I am so glad you are here for the second post of the day!  From now on, you can expect two posts from me every Wednesday.  My Artisan Wednesday Wow post and my Freshly Made Sketches post.  So Wednesday is REALLY going to be an awesome stamping day!!  Today’s challenge from Freshly Made Sketches is from the lovely and awesome Rita Wright.  I just know you are all going to have fun with it!!

I needed a birthday card this week and this sketch was so perfect to use!  I thought that using my Hexagon Punch to create little windows for the aliens from Blast Off would be fun.  Let’s face it, these little aliens are just so adorable!  And perfect for a 7 yo little boy.  I punched the hexagons and then stamped the aliens on separate paper so I could position them.  I added the scallop for a little pop of extra color and the sentiment is from the same set.  To make sure the hexagons lined up just right, I drew a light pencil line on the back of the card stock and used it as a guide for punching.

The team has created some awesome cards this week and I know you will appreciate them as much as I do.  Now you may notice that this is challenge #99.  Hmmm….what do you want to bet that we have some AWESOME stuff lined up for sketch #100 next week!!  *smile*  We can’t wait to see what you create for this week and then make sure you come back for the fun next week!

Thanks for stopping in for two posts today!  I’ll be back on Friday night (Saturday for e-mail followers) with an extra Artisan treat!  See you then!

Stamp:  Blast Off; Paper:  Pacific Point, Real Red, Whisper White; Ink:  Real Red, Old Olive; Accessories:  Hexagon Punch, Big Shot, Large Scallop Edgelit, Neutrals Buttons, White Baker’s Twine, Dimensionals

Happy Wednesday to you!  I am so happy to be here with this week’s Freshly Made Sketches challenge.  If you are looking for the 2013 Artisan Design Team Blog Hop just click here.  So yes, I will have two posts today!  This sketch is from the awesome Jen Mitchell and it is a great one!

I needed a sympathy card for a very special person this week and I immediately thought of using Simply Sketched for it.  This hostess set is so fantastic for so many kinds of cards.  I wanted to focus on the bird so I kept the rest of the card really neutral.  This wood grain from Natural Composition Specialty Paper seemed perfect.  I stamped in Early Espresso ink and the added in touches of Crumb Cake with a Blender Pen.  The bird is Soft Sky.  I might have a new favorite blue!!  The Naturals Trim ribbon kept with the tone and these new buttons matched up with the sketch really well, don’t you think?  It is never good to need a card like this but it is nice to know that I have a set that makes it easier to make one.

It will be no surprise that the team at Freshly Made Sketches has made a fantastic variety of examples (again!).  Make sure you go take a look and let Jen M. know how much you love this sketch!

I will be back tomorrow with more of the Artisan project hop.  If you haven’t seen it yet, it is something worth visiting!  The new 2013 Artisan Design Team is sharing the project they entered for the contest!  Thanks for stopping in today.  See you soon!

Stamp:  Simply Sketched; Paper:  Natural Composition Specialty, Naturals Ivory, Early Espresso; Ink:  Early Espresso, Crumb Cake, Soft Sky; Accessories:  Natural Trim Ribbon, Neutrals Buttons, Linen Thread, Dimensionals

 

It has been so fun sharing some of the pictures from Convention over the last few days but I am happy to be “back to business” with the latest from Freshly Made Sketches.  I love this one and that is no surprise since it comes from the incredible Amy O’Neill.  Yes, it is official…I am a member of her fan club.  We all know how talented she is, of course!  But she is also a woman with such grace and class that you feel privileged when you get to meet her.  I know…I got to spend some time with her at Convention (picture posted yesterday)!  I know you will love her card this week, as well as this sketch, so make sure you drop by to leave her a note.

My card falls well into the super clean category this week.  I made it last week when I was up to my eyeballs in swaps and was running out of time!  To the rescue was the Tag a Bag Accessory Kit.  Of course they are fantastic for putting on the Tag a Bag Gift Bags and Boxes but they are also perfect for cards.  I just pulled the colors from the tag kit and this one was together in no time.  The best part is that you could put together a whole little card set this way (and of course package it up in one of the bags).  I used Smoky Slate as a background and embossed the little panel with my Chevron Embossing Folder.  I added the sentiment from Six-Sided Sampler and popped the little oval up on Dimensionals.  The Tangerine Tango Baker’s Twine is in the kit and is a great finish to the tag.

I look forward to getting back to some stamping this week (or next).  I am planning on sharing some of the swaps I received from the Artisan Finalist group.  I can’t even wait to show you!  So more posts are definitely coming your way.

The design team has made some super fun cards with Amy’s sketch and I know this will be a popular challenge to play!  Can’t wait to see you in the gallery!

Thanks so much for dropping by today.  I’ll see you again soon!

Stamp:  Six-Sided Sampler; Paper:  Smoky Slate, Whisper White; Ink:  Tangerine Tango; Accessories:  Tag a Bag Accessory Kit, Dimensionals

 

Wednesday is my favorite stamping day of the week because it is Freshly Made Sketches day but today is even better because today I leave for Stampin’ Up Convention!!  Yea!!  First, about the sketch.  It is courtesy of the awesome Narelle Farrugia, queen of the elegant card!  I knew I would have fun with this one the minute I saw it.

I kept mine pretty simple since I have been running around getting ready for Convention (and flying too).  I thought that the prints from Gingham Garden DSP would be perfect for the sketch.  I hadn’t used these two and I love them together.  Something about the Island Indigo and Daffodil Delight feels like summer to me so I thought a butterfly would be a nice way to accent the card.  So another of the prints from the set was run through my Beautiful Wings Embosslit to get the two butterfly layers (they are facing prints).  The sentiment is from Six-Sided Sampler, a current favorite.  For the banner element, I chose to use some of the Sale-a-bration ribbon with a Daffodil button.  That ribbon is so pretty!  Yep, a fun and simple little card that just makes me happy!

I will say that the team has created their normal a-maz-ing cards for the week!  If you haven’t already, go take a look and hopefully you’ll be able to play along!

Convention!!  I am so excited to go that I can hardly sleep!  So many of my stamping friends together!  I am rooming with my fabulous upline Brandi and the oh-so-talented Heidi Baks.  I have swaps with the Control Freaks and all of the Artisan Award Finalists…those are both sure to be jaw-dropping!!  And of course, there will be the final announcement of the Artisan Award winners on Friday.  Plus, the full, full days of fun and stamping!  I FINALLY get to start sharing some of the things I have been working on.  Tomorrow I will share my roommate gifts, Saturday I will have my Artisan Finalist swap card and next week lots more.  I will only have my IPad with me on the trip and will have my posts pre-written.  If there are any big updates, I will do my best to add them in!

Ok, I hope your week is awesome and if you are going to Convention, I hope to see you there!  Thanks so much for stopping in.  See you tomorrow!

Stamp:  Six-Sided Sampler; Paper:  Gingham Garden DSP, Island Indigo, Whisper White; Ink:  Island Indigo; Accessories:  Big Shot, Beautiful Wings Embosslit, Crystal Effects (as glue), SAB ribbon, Brights Buttons (ret), White Baker’s Twine

 

Take a look at this cool sketch!!  Clean and yet very modern looking, don’t you think?  Over at Freshly Made Sketches our sketch hostess this week is Linda Suarez.  She has such a great style and I just love that she brought us this to play with!!

I decided to keep this really clean and stamp the diagonal.  What better to use than the chevrons from Oh Hello!!  It seemed a little plain so I added a flower made from the Fun Flowers Die.  I spritzed the flower with water and then formed it a bit to give it dimension.  I added a little center from the Boho Blossoms Punch and a tiny button tied with Linen Thread.  The sentiment is from the new hostess set Express Yourself and I am in love with it!  Yes, I seem to always fall in love with a good sentiment set and this one is wonderful!

The variety of the cards from the design team is amazing!  No surprise…they always are!  Make sure you go take a look and let Linda know how much you appreciate the sketch!

I am about 75% done with my swaps for Convention and finishing up some roommate gifts too.  The good news?  Starting with Convention, I’ll have lots of things to post!!  For now, I’ll just keep working and taking pictures so I’ll be able to share.  I hope your week is fabulous!  See you soon!

Stamps:  Oh Hello, Express Yourself; Paper:  Naturals Ivory, Tea for Two DSP; Ink:  Calypso Coral, Wild Wasabi, So Saffron, Marina Mist; Accessories:  Big Shot, Fun Flowers Die, Boho Blossoms Punch, Neutrals Buttons, Linen Thread, Stamp-a-ma-jig

 

 

Happy Wednesday to you all!  I am back with this awesome sketch from the oh-so-talented Allisa Chilton.  I love the clean lines and when I saw the square, I immediately thought “frame”.

I am in love with this instagram/polaroid picture trend so I decided to give it a go.  I started with the two strips of Washi Tape and then created the little frame using my paper cutter.  I stamped the chevron oval from Oh, Hello and then used my Beautiful Butterflies Die to punch out the butterfly.  The smaller one uses a Six-Sided Sampler hexagon and the Beautiful Wings Embosslit.  The sentiment is also from Oh, Hello and I used the new little buttons!

Sorry for the short post!  The Convention preparation has begun in earnest and I am working on swaps today.  The Artisan Finalist group is planning one so that is my work for today (I am still just so excited about getting the call!!).

I love this sketch and there are some great cards from the design team today!  I look forward to seeing what you share with us too!  Thanks for stopping in today!  See you again soon!

Stamps:  Oh, Hello, Six-Sided Sampler; Paper:  Whisper White, Basic Gray, Daffodil Delight; Ink:  Smoky Slate, Daffodil Delight; Accessories:  Big Shot, Beautiful Butterflies Die, Beautiful Wings Embosslit, Gingham Garden Washi Tape, Epic Day Washi Tape, Neutrals Buttons, Baker’s Twine

 

Another week gone so quickly and it is my favorite stamping day again!!  We have a fresh new sketch for you this week over at Freshly Made Sketches.  This one comes courtesy of the lovely Jen Brum.  Cool, huh??!!

I’m afraid that my card doesn’t do the sketch justice this week but some weeks are like that!  I have been gone lots.  Just got home from a trip last night and am now fighting a nasty cough/no voice.  Ugh!!  Summer flying is definitely in full swing along with weather delays and other things that make the flying days long and the sleeps too short.  In any case, I used the Gingham Garden DSP and cut the curve into it by hand.  I added the Stretch Ruffled Ribbon again because it drapes on the curve so well.  The flowers were fussy cut out of the DSP and I added the sentiment from Six-Sided Sampler.

I am hoping for some stamping time later today and tomorrow.  I will be participating in a fun blog hop with my upline’s group Hawaii Ink on Sunday!  Make sure you stop back then to see what we have to show you from the new catalog!!

Until then, so glad you dropped in!  I appreciate each of you and thank you all for the kind words you leave me!  Now make sure you get over to the challenge site!  There are some really cool cards by the DT this week!  See you soon!

Stamp:  Six-Sided Sampler; Paper:  Gingham Garden, Night of Navy, Whisper White; Ink:  Night of Navy; Accessories:  Scissors, Strawberry Slush Stretch Ruffled Trim, Glue Dots, Dimensionals

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)