Hi Everyone! I’m the sketch hostess this week over at Freshly Made Sketches. I hope that you will love this one!
I used the beautiful Snowflake Cluster Die by Hero Arts along with Nuvo Glitter Paste in Tanzanite Lavender. I used one of the dies as like a stencil and then removed. I cut a few of the flakes out to layer on a vellum version of the die cut. And you can see the negative to the side that I’ll use on another project. A great way to stretch your dies! The sentiment is from the Nordic Tree Stamp Set.
Hope you’ll have a moment to join us this week. Make sure you go over and check out the gorgeous work from the design team too! See you soon.
Welcome to the October hop with my Crafty Friends! I cannot even tell you how excited I am about this month’s featured company. I have been a long time fan of Ellen Hutson and what a thrill to have their team support our hop. For those of you new to this hop, we are a group of friends with a similar beginning in stamping who became friends. Each month on the 20th, we will share inspiration with a focus on one company.
As I mentioned earlier this week, my crafting time this month is pretty much gone due to training on a new plane. But before I left, I just had to pull out the amazing Mondo Holly set to use for this hop. I LOVE this big, gorgeous image! Ok, in truth, I love ALL of the Mondo images from Ellen Hutson. They are so fun to color and are perfect for practicing all kinds of coloring.
I used this coloring as a “brain break” while I was studying leading up to my training. I love just playing with shading! I first stamped the image in Momento Tuxedo Black onto Simon Says Stamp white card stock using my Misti. I always worry about embossing powder with my Copics so it was easy enough just to stamp with a known ink. I started with greens and kept adding richer colors until it had the depth I wanted. They I went to the reds and did the same. Finally a bit of brown for the stem. Then more magic. I went back to the Misti, used some anti-stick powder and over stamped the image with Versamark Ink. Then I heat embossed using Gold Rich Embossing Powder from WOW. Oooooh…..aaaaahh! Using the coordinating die, I cut out the image.
For the card base I stamped the sentiment from the same set in Versamark and heat embossed again but thought it needed a little something else. So I used a technique I learned from a dear friend, Lisa Curcio. As seems to happen in the world of stamping, we were apparently working on similar cards at the same time. She told me about her technique of using watered down liquid glue to create splatters for heat embossing. Well isn’t that smart?! I gave it a go and you can see the result. I used a small paint brush instead of a water pen (an old one used for messy techniques) and it worked perfectly. I did find that it took a little longer to get the powder to set versus using ink but otherwise quite easy.
As you have seen in previous months, we have a Crafty Friends discount code to share with you (what awesome generosity!). Click the button above and use the code CRAFTYFRIENDS20 for a 20% discount on the Ellen Hutson Essentials Line for two days, today and tomorrow (Oct 20-21). There are so many wonderful products in this Essentials Line so happy shopping!
Now on to the rest of the hop. I’m thrilled to send you to Amy Kolling, who is next in the rotation. And here is the list in case you get lost along the way.
Hi everyone! Sorry for the quiet on the blog lately. I’ll explain a bit more at the end of my post. But for today, I get to share with you the latest from Freshly Made Sketches! Our sketch designer is the talented Lee Ann Barrett and she has a winner of a sketch for us this week.
I’m all in on Christmas cards now and I thought it was perfect to pull out an old favorite for this sketch. The Be Merry stamps and dies from WPlus9 are always a winner in my book. I stamped the sentiment onto Ivory card stock and then cut it out with the dies. I stamped some of the accessory images too for layering. I thought the sentiment needed a bit more oomph so I added a bit of the olive ombré on the Merry. The flowers and leaves were quick Copic coloring but they really add so much.
I seem to be drawn to plaid this year and I found this old Stampin’ Up patterned paper in my stash. Perfect! I added a couple of little pearls for flower centers and popped up all the elements with foam squares.
Now for the rest of the story. I never really share too much about my “day job” here but in this case, I wanted to explain my sporadic posting. This picture is from the last day of flying on my beloved Airbus 319/320. I have been in the right seat of that fleet for a long time and I needed to make a change for scheduling. Last week I started training on the Boeing 757/767 fleet. There is a lot that goes into training. Studying, of course, but we also come to our training center in Denver for over a month. Needless to say, I had lots to do to make that happen at home. So I did get a few cards made ahead of time (not as many as I had hoped) and will be posting those over the next couple of weeks. And then you probably won’t hear too much from me until I can get back home and in the craft room. Once I’m back home, I should be able to settle back into the routine quickly and get back to creating.
So with that, back to the Freshly Made Sketches challenge! Make sure you hop over and check out all the inspiration from the team. Thanks so much for stopping in today!
I continued to be inspired by the thought of fall. Not actual fall since that seems to be eluding us in Virginia. But I’m going to keep making cards with leaves to see what I can do. I pulled out these wonderful Autumn Leaves Dies by Newton’s Nook Designs and used a sentiment from the Cottage Garden Stamp Set. I popped them onto some stitched squared with the entire base of Neenah Desert Storm.
Come on over and join us for this fun sketch! And make sure you go see all the inspiration from the design team too. Always a joy to see the takes on the sketch and this week is no exception. Thanks for stopping in today. See you soon!
Welcome to our second month of the Crafty Friends Blog Hop! For those new to our hop, we are a group who had a similar beginning in the crafting world and had the good fortune to become friends.
We will feature a different company on the 20th of each month. I’m super excited that we are focusing on Hero Arts for September!
I chose to use some of their new Christmas products as I start to get more serious about making holiday cards. The Paper Layering Poinsettia Die is absolutely a dream to use. These were cut from Bristol Smooth paper and watercolored with Daniel Smith paints. The process is super easy to do but the look of watercoloring makes them feel special. Each flower is unique and you could make a stack of these super fast (no one needs to know it was quick!).
I combined the die set with a sentiment from the Color Layering Nordic Tree stamp set. It is stamped on black card stock with Versamark and heat embossed with white embossing powder. The patterned paper is from my stash but I like the little bit of texture that didn’t draw the eye from the gorgeous flower.
As part of our fun today, Hero Arts has generously offered a discount for shopping through the Crafty Friends for today and tomorrow (Sep 20 and 21). Click the coupon above and then use the code Craftyfriends20.
Now on to the rest of the hop. I’m thrilled to send you to Amy Kolling, who is next in the rotation. And here is the list in case you get lost along the way.
Happy Wednesday! Freshly Made Sketches has a fabulous sketch from designer Narelle Farrugia today. It is one that is fun for patterned paper, die cut elements or even great horizontal images. You are going to love it!
I went with a fall go-to this week, Layering Leaves Dies by Concord and 9th. They seemed to fit the sketch perfectly! I also went to the way back machine and pulled out remnants of some old designer paper by SU called Sweater Weather. Loved it then, still do. This plaid seemed right on trend so I thought it would be great for the background. I used some other prints from the pack and a sentiment from C9’s Hello Lovely set on the panels. To keep the panel cutting easy and uniform, I cheated. I used the Slanted Sentiments Dies from MFT and simply cut them down to rectangles.
Hope you’ll head over and join the team for this latest sketch. I’ll be back on Friday with a post with the Crafty Friends. You won’t want to miss this month. Another fabulous promo code from another amazing company! Until then, have a great day!
Did you see the good news? Ellen Hutson is having a 20% off sale on stamps for the next 3 days! Not only that, they released the new September products (can you say Mondo Oak Leaf?!). Don’t miss out on the fun and, of course, the sale!
Just click the graphic above for my affiliate link to the store (at no additional cost to you). Happy shopping!
I am here today with a card for Freshly Made Sketches, but even more with a look back. It has been a few years since I shared a 9/11 tribute. Somewhat because I don’t want it to feel forced. Last year, there was a lot of personal sadness happening and I just could not handle more. But this year, I felt compelled to create and share in honor of those lost.
Because it has been a while, and because I mostly don’t share about my “day job” here, I’ll clarify for those who are newer to the blog. I am a pilot for United Airlines. I currently fly an Airbus 319/320 but on 9/11/2001 I flew a B757. On that day. From Providence, RI to Chicago O’Hare. I have shared stories over the years if you are interested: 9th Anniversary, 10th Anniversary, 11th Anniversary, 12th Anniversary, 13th Anniversary, 14th Anniversary, 15th Anniversary.
As time goes by, I thought that the memories would ease a bit. I’m sure for all of us, we have found that isn’t really true with this particular event. But as I was talking with my now 16 year old son last night, and sharing my experiences of that day, there are so many things that still stand out as if it was yesterday. The fear, the confusion, yes. But really the strongest part is the coming together of people. All of us. I miss that. I tried explaining it to my boys. I feel like in trying to control our fear we have lost a bit of what makes us special. So many people worldwide simply stopped and took care of each other. They looked to neighbors and people that they had never met and found a way to come together. I reflect on flying that day and the feeling of that glorious sky and the darkness that came after. And I’m grateful for the light that returned because of love and kindness.
As in previous years, my color scheme seems to remain the same. Blue and gray (silver). The colors of legacy United Airlines. But as with the new United, the colors are a bit updated. A nod to our history but with an eye to our future too. Please know that there no matter how many years go by, the pilots of United do not forget. Our brothers, our sisters, our friends, our family, the passengers entrusted to our care….all were taken. We work every day to honor them. Today especially.
I “borrowed” this photo from a friend and Captain I fly with. The wings and jackets representing the crews of United and American Airlines. My friend, Brian, works daily protecting the legacies of the pilots of United lost that day. He and their loved ones bring light to the darkness. It is an amazing gift.
So today, as in the past, I hope for more of that. Kindness and love are the only solution to the tragedy brought by hate. I hope that today, and on other days, we give each other a little grace and work to find the light.
In memory of:
United 93: Jason Dahl, LeRoy Homer, Lorraine Bay, Sandra Bradshaw, Wanda Green, CeeCee Lyles, Deborah Welsh
United 175: Victor Saracini, Michael Horrocks, Robert Fangman, Amy Jarret, Amy King, Kathryn Laborie, Alfred Marchand, Michael Tarrou, Alicia Titus
American 11: John Ogonowski, Thomas McGuinness, Barbara Arestegui, Jeffrey Collman, Sara Low, Karen Martin, Kathleen Nicosia, Betty Ong, Jean D. Roger, Dianne Snyder, Amy Sweeney
American 77: Charles Burlingame III, David Charlebois, Michele Heidenberger, Jennifer Lewis, Kenneth Lewis, Renee May
Wow, what a month we have had over at Freshly Made Sketches! Thank you to all who have support this challenge for 8 years. Now we get to move forward with our latest. The gorgeous sketch is from the wonderful Cécile and it is a winner for sure!
I used the Weekend Doodles stamp set and coordinating dies by Altenew for the images and sentiment. Then I finished with the Braided Circles Dies by Pinkfresh Studios for the sketch circles. I love the combination! Instead of typing, I created a new video tutorial to show you how I did the coloring (Copic blending and stippling).
I hope you will play along with this fabulous sketch too! The team seems to be re-energized for our next 400 sketches and they have created amazing projects. Make sure to go check them out!
If you are going to be shopping, I’d appreciate you using my affiliate links by clicking the photos or the links in the text! They help me keep creating and sharing with you! Have a happy and safe Labor Day weekend.
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