You Matter

Hi, it's time for another sketch from Freshly Made Sketches and this week Kim Singdahlsen is our hostess.  When I saw the three circles, I thought of a word so built my card around the word "you" and flipped the sketch on its side.

The card base is Grout Gray and I then used the Line Dance stencil and some Hickory Smoke Distress Oxide ink to add some interest to the card base.  The sentiment strips were white embossed onto black and cut out.  The "you" was die-cut three times from white and once from Tropical Teal and stacked.

And that's my card.  It's not much because it's still taking a lot of effort to even go into my craft room, let alone sit down and try and create something.  I had plans of making this card and a card for the latest Fusion challenge last weekend, but this card was all I could manage.  One day at a time.

Please check out the wonderful creations from the rest of the design team.

Products used:

Stamps:  You Matter (SSS)

Ink:  Versamark, Hickory Smoke Distress Oxide

Cardstock:  Grout Gray, White, Black Licorice, Tropical Teal (MFT)

Dies:  You (SSS)

Accessories:  Line Dance Stencil (SSS), White EP

17th Birthday

Hi all.  I've been absent from my blog for several weeks and some of you are aware of the reason why.  For those that aren't, we lost our beautiful 21-year old son, Matthew on 16 June, unexpectedly.  To say it was the worst night of my life is an under-statement and we are still reeling and hurting as we try and come to terms with our loss.

Matthew left behind his younger brother, William, and it was because of William that I ventured into my craft room to make a card using the latest Freshly Made Sketches challenge.  William's 17th birthday was on Monday and, even though we tried to make it a good day for him, it was a very sad day because we were all conscious someone was missing.

I wasn't up to doing anything too complicated for William's birthday card, so I just pulled out the alcohol inks and let them do their thing on some Yupo paper.

Once the panel was dry, I cut it into pieces to match the sketch and added foam tape behind all the pieces.  I adhered the pieces onto a black top-folding card base.  The sentiment was die-cut three times and adhered together and then added to the card front using the negative die-cut for placement.

And that's it.

Thanks so much for dropping by.  I hope you will check out the gorgeous cards made by the rest of the design team and play along with Linda's sketch.  And can I just say, this design team is the best.  They sent the most beautiful basket of flowering plants, as you can see below.

Products used:

Cardstock:  Black Licorice (MFT), Yupo
Ink:  Denim, Aquamarine, Pool, Limeade, Lettue, Dandelion, Silver Mixative Alcohol Inks
Dies:  Happy Birthday to You (MFT)

Karren

VW Christmas

So, it's Fusion time and we have a multi-colored inspiration photo for you this time as well as a very CAS sketch.

I decided to use the VW Kombi from the photo and the sketch to create my first Christmas card for 2019.

I bought this adorable set last Christmas but never got to use it.  I colored it up using the stamp packaging as my guide and then cut it out with my Scan n Cut.  I added foam tape to the back then set it to one side while I prepared my card base.

I die-cut a white panel the size of a card front and then die-cut a rectangle from the centre.  Onto a white top-folding card base, I added a piece of Watercolor Wash patterned paper - this is my go-to patterned paper for subtle backgrounds - I just love it!  I then adhered the white panel before adding the stamped image on top.  The sentiment comes from another NBUS set, but at least I've used one sentiment from it!

Thanks for visiting.  Please head over and check out the gorgeous cards made by the DT.

I'm going to link this up to Happy Little Stampers Christmas Challenge.

Products Used:

Stamps:  Rosie & Bernie in a Bus (Stamping Bella), Christmas Dreams (Lawn Fawn)

Ink:  Amalgam, Versafine Onyx Black

Cardstock:  White, X-Press It, Watercolor Wash Brights (MFT)

Dies:  Blueprints 25, Inside/Out Stitched Rectangles

Accessories:  Copics, Spectrum Noir Clear Sparkle Pen

Cheers

Karren

Rosy Birthday

Hi and welcome!  It's time for another challenge from the team at Freshly Made Sketches and this week our hostess is Jacquie Southas.  Check out her fun sketch:

I wanted to do some emboss resist so pulled out one of my favourite background stamps and some bright and cheery colors and came up with this:

It was very simple to do - white heat emboss the stamp, cover with various distress inks and die-cut with a stitched, rounded-corner die.  The sentiment was cut apart so I could stamp "Happy" twice and then die-cut with a small banner die.  To add some extra black, I squirted on some Nuvo drops in black and called it done!

Thanks for visiting!  The DT have created some gorgeous cards so I hope you'll check them out.  I'm going to link this up to Just Add Ink's Emboss Resist challenge, as well as Seize the Birthday's Anything Goes Challenge and Addicted to Stamps and More's 7th birthday celebration challenge (playing along with the Birthday Card part of the challenge).

Products used:

Stamps:  All Over Roses, Hello Beautiful (MFT)

Ink:  Versamark, Scattered Straw, Spiced Marmalade, Carved Pumpkin, Ripe Persimmon Distress Ink

Cardstock:  White, Black, Bristol Smooth

Dies:  Blueprints 31

Accessories:  White EP, Black Nuvo Drops

Cheers

Karren

Poppies

Welcome!  It's time for another challenge from the team at Freshly Made Sketches where our hostess this week is Amy O'Neill with this gorgeous sketch:

I have need of another sympathy card, so I used the new Spotlight Poppies card kit from MFT to create this card - yes, another gray and yellow floral card 😄

 I started by stamping the poppies background stamp onto a panel of Cement Gray cardstock then the individual co-ordinating poppy stamps onto X-Press It using London Fog ink.  I colored them in and die-cut them with the matching dies.  From there I decided which poppy I wanted to use and cut the gray panel to suit (the individual poppy stamps match various images on the background stamp to give a spotlight effect).  I adhered some black & white striped patterned paper down each side and a white embossed sentiment.

I was going to adhere that to a white card base when I got the idea to stamp the background stamp onto a white panel and match the image on both panels.  That took a bit of jiggery-poke and I had to cut down the white panel slightly to make everything line up, but eventually I got it to work.  I used SSS Fog ink for a soft look.  I added it all to a Lemon Drop card base to finish.

Thanks for visiting!  The design team have created some amazing cards using Amy's sketch so I hope you'll check them out. 

I don't have a photo of the markers I used because this is the second flower I colored.  The first one, I colored the pod-thing in the centre green, but it just looked weird so I colored a new one and left the centre brown - not correct according to Mother Nature, but okay by me!  The Copics I used for the petals are V12 for under-painting, Y17, Y15 and Y11.  I can't remember which browns I used for the centre.

Products used:

Stamps:  Poppies Background, Poppy Blooms, More Essential Sentiments (MFT)

Ink:  London Fog (Memento), Fog (SSS), Versamark

Cardstock:  Lemon Drop, Cement Gray, Black Licorice, B&W Stripes (MFT), X-Press It, White

Dies:  Poppy Blooms (MFT)

Accessories:  Copics, White EP

Cheers

Karren

Sakura Frames

Hi!  My card for the latest Fusion challenge is nothing like I imagined when I created the graphic!  But it came about when I got my hands on the Mondo Sakura stamp set and these square frame dies. 

I also decided the flower looked like it needed to be watercolored, so I got out my Zigs and splashed some color on, deliberately trying for a loose look because me and watercolors don't have a close relationship and I find them hard to use 😄

Anyway, once I was finished I went completely wild and flicked white paint over the image and also some Hickory Smoke Distress Ink.  I set it aside to dry and die-cut the black frames and adhered them together in a random fashion.  

Once the panel was dry, I stamped the sentiment and die-cut it with a wonky rectangle die.  I glued it down to a white top-folding card base, added the frames and called it done!  Definitely not my usual style, but I quite like it for a change!

Thanks for visiting!  The DT have some wonderful interpretations of the challenge that are so clever and fun so I hope you'll check them out.

Products used:

Stamps:  Mondo Sakura (Essentials by Ellen)

Ink:  Versafine Onyx Black, Hickory Smoke Distress Ink

Cardstock:  White, Black, Bristol Smooth

Dies:  Wonky Stitched Rectangles, Mini Square Shaker Window & Frame (MFT)

Accessories:  Zig Pens, Unicorn Spray (Hero Arts)

Cheers

Karren

Birth-Yay

This week's sketch over at Freshly Made Sketches is courtesy of Judy Rozema and it's a good 'un! 

I decided to play along with the Color Challenge at MFT Stamps and came up with this card, using a NBUS set, Birth-Yay.

I stamped and colored these images and die-cut them with the co-ordinating dies.  I then arranged them on a Grout Gray stitched circle.  I spent an inordinate amount of time going through all my patterned paper trying to find some in the challenge colors and this is what I came up with.  Stitched Fishtail Flag dies cut the patterned paper and also a sentiment strip.  

All the elements were added to a white panel and that was popped up on craft foam onto the white card base, to which I'd added a strip of Limelight patterned paper.

To finish, I colored the cake, hat and horns with clear sparkle pen.

Thanks for visiting.  The DT have some gorgeous cards so I hope you'll check them out.

I'm also linking this up to Seize the Birthday.  As there are no presents on my card, I'm playing along with the Anything Goes part of the challenge.

Products used:

Stamps:  Birth-Yay (MFT)
Ink:  Amalgam
Cardstock:  White, Grout Gray, X-Press It, Party Patterns, Bundle of Blossoms (MFT)
Dies:  Birth-Yay, Inside/Out Stitched Circles, Stitched Fishtail Flag Stax (MFT)
Accessories:  Copics, Spectrum Noir Clear Sparkle Pen

Cheers
Karren