Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #287

Hello!
Happy Wednesday!  I hope your week has started well!  The rain has finally stopped here and we are slowly drying out!  My parents and in-laws live in the Ottawa valley and the pictures from the flooding in their area is heart breaking.  I can't believe all the water the people there are having to contend with.  Hopefully over the next few days some of the water recedes and they get some reprieve!

We have a great new sketch this week at Freshly Made Sketches courtesy of the amazing Jen Timko! Jen has such incredible talent!  She is fabulous at colouring and has some uber creative cards!  Head over to her blog and you'll see exactly what I'm talking about!

Jen's sketch is super versatile!  That long rectangle can be pretty much anything!  A die cut or DSP or even a stamped image!  The sky is the limit!  I went with a long strip of DSP since I had some siting on my desk and I just loved the Moroccan DSP!  I threw on some sequins, embossed my sentiment and voila!

Supplies:
Cardstock: Early Espresso, Very Vanilla, Bermuda Bay
DSP: Moroccan
Stamps: Teeny Tiny Wishes
Ink: Versamark
Other: Sequins, Gold Embossing Powder, Bitty Banners Die, Dimensionals

Thanks for stopping by today!  I hope you'll head over to the Freshly Made Sketches blog and check out the amazing cards the Design Team has created!  You won't be disappointed!  I hope you'll join us this week!  We always love to see what you create!

Have a fabulous day!

Jen

SaveSave

Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #134

Hello!
Happy Wednesday!  I hope you're having a great week so far!  I had a nice day today.  It poured rain all day!  The creek at the golf course by our house is overflowing and making it's way towards hole 10!!!  The golfers will have a wet day tomorrow!

I'm super excited for Thursday!  We demonstrators get a sneak peek at the new Stampin' Up Catalogue!  I'm even going to change my morning workout routine so I can peruse the catalogue before the boys get up!!!

We have a fabulous new sketch today at Freshly Made Sketches!  This week's sketch is super fun!  Our hostess this week is the incredibly talented Karren Johnson!  She sure has created a sketch you won't want to miss out on.

I am still on my Mother's Day kick!  I need to get a few more done!!!  I wanted to use basic grey and used the Hardwood background stamp (one of my favs!) along with some doilies and pleated seam binding.

Supplies:
Cardstock: Basic Grey, Rose Red, Whisper White
Stamps: Hardwood background, Secret Garden, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Ink: Basic Black
Other: Secret Garden Framelits, Doilies, Rose Red Seam Binding, Bitty Banners Framelits, Basic Rhinestones, Dimensionals

Thanks for stopping by!  Please head on over to the Freshly Made Sketches blog and check out the super amazing cards the Design Team has created for you!  We hope you join along in our challenge this week!!!

Have a fabulous week!

Jen

Mother's Day Blooms

Hello!
I hope you've had a great weekend!  We had a fun weekend here!  The boys spent the day flying today and had a blast!  I enjoyed some time playing in my craft room!  We have a fun week ahead of us.  Tomorrow the boys are doing "Run Club" after school.  We will see how this goes.  I'll be "running" with them which I'm hoping equates to walking quickly!!!  A few of their friends will be joining us so hopefully they find it fun!

I loved this week's CAS(E) This Sketch challenge!  They paired up with Runway Inspired challenge and have created a fabulous two week sketch/inspiration challenge!  I love it!

I am trying to get a few Mother's Day cards made up!  I only have one mom but I have a few orders to fill!!!  I am very sad that Stampin' Up is retiring the Secret Garden stamp set.  I absolutely love it!  I love the flowers and love using the dies!  Makes life a whole lot easier!

I decided to tie the black and red from the sweater and the pattern from the shorts into my card along with the flowers!

Supplies:
Cardstock: Basic Black, Real Red
DSP: Fresh Prints DSP Stack
Stamps: Secret Garden, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Ink: Basic Black
Other: Secret Garden Framelits, Bitty Banners Framelits, Basic Rhinestones, Circle cutters (Non-SU), Dimensionals

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

Jen!

Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #132

Hello!
Happy Wednesday!  I can't believe it's Wednesday already!  We here in Ontario were some shocked to wake up to snow this morning!  Let's just say no one in our house was impressed...least of all me!  The winter stuff had been washed and was waiting to be put away.  The kids came home muddy and messy so all the winter stuff was washed again because they'll need it tomorrow!!!  Oh the joys of winter/spring!

We have a new sketch at Freshly Made Sketches this week.  I am so honoured to be this week's hostess!  I sure love being part of this great team of ladies!  It's fun to create sketches and to see the beautiful cards you come up with!

I saw the great colours at Dynamic Duos this week and decided that they would work perfectly for an Easter card!   Who doesn't love these two colours together!

Unfortunately the picture didn't turn out as well as expected.  We don't always get the best lighting in our house and I haven't purchased a light box yet...

As I'm staring at this card I am thinking about the time before I actually owned a corner rounder.  I used to use a nickel and trace it and then cut the corners!  Boy how times have changed!!!!

Supplies:
Cardstock: Whisper White, Wisteria Wonder, So Saffron
Stamps: Teeny Tiny Wishes
Ink: Wisteria Wonder
Other: Daisy Die, Basic Rhinestones, Word Window Punch, Modern Label Punch, Modern Mosaic Textured Embossing Folder, Bakers Twine, Vintage Faceted Buttons, Dimensionals

Thanks so much for stopping by!  Please head on over to the Freshly Made Sketches blog to see the fabulous cards the Clean Team has come up with!  You won't be disappointed!

Have a fabulous day!

Jen

Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #131

Hello!
Happy Wednesday!  Sorry for being so MIA this week!  Actually it's been a few weeks!  The good news is that flying season has started and so the boys will be out flying most Saturday and Sunday afternoons which means that Mama might get some time in her craft room.  Before that happens though it is in desperate need of tidying!

We have a great new sketch over at Freshly Made Sketches!  This one comes to us courtesy of the amazing Cindy Hall!  I must say this sketch gave me grief.  Not sure why but it sure stumped me!!  Apparently rectangles are starting to scare me as much as circles!

I realized that I am going to need some Easter cards.  I like to give the boys teachers Easter gifts to encourage them!  I am also including the librarian this Easter.  She goes above and beyond each week and finds Caleb the perfect book to take home.  He always comes home thrilled with what Mrs. Grant has saved for him!

Even though the Sweet Sorbet paper is no longer available it needs to be used up and I think it's the perfect Easter paper!  I used the Petite Petals (and coordinating punch) to create some colourful blooms!  I think this is version 5 or 6 of this card!  Each previous version looks drastically different.

Supplies:
Cardstock: Basic Black, Pool Party, Whisper White
DSP: Sweet Sorbet
Stamps: Petite Petals, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Ink: Basic Black
Other: Petite Petals Punch, Bitty Banners Framelits, Basic Rhinestones, Dimensionals

Thanks for stopping by!  Please head on over to the Freshly Made Sketches blog to check out the beautiful cards the design team has created!  We can't wait to see what you create for us this week!

Have a fabulous day!

Jen

Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #107

Hello!
Happy Wednesday!  I'm so sorry I've been neglecting my readers!  It's just been one of those weeks.  Volunteering at the school has started in full force so a lot of my free time is taken up with that - BUT I do get to see my boys more often!!!!

We have a great new sketch over at Freshly Made Sketches!  Jennifer Timko is our incredibly talented hostess this week!  I love her sketch (and I love the cards the Design Team has come up with!).

I needed an anniversary card for my dear husband since this coming Saturday is our 11th wedding anniversary!  Were on earth have 11 years gone?  I shamefully admit though that I tried my wedding dress on a few weeks ago and is didn't fit.  So sad...oh well.  I guess I didn't really plan on wearing it again anyhow!!!!

You may wonder what's up with the gold pumpkin but we used gold pumpkins as centrepieces at our wedding.  They were so pretty.

Supplies:
Cardstock: Crumb Cake, Early Espresso, Cherry Cobbler, Very Vanilla, Champagne Glimmer
Stamps: Wonderfall, Teeny Tiny Wishes, Some Halloween Set that I can't remember.....
Ink: Early Espresso, Versamark
Other: Woodgrain Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Square Lattice Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Heart to Heart Punch, Autumn Accents Die, Bitty Banners Framelites Die, Clear Embossing Powder, Gold Embossing Powder, Dimensionals

Thanks for stopping by!
I hope you have a fabulous day!  Please head on over to the Freshly Made Sketches Blog to check out the Design Team creations!  We can't wait to see what you come up with this week!

Jen!

Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #89

Hello!
Happy Wednesday!  I hope you are having a great week so far.  It's been lovely here - a little cooler than usual BUT it's so nice to be able to sleep with the windows open!  I seem to have come down with a bit of a cold so I'm a little more tired today than usual.

Today brings us a new sketch over at Freshly Made Sketches!  I must say, I love working with this group of ladies!  I truly feel blessed to be part of this design team and to be able to call these ladies my friends!  Today's sketch is brought to us courtesy of the fabulous Rita Wright!

I was super excited to see Rita's sketch!  At first it had me stumped but I realized I needed to get some father's day cards done and knew The Open Sea would work perfectly in this sketch!  I hope my dad doesn't mind receiving yet another Open Sea card!!!!  I do apologize for the picture quality....the lighting was terrible...

Supplies:

Cardstock: Early Espresso, Whisper White, Cherry Cobbler, Crumb Cake

DSP: Nautical Expedition

Stamps: The Open Sea, Teeny Tiny Wishes

Ink: Early Espresso, Crumb Cake, 

Other: Cherry Cobbler Bakers Twine, Bitty Banners Framelits Die, Word Window Punch, 

Thanks for stopping by!  Please take a minute to stop on over at the Freshly Made Sketches Blog to see all of the other beautiful cards our Design Team has created for you!

Have a great day!

Jen

Fab Friday Mother's Day

Hello!
Happy Thursday!
This is going to be a super quick post since it's Thursday morning and I completely forgot I had made this card to actually enter in a challenge!!!

My friend requested a Mother's Day card for her sister-in-law who had twins!  I recently made them a baby card as well!  I didn't quite know what to do to reflect the twins.  I saw my owl punch and knew it would be perfect!  Who doesn't love two sweet little girl owls?!

I used this week's Fab Friday Sketch for the starting point of my card!  I do love this sketch though it also challenged me greatly!

Supplies:
Cardstock: Early Espresso, Crumb Cake, Whisper White, Melon Mambo
DSP: Pretty in Pink DSP Paper
Stamps: Teeny Tiny Wishes
Ink: Early Espresso
Other: Modern Label Punch, Word Window Punch, Two-Step Owl Punch, Melon Mambo Ribbon, Basic Rhinestones, Dimensionals

Thanks for stopping by!
Have a fabulous day!!!

Jen!

Teacher Easter Cards

Hello!

I hope you had a great day today!  I was in Jacob's class this afternoon helping with their Easter Egg Hunt!  Those kids are hilarious!  It was fun to watch them hunt down the eggs...and even more fun for Student Teacher and I to try and round up all of the eggs that weren't found.  We ended up short one but I'm fairly confident that some sneaky little someone ate it.  I also think that sneaky little someone may share my DNA! 

I had purchased these adorable chocolate sheep, bunnies and chicks (all in one pack) on the March break for a few of the teachers at the school.  I thought they were so cute!  I must say I'm fairly proud of my will power to not consume them before I gave them away!  I needed 6 Easter cards to accompany said chocolates and I wanted the cards to be fairly quick.  As much as I do love the teachers I didn't have a whole pile of time to be making Easter cards!  Caleb is in French Immersion so he spends half of his day in French and that meant I needed one French Easter card as well!  Gotta love Teeny Tiny Wishes (in both English and French!).

I must say I do love the Easter Blossoms stamp set.  I'm not a bunny/egg kind of Easter card girl.  I try to focus on the true meaning of Easter so that's probably why I like this stamp set.  This little girl is just so sweet!    I saw that the SUO Challenge site is hosting a Spring Cards challenge.  Easter is springy right?  I thought I would enter this very clean and simple card in their challenge.  Yes, you may say that there are only 5 cards in the picture.  The 6th card got sealed in its envelope before I remembered that I needed to take a picture!

Supplies:
Cardstock: Crumb Cake
Stamps: Easter Blossoms, Teeny Tiny Wishes (English and French)
Ink: Versamark
Other: Rosettes, Rose Red Seam Binding, White Embossing Powder, Bitty Banners Framelits, Dimensionals

Thanks for stopping by!
I hope you have a wonderful Easter weekend!

Jen!

Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #76

Hello!

Happy Wednesday!  Can you believe it's Wednesday already?  How does that happen so fast?  We are currently counting down the hours until Daddy comes home at our house!!!  My husband has been on a small business trip but whenever he's out of town my boys seem to go crazy!  The sure do miss him when he's gone!  

Another Wednesday means another sketch at Freshly Made Sketches!  Along with a new sketch comes a new look to the blog and some new designers!  Welcome Narelle and Amy!!!  We are so happy you've joined us!!!    The fabulous Linda Suarez has a great sketch for us this week.  I must say I had fun with this one!

I needed a sympathy card for family friends who lost a cherished Grandma and Great Grandma.  I wanted to keep it simple and you all know how I feel about Very Vanilla, butterflies and pearls!

I decided to try the butterflies in gold and loved the finished look!  They may be too much for some...but I do love gold!

Supplies:

Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Brushed Gold

Stamps: Papillon Potpourri, Teeny Tiny Wishes

Ink: Versamark, Soft Suede

Other: Gold Embossing Powder, Basic Pearls, Vintage Wallpaper Embossing Powder, Dimensionals

Thanks for stopping by!

Please stop by the Freshly Made Sketches blog and check out the fabulous cards our design team has come up with!

Have a great day!

Jen!

Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #66

Hello!
Happy Wednesday!  This is going to be a faster post today since I'm rushing out the door again!  Story of my life these days!  I was at the school today and got to preview the kids Christmas concert for Thursday.  They are all so sweet.  In light of the tragedy in Connecticut I truly treasured being in the gym with all 800 students watching them get ready for Christmas!  I also am deeply heartbroken for the families of the students and staff that were senselessly killed in last Friday's tragedy.  My family and I have so much to be thankful for this Christmas season.

Today brings a new sketch over at Freshly Made Sketches!  Tui Nathan (who is so incredibly talented) brings us a fun sketch that now looking at it I realize I didn't quite follow...oops!  Sorry about that.

I wanted and needed to make a baby card for my friend Jeanette who had her fifth and final baby last Monday (yes, I'm slow!).  She had a little girl after 4 wonderful little boys!  I figured she was now ready for a lot of pink!!!

I used the retired (sadly) Fox and Friends stamp set.  It's perfect for baby cards!  I also got out the Doily Sizzlet and used that!  I must say that I am really loving Primrose Petals!  I think after all the Christmas cards it was super fun to do a baby card!

Make sure you check out the Freshly Made Sketches blog as well as the other members of the design team.  You won't be disappointed!

Supplies:
Cardstock: Whisper White, Primrose Petals,  Pink Pirouette
DSP: Patio Party, Primrose Petals DSP
Stamps: Fox and Friends, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Ink: Primrose Petals
Other: Rhinestones, Circle Punches, Large Delicate Doilies Sizzlet, Dimesionals,

Thanks for stopping by!!!!

Have a great day!

Jen!

Happy Anniversary!

Hello!
It's officially Thanksgiving weekend here in Canada!  I love Thanksgiving!  I cooked turnips, cranberries and pumpkin pie today!  Turkey day tomorrow!!!  I can't wait!  Fall is my favourite of the seasons!  I grew up in Eastern Ontario where the trees are so beautiful at this time of year!  It's also the time of year that my husband and I got married...10 years ago!  A week today (Friday) is our 10th anniversary!  I can't believe it.  10 years have flown by!  We have so much to be thankful for this weekend!

I needed to make a card for my husband to commemorate this special day but I find anniversary cards challenging to make!  I decided to start with the sketch from Create with Connie and Mary and combine it with the SU-Only Challenge this week (Feel that Texture) and ta-da!

I decided to use the woodgrain embossing folder since I thought it would work best for this particular card!  I also embossed the hearts in the same woodgrain embossing folder!  I used the Early Espresso and the Cherry Cobbler Core-dinations cardstock so that I could sand it!!!

Our wedding colours were cranberry and gold and I figured this card kinda matched that!

Supplies:
Cardstock: Early Espresso Core'dinations, Cherry Cobbler Core'dinations, Very Vanilla, Champagne Glimmer
DSP: Orchard Harvest, Early Espresso
Stamps: Perfectly Penned, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Ink: Early Espresso
Other: Heart Punch, Heart to Heart Punch, Bitty Banners Framelit, Sanding Block, Dimensionals

Thanks for stopping by today!
Hope you have a fabulous weekend!

Jen

Create with Connie and Mary Sympathy

Hello!
I trust you're as ready for the weekend as I am!  It's been an interesting week here at the Brum house!  Needless to say we're excited for next week and to have Daddy home with us.  We have some exciting day trips planned that should keep the boys good and entertained!  Stay tuned for the photo highlights!

Today's card was a hard one to make.  A friend of mine lost her dad a week ago in a terrible motorcycle accident.  I wanted to make a sympathy card for her and her family to let them know that we are thinking and praying for them.

I started with this week's Create with Connie and Mary Challenge sketch.  It was a great sketch and it worked perfectly for what I had in mind for a card.  I really love the Very Vanilla and Soft Suede combination. I use it often for sympathy cards.  I love the French Foliage stamp set as well and find it perfect for this type of card.  I used the Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder for the background and the piece of soft suede.  It just needed a little something extra.  I included a butterfly and some pearls...of course!

Supplies:

Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Soft Suede

Stamps: French Foliage, Teeny Tiny Wishes

Ink: Soft Suede, Crumb Cake, Cajun Craze, Early Espresso

Other: Basic Pearls, Beautiful Wings Embosslit, Word Window Punch, Vintage Wallpaper Embossing Folder, Dimensionals

One more picture of the cute birthday boy on his birthday with new Angry Birds Lunch Box...all ready for Junior Kindergarten!

Freshly Made Sympathy

 Hello!
I hope everyone had a great weekend!  We had a great weekend here and we're looking forward to a busy week.  A dear friend of mine's husband lost his grandmother this week and I wanted to send a card to let them know that we are thinking of and praying for them.

I decided to use the Freshly Made Sketches card this week for my starting point.  I must say this card took several attempts...I tried my hardest to use a circle for the centre but alas...I decided a rectangle fit better with the card.

Tomorrow I will be back with a baby card for another dear friend!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Supplies:
Cardstock: Soft Suede, Very Vanilla
Stamps: Elements of Style, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Ink: Soft Suede
Other: Beautiful Wings Embosslit, Word Window Punch, Very Vanilla Taffeta Ribbon, Basic Pearls, Dimensionals