Freshly Made Sketches #602

This week's sketch at Freshly Made Sketches is brought to us by the very talented Kim! I had the absolute pleasure of meeting Kim and her husband earlier this summer when they passed through my little town! It was such fun to meet one of the team in real life!

I used the Holiday Dove Floral from CottageCutz for my sweet main "images". It is an all-in-one die, so you are cutting all of the pieces at once, and then again in whatever other colors you wish. One of the advantages to that is that you never lose the little tiny dies! They're all connected! The sentiment is from Spellbinders' Christmas Floral Die, and the embossing folder is Spellbinders' Forevergreen. 

I hope you will join our sketch challenge this week, and add your creations to our gallery. This week's challenge will end at 3:00 EDT time on Monday, September 11th. Don't miss all of the amazing creations from the DT on the FMS blog to inspire you!

And here is a photo of Kim and me at a fun coffee shop where we met!

Freshly Made Sketches #504

Come join our sketch challenge at Freshly Made Sketches! The very creative Karren is our hostess today!

When I saw the sketch, for some reason puffy clouds came to mind for the bottom layers. While it's not straight lines, it still follows the sketch! I am not a slimline fan, so I created a mini slim today (which I do like)!

I cut three layers of puffy clouds using MFT's Stitched Clouds Edges Dies. I popped up the middle layer for fun. Next, I cut the Airplane w/ Banner (CottageCutz) three times using Basic Black, Hammermill White, and Wild Cherry. I stamped my sentiment (Lily of the Valley/Reverse Confetti) and then adhered all of the airplane pieces together, also popped up. My card base is Seaside Spray (SU!) matted with Wild Cherry (Poptone). A lot of different companies' products today! I love combining what I have to make something fun!

I hope you will join our sketch challenge this week, and add your creations to our gallery! This challenge will end at 3:00 EDT time on Monday, September 27. Be sure to take a peek at the gorgeous cards my teammates have made on the FMS blog! 

Da Plane! Da Plane! Freshly Made Sketches #468

Hello everyone! We have a new sketch at Freshly Made Sketches, and the very talented Linda is our hostess!

I decided to make a card using this adorable plane die from CottageCutz. I have had it forever (I think it's retired by now!), and finally got it out to make a birthday card for my grandson. He turns 3 in March, but I wanted to make sure I had it made before the last minute, as is typical!

The dies are all on one block of steel, so I cut it out four times using pink, green, blue, and yellow. Now I have parts for others already cut! I pieced it together and glued with Gina K Connect Glue. I stamped Happy Birthday (Penny Black) on the banner, and added gems for the windows. A couple of fun purple clouds from Lil Inkers, and a few more gems completed the card. My patterned paper is from Echo Park.

I hope you will join our sketch challenge this week, and add your creations to our gallery! 

This challenge will end at 3:00 EST time on Monday, January 18th. On Tuesday, we will announce the winner of this week's challenge who will be known as the "Queen or King of Clean". The team will choose other gallery favorites to be known as a "Perfect Princess or Prince". Be sure to stop at the Freshly Made Sketches blog, and click on the names of my teammates to see the beautiful cards they have created this week!

Just For You!

Welcome to the November Really Reasonable Ribbon Blog Hop! If you arrived here from Ginny's blog, you are in the right place! If you just happened along, be sure to start at the beginning at the RRR Blog (I am the fourth stop, so you don't have far back to go!) so you don't miss out on the awesome projects, fun news, 

and a prize from Really Reasonable Ribbon! 

Our hop goes live at 6:30 AM Central.

Each 13th of the month it's the Really Reasonable Ribbon blog hop where we highlight the Ribbon Club! I LOVE Bonnie's choices for the November ribbon club package. The beautiful combination of colors, so different and so gorgeous together, are perfect for fall and holiday creations. If you really love ribbon and would like to have a wonderful assortment of ribbons sent to you automatically each month, just join the Really Reasonable Ribbon Club! Monthly ribbon club assortments are selected and pre-packed to reflect a specific theme, color, or holiday season.

 

The assortments vary from month to month, but an average assortment has 7-9 different ribbon styles and consists of 10-15 yards of ribbon.This one has even more! It contains 9 styles and a total of 18 yards. You will love it! For today's card I chose to make a tag card, using a sentiment from Sweet 'n Sassy's Christmas Tag Sentiments.

I watercolored a pink background on my tag, using my Kuretake paints, and added a die cut tree out of glitter paper (The Paper Studio). I stamped the sentiment in VersaFine Onyx Black ink.

I layered 5/8" Light Celery Crochet Lace and the Wild Rose Swiss Dots Grosgrain (from this month's Ribbon Club) for my tag topper. A button completed the look. On the main panel, I used the same two trims, and added the Rosewood Satin Swirls (also from the Ribbon Club), but turned it over for a solid look (it's like getting two ribbons in one!).

I added two beautiful pink Apple Blossoms and a bit of Raspberry Baker's Twine, as well as a touch of the Rosewood Satin Swirls (pattern showing this time!) to accent the flowers. I used 1/4" Scor-Tape to hold everything together.  

Now off to Cheryl's blog, where you will have a feast for the eyes!

Challenges:

• 613 Avenue Create - Anything Goes w/Optional Twist: Anything Goes
• Come and Get It - Ribbon or Twine
• Fashionable Stamping - Tis The Season - Autumn or Winter
• Glitter n Sparkle - Anything Goes
• A Gem of a Challenge - Use Ribbon and Bling

Fun Times!

A quick post today to share a fun little card I made using one of the owls from CottageCutz Hoot Loves You. This is the cutest set, with so many different ways to have the owls' expressions and eyes. Take a look:

I love these little owls~!

 

On an little fun note,

I won top three at ABC Challenges for this fun kite card!

Two Things I Love: Chocolate & Bees......

I love Valentine's Day -- almost more than any other holiday! It must come from my incredible love for chocolate and being romantic at heart.  :) The love for bee things is a little different -- I am very allergic to bee stings, but for some reason, just love the dies, stamps, and little bee knickknacks I find. As long as they aren't real, I am good with them!

I made this valentine greeting using dies from CottageCutz.

I had originally started to make a typical yellow and black card using my new cute little Bumblebee Mini Die, but then I took a pink turn (which happens frequently since it's my favorite color) and made my card into a valentine instead.

The Scalloped Doily provided a fun background for my Prima pink flower. I sponged Pretty in Pink and Melon Mambo on the bees' wings for a little depth. A little Anastasia White Lace from Really Reasonable Ribbon added a sweet bow to match the doily.

I do enjoy watching real bees as they fly from flower to flower in the spring and summer. These bees are buzzin' around to wish you an early Happy Valentine's Day~!

Challenges for this card:
Crafts and Me - Something new (dies)
Freshly Brewed - anything goes
WordArt Wednesdays - word art freebie OR use an encouraging uplifting sentiment - anything goes 
Bearly Mine - Anything Goes
Oozak - Anything goes plus pink and bling
 
Paper: Whisper White, Basic Black, Melon Mambo, Pink Pirouette, Prima and stash DP
Ink: Melon Mambo, Pretty in Pink
Accents: Scalloped Doily and Bumblebee Mini Dies (CottageCutz), tulle flower (Prima), Anastasia White Lace (Really Reasonable Ribbon), Pearl pearls (Kaiser), rub-on letters

Owl Always Be Your Friend

There are some adorable new images for Valentine's Day in the Whimsie Doodles Store! Today I am sharing one from Valentine Gift Tags. Isn't this owl DARLING?

I printed it twice on white cardstock to pop it up, and then colored it using Copic markers. I pieced the eyes to match the background paper. The sweet little sentiment says "Owl always be your friend."
My ribbon from Really Reasonable Ribbon is Dots Organza White and White Wrinkled Ribbon.

I used Jen's Deconstructed Sketch #83 for my layout:

Take a look at the entire Whimsie Doodles Valentine Gift Tags Collection here.

And be sure to check out the current Whimsie Doodles challenge HERE. Three more days to enter for a chance to be the next WD Guest Artist!

Other challenges for this card:
Crafting for all Seasons - Something New (digi)
Crafty Creations - Something New (digi)
Creative Moments - Monochrome 
Craft Room Challenge - Valentines
Going Grey With Scrap-Creations - Something New (digi) 
Loves Rubber Stamps - Use Dies Or Punches

Stamps: Valentine Gift Tags (Whimsie Doodles)
Paper: White (Georgia Pacific), Melon Mambo (SU!), Kraft (Recollections), Sleepy Tree DP (K & Co.), Four Seasons DP (The Paper Studio)
Ink: Copics R81, R83, R85, C1
Accents: Dots White Organza and Wrinkled White Ribbon (RRR), rhinestone (Studio G), silver half pearls (Mark Richards), Picket Fence Border and Elephant Peeker die [heart/scalloped heart] (CottageCutz), Scalloped border die (SNSS), Pennant, Oval and Scalloped Oval dies (SB), felt

A Happy Hello

Today is my first post with the CottageCutz Design Team. I am so happy to be joining such a talented team of artists -- and such sweet personalities too!

I am sharing a valentine I made for my college sophomore daughter. I used Elephant Peeker, Picket Fence Border, and the Scalloped Doily for my dies.

 

My little elephant is a girl, so she has painted her toes pink! I hand cut the little tag, punched a hole, and added a little stamped sentiment ("a happy hello") from Stampin' Up! 

The Sherbert Satin Ruffle ribbon and Raspberry Baker's Twine are from Really Reasonable Ribbon. Check out the THREE DAY SALE going on at Really Reasonable Ribbon right now! The felt flower is by Bride's. Oh do I love pink~!

My sketch is based on Deconstructed Sketch #83:

My daughter lives 700 miles away, so I hope this little sweet elephant brings her some sweet love and cheer in her mailbox!

On another fun note, THIS CARD won a prize (Meljen images) at Dream Valley Challenges - randomly chosen out of 480 entries -- kinda fun for odds like that!

Challenges for this card: 
Send a Smile for Kids - Valentine 4 Kids 
Brown Sugar - Thinking of/Missing You 
Crafts 4 Eternity Recipe Challenge - Something new (dies)
Incy Wincy Designs - Something New (dies) 
Lexi's Creations - Anything Goes   
Stamp and Create - Love 
Whoopsi Daisy - Die Cuts & Punches 
One Stitch At A Time - Something New (dies) 

Quirky Crafts - Something New with Pink (dies) 
The Pink Elephant Monday Card Challenge - Celebrate
Totally Stampalicious - Buttons & Bows

Stamps: Stampin' Up!
Paper: Melon Mambo, Pink Pirouette (SU!), White (Georgia Pacific), This and That Graceful DP (Echo Park)
Ink: Copics, Melon Mambo, Sakura White Glaze pen
Accents and Tools: Elephant Peeker, Picket Fence Border, Scalloped Doily dies (CottageCutz), eyelet, Sherbert Satin Ruffle ribbon and Raspberry Baker's Twine (RRR), pink gems (Studio G), felt flower (Bride's)

Some Fun News ~

 

I am excited to announce that I will be joining the CottageCutz Design Team beginning in January! If you know their dies, you know that is awesome! And if you don't, you should check them out. A whole lotta dies for every occasion -- and I am thrilled to be asked to be a part of this very talented team:

Carol Hurlock

Cheryl Walker

Cindy Haffner 

Frances Rodriguez

Janice Wilson

Judy Rozema

Kathy Roney

Lisa Novogrodski

Olena Levchenko

Simona Lupscha

Vladka Serbinek

You can read all about it here!