Freshly Made Sketches

Freshly Made Sketches #664

November 27, 2024 Jentimko 6 Comments

Happy Thanksgiving week to those who celebrate in the US! I am, shockingly, home this week…first time in a long time. Which means I get to cook and feed the hungry hoard of college kids (who are now home and I’m hearing the sounds of brotherly discussions of college, video games, etc as I type). We have a fabulous sketch this week by my lovely friend Linda Callahan and I love this little trio of options. No surprise, I didn’t really follow the sketch that closely but, well, that happens!

I started with the Lovely Layers: Winter Greenery and played with my new Distress Spritzes. I got two colors to experiment with (Bundled Sage and Salvaged Patina) and they are really pretty. There is a metallic quality to them and they have more shine than I could capture in my photos. For more coverage, I inked the card stock first with regular Distress Inks (same colors) and then added the Spritz. For the gray branch, I just inked it up with Hickory Smoke and then sprayed on Hero Arts White Iridescent Shimmer Spray to match the shine of the others. The little berries only have the Shimmer Spray on them.

For the background, I used the Snowy Pines 3D Embossing Folder. The texture and design on it is so pretty and it means I didn’t need to do anything else but add the sentiment. The Mini Messages: Holiday seemed just right for the sketch and I used the coordinating Mini Messages Banners dies to cut it out.

I hope you will have a little bit of crafting time this week. And if you are celebrating with family, I wish you safe travels and enjoying lots of delicious food and company! Thanks for stopping in today. See you soon!

Freshly Made Sketches #663

November 20, 2024 Jentimko 5 Comments

Happy to be back today with the latest sketch from Freshly Made Sketches. Our designer this week is none other than one of our team leaders, the amazing Jen Mitchell. I think I may have broken a record with how fast this idea came into my head for the sketch.

I pulled out the new Floral Noel suite of products from Honey Bee Stamps. Super fun! I stenciled the flowers using distress inks and then cut with the coordinating dies. The sentiment comes in the coordinating stamp set and I embossed it with gold embossing powder. I love how the dies are so detailed when cutting it out, too.

Something about the combination of gold with rustic elements always makes me happy so I pulled out some burlap ribbon from my stash for the sketch crossing element. I added some gold card stock behind the white panel for a little more shine and then found this print in my older patterned papers (it is SU).

Hope you enjoy this one and will come over to play along too. Thanks so much for stopping in!

Freshly Made Sketches #662

November 13, 2024 Jentimko 3 Comments

I am the sketch designer this week for Freshly Made Sketches. Naturally, I designed it to use some new things. Because why not?! I thought the wide open space on this one would appeal to many and be helpful for any holiday or fall creating you are up to.

So let me start with this. How stinking cute is this gingerbread house?!!! And there are three of them in the set. This is the new Lovely Layers: Alice’s Gingerbread Lane from Honey Bee Stamp’s latest release. I am sometimes hesitant to get die sets that seem fussy but this one practically jumped into my cart. I immediately had a vision of it with glittery snow details so that is what I went with.

I cut all the pieces from white card stock (Hammermill) and inked them using Distress Inks with my Bitty Bunny Blending Brushes and my Beeluxe Blending Brushes. There is a great layering guide for the die cuts so you don’t have to guess how to put things together. I’ll list my colors at the bottom of my post. For the glittery elements, I tried a technique I have seen to make glitter stick better and I think it was a success. You could totally use a glitter/glimmer paper for the die cuts too but I find that they are never a match for the whites in my card and this allows me just to use basic card stock. All you have to do is ink the element up with Versamark Ink (or an embossing ink), sprinkle on Distress Frosted Crystal powder and heat it up. You actually overheat it a bit and that makes it sticky. Right from the heat, you add the Rock Candy Glitter and then add a bit more heat to make it grab on. I did this on white but imagine how pretty it is on inked paper or colored card stock!

To add even more glitter, I wanted to stencil on snow. Using an older stencil, I added Prima Texture Paper Paste (I got it on Amazon). I pulled the stencil off and quickly added the Rock Candy glitter and the paste holds onto the glitter as it dries. Finally I just put everything together and added a sentiment from the new Wonder of Christmas Stamp Set.

Colors of Distress Ink: Gingerbread color – Vintage Photo; Door, roof, step – Aged Mahogany plus Candied Apple; Trees – Bundled Sage; Window frame – Ground Espresso; Window panes – Fossilized Amber; Background – Distress Oxide Inks blended – Salty Ocean, Faded Jeans, Black Soot

I hope you have fun with this sketch. I appreciate you stopping in today. Have a wonderful day!

Freshly Made Sketches #661

November 6, 2024 Jentimko 4 Comments

Apparently I remain in a sunflower state of mind. This week’s sketch at Freshly Made Sketches is courtesy of our lovely Jacquie Southas and her split panel design is so great to use.

I pulled out my Copics to play with this amazing set from Honey Bee Stamps. There are three flowers in the set along with leaves and sentiments. I loved this side facing flower so that was where I started. I colored with a handful of yellows and browns and greens and then added some stippling for detail and depth.

For the sketch, I used the Fall Leaves 3D Embossing Folder on a piece of card stock and then just cut it apart. Easy peasy! The sentiment is also from the stamp set and is sweet, don’t you think?

Thanks so much for stopping in today. I appreciate you all!

Freshly Made Sketches #660

October 30, 2024 Jentimko 6 Comments

Hi all! Hope the week is treating you well. I’m happy to share the latest sketch from Freshly Made Sketches designed by the wonderful Judy Rozema. I’m a big fan of floral swags and groupings so this sketch sure was a treat for me to use this week.

All I had to do was look outside my window for some inspiration for this. My leaves are turning and some are the most glorious colors of yellow, orange and red. And some fading sunflowers are always a pretty add! The Lovely Layers: Mini Fall Florals (Honey Bee Stamps) had all these elements in one set. Perfection!

Using a whole variety of Distress Inks and my blending brushes, I had fun adding color variations and worked to make the leaves look real. I just love the effect! For the oval, I realized that one of my Free Bee tag die sets from Honey Bee Stamps had this layered oval. I just flipped it so that you could not see the hole in the tag part. Such a pretty pair with the scalloped layer. I added a bit of Distress Ink to them too so that the framing would pop a bit.

Finally for the sentiment. I was reminded today, as I got the chance to converse with two friends, how wonderful it is to have people in our lives who understand us. I thought this sentiment summed up my feelings perfectly! It is from the Lean on Each Other stamps set…one that has just the right words for your dearest friends.

Hop on over to see the cards from the rest of the team. Always a treat! And maybe you’ll get a chance to create this week. If nothing else, make a card for a dear friend to tell them how you feel! Thanks for stopping in. See you soon!

Freshly Made Sketches #658

October 16, 2024 Jentimko 3 Comments

Super quick today. Another fabulous sketch at Freshly Made Sketches and this week’s designer is the lovely Narelle Farrugia. My two boys have been home from college (their fall breaks shared a weekend) and while they were here I had a request to create a birthday card for a friend. Can’t say no to that!!

I had the Meowgical stamp set in my workspace from last week’s card and he told me that I should use it. Specifically, to create a black and white tuxedo that looks like a specific kitty. Oh, and the kitty actually has a little cape that is purple as a costume! I colored over the tabby markings with my Black and T8 Comics and created a tuxedo face with a pen. My “muse” has a black and pink nose so yeah, definitely had to do that!

I chose some papers from the Spooktactular Paper Pack (Honey Bee Stamps). I inked on a little bit of Villainous Potion) to get the purples to match a bit better. When I tried sticking just to the sketch, the kitty was kind of just floating so I added a green circle to help ground him a bit. I thought a little bit of black metallic thread would be a nice touch too. I hope the lad’s friend likes it (but Nate is sure he will).

Hope you’ll have fun with this sketch and that you’ll join us in the gallery. Have a great rest of your week and see you soon!

Freshly Made Sketches #657

October 9, 2024 Jentimko 8 Comments

Happy to share the fun sketch over at Freshly Made Sketches this week. Karren has really created a fun one with the angled panel and the tag element. I found my idea came together really quickly for this one!

It all started with these kitties….a phrase that pretty much describes daily life at my house! They come from the Meowgical Stamp Set by The Rabbit Hole Designs and I love them! A couple of weeks ago, I needed some coloring therapy and sat down to Copic color these two. I think I told you about a Copic “belch” and had to rethink a card. It was on one of these that I had almost finished. So I walked away for a bit and then came back to color again. As usual, I chose to make them Kate (the calico) and Meg (my gray tuxedo). I didn’t quite create Meg’s face flash but otherwise it is pretty much them.

There is a fun spider web image in the set and at first I planned to use it. But then I came across this paper from the Spooktacular Paper Pack (Honey Bee Stamps) and thought it was perfect for the sketch. I found this green texture paper in the same pack and used on of my “Free Bee” tag dies to cut it out (Honey Bee has freebies that come with certain order amounts…which I always seem to hit…and this tag set has other fun elements with it too). The sentiments from the stamp set are all so cute and punny! In my brain this is totally Kate casting a disappearing spell on Meg and Meg just looking at her all sassy after drinking some kind of immunity potion. And if Kate could make Meg disappear, pretty sure she would!! Ah, calico kitties!!! Also Kate has one of the loudest and purriest purrs ever so…. Clearly this will end up with one of the boys or someone who knows these two and their shenanigans.

I had an orange and white ribbon that, at first, I tried in the tag but it was too thick. Instead, I used it as a border detail and love the effect. All the ribbon and twine is from my “collection”.

Thanks so much for stopping in today. For the next week, I’m one happy mom. Both of the boys will be coming home for their respective fall breaks. A little staggered but both here over the weekend. For all of you who are in the path of the latest hurricane or have been impacted by Helene, please know my thoughts remain with you. Please take care of yourselves and know that we are waiting to support you in any way we can. See you soon!

Freshly Made Sketches #656

October 2, 2024 Jentimko 3 Comments

Hi everyone! Back with this week’s sketch from Freshly Made Sketches. This week our super creative Cécile Ribbon has created a sketch you are sure to love! I decided it was time to peruse through my bowl of unused elements and see what I found.

I think we can agree I went an entirely different direction than last week’s shares. This pink snowflakes were just sitting there waiting to be used and I thought they would be fun for the sketch. I don’t remember which pink card stock this is but all I did was cut out the snowflakes from the Lovely Layers: Large Snowflakes. I also had the glitter paper snowflake already cut and thought, sure, why not?!! The pink ones had been splattered with Hero Arts Shimmer Mist to add a bit of extra shine.

I took a sentiment from the Tag, You’re It stamp set and heat embossed with silver embossing powder. Attached the snowflakes and added some silver pearls from the Metallic Pearls set. Quick and easy for sure, especially since the die cutting was already done!

Hope you’ll come over and join us this week. I bet you have some things that would be perfect for this sketch too! I’ll be back tomorrow with a fun surprise post. See you then!

Freshly Made Sketches #655

September 25, 2024 Jentimko 6 Comments

So, as I sit to write this, I realized that I never posted my card here from last week’s Freshly Made Sketches challenge. Sigh. Not exactly sure how that happened other than the card was a complete re-vamp after a Copic “belching” incident… Oy. Moving forward, as they say. This week we have a super fun sketch from our adventurer extraordinaire Jen Brum. Now mind you, this is a woman who says she doesn’t like circles in her sketches…um…. But I took a loose interpretation of those circles and I’m hoping she doesn’t mind.

I totally took this as an excuse to play with the new products from Honey Bee Stamps, starting with the Lovely Layers: Mini Fall Florals. This set abounds with fall awesomeness to include a fun boot but I lasered in on the sunflowers. Using my Bitty Bunny Blending Brushes, I had fun blending Distress Inks onto the die cuts. I added in a few branches from the Lovely Layers: Seasonal Frame for extra texture and I love that the two sets are at the same scale.

I chose a sentiment from the Bloom with Grace stamp set (it also has sunflowers) that I thought was really sweet. To help keep more to the sketch, I added a few gems from the Grain and Grunge gem sticker pack. I did brush a little Distress Ink on the edges of the base too for a bit of depth.

I hope you like my version of the sketch and will come over to join us. The team has a wide variation on it and I think you will enjoy it as much as we have. Thanks again for stopping in today. Sorry about skipping the card last week. For those who only see my cards on the blog, here it is (tree die cuts and papers are from Honey Bee Stamps). Have a great week and see you soon!

Twenty-three years

September 11, 2024 Jentimko 9 Comments

“If we learn nothing else from this tragedy, we learn that life is short and there is no time for hate.”
—Sandy Dahl, wife of United Flight 93 Captain Jason Dahl

When we said we would never forget, did we mean it? Sure we give a nod to the tragedy of 9/11. But I think we have reached the point that the words are ringing hollow. Captain Jason Dahl is an icon at United Airlines and not because he was the Captain of Flight 93. He was a man that took every opportunity to challenge other people to step up, to be leaders and to be better every day. He would often ask a variation of the question “what are you doing with the opportunity given you?”. His legacy is a group of pilots who have stepped up and stepped in. So when I saw the quote from his wife Sandy, I knew that she had captured the essence of what Jason asked. If we are out there making a difference, working to improve the world, how on earth can we have time for hate? Hate is what took Jason, and the thousands of others who lost their lives, from this world too soon.

As with other years, I look back and tell the stories, try to remember the good in the midst of horror and do my best to honor those we lost. When I saw the sketch at Freshly Made Sketches (by Kim Singdahlsen) this week, I thought maybe I had a way to say it with a card.

I chose the blue for the obvious reason. Always the blue September sky. But also a simple wish. I wish for a day of kindness, joy and beauty. The sentiment dies are from The Greetery (Let’s Have A Word: Beautiful Dies) and the flower is from Spellbinders (Butterfly Bouquet Press Plate). Both are inked using Distress Oxide Ink in Tumbled Glass.

I have written my thought and memories for years now. If you care to read: 9th Anniversary, 10th Anniversary, 11th Anniversary, 12th Anniversary, 13th Anniversary, 14th Anniversary, 15th Anniversary, 18th Anniversary and 19th Anniversary, 20th Anniversary, 21st Anniversary and 22nd Anniversary.

As we move through this 23rd Anniversary, I have an ask of you. Take a moment to walk in someone else’s shoes. Use a most respectful interpretation of intent and give people the benefit of the doubt. Choose to see differences as something that adds beauty to your world. I hope you have a beautiful day.

In memory of:

United 93: Jason Dahl, LeRoy Homer Jr., 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, Marianne McFarlane, Jesus Sanchez

American 11: John Ogonowski, Thomas McGuinness, Barbara Arestegui, Jeffrey Collman, Sara Low, Karen Martin, Kathleen Nicosia, Betty Ong, Jean D. Roger, Dianne Snyder, Madeline Sweeney

American 77: Charles Burlingame III, David Charlebois, Michele Heidenberger, Jennifer Lewis, Kenneth Lewis, Renee May

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