Yippee!  It is Wednesday!!  Freshly Made Sketches day!  Our sketch this week is from lovely and talented Cindy Hall – another great one for using again and again.  There a lots of ways to use it.  You can stamp the big panel or use some DSP…the choice is yours!

I chose to stamp the big panel, mostly as an excuse to pull out my brand new stamps!  This one is Gifts of Kindness and it was right at the top of my “must haves” out of the new catalog.  I love this beautiful flower and the sentiments are some of the best I have seen (especially for thank you notes).  Of course I had to ink up with some new and returning colors so I pulled out Strawberry Slush, a new In Color, and Pear Pizzazz, a returning favorite.  Aren’t they pretty together??!!  That scalloped edge in the sketch said “Stretch Ruffle Trim” to me and I just had to use the Strawberry Slush version of it.  It is so pretty and so easy to use for a pop of color and texture!  Some Gingham Garden DSP in Daffodil Delight adds a little interest on the side and thought that a Vintage Faceted Button was a nice addition to the sentiment banner.  That sentiment is from Gifts of Kindness and that font is simply beautiful, don’t you think?

I look forward to seeing all that you create in the gallery this week.  After seeing the awesome creations from the DT, I know there will be lots of variety and fun things to admire!  Make sure you go tell Cindy how much you love the sketch too!

I’m so glad you stopped in today.  Hoping for some stamping time later today and to have something to share later this week.  Until then, have a fantastic week!  See you soon!

Stamp:  Gifts of Kindness: Paper:  Daffodil Delight, Whisper White, Gingham Garden DSP; Ink:  Strawberry Slush, Pear Pizzazz; Accessories:  Strawberry Slush Stretch Ruffle Trim, Vintage Faceted Button, Baker’s Twine, Glue Dots, Dimensionals

I think that summer is almost officially here!!  My boys have started swim team and tomorrow is their last day of school.  The summer flying seems to be in full swing (make sure you look for me if you are on a United Airbus…especially on a weekend, lol) and I am working to find time for stamping.  That said, it is easy to stamp when you have a sketch this great!  Linda Callahan really did a fantastic job on this and you are going to have such fun using it!!

I am not so patiently waiting for my new catalog order to arrive (it should arrive today!!) so I chose to combine a little new with some old favorites.  The colors…oh yes, this is a very happy color combination for me!!  The new In Color Crisp Cantaloupe pairs beautifully with Early Espresso.  I used the Core’dinations version of Early Espresso for embossing and ran the split panel through with the Fancy Fan Embossing Folder.  I lightly sanded the Espresso side (trying to keep it clean) just so that you could see the bit of “core color” peeking through.  I thought Creative Elements paired nicely with the embossing folder so I stamped the flourish and then cut out a butterfly from the same set.  A sentiment from Petite Pairs seemed like a nice match.  I added in a little bit of retired Early Espresso Satin Ribbon tied with a retired Neutrals button.  I topped the button and the butterfly with Basic Pearls.  This card doesn’t have a particular recipient yet but I can think of a few people I would love to send it to!

I actually said “wow” out loud at this week’s design team cards!  Truly, I am incredibly lucky to be associated with such amazing talent!!  That creativity is not limited to the team though.  I am thrilled every week by the inspiration I find in the gallery!  I love reading your posts and seeing your work!!

Ok,  I have a card to share with you on Friday.  Father’s Day is almost here and I’m trying to get everything ready!  I look forward to showing the card I made for my father-in-law!  Until then, thanks for stopping in!  See you soon!

Stamps:  Creative Elements, Petite Pairs; Paper:  Early Espresso Core’dinations, Crisp Cantaloupe, Very Vanilla, Early Espresso; Ink:  Early Espresso, Crisp Cantaloupe; Accessories:  Big Shot, Fancy Fan EF, Basic Pearls, Neutrals Buttons (ret), Espresso Satin Ribbon (ret)

I am so excited to show you this awesome sketch by Rita Wright!!  It is the latest from Freshly Made Sketches and it is just fantastic!!  I had the hardest time narrowing down my ideas because I could see so many ways to use this one!

I opted for a really clean approach with lots of white space.  I think the little banners really pop against the white!  This sweet flower from Bright Blossoms fits perfectly with the Gingham Garden DSP, don’t you think?  All I had to do was use the colors from the paper!  I used a Rose Red button (from the retired style) but it goes well with the Melon Mambo in the paper.  I can see that I’m completely into my “seasonal stamper’s disorder” (colors and style of stamping totally dependent on the season).  I seem to use less layers and brighter colors as the weather warms up!  I started with all of these layers framed and the card felt too heavy.  I think I really like this version!

I know that you are going to have a great time with this sketch!  The DT has such fun examples so make sure you go check them out.

I hope your week is going well.  Last week’s busy schedule has turned into this week’s busy schedule and we are finishing up school activities.  I have a few teacher gifts that I am working on and look forward to sharing them soon.  Until then, have a great week!

Stamp:  Bright Blossoms, Petite Pairs; Paper:  Gingham Garden DSP, Whisper White; Ink:  Melon Mambo, Daffodil Delight, Pear Pizzazz; Accessories:  White Baker’s Twine, Subtles Buttons (retired), Dimensionals

Today’s Freshly Made Sketches challenge is courtesy of the wonderful Jen Mitchell.  I just love the clean look of this one, don’t you??!!  It lends itself to so many interpretations!

I thought that a pretty stamped image was just perfect for the rectangular panel and I chose the lovely Bordering on Romance.  Yes, it is retiring so if you don’t already have it, don’t delay!  This is kind of an ode to retiring things since I also used Made for You and the Twitterpated DSP.  All of these are on the retiring list.  After stamping the image in Basic Gray, I watercolored it with Baja Breeze (another retiring item), Blushing Bride and Pear Pizzazz.  Ok, that is good news….Blushing Bride and Pear Pizzazz are rejoining us!!  I used the Large Scallop Edgelit for the side scallop and some retired Pear Pizzazz Seam Binding for the bow.  Some Basic Pearls make for perfect flower centers.

I just love this sketch and think it will be one I come back to over and over!  Thanks, Jen, for a great one!  I look forward to all the gallery will hold this week.  I see more inspiration and more pinning for me!

So glad you were able to drop in today.  As I said yesterday, this is a crazy week and I hope to fit in a little more stamping.  I hope your week is fabulous!  See you soon!

Stamps:  Bordering on Romance, Made for You; Paper: Twitterpated DSP, Whisper White, Pear Pizzazz; Ink:  Basic Gray, Baja Breeze, Blushing Bride, Pear Pizzazz; Accessories:  Pear Pizzazz Seam Binding, Big Shot, Large Scallop Edgelit, Basic Pearls, Dimensionals