Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #563

Hello! Happy Wednesday!  Happy Thanksgiving to our American friends! I hope all have an amazing weekend celebrating!  Are you ready for Black Friday?  I am going to try and get most of my shopping done before the weekend and I'm hoping I've made my last trip to a mall!  I am not a big fan of crowds of people so I will avoid all stores this weekend!

We've got a brand new sketch this week at Freshly Made Sketches!  I am fortunate to be your hostess this week!  I do love when you get to go through each card and comment!  I love to see all the different takes and I love getting to know you better - especially when you post pics of your fur babies!  

I of course am still trying to get some Christmas cards done and really love playing with my hot foil machine.  My issue is that I only have a couple of plates and the ones I ordered didn't quite make it for some reason.  Don't ask.  I saw a Christmas card recently that had a wreath on it made of different foliage (this was a Hallmark card - not a handmade one) but I knew I could use that idea for my card!  I made a silver circle using the hot foil machine.  It doesn't show up too great in the picture though.  I added some foliage and a baby poinsettia and I was off to the races!  I threw on the same sentiment I used last week because that silver looks so pretty on the dark green!  

Supplies
Cardstock: Hammermill White, Shaded Spruce, Soft Succulent, Cherry Cobbler, Real Red

Other: Silver Foil (Spellbinders), Nested Circles (Pink Fresh), Christmas Mailbox Greetings (Spellbinders), Poinsettia Dies (SU), Pretty Pine Thinlits (SU), Basic Rhinestones (SU), Dimensionals

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  I hope you'll head over to the Freshly Made Sketches blog and join in our challenge!  The Design Team has some amazing cards posted that you'll love!

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

Have an amazing day!
Jen

 

Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #562

Hello!
Happy Wednesday!  I hope you're having a great start to your week!  How's your Christmas card making and Christmas shopping coming along?  If you're visiting from the US you might not start anything until after Thanksgiving.  I put out my Christmas village on the weekend and have a few little decorations out but won't do anything too major until the weekend - maybe!  The snow helps it to feel more Christmassy than it ever did in Ontario where we'd often have green Christmases!

We're got a brand new sketch today at Freshly Made Sketches!  Our hostess this week is the super creative Kim Singdahlsen!  If you want to see some super cute cards then you need to head over to her blog and check them out!  

I went with another Christmas card because I'm behind.  I don't send out near as many as I used to - hardly any at all actually but I wanted to try and get a few done regardless!  I had seen a few Christmas cards done with the Honey Bee Stamps Lovely Layers Anemone and I thought I would give it a try.  Not sure how I feel about it but it's supposed to be festive!  I've heard hot foiling can be tricky on coloured cardstock so I was a little nervous but it worked like a charm.  Could I duplicate it?  Probably not!

Supplies:
Cardstock: Hammermill White, Shaded Spruce, Silver Foil

Ink: Shaded Spruce

Other: Lovely Layers Anemone (Honey Bee Stamps), Softly Falling Embossing Folder (SU), Christmas Mailbox Greetings Hot Foil Plate (Spellbinders), Silver Foil

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!  There are some amazing cards there already!  I think the Design Team did an incredible job on their cards this week!

Have a fabulous day!
Jen

 

Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #561

Hello!
Happy Wednesday!  I'm bringing you this card from the North Pole - or so it feels like! We've had a pile of snow and it's been crazy cold!  The overnight temperature was -28 feeling like -36!  Oh so fun!  Today is supposed to be the last day of the crazy cold though.  Hopefully it's warmed up a bit by tomorrow!  This cold, snowy weather seems so early but it does get you in the Christmas mood! 

We've got a great new sketch this week at Freshly Made Sketches!  Our hostess this week is the amazing Linda Callahan!  Linda's cards are always fabulous so you need to head over to her blog and check them out!  

I am in desperate need of Christmas cards so I knew I needed to knock another one off the list!  I hauled out my Poinsettia Dies and some older Christmas DSP and went to town!  I added in some bits and bobs (as my friend Donna would say) from other die sets and voila!  A Christmas card is born!

Supplies:

Cardstock: Basic White, Real Red, Garden Green, Silver

DSP: Painted Christmas (SU)

Stamps: Happy Scenes (SU)

Ink: Basic Black, Real Red

Other: Blending Brushes (Taylored Expressions), Poinsettia Dies (SU), Stitched So Sweetly Dies (SU), Pretty Pines (SU), Dimensionals

Thanks so much for stopping by today! I hope you'll head over to the Freshly Made Sketches blog and join in our challenge!  We love seeing all the different cards you create!  The Design Team has also come up with some amazing cards to inspire you!

Have a fabulous day!

Jen

 

Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #560

Hello!
Happy Wednesday!  I hope you're having a great week so far!  We are currently getting hit with a snowstorm and some much cooler temperatures BUT we had a beautiful fall so I guess I can't really complain.  I'd say the snow is pretty but it's not.  It's just cold and wet and miserable!!!  I put the fall decorations out but will wait until after Remembrance day to get out anything remotely Christmas related!

We have a fantastic new sketch up at Freshly Made Sketches!  After a bit of a break I'm happy to get back into the swing of things!  Our hostess this week is the Queen of Clean cards herself - Jen Mitchell!  If you want to see what I mean, head over to her blog and check them out! 

Jen's sketch threw me at first because of that glaring circle sitting in the middle but I might have received some funds to put towards a new Glimmer Hot Foil machine and I also grabbed some hot foil plates that would work perfectly for this card!  The hot foil can be a bit persnickety (okay - it can be a lot persnickety) but it cooperated for me on this card.  I probably couldn't recreate it even if I tried!

Supplies:
Cardstock: White (Hammermill Cover Stock), Basic Black

Other: Gold Foil (Spellbinders), Twilight Sparkle Strip (Spellbiners), Christmas Mailbox Greetings,  (Spellbinders), Poinsettia Dies (SU)

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Please head over to the Freshly Made Sketches blog and join in our challenge!  The Design Team has posted some amazing cards to get those creative juices flowing!  

I hope you have an amazing day!

Jen

Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #557

Hello!
Happy Wednesday!  I hope you're having a good week!  We're still basking in the sunshine here and I will totally enjoy every minute of it!  The leaves have been beautiful and the views from our latest hike were incredible!  I'll post some photos below!  The mountain is called The Fortress and man it was tough but so amazing once we made it to the top!  My husband and I are also celebrating our 20th anniversary today!  I can't believe it's been 20 years!  Time flies!

We've got a great new sketch at Freshly Made Sketches this week!  Our hostess this week is Jacquie Southas!  Jacquie creates amazing cards and the one she's made this week is just incredible!  Head over to her blog to check it out!  

So the mojo definitely isn't flowing this week.  I had several different cards in mind but I tried to "get them down on paper" and that did not work.  I decided I would work with some plaid paper and add some leaves in - voila!  A fall'ish card!  Hoping the mojo decides to make an appearance at some point this week!!

Supplies:
Cardstock: Basic White, Rich Razzleberry, Mango Melody

DSP: Plaid Tidings

Other: Intricate Leaves Dies (SU), Stitched So Sweetly Dies (SU), Bitty Buzzwords Honey Cuts(Honey Bee Stamps)

Thanks so much for stopping by today! 
I hope you'll head over to the Freshly Made Sketches blog and join in our challenge!  We would love to see what you come up with!  The Design Team has some great cards posted to inspire your creativity!

Enjoy the views from The Fortress!

Have an amazing day!

Jen

Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #556

Happy Wednesday!  

I hope you're having a great start to the week!  We've been having the most beautiful weather here!  Last year about this time it was much cooler and we had snow on Thanksgiving weekend.  We've had beautiful sunshine and and warm temperatures and we will totally take it all in!  The warm weather has lengthened our hiking season which is amazing!  We did an incredible one last weekend.  We hiked up Mount Sparrowhawk which was our first 10,000 footer!  It was a grind but oh so amazing!  Check out the view below!  

We've got a fantastic sketch this week at Freshly Made Sketches!  Our hostess this week is our colour guru Amy O'Neill!  Amy's cards are always so pretty!  Head over to her blog to check out her creativity! 

If I said this was my first rendition of this sketch, I would totally be lying.  Same if I said it was the second or third rendition!  Seriously, this one almost did me in!  Honestly.  Sometimes the mojo just isn't flowing!

I had this bear sitting on my desk and I happen to love a sweet grizzly so I knew I would have to make a card around him!  I had this fall paper still sitting out and decided I wanted to use it up while it was still fall!  Voila!  Card is made!  It's definitely not my favourite but I wanted a more masculine card!

Supplies:
Cardstock: Soft Suede, Garden Green, Wild Wasabi, Basic White

Paper: Plaid Fever (Echo Park)

Stamps: Little Birthday Notes (MFT)

Ink: Basic Black

Other: Woodland Silhouettes 2 (Taylored Expressions), Pine Woods Dies (SU), Double Stitched Circles (Lil Inkers), Tasteful Label Dies, Dimensionals

 

We met a couple of people on the summit - all previously from Ontario who offered to take our picture!  So nice to have a pic that isn't a selfie!

The incredible view from the top!

Sometimes you encounter wild animals!  These are mountain sheep.  They are generally easy going - if they're female but these moms had babies with them.  We kept our distance but the herd was blocking the trail so we had to bang our hiking poles together to get them to move along!

Thanks for stopping by today!  I hope you will head over to the Freshly Made Sketches blog and join in this week's challenge!  We always love seeing the amazing cards that get entered in the challenge each week!  We definitely have a creative group that participates!

Have an amazing day!
Jen

 

Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #555

Hello!
Happy Wednesday!  We're halfway through the week already!  We are having some beautiful (and not very Alberta like) fall weather this week!  It's actually been more like summer!  I will take this warmth and sunshine as long as I can!  Trust me!  It's so lovely!  

We've got a brand new sketch this week at Freshly Made Sketches!  Our favourite Aussie is hosting this week!  Narelle Farrugia makes the most gorgeous cards!  Fussy cutting, blends and flowers are for sure her specialty so head over to her blog to check them out!  

This is not at all the card I had in mind when I saw this sketch!  I still want to make what I had in mind (and probably should have from the start) but I decided to try something else.  This card took me forever with several changes and I'm still not thrilled with it.  Card making is quite the process isn't it?!  

Supplies:
Cardstock: Basic White, Basic Black, Real Red, Poppy Parade, Basic Grey, Garden Green

Stamps: Bitty Buzzwords (Honey Bee Stamps)

Ink: Basic Black, Poppy Parade, Real Red, Garden Green

Other: Bitty Buzzwords Honey Cuts (Honey Bee Stamps), Lovely Layers Wildflowers (Honey Bee Stamps), Double Stitched Circle Dies (Lil Inkers), Stitched So Sweetly Dies (SU), Sequins (Taylored Expressions)

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  I hope you'll join in our challenge this week.  We always love to see what you come up with!  

Head over to the Freshly Made Sketches blog and check out the cards that the Design Team has posted!  Hopefully they'll inspire you!

I thought I'd share our most recent hike - We hiked up Cirque Peak just past Lake Louise (around Bow Lake).  It started out raining, changed to sun, then a freak snow storm while we hit the summit so we couldn't see anything and then an hour later, beautiful sunshine again!  You win some and you lose some!

Have an amazing day!  

Jen