Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #666

Hello and Happy Wednesday!
I hope you're having a great week!  We're quickly inching our way towards Christmas.  I think I have most of the shopping done now.  Stockings are giving me grief but that's the trouble with teenage boys!  I just need a couple of little things and we'll be good to go!  

We have a brand new sketch at Freshly Made Sketches this week and it's or last one of the year!  How is that even possible?!  I have the privilege of being this week's hostess!  I sure hope you'll head into your craft area, make a card and join in our challenge!

I need a couple more Christmas cards and I figured that poinsettias would fit best in those massive circles that I opted to put on that sketch in a moment of weakness!  I actually had 3 of the 4 poinsettias already made on my desk.  They were just sitting there from a previous card making attempt and were just calling to be used on this card. 

Supplies:
Cardstock: Hammermill White Coverstock, Real Red, Silver Foil

Stamps: Christmas Pines

Ink: PinkFresh Detail Black

Dies: Christmas Bird Poinsettia (Spellbinders)

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  I thought I'd share a few photos of our most recent hike.  This was a hike to Chester Lake.  It's not long and not a lot of elevation gain but there was a ton of snow!  It was beautiful!  

I sure hope you'll join in our challenge this week.  You have until Monday at 1 PM EST to get your card entered into this last challenge of 2024!

If you need some inspiration head over to the Freshly Made Sketches blog and check out the cards that are posted! 

Have an amazing day and Merry Christmas!

Jen

 

Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #665

Hello!
Happy Wednesday!  I hope you're having a great week so far!  We've got a chinook rolling through so the weather has been lovely!  Some of that crazy snow we had received is melting!  We had some freezing fog this morning so the trees are coated again but that must makes them super pretty!  Are you ready for Christmas?  I think I'm pretty much done!  I have a couple of little things to do and some stocking stuffers to buy but I feel better than I did last week!

We've got a great new sketch today at Freshly Made Sketches!  Our hostess is the lovely Kim Singdahlsen.  Kim makes such beautiful cards so head over to her blog to check them out!  I'm a little behind in getting my card posted!  I actually had it done good and early but I had forgotten to take a picture and by the time I remembered yesterday, it was pitch black out and I take terrible inside pictures when it's dark!  Soooo...here I am a few hours late!

I started with strips.  I tried.  I really did.  I have given up on Christmas cards because Canada Post is on strike so the mail isn't going anywhere anyhow and I figure they'll be so backed up when the strike is over that I might as well move onto a different type of card!   

My husband's birthday is early in February and creeps up on me so I thought I'd get a head start and get that card done!  I started with a different idea and hated it and wanted to incorporate mountains somehow so I threw some trees in for my long strips and away we went!  

Supplies:
Cardstock: Hammermill Coverstock White, Garden Green, Wild Wasabi, Gumball Green, Smoky Slate, Silver Foil

Dies: Pine Woods Dies (SU), A2 Mountain Scene Builder Add-On Honey Cuts (Honey Bee Stamps), Celebrate Script (Taylored Expressions)

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  I hope you'll join in our challenge this week!  You have until Monday at 1 PM EST to get your card entered into this week's challenge.  If you need some inspiration, head over to the Freshly Made Sketches blog and check out what's posted there!  The Design Team has some amazing cards!  

 Have an amazing day!

Jen

Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #664

Hello!
Happy Wednesday!  I hope you're having a great start to the week!  We had a pretty big snow storm on the weekend but finally the sun has come out and at least melted some of the ice on the roads.  I'm still not used to the way Calgary deals with snow.  Or maybe doesn't deal with it?!  I've attached some pictures at the end of this post of our winter wonderland.  It sure does get you in the Christmas spirit!  

We have a brand new sketch this week at Freshly Made Sketches.  Our hostess this week is the wonderful Linda Callahan!  Linda's cards are always so lovely.  Please head over to her blog to check them out!  

So I'm going to call my card the crooked card.  I have a very crooked eye and wow, I sure didn't disappoint with this card.  My panels are crooked, my sentiment is crooked but at least I got the card finished.  I'll just have to send this one to my mom because she'll tell me it's wonderful no matter how crooked everything is!!  Though with the Canada Post strike I don't think mail is going anywhere anytime soon!

Supplies:
Cardstock: Hammermill Coverstock White, Real Red, Cherry Cobbler, Garden Green, Wild Wasabi, Gumball Green, Gold Foil

Stamps: Itty Bitty Gifting (MFT)

Ink: Black Detail (Pink Fresh Studios)

Dies: Build-A-Wreath (Spellbinders), Christmas Bird Poinsettia (Spellbinders), Itty Bitty Strips (MFT)

Other: Winter's Veil Embossing Folder (Tonic Studios), Brushed Metallic Adhesive Backed Dots (SU)

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Here are a few winter shots!  We finally got a day of sun after almost a week of cloud.  That is super weird for us.  We usually have sun every day!  

We hope you'll head over to the Freshly Made Sketches blog and join in our challenge this week!  We always love to see what you come up with!  If you need some inspiration, head over to the blog and check out the cards that are posted!  

You have until Monday at 1 PM EST to get your card entered into this week's challenge!

Have an amazing day!
Jen

 

Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #662

Hello!
Happy Wednesday!  I hope you're having a great start to your week!  There is a chinook blowing through so it's been quite lovely temperature wise - not so nice are the accompanying chinook headaches that most of us get.  I will put up with the headaches to have some beautiful weather!!!

We have a brand new sketch this week at Freshly Made Sketches!  Our hostess this week is the amazing Jennifer Timko!  Jen is such an amazing card designer and a talented airline pilot!  She's also one of our fearless leaders and we're so thankful for her and all she does for our challenge!  Please head over to her blog and give her some love! 

I don't usually do too well with large open spaces BUT I am in desperate need of Christmas cards so I figured I'd throw some poinsettias on this one and call it a day!  I opted for an all white background but think I might make another one with a black background!  I started with silver centres for my poinsettias but then went with copper foil!  I wanted to be different!  I threw on some copper jewels and called it a day!

Supplies:
Cardstock: Hammermill White Coverstock, Copper Foil (SU)

Stamps: Star of Light (SU)

Ink: Detail Black (PinkFresh Studios)

Dies: Poinsettia Dies (SU)

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  
We hope you'll enter in our challenge this week!  You have until Monday at 1 PM EST to get your card entered on the Freshly Made Sketches blog!  If you need some inspiration, head over to the blog and check it out!  

We hit up a fantastic Christmas market on the weekend and then did a little hike.  The hike was fantastic even though the views were non-existent.  It was just so nice to get out after a few weeks of not hiking!

Reindeer at the Christmas market

So many sheep on the road today!!!

Hiking in a snow storm

Fantastic summit views

Frozen creek

Hope you have an amazing day!

Jen

Freshly Made Sketches Challenge 661

Hello!
Happy Wednesday!  I hope you're having a great start to your week!  I feel like Halloween ended and suddenly Christmas is everywhere.  I have a bit of Christmas shopping done but not a whole lot.  I can't really wrap my head around Christmas yet.  Our church hosts a Christmas market every year and I'm helping plan that and then the next night I'm hosting a ladies Advent evening.  To say that my brain feels like it might explode is an understatement.  The best part is that the week of all this excitement my husband needs to be out of town!  I'm so thankful both my kids can drive!  Makes crazy weeks more bearable!

We have a brand new sketch at Freshly Made Sketches this week.  Our hostess is the lovely Jacquie Southas!  Jacquie's cards are so pretty - please head over to her blog and check them out! 

Shockingly this card came together quickly - probably because it wasn't the first one I made.  The first one I made I wasn't too happy with but I'll probably still post it on Instagram so if you want to see if you'll have to hop over there!  I got this new Snowflake embossing folder the last time I was at the Paper and Ink Boutique and decided to give it a whirl!  I really do love it!  I threw on a foiled sentiment and some jewels and called it a day!

Supplies:
Cardstock: Hammermill White Coverstock

Other: Winter's Veil Embossing Folder (Tonic Studios), A Merry Little Christmas Sentiments (Spellbinders), Glimmer Hot Foil Machine, Silver Foil (Spellbinders), Basic Rhinestones (SU)

Thanks so much for stopping by today!!!  

Stay tuned for a new card next week!

Have an amazing day!
Jen

 

Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #660

Hello!
Happy Wednesday!  I hope you're having a great week!  I took last week off (unintentionally really) as I was visiting my parents in Ontario.  I had such a great visit.  I was too short and the next one will need to be longer!  The trees were so beautiful in their colourful autumn garb.  I was so happy to see the leaves in all their glory!  I haven't spent any time in Ontario in fall for the last couple of years so it was so nice to see all the different colours!

We have a great new sketch at Freshly Made Sketches this week!  Our lovely hostess is the Judy Rozema!  Judy makes the most beautiful cards so please head over to her blog to check them out!  

This card actually came together rather quickly which I know is shocking.  This pack of paper was sitting on my desk and was screaming to be used so I picked out some holly paper because I knew I had some holly leaf dies that would go with it.  I grabbed the biggest Christmas sentiment sent that I had and I was off to the races.  In hindsight I should have stamped the sentiment in a colour other than black but alas, here we are!  I really like the black ink I have and it doesn't usually fail me so I wanted to stick with something I knew would stamp well!  I did use some Wink of Stella on the holly berries so that they would be a little sparkly but of course it doesn't show up in the photo!

Supplies:
Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Cherry Cobbler, Garden Green, Shaded Spruce (All SU)

Patterned Paper: Simple Vintage Yuletide (Simple Stories)

Stamps: Carols of Christmas (SU)
Ink: Detail Black (Pink Fresh Studio)

Dies:  Lovely Layers Winter Greenery (Honey Bee Stamps), Ovals (Spellbinders)

Other: Wink of Stella

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  I hope you'll head over to the Freshly Made Sketches blog and join in our challenge this week!  We always love to see what you create!  It's also getting to be time to create my Christmas wish list so your cards always give me great ideas!

You have until Monday at 1 PM EST to get your card entered in this week's challenge!

Have an amazing day!
Jen

 

Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #657

Hello!
Happy Wednesday!  I hope you're having a great start to your week!  We're having a beautiful fall week!  I actually don't want it to end!  The sun has been warm and the skies blue.  I know the white, fluffy stuff is just around the corner so I'm going to embrace this weather while I can!  Fall hiking season is almost over and it makes me a little sad.  I'm sure we've got a few more weeks to go but we will need to start packing our winter gear!

We've got a brand new sketch over at Freshly Made Sketches courtesy of the amazing Karren Johnson!  You will love Karren's cards so head over to her blog to check them out!  

This card actually came together quite quickly - I know, I was shocked too!  I had a pack of fall paper that I think I got last year and hadn't opened at all.  I love fall paper and fall cards and since I needed an anniversary card for my husband (22 years on Saturday) I figured this would work perfectly.  I diecut some oak leaves from the Spellbinders Autumn Wonder set and we were ready to go!  I have no idea what set the tag is from.  It was in my storage binder and back then I wasn't too concerned with writing down the names of things.  Now I have no clue where things came from!

Supplies:
Cardstock: Baked Brown Sugar, Hammermill White Coverstock

Patterned Paper: Simple Stories Acorn Lane

Ink: Antique Linen, Vintage Photo (Tim Holtz Distress Oxides)

Dies: Autumn Wonder (Spellbinders), Tag

Other: Curved Everyday Sentiments (Spellbinders), Copper Foil, Twine, Rhinestones (Honeybee Stamps)

I thought I'd share some photos from a recent hiking adventure!  For this one I traded in my regular hiking partner for my friend Annie!  Annie's husband serves in our military and he's on a training exercise so she's been joining us or her and I hike together!  We had a hoot!  This is the Skoki area - behind the Lake Louise ski hill.  It was so beautiful!  The larches were robed in their golden splendor and looked amazing!  There were so many lakes and it was so fun to explore!  We put on 26 km and 1000 m in elevation gain!  It was one of the most amazing days!

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  I hope you'll head over to the Freshly Made Sketches blog and join in our challenge this week.  We always love to see what you create!  If you need some inspiration, head over to the blog!  The design team has come up with some incredible examples!  You have until Monday at 1 PM EST to get your card entered in this week's challenge!

Have an amazing day!

Jen

 

Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #655

Hello!
Happy Wednesday!  I hope your week has started well!  We're having a bit of a heat wave here - which we will be very thankful for!  The sun is shining and warm and I'm loving having a week of warmth before it changes!  I'm afraid our falling hiking season might not be as long as we had hoped.  There are a couple of weekends when I can't hike so I'm a little sad.  The season has seemed super short this year.

We have a brand new sketch at Freshly Made Sketches this week!  I am your hostess this week and I'm so excited to see what you do with my sketch this week.  I made the sketch with a card in mind and then I struggled to make the card.  Such is life these days.  I have not felt an ounce of creativity lately!

I usually love making fall cards.  Fall is my favourite season and I would make fall cards all year long if I could but this year, I've had no desire.  I don't know what's going on.  My desire to create just hasn't been there.

I was going to use different leaves for this card but they didn't work as they were too big.  I found some little (old) SU punches that I thought would work perfectly.  I punched the leaves out of white cardstock and used some Distress Oxides to colour them.  I originally wanted red maple leaves but they just didn't look right against the kraft cardstock.  

Supplies:
Cardstock: Hammermill White Coverstock, Kraft

Dies: Stitched Rectangles (Lil Inkers)

Stamps: Fall Foliage (Reverse Confetti)

Ink: Antique Linen (Distress Ink), Rusty Hinge, Vintage Photo, Scattered Straw, Fossilized Amber (all Distress Oxides), Early Espresso (SU)

Other: Autumn Punch Pack (SU Retired)

A few pictures from a recent hike at Mount Lipsett.  This is such a beautiful hike and it's a fairly quick one.  We were able to get out and back before lunch!  The views are spectacular for the effort that you put in!  

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  I hope you'll head over to the Freshly Made Sketches blog and join in our challenge this week!  I can't wait to see what you create with my sketch this week!  

You have until Monday at 1 PM EST to get your card entered into this week's challenge!

Have an amazing day!
Jen

 

Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #653

Hello!
Happy Wednesday!  I hope you're having a great week so far!  We've got a week of school under our belts here!  My oldest started his first year of university and seems to be enjoying it so far.  He is enjoying being able to live at home!  I won't complain having him here.  My youngest just started grade 11.  He's happy and liking his classes so far.  I guess it's been non-eventful.  What more can a mom ask for?

We've got a brand new sketch at Freshly Made Sketches today!  Our hostess this week is the wonderful Kim Singdahlsen.  Kim's cards area so pretty so please head over to her blog and check them out!  

I might have had a little panic when I saw this sketch!  I don't have a lot of super big sentiments and so I had no clue what to do!  I looked through every stamp set and every hot foil plate and thought I was done!  Then I found the Biggest Wish stamp set from Stampin' Up sitting on my shelf and realized I could probably make it work!  But then what to do with the background?  A shaker card to the rescue!  Rhinestones, a border and done!

Supplies:
Cardstock: Hammermill White Coverstock, 

Stamps: Biggest Wish (SU)

Ink: PinkFresh Detail Black

Dies: Border Die (MFT - I think)

Other: Window Sheets (SU), Unicorn Rhinestones (Honey Bee Stamps), Foam tape (SU).

A few photos from a hike up North Crowfoot!  This area of Alberta is one of our favourites.  So much unique beauty out there.  

This is North Crowfoot Mountain along Bow Lake

Bow Lake as seen from the top of North Crowfoot

Iceberg Lake! This little lake is the headwaters of the Bow River.  It's fed from Bow Glacier seen behind.

Just some beautiful peaks.

Bow Lake!

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  I hope you'll head over to the Freshly Made Sketches blog and join in our challenge this week!  We always love to see what you create!  If you need some inspiration, head over there and check out all the cards the Design Team members have posted!

You have until Monday at 1 PM EST to join in this week's challenge!  

Have an amazing day!

Jen

Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #652

Hello!
Happy Wednesday!  It's back to school time here and I feel like I'm ready to get back into the swing of things but I'm not quite ready to let summer go yet!  We had such a short summer here with a late spring snow that I feel like summer went by way too fast and I'm not at all ready for fall or winter to come!  My oldest son started post secondary on Tuesday.  He's living at home this year and it doesn't quite feel as real as it would if he have moved out.  My youngest starts grade 11 today!  I am praying they both have the best year!

We have a brand new sketch this week at Freshly Made Sketches!  Our hostess this week is the wonderful Linda Callahan!  Linda's cards are always so sweet so please head over to her blog and check them out! 

I wasn't too sure at first what I wanted to do for my card this week.  I need a thank you card but I wasn't inspired.  Then I saw these cute little birds sitting on my desk that I had cut previously and realized I could make them work.  I grabbed some really old SU DSP and went to town!  I love these birds and need to figure out what other colour combinations I can do them in!!  

Supplies:
Cardstock: Hammermill White Coverstock, Real Red, Early Espresso, Pacific Point, Granny Apple Green, Pumpkin Pie

DSP: SU retired

Ink: Tumbled Glass Distress Oxide (Tim Holtz)

Dies: Perched Birds (Spellbinders), Double Stitched Circles (Lil Inkers)

Other: Sentiments for Everyday Hot Foil Plate (Spellbinders), Champagne Hot Foil (Spellbinders)

I still have quite a few hiking photos to share with you!  This hike is from earlier in August!  We decided we wanted to squeeze a hike in one day but they were calling for a storm.  We hustled up to the top - the last kilometer was such a grind.  We could see the crazy clouds coming and hear the thunder.  We managed to reach the top just in time but we did get caught in a cloud inversion!  It was so fun!  On the race to then get off the mountain, I fell - it wasn't a bad fall, just a cut and some blood but all is well!  Definitely one of our fastest and most exciting hikes!

You can see the runs our our ski hill in the background!

Thanks so much for stopping by!  I hope you'll head over to the Freshly Made Sketches blog and join in our challenge!  We would love to have you!  If you need some inspiration, there are some amazing cards there that our Design Team have posted!

You have until Monday at 1 PM EST to enter this week's challenge!

Have an amazing day!
Jen