Freshly Made Sketches #454

Hello everyone! It's Wednesday, when I get to share the new sketch at Freshly Made Sketches! Jacquie is our fabulous hostess for this week. Her sketch has a lot of space for interpretation, and I think you'll have a lot of fun with it.

I make a lot of prints using my Gel Press. Sometimes I even love them. ha! But I always save them, whether or not I think they're pretty or usable. Today I used one that had pretty colors, but a mess of a design to take center stage. But, as you can see, it looks awesome with these leaf dies by Tim Holtz! I used the leaves as the colored rectangle in the sketch.

I wish I had taken a photo of the print before I adhered it to the die panel. It was a combination of primary colors (red, blue, yellow) that made some lovely secondary colors! I love how it looks behind those gorgeous leaves. I stamped a retired splatter stamp from Stampin' Up! all over the front in VersaFine Sepia. I added a sentiment with one of the All Things Happy Sentiment Strips from SSS. I had a piece of the print left, and I added it down the left side of the main panel. I wrapped my card base with Krenik metallic gold thread, and adhered the card front to the base.

I hope you will join our sketch challenge this week, and add your creations to our gallery! You have until Monday, September 28, at 3 PM Eastern time to join us!

Be sure to stop at the Freshly Made Sketches blog, and click on the names of my teammates to see what beauty they have created this week!

 

I am also joining The Card Concept this week, with their gorgeous inspiration photo of beautiful patterns and leaves, like in the leaf dies in my Clean and Layered card.

 

 

Visible Image Christmas Release

Hello everyone!

The Visible Image Christmas 2020 Release is now ready to ship! Have you checked it out? Today I am sharing some projects made with the new stamps and stencils.

First up is the fabulous INKED HOLLY, one of the new mini stamp sets.

I made a watercolor background using Peeled Paint and Crushed Olive DOX inks, and loosely colored my holly with Karin markers. Some extra holly berries (glitter enamel dots) and gold metallic thread are my embellishments. I spattered black ink to finish off the look.

 
Next up is the beautiful SCRIBBLED STAR. I absolutely love this one. Not only can you use it for Christmas, but it makes a great celebratory card, say for a birthday, too!

I made a shaker card, stamping the image in Hero Arts Intense Black ink, and then outlined some of the letters and star with a yellow Posca paint pen.

I added my shaker mix of stars and beads. For the frame, I used the stars from the new ICONIC CHRISTMAS stencil, with Simon Hurley's Sike! ink.

My third card today uses the beautiful SIMPLY SNOWFLAKES and a sentiment from the previously released SENTIMENTAL CHRISTMAS.

I used the emboss resist technique on this one, to give the impression of swirling snowflakes. I stamped my snowflakes with Versamark ink, and then embossed with White Detail Embossing Powder. I then painted a background using Tumbled Glass DOX ink.

A trio of sequins adds dimension and sparkle to finish the main card panel. I backed it with some shimmer cardstock in a complementary blue shade, and used white as the card base.

The links to supplies for these cards are below. They are affiliate links, at no extra cost to you.

Challenges:

• Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas - #505 - Anything Christmas Goes - optional theme: Include the word Joy
• A Gem of a Challenge - #19 - Anything Goes

Festive Friday #FF0068

Happy Friday!

Last night my husband and I watched a documentary on the NASA Challenger and Discovery shuttles. It was so interesting to remember when all the world was excited about space travel. There are still those excited about space, because October 4-10 is World Space Week! And we are celebrating with a fabulous Inspo List for you.

At Festive Friday, you do not need to actually celebrate the occasion.  Your goal is to simply use three or more items from the inspiration list on your project. For my card today, I chose navy, stencil, robot/gears, and glitter.

 

To begin, I chose two DOX colors for my gears stencil (Paper Rose): Faded Jeans and Stormy Sky. I used my Life Changing Blender Brushes (Picket Fence Studios) to blend the inks. If you don't have the Wendy Vecchi MAKE ART STAY-tion for your stenciling, you REALLY need one. I used to use tape (all kinds, but mostly Purple Tape) to hold my stencils, and the STAY-tion is ten times faster, and more ecomnical! See the link below.

I then stamped my sentiment (Visible Image) in VersaFine Clair Nocturne, and heat embossed with Clear EP (WOW). On Hammermill #110 cardstock, I stamped my robot (Visible Image) with Nocturne ink, and then colored with alcohol markers, using shades of blues. I fussy cut him out and adhered him to my background. I added some metallic sparkle to some of his suit with a Nuvo Glimmer Pen.

The card base is Night of Navy (SU!) cardstock, with a layer of sliver glitter cardstock (The Paper Studio) inbetween, and offset from the main panel.

 

I hope you will join us for this challenge! Remember, you can choose any three from the list, for any occasion or theme! The challenge is open until September 28th!

For more inspiration, be sure to visit the rest of the  Festive Friday Challenge Design team!

Ann Schach  

Beth McCullough

Sharon Hashimoto Burkert

Melanie Hungerford

Helen Jennings

Stephanie Lanzalotto

Melva Peters

 

 

Freshly Made Sketches #453

Hello everyone! It's Wednesday, when I get to share the new sketch at Freshly Made Sketches! It is my pleasure to be hosting this week, and I hope that you will join us and play along!

Today I am using products from three different companies on my card. I had intended to use my new Detailed Dove dies from Stampin' Up, and make an all white card, but the beautiful Fancy Kaleidoscope  stencil from Picket Fence Studios was on my desk from a previous project, and I thought it would be perfect for the large circle background in the sketch.

Using my Life Changing Blender Brushes, I blended Tumbled Glass DOX over the stencil, with a circle stencil as a mask to keep the shape of the sketch. I then cut my dove from Hammermill 110# cardstock and popped it up with dimensionals. I added the little circle of hope from Tim Holtz's Christmas Circle Words dies in the corner, and three sequins from Pretty Pink Posh for sparkle. A "quick for me" card, and I love how it turned out!

I hope you will join our sketch challenge this week, and add your creations to our gallery! You have until Monday, September 21, at 3 PM Eastern time to join us!

 

Be sure to stop at the Freshly Made Sketches blog, and click on the names of my teammates to see what beauty they have created this week!

 

Picket Fence Studios' September Release is Here!

It's always an exciting day for Picket Fence Studios when it's Release Day! New Paper Glaze colors, 6x6 stencils, Slim Line stencils, stamps, and more - including a sequin storage case, and an AMAZING Slim Line Die Cutting System that you are going to want to check out and buy PRONTO!! It makes up to 256 different combinations of card fronts. Yes, you read that right! All the links are below!

Today we are celebrating not only new products, but new team members! Welcome Larisa and Lisa! You can check out their creations for today in the hop list below. That's right, we are having a September Release Hop. And what's a hop without PRIZES? Two lucky winners will each get a $50 shopping spree! Isn't that cool??? Be sure to stop at each hop along the way to be entered. Winners will be announced on the Picket Fence Studios blog next week.

I am excited to show one of the brand new SLIM LINE stencils: Leaf. I love the shape and skeleton design - perfect for fall - and spring leaves!

My white cardstock (I use Hammermill 100#) is 3.5 x 8.5, and I cut my olive card base just a little larger. The new Slim Line Die Cutting System will do all of that for you! I used my Blender Brushes and my MAKE ART STAY-tion (Wendy Vecchi) to blend my colors through the stencil, which I angled off the cardstock. I chose three colors of Distress Oxides for my background: Crushed Olive, Twisted Citron, and Spiced Marmalade.  

I chose a sentiment from the previously released Neighborhood stamp set, and embossed it with Ranger Gold Embossing Powder. I added some of the yummy Spiked Cider Sequin Mix for sparkle and bling.

To finish today's post for me, I leave you with this sweet and adorable little 4.5" square card using the new Dragon Fruit stamp set, and the Slim Line Broken Fence Stencil. I only used about half of the stencil - ha! There is also a 6x6 version that would work on this little card as well.

I stenciled first, using Spun Sugar and Worn Lipstick Distress Oxide Inks. I stamped the images with Hybrid Black ink, and then colored in with Copic markers. I had so much fun coloring this! Have you ever had dragon fruit? It's a tropical fruit native to Mexico and Central America. Its taste is like a combination of a kiwi and a pear. Yum!

Live on the sweet side of life!

Next up is the amazingly talented Becky Roberts!

Picket Fence Studios Blog

Lydia Fiedler

Lisa Tilson

Ceal Pritchett

Susie Moore

Michelle Lupton

Angela Bode

Sara Sherlock

Judy Rozema <<<

Becky Roberts

Karen Reátegui

Erica A-B

Ilina Crouse

Larisa Hohman

There is so MUCH MORE to check out! Shop {HERE} or click one of the links to all the new release products below!  I hope you will stop back tomorrow, as I have a giveaway of my own, and more of the new PFS September Release to show you!

 

The End of Summer is Near

We had a (very) cold front move in yesterday. One day it was 96, and two days later, rain and a high of 45. That tells me that the end of summer is near. And while this coming week will be sunny and warm, I know fall is on the way. But before it officially gets here, I wanted to share a beachy summer card with you! I am using products from Picket Fence Studios.

The NAUTILUS SHELL SCENE is one of my favorite summer images. It has the perfect combination of shell and beachy foliage. In today's card, I used a smooshed watercolor background, and stamped my image with Black Hybrid Ink. I used my Lyra Rembrandt Polycolor pencils to shade and add a bit of color.

To make the sentiment (I MISS YOU WORD DIE) stand out, I cut it from black fun foam. You could get the same effect from cutting several from black cardstock and gluing and stacking them together.

 

For the background, I used the CURRENT OF FISH stencil, and embossed it as an "embossing folder" through my die cutting machine, then inked the fish with a light neutral color. And, finally, I added some gold metallic thread and a few sequins for a little ocean sparkle.

A wonderful reminder of trips to the beach, and searching for shells. I live in the middle of the country (Nebraska), so am really looking forward to a beach trip again someday! That's always an adventure for me!

Thanks for stopping by! You can find links to the products I used below. Happy rest of your summer, and bring on the fall!

Challenges:

#170 - Adventurous

Freshly Made Sketches #452

Hello everyone! It's Wednesday, when I get to share the new sketch at Freshly Made Sketches! This week's sketch was designed by Amy, and I know you will have fun creating with it.

My leaves are from Simon Says Stamp and the Hugs die is from Waffle Flower. Several months ago, I was experimenting with the Brutus Monroe metallic Aqua Pigments, and just sort of made a big blob. I had no idea what to do with it. So it has been in my mixed media pile for that long. Today, when I thought about Amy's sketch, I decided to use my newly acquired Hugs die, and was looking through the mixed media box. Lo and behold, there was the "blob." See for yourself:

At the time, I decided I wouldn't have a clue what to do with that mess I made. But I saved it anyway, because you never know, right?  I think it turned out pretty well! I added some more leaves with the gold metallic cardstock that became the card base, a vellum panel to ground the Hugs die, and a few Latte pearls (Kaiser) for elegance. I flipped the sketch, so the leaves would fit with the die. I think it's a little top heavy, but once you glue, what's a girl to do? What do you think?

You can see another card I made with Amy's sketch HERE. I hope you will join our sketch challenge this week, and add your creations to our gallery! You have until Monday, September 14, at 3 PM Eastern time to join us!

Be sure to stop at the Freshly Made Sketches blog, and click on the names of my teammates to see what beauty they have created this week!

 

Stamptember is Here with Picket Fence Studios!

It's the 11th Anniversary of Stamptember! And today the Picket Fence DT is sharing creations made with the exclusive PFS/SSS set: HAPPY WATER! You can purchase the Happy Water stamp set or the Happy Water Stamp and die set for a limited time, while supplies last. The exclusive collaborations are selling out in record time this year, so act fast if you can.

 

I decided to color my drinks thinking of actual drinks that I have made while tending bar at our community theater. I am the executive director there, and wear a lot of different hats! So tell me if you see: Martini, Long Island Iced Tea, Strawberry Daquiri, Bloody Mary, Margarita on the rocks, Frozen Margarita, Bloody Mary, Blue Hawaiian Cocktail, Cosmo:

I used my Lyra Rembrandt Polycolor pencils to color after stamping with SSS Intense Black ink. This is actually a one layer card for the main image. I added washi tape from my stash around the colored image to give the effect of more than one layer. I did add a small second layer for the sentiment, and cut it out with a circle die. I added a trio of sparkling pink pearls for embellishments.

Here is the complete set, with matching dies, but you can also purchase just the stamp set, as linked above!

Happy Tuesday and happy shopping!

Festive Friday #0067

 Happy Friday!

September 23 is the first day of Fall! Are you as excited as I am? This past summer was a hot one, and I am so looking forward to the cooler temperatures and all of the fun that is in FALL!

At Festive Friday, you do not need to actually celebrate the occasion.  Your goal is to simply use three or more items from the inspiration list on your project. For my card today, I chose leaves, acorns, stitching, gold, green, and brown.

 

I looked through my unfinished projects box and found this lovely woodgrain paper (unknown manufacturer), and that's where I started! Then I pulled out these fabulous rustic country leaf and acorn dies by Impression Obsession, and used several colors of cardstock, including gold shimmer, for the dies. 

I chose a sentiment from one of my Unity Stamp Co. kits, added some gold metallic thread, and a few gold baubles for sparkle! The underlying panel is the same gold shimmer as the leaves and acorn, and the card base is Crumb Cake from Stampin' Up!

 

I hope you will join us for this challenge! Remember, you can choose any three from the list, for any occasion or theme! The challenge is open until September 14th!

For more inspiration, be sure to visit the rest of the  Festive Friday Challenge Design team!

Mary Fish -Guest Designer

Ann Schach  
Beth McCullough
Sharon Hashimoto Burkert
Melanie Hungerford
Helen Jennings
Stephanie Lanzalotto
Melva Peters

 

 

Freshly Made Sketches #451

Hello everyone! It's Wednesday, when I get to share the new sketch at Freshly Made Sketches! This week's sketch was designed by the kind and amazing Narelle (Stampin' Up Artisan DT!), and I know you will have fun creating with it. It's a versatile sketch, with some fun in the vertical rectangles.

I chose some softer colors, with an extra pop of pink (my favorite), and did some watercoloring on my flowers.

My images and die cut word sentiment are from Simon Says Stamp (Big Hugs and Stronger Together). I used my Zig Clean Color markers to add color to the images. I chose some soft blue music paper for my rectangle panels, and a light pink, embossed main panel (Darice EF). The card based is a lovely cool gray. This was a relaxing card to make!

I hope you will join our sketch challenge this week, and add your creations to our gallery! You have until Monday, September 7, at 3 PM Eastern time to join us! Be sure to stop at the Freshly Made Sketches blog, and click on the names of my teammates to see what beauty they have created this week!