Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #613

Hello!

Happy Wednesday!  Can we believe we're back at Wednesday again?!  A big Happy Thanksgiving to my American friends who will be celebrating tomorrow!  I hope you each have a wonderful and blessed day with your families!  Black Friday is quickly approaching as well.  Are you a big Black Friday shopper?  I have a few things I'm looking at but I won't be getting too much I don't think.  Right now I'm stumped on Stocking Stuffers for teenage boys!  So fun!

We have a brand new sketch at Freshly Made Sketches today!  Our hostess this week is our favourite high altitude designer - Kim Singdahlsen!  Kim's card are so beautiful and I always love them!  Please head over to her blog to check them out!  

I thought I should probably get a few more Christmas cards done!  I'm hoping by making Christmas cards I'll be feeling more festive!  I need to start wrapping my gifts to put under my tree - oh wait, my tree isn't up and I can't put gifts out yet or my cats will open them!  Well, Sprite will open them!

I love my Spellbinders "Christmas Bird and Poinsettia" dies.  I stuck with an all white theme because combining too many colours sometimes makes me crazy!  I also really love just white!  Keeps things clean for me!  

Supplies:
Cardstock: Hammermill White Coverstock, Silver Foil

Other: Christmas Bird and Poinsettia Dies (Spellbinders), Basic Rhinestones (SU), Banner Dies (MFT), Joyful Christmas Sentiments (Spellbinders), Silver Foil (Spellbinders), Glimmer Hot Foil Machine (Spellbinders)

Trevor and I were able to sneak out for a small hike on the weekend.  It was a super early start to the morning but we headed out and met up with some crazy fast hiking friends and tackled Nihahi Ridge.  Trevor and I didn't actually do the ridge walk.  It looked a little sketch to me and I opted to keep my feet firmly planted.  Trevor took a tumble on the way down and is still feeling the effects of it.  It wasn't a bad fall or a far fall, it was more of an awkward fall!  

Morning light hitting the mountains

View from the top

Mount Reemus (the flat topped one)

It was so windy and cold at the top.  I have never felt wind like that before

Annie and I

Thank you so much for stopping by today!  I hope you'll head over to the Freshly Made Sketches blog and join in our challenge!  If you need some inspiration you'll definitely find some there.  The Design Team has some amazing cards posted!

Have a fantastic day!

Jen

 

Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #612

Hello!
Happy Wednesday!  I hope you're having a great week so far!  It seems like we have gone fro the fall season to Christmas in the blink of an eye!  So many people have their Christmas trees up and have their houses all decorated.  I feel very far behind this year.  I'm usually well into my shopping by now but this year I just can't seem to get motivated.  Maybe this weekend we'll put up the nutcrackers or something and see if we can get some festive spirit going.  

We've got a fantastic new sketch at Freshly Made Sketches this week!  Our hostess is the super funny and incredibly talented Linda Callahan!  Linda's cards are always beautiful so make sure you head over to her blog and show her some love! 

I'm going to admit the sketch through me for a loop.  I know I need more Christmas cards so I wanted to go with a Christmas theme but I couldn't seem to get any mojo going for this card.  Even now I'm not thrilled with the final product.  I had to whip it up fast because I was running out of time.  Oh well, I will need to get my act together for next week right?  This card uses the Lovely Layers Winter Greenery set from Honey Bee Stamps.  I don't think I've ever used the pine cones before and they're quite fun to work with!  I added some Wink of Stella to the berries and some of the greenery since it needed a little sparkle.  Sparkle never shows up in the photos though!  

Supplies:

Cardstock: Hammermill White Coverstock, Cherry Cobbler, Garden Green, Wild Wasabi, Early Espresso

Ink: Gathered Twigs, Ground Espresso, Rustic Wilderness (All Distress Oxides)

Other:  Lovely Layers Winter Greenery (Honey Bee Stamps), Joyful Christmas Sentiments (Spellbinders), Red Foil, Glimmer Hot Foil Machine (Spellbinders), Wink of Stella, Monoline Stars Embossing Folder (Spellbinders)

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  I hope you'll join in our challenge this week!  Head over to the Freshly Made Sketches blog and you'll see some amazing cards that the Design Team has cooked up for you!  

Have an amazing day!
Jen

Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #611

Hello!
Happy Wednesday!  I hope you're having a great start to your week!  We are currently on a little adventure!  No mountains involved though!!!  We're heading back to Ontario and back to the city we used to live in for 48 hours! My husband is heading there on a work trip and I'm just tagging along so I can visit with a few of the people that I love!  I have pretty much every second of my 48 hours there planned.  It's really not long enough but we've got to go with the flow!  I'll be exhausted when I get home!

We've got a brand new sketch at Freshly Made Sketches this week!  Our hostess this week is the amazing Jen Mitchell!  Jen's cards are always gorgeous and I'm always inspired by them!  Head on over to her blog to check them out!  

So I only made one version of this card!  I know, it's shocking!  That almost never happens!  I had just picked up some new Spellbinders dies at the local paper store and couldn't wait to crack them open! This card has a lot of pieces and I'm not sure I'd want to make 20 of them!!!  The sentiment is hot foiled with red foil.  I have nothing but grief when I use the red foil.  I have tried leaving the plate on the machine longer so it's good and hot, running it through the Glimmer machine twice, pretty much anything and it always just does something weird.  Not sure what I'm doing wrong.  I don't have issues with silver or gold foil.  

Supplies:
Cardstock: Hammermill Coverstock White, Real Red, Basic Black, Garden Green, Granny Apple Green, Silver Foil

Ink: Real Red, Garden Green

Other: Stitched So Sweetly Dies (Stampin Up), Christmas Bird Poinsettia (Spellbinders), Build-A-Wreath (Spellbinders), Garden Wreath Add-Ons (Spellbinders), Joyful Christmas Sentiments (Spellbinders), Monoline Stars Embossing Folder (Spellbinders), Glimmer Hot Foil Machine (Spellbinders), Red Foil (Spellbinders), Basic Rhinestones (Stampin Up).

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  I hope you'll pop on over to the Freshly Made Sketches blog and join in our challenge!  We always love to see what you create!

The Design Team has some amazing examples posted to inspire you!  We also have another fantastic Guest Designer with us again this week!

Have an amazing day!

Jen

Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #610

 

Hello!
Happy Wednesday!  I hope you're having a good start to your week!  It has finally warmed up above freezing here and the snow is sort of melting.  We still have a fair bit.  Our local ski hill opens this weekend.  Expert/intermediate runs only but it will still be open!  Crazy train.  I won't be going until this get a few non-expert runs open!!!  My husband and kids are chomping at the bit to get out!  

We've got a brand new sketch for a brand new month over at Freshly Made Sketches!  Our hostess this week is the amazing Jen Timko!  Jen creates beautiful cards.  I'm always wowed by her creativity!  She also stopped in for a little visit a month ago!  Of course I took her to the mountains and of course I took her on a hike!  She survived.  We didn't see any bears.  All was well!  

I really wasn't sure what I wanted to do with this sketch.  Initially I thought maybe some flowers but I wasn't feeling very flowery.  I guess I did end up going with a flower though didn't I?!  I need a few more Christmas cards so poinsettias it was.  I kept the background simple going with a white background.  I already had this foil sentiment sitting in my basket of left overs so I threw it on and called it a day.

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

Ink: Cherry Cobbler

Other: Holiday Blooms (Spellbinders), Joyful Christmas Sentiments (Spellbinders), Silver Foil (Spellbinders), Subtle Texture Embossing Folder 

Thank you so much for stopping by today!

I hope you'll head over to the Freshly Made Sketches blog and play along with our challenge this week!  We always love seeing what people create using our sketch!  If you need some inspiration head over to the blog and take a peek!  The Design Team have created some gorgeous cards for you! 

Here are a few photos from the little hike Jen and I went on!  It's called Grassi Lakes!  In the background you'll see Mount Lawrence Grassi!  Don't worry - I didn't make her hike up there!  Even I'm not too keen to do that one!  This was the very first hike that our family did when we arrived out west.  It might hold a special place in my heart! 

There is a beautiful waterfall you get to see on this hike!  

Have an amazing day!
Jen

Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #604

Hello!
Happy Wednesday!  I hope you're having a great week so far!  It has quickly turned from summer to fall here and I'm pulling out the leggings and cozy sweaters!  The larch trees are starting to turn golden yellow and they're so beautiful!  Our hiking season will soon be coming to an end but we've had such a fantastic season!

We've got a brand new sketch this week at Freshly Made Sketches!  Our hostess this week is our incredible talented French designer Cecile Ribon!  Cecile's card always amaze me.  She continues to blow me away!  Head over to her blog to check them out!  

I wasn't too sure what I was going to do with this card.  I tried a few things (like always) and they didn't quite work out (like always) so I went with a Christmas card!  You can never have too many right?  And you also can't go wrong with red and white?!  I had one textured background chosen but it was too much so then I tried plain and didn't like it so I went with this one.  I always have such a hard time deciding things!  I really wanted to use red foil for the sentiment but for some reason I cannot get the red foil to work.  I always end up with foil where I don't want foil.  Has anyone else had this trouble with the red?  I've struggled with some other colours too.  So weird.  

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

Ink: Real Red, Cherry Cobbler (both SU)

Other: Subtle Texture Embossing Folder (SU), Christmas Bird and Poinsettia (Spellbinders), Glimmer Hot Foil Machine (Spellbinders), Silver Hot Foil (Spellbinders), Joyful Christmas Sentiments (Spellbinders)

Our most recent hike pictures!  We hiked up to Black Prince Lake which you'll see was all dried up.  We actually hiked up past another lake that had also dried up.  It's so sad.  Our summer was so dry.  I don't know how some of these lakes will recover.  We'd need a LOT of snow and rain next year!  This was a fantastic little hike.  It wasn't as strenuous as our last one.  The weather was fantastic and we brought two friends along on this one!  We also saw 14 Mountain Goats which was the highlight of the hike.  Mountain goats are a little elusive so we were super pumped to catch a glimpse of some!  

My husband being crazy!  

One little gold larch tree

What's left of Black Prince Lake

My and my friend Annie

Trevor and I

One of the many Mountain Goats we saw!

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  I hope you'll head on over to the Freshly Made sketches blog and join in our challenge this week!

You'll find some gorgeous cards created by the Design Team already up on the blog that will inspire you!

Have an amazing day!
Jen

 

Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #596

 

Happy Wednesday!  

 I hope you're having a great start to your week! Trevor got back from Italy on Friday night so we went out for a little family adventure hike on Saturday but by Sunday he wasn't feeling too hot and by Monday he was sick.  I guess he brought us back something a little "fun" from Italy.  He's not allowed anywhere near the kitchen and has to stay away from the rest of us.  None of us want what he has!

We've got a brand new sketch at Freshly Made Sketches this week!  Our hostess is the incredibly talented Judy Rozema!  Judy's cards are always beautiful!  She's super creative and this week's sketch is no exception!  Make sure you head over to Judy's blog to check out her cards!  I love Judy's sketch this week and I love that we are to keep the bottom half of our card naked!  I pretty much knew right away I wanted to do a Christmas card with the Holiday Blooms dies!  

I used the Dazzling Diamonds Hot Foil plate to create the background for my top portion!  I tried it in pink first but then opted for silver!  I will still do something with the pink one though!  It's so pretty!  I went for a white and silver look this week since last week we went white and gold!  I might actually get some Christmas cards made this year!!!  

Supplies:

Cardstock: Hammermill White, Silver Foil
Other: Dazzling Diamonds Hot Foil Plate, Joyful Christmas Sentiments, Holiday Blooms, Silver Foil(all Spellbinders)

My kids agree to go for one hike a year and I have to be very strategic on where we go hiking.  This hike is a trail that goes around the Upper Kananaskis Lake.  It's a beautiful trail that has minimal elevation gain so they were "happy".  We had a great adventure out together!  

Thanks so much for stopping in today!  I hope you'll join in our challenge this week so please head over to the Freshly Made Sketches blog and submit your card!  Just remember to check out Judy's instructions this week!

Have an amazing week!
Jen

Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #592

Hello!
Happy Wednesday!  I hope you're having a great start to your week.  It's been a good week here.  My youngest had his last day of school yesterday which I was so thankful for!  He is now done at the middle school and will go to high school next year with my oldest.  My days of driving him to school are over!!!  Praise the Lord!!!  I'm so thankful to finally be starting our summer vacation.  My oldest has been done for over a week but he's working maintenance at the golf course so we don't see him much!

We've got a great new sketch at Freshly Made Sketches this week courtesy of our favourite French designer, Cecile Ribon!  Cecile's cards always blow me away so you need to head over to her blog to check them out!  Cecile's sketch really stretched my brain.  I struggled with it for a while but I had just used these trees and the dies were still sitting on my desk and I thought they would work perfectly.  I tried one design but didn't like it so opted for an all white Christmas card!

I apologize greatly that the photo quality of my card is poor.  The lighting was terrible when I took it.  We have some rare cloudy skies and it was impeding my ability to take a good photo!  I really love these white sequins from Taylored Expressions.  I had been using them sparingly but I used quite a few in my shaker!

Supplies:
Cardstock: Basic White (SU)

Other: Nested Circles (Pink Fresh), Circle Dies (Spellbinders), Silver Hot Foil (Spellbinders), Joyful Christmas Sentiments (Spellbinders), Evergreens (Taylored Expressions), Sequins (Taylored Expressions and SU)

I thought I'd include some pics of our hike on Friday!  We tackled the Heart Mountain Scramble!  It was a spectacular ridge walk.  No bears on this adventure!  We did see a cute marmot!  You'll see his picture below!  

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!  The design team has some amazing cards there to inspire you!  We can't see what you create!

Have an amazing day!
Jen