Wednesday, May 29, 2024

Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #638


Hello!
Happy Wednesday!  I hope your week has started well!  We are finally getting some warmer weather!  It's been so lovely!  There is still the odd day of rain but we need it and we won't complain!!  Trevor and I did a great hike on Saturday - as always I'll post pictures below!  We're having trouble finding trails and had to do a bit of a drive to get to this one but it was so worth it!  

We have a new sketch at Freshly Made Sketches this week!  Our hostess is the our favourite Aussie and my fututre hiking partner, Narelle Farrugia!  Narelle's cards are so gorgeous so head over to her blog and check them out!  

I really loved Narelle's sketch this week.  I was a little unsure what I would do at first but I needed an 18th birthday card for the new adult in our house!  I had also just purchased these golf dies and knew they would work perfectly!  

Supplies:
Cardstock: Hammermill White Coverstock, Real Red, Basic Black, Pacific Point, Silver
Stamps: Bitty Birthday Wishes (MFT)
Ink: Pink Fresh Detail Black
Dies: Double Stitched Squares, Double Stitched Circles,  Itty Bitty Strips (MFT)
Other: Tasteful Textile Embossing Folder (SU - retired)


Our hike was at Table Mountain on the weekend!  It was one of the only areas not calling for rain!  The hike was just over 10 km with almost 900 m elevation gain.  It was a bit of a grind but so worth it.  It was so beautiful.  There were little waterfalls all along the way.   We hit a pretty big patch of snow at the top.  It was almost 2 feet deep in some parts.  Pretty crazy!  





Thanks so much for stopping by today.  I hope you'll join in our challenge this week.  If you head over to the Freshly Made Sketches blog you'll get all the details and see some pretty beautiful cards!  
You have until Monday at 1 PM EST to get your card entered into this week's challenge!

Have an amazing day!
Jen


 

Wednesday, May 22, 2024

Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #637


Hello!
Happy Wednesday!  I hope everyone is having a great week so far!  We're coming off of an extra long weekend.  Unfortunately the weather was horrible.  We even drove through a snow storm on Saturday!  No hiking for us!  We did some off-roading which was fun but a little chilly!  We had to wear our winter coats! Some places got hit with snow on Friday and some mountain peaks received upwards of 30 cm of snow!  The start of summer hiking season has been significantly delayed!  That being said, it's also delaying and helping wildfire season so I guess we'll be thankful!  

We have got a fun new sketch this week at Freshly Made Sketches!  Our hostess this week is the amazing Karren Johnson!  Karren is super creative and an amazing colourer (I know, it's not a word!) so make sure you head over to her blog and check out her beautiful creations!  

So shockingly (or not), I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with this sketch.  I had just purchased some new dies to make some masculine cards (I feel that these are sometimes hard to find!) and thought I could get a head start on a Father's Day card.  My husband got a smoker for Christmas and he makes some delicious dinners so I thought this card would work perfectly for him.  My dad also is amazing on the BBQ so I might have to create one like this for him as well.  I'm going to actually get to see my dad for Father's day this year (or the day after) so he might get his card and gift in person!  

Supplies:
Cardstock: Hammermill Coverstock White, Basic Black, Real Red, Silver Foil
Patterned Paper: Simple Stories Summer Lovin' Red Gingham
Stamps: Pond Life (Papertrey Ink)
Ink: Detail Black (Pinkfresh Studio)
Dies: King of the Grill (Crafter's Companion), Double Stitched Circles, Tasteful Label Dies (SU)
Other: Subtle Texture Embossing Folder (SU)





Just thought I'd include some pics from our off roading adventure!  We still could see the mountains from where we were so it was almost as good as hiking!  Loved getting out and getting some fresh air!  Super fun new hobby to add to our list!  

Thanks for stopping by today!  I hope you'll head over to the Freshly Made Sketches blog and join in our challenge!  We love seeing so many different cards!  We definitely have a creative group of card makers that play along each week.

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

Have an amazing day!

Jen



 

Wednesday, May 8, 2024

Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #635


Hello!
Happy Wednesday!  I hope you're having a wonderful week!  We are getting some much needed rain but it's super cold and it's also soccer season here which means I have a kid standing in goal freezing for 90 minutes every couple of days!  The warm weather is supposed to arrive on Thursday, just in time for the next game!  What crazy weather we've been having.  The farmers and the fire fighters need the rain so we won't complain I guess.

We've got a brand new sketch at Freshly Made Sketches!  I am this week's hostess and I have a fairly simple sketch for you.  I actually wasn't sure what I was going to do with this card.  I originally wanted to make a masculine card and had something in mind but couldn't get it to work out.  Shocking!  

I really love the last Simple Stories paper pad I bought so I grabbed it again and went to work.  I have lent out some of my Lovely Layers dies so one of the only ones I have left are the anemones.  I probably should have done a different colour than pink but I didn't have time to fix it after I came to this realization!   I need 13 thank you cards for Thursday and I work tonight so I'm in a crunch!

Supplies:
Cardstock: Hammermill White Coverstock, Bermuda Bay, Bumble Bee, Chocolate Chip
Patterned Paper: Simple Stories 6X8 Paper Pad (Trail Mix)
Ink: Tattered Rose, Saltwater Taffy, Rustic Wilderness (Tim Holtz Distress Oxides)
Dies: Lovely Layers Anemones (Honey Bee Stamps)
Other: Glimmer Hot Foil Machine (Spellbinders), Wonderful Sentiments (Pink Fresh Studios), Gold 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!  I can't wait to see what you create!  I always love checking out your creative ideas!

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

Have an amazing day!

Jen


 

Wednesday, May 1, 2024

Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #634


Hello!
Happy Wednesday!  I hope you're having a great start to your week!  We were having a great week until the forecast said snow.  It's almost May and we're still dealing with snow.  Some areas closer to the mountains are supposed to get between 10-20 cm of snow.  That's a fair bit of snow for the spring.  Thankfully our temperatures are supposed to remain above freezing so I'll be praying that it melts!  I need spring and summer to come NOW!!!

We have a fun new sketch over at Freshly Made Sketches today!  Our hostess today is my fellow Rocky Mountain dweller (but the Colorado variety), Kim Singdahlsen! You will love Kim's cards so head over to her blog to be wowed!  Your wish list will grow so be warned!!!  


I'll be honest, when I first saw this sketch I just stared at it and had no clue at all what I wanted to do.  Angles throw me I guess.  I have also been super busy (and a little overwhelmed) at work and so my creative side is definitely lacking.  It took a couple of days of staring at the sketch and the card you see above is what was produced.  It's not my favourite.  It's not even in my top 10!  I had a vision but I just couldn't make it work despite my best efforts!  

Supplies:
Cardstock: Hammermill White Coverstock, Highland Heather
Ink: Milled Lavender, Dusty Concord (Tim Holtz Distress Oxides)
Dies: Paper Florist Dies
Other: Glimmer Hot Foil Machine (Spellbinders), Monoline Stars Embossing Folder (Spellbinders), Basic Rhinestones (SU), Purple Foil (Spellbinders), Be Bold Sentiments (Spellbinders)

We didn't get out for a hike on the weekend.  I was a little sad but I was exhausted from the previous week and knew what my body didn't need was a 4AM wake up and then hauling myself up a mountain!  We won't get out this weekend either since I'll be at a conference and Trevor will be away!  That will make the following weekend even better!

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 have some amazing cards already posted so go and check them out!  You'll hopefully find some inspiration!  
You have until Monday at 1 PM EST to enter this week's challenge!

Have an amazing day!
Jen

 

Wednesday, April 24, 2024

Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #633


Hello!
Happy Wednesday!  I hope you're all having a great week!  Spring seems to have finally arrived here.  Though I won't say for sure that we won't see snow again!  Anything is possible in Alberta!  Trevor and I went on an amazing hike with our friend Annie on the weekend.  The weather was perfect!  Not a cloud in sight, almost no wind and the most beautiful views.  It was one of my favourite hikes.  There was at least 6 feet of snow where we were.  If you broke through you went down to your butt and your foot still wasn't touching the ground!  It was crazy!  We couldn't believe it.  But I truly believe that the mountains are prettier with snow.

We've got a brand new sketch at Freshly Made Sketches!  Our hostess this week is the incredible Linda Callahan.  Linda's cards are beautiful so please head over to her blog and check them out!  

So I honestly didn't know what I was going to do with this sketch.  I didn't feel all that creative!  I decided that it would be perfect to use some of the patterned paper that I have been hoarding.  I grabbed one of my paper packs and got to work.  These little butterflies and looked so cute!  I added some flowers and some bling and called it a day!

Supplies: 
Cardstock: Hammermill White Coverstock, Hello Honey, Lost Lagoon, Basic Black
Paper: Simple Stories 6X8 Paper Pad Trail Mix
Ink: Saltwater Taffy Distress Ink, Fossilized Amber Distress Oxide (Tim Holtz)
Dies: Paper Florist Dies, Nested Essential Dies (both SU), MFT Everyday Strips (MFT)
Other:  Glimmer Hot Foil Machine, Gold Foil, Mini Everyday Sentiments (Spellbinders), Wink of Stella, Iridescent Rhinestones Basic Jewels.


Here's a few photos from our weekend hike!  I hope you enjoy them!





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 come up with!

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

Have an amazing day!

Jen



 

Wednesday, April 17, 2024

Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #632


Hello!
Happy Wednesday!  I hope you're having a great start to your week!  We had a beautiful weekend and a lovely start to the week and then the forecast said snow.  I'm pretty much done with snow - at least on my lawn!  It's not supposed to last and temperatures are supposed to be above freezing so I'm hopeful it won't stick around!

We have a great new sketch at Freshly Made Sketches!  Our hostess this week is the amazing Jen Mitchell!  Jen is an amazing clean card maker.  Her cards are so pretty so head over to her blog to check them out!  


I love Jen's sketch this week!  I knew I could pop some big flowers in that sketch and be quite happy!  I love my Honey Bee Stamps Lovely Layers stamps.  The hardest part was choosing which flower to use!  I went with the Coneflower.  I love a good coneflower.  I've never seen one this colour but that's okay.  I had picked up some new Distress Oxide at our local paper store and couldn't wait to use it!!!

Supplies:
Cardstock: Hammermill Coverstock, Bermuda Bay, Gold Foil, 
Ink: Peacock Feathers, Salvaged Patina, Scattered Straw, Fossilized Amber, Twisted Citron
Dies: Honey Bee Stamps Lovely Layers Coneflower
Other: Hardwood Embossing Folder, Champagne Foil, Glimmer Hot Foil Machine,  

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 always love to see what people create!  If you need some inspiration, the Design Team have posted some great cards!  

You have until Monday at 1 PM EST to enter our challenge!

Trevor and I got out for a hike on the weekend!  We tackled a peak called Ha Ling!  I didn't actually reach the summit.  It was insanely windy.  Winds I have never felt before.  I opted to stay safely at the saddle and let Trevor go to the top alone.  There is still a lot of snow left in the mountains!  I thought for sure some would have melted but alas, this mountain was full of it!  We don't have a lot of hiking options yet as the avalanche risk is still pretty high!







Thank you so much for stopping by today!
Have an amazing day!

Jen


 

Wednesday, April 10, 2024

Freshly Made Sketches Challenge #631


Hello!
Happy Wednesday!  I hope you're having a great start to the week!  Did you get to see the eclipse this week?  We live on the Western side of Canada so we just saw a partial eclipse.  It didn't last long but it was still neat to see.  We had blue, cloudless skies so it was easy to see (with the special glasses of course!).

We've got a brand new sketch at Freshly Made Sketches!  Our hostess is our favourite airline captain, Jen Timko!  Jen is an incredible card maker so head over to her blog and check them out!  Jen is also a great hiker - I can't wait to take her on our next adventure!!!


I wasn't sure what to do with this card.  I had every intention of using a Lovely Layers flower of some sort but that's not what happened!  I decided to keep it nice and simple!  I really like the flowers in the Spellbinders Garden Wreath Add-Ons set.  They're super easy to use!  I hot foiled a circle, cut it out and added a flower!  I used some rose gold foil to cut some leaves and hot foiled a rose gold sentiment then called it day!

Supplies:
Cardstock: Hammermill White Coverstock
Other: Garden Wreath Add Ons (Spellbinders), Be Bold Blooms (Spellbinders), Be Bold Sentiments (Spellbinders), Nested Circles (PinkFresh Studios), Monoline Stars Embossing Folder. 

We were able to get out for a hike last Wednesday.  The weather forecast wasn't looking good so we made sure we were out there for a 7 am start and we were able to get up to the "peak" and back down before the weather hit!  We had the most beautiful weather.  It was incredible  The sun was shining and air was warm!  It was wonderful.  It felt so good to get back out there.  It's "shoulder" season so the trails are muddy and icy and overall just gross.  We will have a few weeks of this before actual hiking season will begin!






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!  There are some great cards posted that will inspire you!  The Design Team did a great job this week! 

You have until Monday at 1 PM EST to enter into the challenge!

Have an amazing day!

Jen