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Freshly Made Sketches #657

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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 #647

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Hope all is going well with you summer! Here we are at the end of July already. I had a little time to make a quick card for this week’s Freshly Made Sketches so I’m here to share. This fun sketch from our wonderful Karren Johnson was easy to use and I think it will be a popular one this week.

I pulled out my new BetterPress again for this one and used the Floral J and Sentiment Press Plate. Seemed like the right letter for me, don’t you think?! I inked it up with Momento Tuxedo Black with the intent to use Copics and it worked great! Just some easy coloring and I love the detail on this.

To keep to the sketch, I cut out the letter with the Stacking Art Deco Labels dies. In the background, I used the Dogwood Blooms 3-D Embossing Folder on white card stock and then cut it per the sketch. Like I said, a quick card!

Thanks so much for stopping in today. As always, I appreciate you! See you soon!

Freshly Made Sketches #631

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Hi everyone! Back with the latest from Freshly Made Sketches and I am the sketch designer this week. Not gonna lie, I cheated on the sketch and created it after I had colored my image for the card. I just HAD to use it!

This giant image is so beautiful and perfect for practicing coloring. In this case, Copic Marker coloring. I thought about a not-red rose but thought I’d just keep it classic for the first use of the stamp. It is the Big & Bold – Smell the Roses stamp and die set from Colorado Craft Company. I did the coloring over a few days and had fun playing with shading not just on the flower but on the leaves too.

The base of the card is 5-1/2″x 5-1/2″ so that I didn’t have to cut off any of the image. I used a woodgrain background and then did some “imperfect” stamping with the Vintage Flora stamp by Honey Bee Stamps. It isn’t as big as the card but I just inked up part of it with Distress Oxide Ink in Scorched Timber. I did some stitching around the edges and then I added some splatters in white gouache and black watercolor paint and a few black confetti pieces. Finally, I chose a sentiment from the stamp stamp set as the flower. Perfect for the red rose, don’t you think?!

I hope you enjoy this card as much as I did making it. Have a great rest of your week and I look forward to seeing you in the gallery!

Freshly Made Sketches #625

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As I was coming over to write this post, I realized I never posted last week’s FMS card here. I did over at Instagram so a good time to remind you that I’m there as well: jentimko on Instagram. With that, we have a new sketch from Jen Brum for this week at Freshly Made Sketches and it is super fun. I took a little twist on the circle with a partial die cut edge to line it up with a die cut image.

I just got this sweet image from Colorado Craft Company called Finally Spring and thought it would be fun to use for the sketch. I love that the coloring only takes a few minutes since the images are so small. I used my Copics to create what I saw as cherry blossoms. Once that was completed I pondered how to make this work best.

I brushed on some Distress Oxides in Tumbled Glass and Broken China to “split” the panel. Then I added some Saltwater Taffy to an additional panel. Using the die for the image I did a partial die cut edge so that the image could nestle up in the cutouts. I make the image stand up a bit more, I cut two extra backing pieces to stack behind the image. Finally a sweet sentiment from the set.

I hope you like my interpretation of the sketch and will come over to join us. Thanks so much for stopping in today. See you soon!

CASE Me A Christmas Card – Surprise Edition

CASE Me A Christmas Card – Surprise Edition published on 1 Comment on CASE Me A Christmas Card – Surprise Edition

For those of you who know Michelle Lupton, you know that she is both super talented and one of the nicest people! Over the last years, she has done a series of CASE Me A Christmas Cards where she will CASE (Copy and Share Everything) one of her guests cards and vice versa. You take a non-holiday card and turn it into a holiday card using the inspiration of each other’s work. It is always such fun. This year, Michelle has had some things happen where she was just unable to commit to the project. Soooooo….a whole group of stampers committed to do it together in honor of her!!! This is primarily an Instagram event and all you have to do is go over to IG and search for the hashtag: #casemeachristmascard2023

The hardest part of doing this for me is narrowing down the choice of what to CASE. I generally use the rule of three on a CASE where I change 3 things while keeping some of the main elements of the original. In this case, I chose a floral card with partial die cutting. Her original is posted below. I used the Joyful Poinsettia set from WPlus9 (I know you are super shocked) and found the die for the set worked perfectly in the partial die cutting. I used my Copic Markers to color the image with traditional colors.

I chose Artichoke Card Stock from Concord and 9th as my base once I had finished my coloring. Then I created a mini slimline card using the Sweet Stacks: Mini Slimline Dies. I heat embossed my sentiment in Gilded Embossing Powder on Black Card Stock by Concord and 9th. Oh, and if you have ever had trouble with heat embossing on black (I did and thought it was my powders…and I tried a lot of powders), this card stock changed the game. It is smoother and somehow the heat embossing stays crisper. YAY! I added some splatters with Gold and Irisdescent White and then some red pearls.

So here is Michelle’s gorgeous card. Things I kept: Partial Die Cut, Sentiment Placement, Florals and Gems. Things I changed: Slimline layout, Copic coloring, Raised sentiment, Image panel to edge.

I hope you like my version of her card. Please come over and celebrate with us all. Michelle is just beloved and I’m thrilled to be a part of this ode to her talent.

Freshly Made Sketches #601

Freshly Made Sketches #601 published on 6 Comments on Freshly Made Sketches #601

We had such fun with our sketch #600 celebration last week and now, onward! This week’s Freshly Made Sketches challenge designer is the one-of-a-kind Linda Callahan. She is the BEST!

I felt this one was perfect for a little scene and what better than Christmas mice from Merry Little Mice? I went with some non-traditional colors and had such fun coloring these elements.

I think I stuck close enough to the sketch on the background. I played around with adding an additional pattern under the teal but it just didn’t work for me. I love the stars on this pattern from the Make It Merry Paper Pad and found the crossing teal patten in an older, retired pad. The sentiment is from one of my workhorse sets called Inside: Holiday Sentiments. If you don’t have a set like this one, go grab it!

Thanks so much for stopping in today. I hope you have some crafting time this week and will join us. I have to say that I had a pretty challenging week last week at the day job and I’m so thankful for my coloring and creating time to bring balance to the stress. I hope you have a wonderful week!

Freshly Made Sketches #598

Freshly Made Sketches #598 published on 7 Comments on Freshly Made Sketches #598

Hi everyone! Happy August to you! I am this week’s sketch designer at Freshly Made Sketches and I hope you will like this one. When I designed it, I had a floral in mind for the corner. I had this gorgeous poinsettia on my table from my last card so I opted to color the single image and go with Copics this time.

I stamped the image from Joyful Poinsettias twice and then colored. Dawn’s images have shading built into the design so I just followed her lead. I enjoyed spending a little time with my Copics! For the base I started with a light blue card stock and added Faded Jeans and Chipped Sapphire Distress Oxide Inks.

I decided to add some splatters with white gouache and some red pearls. The sentiment comes from the same set. I love all the options this set gives and I suspect you will see it in heavy rotation for this holiday season.

I hope you are having a wonderful start to your August. Thanks so much for stopping in today. I’ll see soon!

Honey Bee Stamps Vintage Holiday Release – Sneak Peek Day 4

Honey Bee Stamps Vintage Holiday Release – Sneak Peek Day 4 published on 1 Comment on Honey Bee Stamps Vintage Holiday Release – Sneak Peek Day 4

Welcome to the Honey Bee Stamps Vintage Holiday Release Sneak Peeks! Today is the last day of our peeks at the new release and, as usual, you will be totally wow’d by all the amazing sets.

Today I am introducing new Falling Snow Background Stamp and the Riding By…Holiday Style Stamp Set and coordinating Honey Cut Dies. (These affiliate links will not be live until the release opens for sale TONIGHT, October 14th after the Release Party on IG and FB at 8p CT.)

The Riding By…Holiday Style is an add-on set to the Riding By Set and Bicycle Builder Honey Cut Dies. I love all the options! AND, these images could be used just for tags or without the bike too. Love that. But I used it in the intended way. I stamped a bunch of the images in Momento Tuxedo Black Ink and colored in non-traditional colors of pink, teal and lime green. After cutting them out with the coordinating dies, I started playing with how I’d build my bike. I left the frame white and colored the tire in pale gray. I added a few pink accents too. I did cut two more of the “tire” die (not the spokes part) and the bike frame to give a bit more depth.

I used the Honey Bee Stamps Precision Glue to attach all the parts together. Then, I decided I needed a bit of pop from the background. I stamped the new Falling Snow Background Stamp in Versamark Ink and heat embossed with clear embossing powder. I brushed on a bright pink ink and the emboss resist worked perfectly. I pulled some of the Bubblegum Confetti Mix out as the final accents.

So glad you stopped in today. Remember the release goes live tonight! I hope you will consider shopping with me via the affiliate links highlighted at the top of the post. Have a wonderful day!

World Card Making Day with Ellen Hutson

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Happy World Card Making Day! Really. It is a thing. And it makes me super happy! I was lucky enough to be invited to help share some of the new Essentials by Ellen product line by Ellen Hutson and they are really fun. You’ll see that they were practically made for me!

As soon as I saw these products I knew exactly what card I was going to make. I wanted our little friend to be all ready to go on the adventures they have missed out on over the last year or two. Passport – check. Bag packed – check. Globe to spin for deciding – check. Ready to go! This adorable set is called the Bear Ware Grand Tour and comes with coordinating dies. I joined it with the new Planet Surface dies.

The bear is super cute, of course, but it is all the extra elements that really make the set. You can see the iconic buildings and there are fun details that go with each along with sentiments. I chose a few and used them like a banner.

Try not to fall over but I actually created a video to go with this card. I know, it is has been over a year since I made one. I thought it would be more fun to show you how I made this so hop over to check it out. I kept the video short and I’d love your feedback on it.

YouTube Link: https://youtu.be/dAiZ5RrKr6s

I hope you enjoy this release and have some time to craft today. Below I have listed links to the new release (the first one should take you to the shopping page). These are affiliate links which help me but have no additional cost to you. Have a great weekend!

Wheatfield Dreams with Taylored Expressions

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I have a real treat for you today!! I was lucky enough to get to use the new Wheatfield Dreams Kit designed by the amazing Lori Craig for Taylored Expressions. And what a dream these products are!

I started by stamping the sunflower in Momento Tuxedo Black and then just got to enjoy coloring with my Copic Markers. In full disclosure, Lori was my first instructor on Copic so I REALLY wanted to live up to the beauty of her design. After I was done, the coordinating dies in the kit make short work of cutting the flower out.

I thought that kraft would be the perfect background for this flower and I love a tone on tone look. The Burlap Background stamp is also a part of the kit and it gives such amazing texture. I added the Frame in Frame 2 scalloped rectangle as a way to focus on the wonderful sentiment from the set and then added a few gold pearls to finish.

The Wheatfield Dreams kit includes the following:

  • Wheatfield Dreams Stamp Set + Coordinating Dies
  • Burlap Background
  • Foil It – Wheatfield (12 panels for heat foiling)
  • Mini Embossing Powder – Copper
  • As always, this kit will be packaged in a zippered pouch with an exclusive kit pouch sticker, envelopes, and envelope seals to match. 

If you love this as much as I do, I’d appreciate you shopping with me via my affiliate links (at no additional cost to you): Taylored Expressions Shopping

Thank you for stopping in today! See you tomorrow with the latest from Freshly Made Sketches.

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