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

 

I’m so glad you have stopped by today!!  I have the latest sketch from Freshly Made Sketches and I am the sketch hostess this week!  I had fun designing this one and I hope you will like it.

When I sat down to make this card, I had my oldest son in mind.  His 10th birthday is next week (how did that happen??!!) and I wanted to get his card made before things get too crazy around here.  I thought the pinwheels seemed like fun for the sketch so I went with them.  I love this little pinwheel die.  It makes these little things so easy to make.  I just line up the holes and use a mini brad to hold it together.  The button is attached with glue dots to finish it off.  The sentiment is from Make a Wish and it is sure to be a go-to set for me!  The papers come from Polka Dot Parade DSP and I was thrilled to see this set continuing in the new catalog!

I already love what the design team has created with the sketch and I can’t wait to see the gallery this week!

So glad you stopped in and I plan to be back on Friday with a card we made in today’s hostess club get-together.  See you then!!

Stamp:  Make a Wish; Paper:  Polka Dot Parade, Real Red, Whisper White; Ink:  Real Red; Accessories:  Big Shot, Pinwheel Sizzlet, Mini Brads, Glue Dots, Dimensionals, Brights Buttons

 

 

Happy Wednesday to you and happy May!!  Wow, where did April go??!!  Here today with the latest Freshly Made Sketches challenge.  Our sketch this week is from the fabulous Linda Suarez.  Great isn’t it??!!

I just knew I wanted to play with the Epic Day DSP some more.  Not sure what it is about this paper but I’m smitten!  These prints are really fantastic to use and I pulled out some card stock that I’m pretty sure I’ve never used…Gumball Green.  I know, I know.  It really is a great green but somehow it has been neglected.  Apparently this DSP will fix that for me!  I really wanted the paper to do the work since the sketch seems to lean that way but what to do with the sentiment?  I pulled out the My Paper Pumpkin Try It Kit and used part of one of the stamps!  Love it!  I thought a little butterfly would be a nice addition so I used another one of the cool patterns from the DSP.

You are going to love the variety of cards from the design team this week.  I’m all ready for some “pinning”!    Make sure you go tell Linda how much you enjoy the sketch and I can’t wait to see the gallery this week!

Not sure when I will be back next.  My leave from United Airlines is over and I am officially back to work today.  Not only that, but I have been working on some really amazing stuff that I can’t share quite yet.  It is so hard not to show you but when I can, you’ll have more posts than you know what to do with!!  Hoping to have some time over the next couple of days just to stamp for me (and have something to share).  Until next time, I really appreciate you stopping by and thank you for all the encouraging words you so kindly leave!  Have a great week!

Stamp:  MPP Hey There Kit; Paper:  Epic Day DSP, Gumball Green; Ink:  Basic Gray; Accessories:  Big Shot, Beautiful Butterflies Die, Neutrals Buttons, Thread

This week at Freshly Made Sketches we have a little surprise for you and a dear stamper that inspires us all!  Not only do we have this awesome sketch courtesy of Allisa Chilton but we are participating in a birthday blog hop for the amazing Vicki Burdick.  I’m pretty sure everyone has seen one of Vicki’s lovely cards…certainly if you are on Pinterest!!  Imagine our delight when we found out about this birthday blog hop in her honor.  We just had to join in!

One of the notable things about Vicki’s stamping is her use of flowers.  Truly, so many of her flower cards are jaw-dropping!  I have also noticed that she uses Regal Rose like no other.  So I tried to channel my inner Vicki and try my hand at both.  Hmmmmm…she is the queen for a reason!!  I started with this lovely hydrangea from the Best of Flowers (March) set and stamped it onto some First Edition DSP.  I saw Vicki do this a number of times with the poppies set and had to give it a go.  I re-stamped the flower portion onto Very Vanilla, colored it and cut it out.  I thought some Regal Rose DSP from the Brights Designer Paper Pack would be good as a background panel.  Of course, Vicki’s cards seem to feature the most gorgeous bows so I had to add one on!  I pinned on the sentiment with a Vintage Trinkets safety pin to finish it off.

I hope you will join us in wishing Vicki a very happy birthday!  I know you will have a great time with Allisa’s sketch this week too!  So glad you hopped on through today.  Thanks for stopping by and I’ll see you again soon!

Stamps:  Best of Flowers, Teeny Tiny Wishes; Paper:  Crumb Cake, Regal Rose, First Edition DSP, Brights Paper Pack, Very Vanilla; Ink:  Soft Suede, Crumb Cake, Regal Rose, Pink Pirouette; Accessories:  Crumb Cake Seam Binding, Vintage Trinkets, Jewelry Tag Punch, Blender Pen

 

What a fabulous sketch we have for you this week over at Freshly Made Sketches!!  I am so excited about this one…so cute and original, don’t you think??!!  It comes from the oh so wonderful Jen Brum and I could not wait to work with it!

I started knowing that I need to restock my birthday card supply.  I always seem to need them at the last minute, particularly the ones for kids.  What better than this Summer Smooches DSP??  This print always reminds me of party balloons and I think it is so festive.  With the print being so busy I didn’t need to add much else.  I pulled out my trust Made for You birthday sentiment and some coordinating Brights Buttons to finish the sketch.  This one just make me happy!!  In fact, I may make a few more since they are perfect for boys and girls!

I apologize for my absence last week.  It just seemed to be one of those weeks and life got in the way of stamping.  I was amazed as always by the creations of the design team and of course I am again this week.  Last week’s gallery was so impressive too.  I have a feeling you are going to like this sketch as much as I do and I foresee lots of fun cards!

I did get the good fortune of going to the Baltimore Regionals for Stampin’ Up on Saturday and it was so much fun!!  I got to hang out with some amazing stampers.  Not to drop names or anything but:  Amanda Mertz, Marla Reed, LeAnne Pugliese and Donna Wicks.  Yep, lucky me!!  I made a swap card (that I get to share with you next week) and got to see all kinds of fun sneak peeks from Stampin’ Up.  I’m working on the finishing touches of my Make & Takes (or Take & Makes in my case).  They are fun…you will love them.  I hope to have them up by Friday.

Ok, off to the FMS site with you to get inspired by the team!  Thanks so much for stopping in.  I look forward to seeing your creations!

Stamp:  Made for You; Paper:  Summer Smooches DSP, Real Red, Pacific Point, Whisper White; Ink:  Pacific Point; Accessories:  Brights Buttons, Thread, Mini Glue Dots

 

Happy Wednesday everyone!  It is Freshly Made Sketches day…yippee!!  Our sketch today is courtesy of the fabulous Linda Callahan of Stampin’ Seasons.  I love her cards so it is no surprise that I love her sketch this week.  She kept it simple and it leaves lots of room for you to use your imagination!!

I had this flower sitting on my table from another project and thought it would be perfect for Linda’s sketch.  It was tea stained (yep, with actual tea) before I decided to use it for this so it isn’t quite as “clean” as I would like for an FMS card.  The center of the flower is an Antique Brad. I love those!  The bow is made with Very Vanilla Seam Binding and it is wrapped around a DSP layer from Storytime DSP.  I couldn’t figure out a place for a sentiment so I decided to go without for now.

I’m absolutely in love with the cards the team has made this week.  So many great interpretations of the sketch!  I know this will be a busy week in the gallery and I can’t wait to see all that you create!

It is spring break for my boys so we are out and about.  I hope to have another card to show you on Friday from a class I am holding tomorrow.  Other than that, I am simply ignoring the too cold weather and starting to put in some of my lettuce, broccoli and spinach.  I think they are hardy enough to handle the chill and I’m tired of waiting, lol!!

I hope that your week is great.  Thanks so much for stopping in today.  See you soon!

Paper:  Creped Filter Paper, Storytime DSP, Crumb Cake; Accessories:  Big Shot, Fun Flowers Die, Antique Brads, Very Vanilla Seam Binding

 

 

I hope that your week is going well so far!  I mentioned yesterday that I have a bit of spring fever with no spring weather to match.  At least Monday’s snow has mostly melted and the forecast here in VA seems to be getting better.  I keep encouraging it along in my craft room!  Today’s sketch at Freshly Made Sketches is from the amazing Rita Wright.  Rita is one of the most wonderful stampers and I love seeing her pictures of little Laila on every post.  Make sure you drop by to see her blog!

I thought I’d use some bright sunny yellow (Daffodil Delight) to counteract the snow!  I loved the little flowers in Bright Blossoms as soon as I saw them and they are perfectly matched with the Summer Smooches DSP.  I stamped the flower and the stamped the blossoms again so that I could pop them up.  I love how a simple little stamp can give such a wow to a card, especially when framed with the Oval Framelits!  The little bow on Rita’s sketch was just the excuse I needed to add in a bow made with the Daffodil Delight Seam Binding.  I love how  it ties!!  A little “hello” from Teeny Tiny Wishes  is punched out with the Jewelry Tag Punch.

Ok, spring….I’m doing my part….now let me plant my garden and get my real flowers going!!

I love the variety of cards from the design team this week.  Make sure you go take a look to see the inspiration!  I probably won’t be back until after Easter.  My boys start their Easter break on Thursday so my stamping will be limited.  With any luck though, I’ll get my garden started with their help!  I hope you have a great rest of your week and a blessed Easter or Passover.

Stamps:  Bright Blossoms, Teeny Tiny Wishes; Paper:  Summer Smooches DSP, Basic Black, Daffodil Delight, Whisper White; Ink:  Daffodil Delight, Lucky Limeade, Rich Razzleberry; Accessories:  Big Shot, Adorning Accents Edgelit, Daffodil Delight Seam Binding, Neutrals Button, Ovals Framelits