Wow, it has been a week since I posted.  Sorry for the long break.  It seems to have been a little crazy around here!  I have been stamping though.  My club met and I had Sale-a-bration classes yesterday.  Such fun!  I love stamping with my friends!!  Wednesday is here and you know that means a brand new challenge from Freshly Made Sketches.  This fantastic layout is from Cindy Hall of Pretty Impact.  This one is so versatile and I can see so many uses for it.  I know it will be in my sketch file for future use too.

I combined some old and some new for today’s card.  I was searching around in my paper file and came across this print from Howlstooth & Scaringbone DSP that I thought would be great to use.  Naturally, I scooted right down to all the ribbon and chose this Basic Black/Basic Gray 1-1/4″ Two-tone Ribbon to go with it.  Wow, this ribbon is so pretty!  I kept it kind of simple and tied on one of the new Silver Basics Designer Buttons.  I thought it would be great as a frame of sorts for a flower from the Flower Trim.  It was out on my table from the classes and practically fell onto the card.  The sentiment is from Apothecary Art and, of course, a Basic Pearl on the flower to finish.

I love this sketch and need to play with it some more this week to see what other variations I can come up with.  I know you will have some great interpretations and I look forward to seeing the creativity in the gallery!  Make sure you check out the rest of the design team’s cards.  How lucky I am to work with such talented people!

Well, I am going to be a substitute teacher today at my boys’ school.  I have the day off and apparently they were really needing help to call me!  *smile*  I guess that means no stamping but I will try to get some posts up showing you a class card and maybe some Valentine’s for my boy’s classes at school.  Until then, thanks so much for stopping by.  I hope your day is great!

Stamp:  Apothecary Art; Paper:  Howlstooth & Scaringbone DSP, Basic Gray, Very Vanilla; Ink:  Basic Gray; Accessories:  Silver Basics Designer Buttons, 5/8″ Flower Trim, Basic Pearls

Happy middle of the week!  So glad to share this new sketch from Freshly Made Sketches!!  This one is courtesy of the wonderful and talented Linda Callahan of Stampin’ Seasons.    Cute isn’t it??!!  Now our gallery last week was simply astonishing and I look forward to seeing some more inspiration this week.

I thought about changing the heart into something else but then I started playing with some of my new Spring Catalog products that were out on the stamp table.  I didn’t catch it at first but I just LOVE how the design on the heart in Hearts a Flutter is the same as the one on the oval in Oh, Hello.  I felt like I just had to do something to show that off!  I kept to a simple monochromatic color scheme am happy how it turned out.  I did deviate a little by not putting the oval on the angle but it really seemed to work better this way.

The design team has some incredible work and you will love all the variations.  We did have a laugh that some of us used similar elements in our designs without having seen each other’s cards.  Perhaps brilliant stampers just think alike!  LOL!

Well, thanks for stopping in.  So glad you did!!  I hope your week is going well and look forward to seeing you again soon!

Stamps:  Hearts a Flutter, Oh, Hello, Teeny Tiny Wishes; Paper:  Rich Razzleberry, Whisper White; Ink:  Rich Razzleberry; Accessories:  Big Shot, Stripes EF, Hearts a Flutter Framelits, Ovals Framelits, Brights Buttons, Baker’s Twine, Dimensionals

I am so excited to share this week’s sketch with you!  The wonderful Rita Wright of Rita’s Creations has designed this week’s Freshly Made Sketches layout.  I predict that it is going to be another fabulous week in the gallery!

I knew that I had to pull out my new Oh, Hello stamp set to use for this one.  I have seen so many awesome cards with it and this is my first one.  It is going to become a favorite fast!!  I made this for a dear, dear friend whose birthday is this week.  I wanted it to have a spring feel but with a touch of shabby chic.  The colors are all spring but combining them with the Naturals Ivory card stock seems to mute them a bit.  The colors are Baja Breeze, Regal Rose, So Saffron and Lucky Limeade.  The flowers were created by dying them in a little container with some drops of Rose Red reinker and water.  I recommend dying the flowers first since it is hard to know how they will take each color until you try.  Because they start as Very Vanilla, the colors are a little different (but still go perfectly).  After they dried, I did not add any additional color and they seemed to be a great match with Regal Rose.  Adding more reinker to the water or touching up the dried flowers with a little additional ink will make the color darker.  It is kind of a fun experiment!  I also have some Saffron flowers because I was playing around with that as well (now to find the right card for them).  Love these!

The team has created some super inspiration for you again this week.  Make sure you go over and take a look!  I know you won’t be able to resist this fun sketch so I look forward to seeing you in the gallery this week.

I’ll be back on Friday with a card that we are making in my Hostess Club this month.  It is a sweet Valentine using more of the Spring Catalog products.  Thanks for stopping in today. Hope your day is great!

Stamps:  Oh, Hello, Affection Collection; Paper:  Naturals Ivory, Very Vanilla; Ink:  Baja Breeze, Regal Rose, So Saffron, Lucky Limeade; Accessories:  5/8″ Flower Trim, Ovals Framelits, Big Shot, Stamp-a-ma-jig, Tea Lace Paper Doilies, Dimensionals

So glad to have you join me again today for the latest challenge from Freshly Made Sketches!  I am excited to share this sketch by our awesome guest designer Linda Suarez from Lucky Dog Stamper.  This is her first sketch and I know you will have a fun time with all the possibilities!

So I had all kinds of ideas running through my head for this sketch but I finally settle on a big bow for the center shape.  I pulled out the oh so awesome Tea for Two DSP again (I know, I just can’t seem to stop using it).  I love the newsprint design and thought it would work well against the blue pattern.  I had this lace ribbon from the new Artisan Embellishments Kit out on my table from another project and realized that it was a great pop of color for the diagonal.  Now when I was visualizing this sketch,  I thought that two sections of the Tea Lace Doilies would be perfect for the other elements.  I realized that the lower doily is kind of covered by the bow after everything was glued together.  Sooooo….hopefully this will pass for the sketch!  You’ll have to let me know what you think.  The bow was created from the GORGEOUS new Basic Gray/Basic Black 1-1/4″ Two Toned Ribbon.  I cinched it up with a Vintage Faceted Button and some Linen Thread.  Finally I stamped the little sentiment from Tiny Tags onto the center part that was left from cutting apart the doily and punched it with the Jewelry Tag Punch.  I like that the paper is a bit more sheer.  To attach the bow to the card, I used Crystal Effects.  I know it is intended to make things glossy but it also acts as a really strong glue that dries pretty fast.  Cool!

Ok, the team has made some fun things this week.  Such different styles!  I know that means the gallery will be exciting to watch so make sure you play along.

I’ll be back tomorrow with some more information about fun new products from Stampin’ Up.  Until then, I hope you have a great day!

Stamp:  Tiny Tags; Paper:  Tea for Two DSP, Crumb Cake, Basic Gray; Ink:  Primrose Petals, Basic Gray; Accessories:  Basic Gray 1-1/4″ Two Toned Ribbon, Vintage Faceted Button, Linen Thread, Artisan Embellishments Kit, Tea Lace Paper Doilies, Jewelry Tag Punch, Crystal Effects

Welcome to my Freshly Made Sketches post for today!!  Don’t forget to check my other post today for a fun announcement!  Our sketch today is from the oh so amazing Jen Mitchell of I Create.  I just love her style and this sketch is right up her alley!

I am still completely obsessed with all the new things in the Spring Catalog and today I wanted  to play with the new Honeycomb Embossing Folder.  It is awesome!!  I zipped a Naturals Ivory piece of card stock through the Big Shot with the folder to start.  Then I used some small scraps of the Tea for Two DSP (about 1″ or so square), sat them over the hexagons on the folder and ran those through the Big Shot.  It is easy to follow the lines to cut them out.  I wasn’t so sure I would like this method but it was fast and worked like a charm.  I continue my winter love fest with Crumb Cake (I seem to want to make everything with it!) and it is the perfect background for this DSP.  I used the Natural 7/8″ Cotton Ribbon as one of the layers on the crossing panel and the tied a Bronze button on a second piece with Linen Thread.  The Cotton Ribbon has carried over into the Spring Catalog so it is still available!  Finally a sentiment from Tiny Tags to finish it off.

Jen really gave us a great sketch to use and I can’t wait to see the entries this week.  Last week’s cards just blew me away, I have to say!!  The design team has provided loads of inspiration so make sure to go see their amazing cards.

I’m so glad you stopped in today!  Thanks for visiting and I hope to see you again soon!

Stamp:  Tiny Tags; Paper:  Tea for Two DSP, Crumb Cake, Naturals Ivory, Early Espresso; Ink:  Early Espresso; Accessories:  Big Shot, Honeycomb EF, Natural 7/8″ Cotton Ribbon, Linen Thread, Bronze Button (ret)

Happy New Year!!  I am so excited to start off the new year of Freshly Made Sketches as the sketch hostess.  I knew that after all the hustle and bustle of the holidays, it would be nice for everyone to work with a basic sketch.  I embellished my sketch with hearts but any shape will do.

I wanted to really focus on the new Tea for Two DSP from the Spring Catalog.  The catalog goes into effect tomorrow (Jan. 3rd) so you will be able to start ordering these amazing products!  I used my Beautiful Butterflies Die and my Beautiful Wings Embosslit to pop out these pretty butterflies.  I love them against this So Saffron print!  I embellished the big butterfly with the new 5/8″ Flower Trim (I cut off just one) and some Basic Pearls.  Some retired Soft Suede Taffeta Ribbon was a perfect finishing touch.  The sentiment is from Made for You…still one of my favorites of the new catalog.

I can’t wait to see your interpretation of the sketch this week.  The design team has created some lovely cards and I know you will be so inspired!

I am back on reserve with United today but will be officially on a bit of a break after Friday.  I have some fun new things coming up with the new year and I can’t wait to share them.  Make sure you drop in next week to see the news!  Until then, I’m so glad you came by today.  See you soon!

Stamp:  Made for You; Paper:  Tea for Two DSP, Naturals Ivory, Soft Suede; Ink:  Soft Suede; Accessories:  Big Shot, Beautiful Butterflies Die, Beautiful Wings Embosslit, Large Scallop Edgelit, 5/8″ Flower Trim, Basic Pearls, Soft Suede Taffeta Ribbon (retired), Mini Glue Dots, Mulitpurpose Glue

Just take a look at the fabulous sketch we have at Freshly Made Sketches this week!  It is courtesy of the extraordinarily talented Linda Callahan.  Don’t you love it??!!  It is perfect for this busy time of year…no muss, no fuss, just a great layout!

I have to confess that I still have about 15 Christmas cards to make but I needed a bit of a rest from them.  And there was this little preorder sitting on the table begging to be used!!!  Oh yes…the Spring Catalog preorder has arrived and there is so much to celebrate in it.  Today, I am previewing some DSP called Tea for Two.  I am already completely in love with it!!  Such pretty prints!  I did add just a little bit of distressing with the Stampin’ Distress Tool.  A fun, fast way to add the vintage look!  The flower here is made with another new product called Creped Filter Paper.  I cut it out using my Fun Flowers Die and layered the flowers together (after crumpling them).  I sewed on a Vintage Faceted Button with some Linen Thread to keep the whole stack together.  Finally a little tag with a sentiment from Tiny Tags.  I have some December birthdays in my family and I always like to make sure that the cards have a decidedly non-Christmas look to them.  I think this one is perfect for the job!

The design team has more spectacular inspiration for you so click right over to check it out.  I think I’ll be using some of their ideas to CASE the last of my cards!

I’m so glad you stopped by today.  I hope you like this little preview of the new products!  They will be available on January 3rd.  Now…back to Christmas cards.  I hope to have some to share with you over the next week.  Until then, have a great week!

Stamp:  Tiny Tags; Paper:  Tea for Two DSP(new), Crumb Cake, Naturals Ivory; Ink:  Calypso Coral, Crumb Cake; Accessories:  Stampin’ Distress Tool (new), Creped Filter Paper (new), Big Shot, Fun Flowers Die, Linen Thread, Vintage Faceted Button, Jewelry Tag Punch