a peony!  I "painted" the peony with some Wink of Stella because really, every flower needs some sparkle!!

Supplies:
Cardstock: Whisper White
DSP: Peony Garden
Stamps: Prized Peony, Sentiment (It's one from MFT....sorry, I can't remember which one!)
Ink: Stazon Black, Memento Black
Other: Dainty Diamonds Embossing Folder, Stampin' Blends, Double Stitched Circle Dies, Sweetly Stitched Dies, Elegant Faceted Gems, Wink of Stella, Dimensionals

Thanks so much for stopping by!  I hope you'll head over to the Freshly Made Sketches blog to check out what the other ladies have designed!  Please join us this week as well!

Have an amazing day!

Jen

Wednesday, June 24, 2020

Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #441


Hello!
Happy Wednesday!  I hope you're having a great start to your week.  Yesterday was supposed to have been our oldest son's Grade 8 Graduation.  Hard to believe in March when we went into lockdown we thought it would all be over in a few weeks.  It won't be the day he was supposed to have but we'll take a few photos of Caleb outside and have some cake with our neighbours, whose son is also graduating!  I still remember Caleb's first day of Junior Kindergarten like it was yesterday and here we are almost 10 years later!  I can't even imagine how fast high school will fly by!

We have a great new sketch this week at Freshly Made Sketches!  Our hostess this week is the super creative Judy Rozema!  Judy's cards are always beautiful and super bright and cheery!  Head on over to her blog and check them out!

So let's just say that this card could be perfect with a sunflower!!!  BUT I spared you this week!  I've moved onto peonies (but don't worry, I might make another card using this sketch and some sunflowers!).  I love the new peony dies!  I did have to watch a tutorial on how to use them though.  I opened the package and almost gave up!!!  Once you make them, you realize how easy peasy they are!

Supplies:
Cardstock: Whipser White, So Saffron, Grey Granite
DSP: Peony Garden DSP
Stamps: Itty Bitty Birthdays
Ink: Stazon Black
Other: Dainty Diamonds Embossing Folder, Peony Dies, Elegant Faceted Gems, Sweetly Stitched Dies, Dimensionals

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  I hope you'll pop over to the Freshly Made Sketches blog and check out the gorgeous cards the Design Team have created.

Have an amazing day!

Jen