In My Thoughts

Hi and welcome to another sketch from the Freshly Made Sketches team.  Our hostess this week is Jen Brum and here is her wonderful sketch.

I belong to an online grief group for parents who have lost an adult child and one lovely mother has set up a mini-group of people who are interested in sending cards to other grieving parents, so that we get something in the post that's thoughtful and caring.  I think this is a wonderful idea.  The cards will be either bought ones or hand-made as it's not a card-making group.  We are all hurting the worst, most unimaginable kind of hurt and this is a way of acknowledging that hurt and reaching out across the miles.  It also gives me a purpose as I am not celebrating Christmas this year and won't be sending cards.  

Here is the first card I made.  I'm not sure yet who it is going to as I haven't received my list of recipients but I hope whoever it is feels the care and compassion that went into this.

The background was one I prepared a few weeks ago for another card, that I didn't end up using.  So I  spritzed it with Perfect Pearls spray and adhered it to a white card base and then stamped this beautiful sentiment.   I die-cut a white panel with an opening and adhered that over the top with foam tape.

The flowers were stamped with different pink and green inks and die-cut.  I arranged them in a curve onto the card front.  The flowers were colored with a clear sparkle pen.  I didn't add any embellishments because this is probably heading over to the US and I don't want it to arrive damaged.

Thanks for visiting.  Please head over to the challenge blog and see what the rest of the design team have made - they're all gorgeous, as usual.

Products used:

Stamps:  Painted Flowers (Altenew), Sketched Flowers (SSS)
Ink:  Versafine Onyx Black, Spun Sugar, Bundled Sage, Tumbled Glass, Broken China Distress Oxide Ink, Baby Pink, Fuschia, Pink Diamond, Pinkalicious, Frayed Leaf, Forest Glades (Altenew)
Cardstock:  White
Dies:  Vintage Flowers (Altenew), Stitched Rectangle Stax, Inside/Out Stitched Rectangles (MFT)
Accessories:  Spectrum Noir Clear Sparkle Pen, Perfect Pearls Spray

Frilled Thanks

Welcome to our second-to-last Fusion challenge of the year, where we're going with a gratitude theme and a fun sketch.

I created a fusion of sorts, taking the pink flowers and the black background, as well as the sketch, to create this card.

The flowers were stamped and die-cut and added to a black card base.  I added some foliage for interest and then stamped a simple sentiment onto a white strip of cardstock.  Before adhering it with foam tape, I decided to add a strip of striped patterned paper.

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

Products used:

Stamps:  Frilled Petals, Dot Art (Altenew)

Ink:  Versafine Onyx Black, Pink Diamond, Pinkaliciousm, Rubellite, Bamboo, Parrot (Altenew)

Cardstock:  Black, White, Party Patterns (MFT)

Dies:  Frilled Petals (Altenew)

Accessories:  Clear EP for sentiment

Cheers

Karren

Poppy Thanks

Hi.  I'm here with a card using the sketch Kim Singdahlsen designed for the newest challenge at Freshly Made Sketches.

I wasn't feeling the mojo when I made this card and ended up with a very simple one-layer card.

I stamped the card front with the text stamp using Limestone ink.  I then inked up one of the poppy flowers with two shades of pink ink and stamped it before maskingh and stamping tyhe flower behind it.  I also used two ink shades on the leaves and stems.

The sentiment was stamped across the flowers in black ink.  To finish off the card I ran it through my Big Shot with a stitched edge die and added some sequins.

Thanks for visiting.  The DT have some wonderful cards using the sketch so I hope you'll check them out.

Products used:

Stamps:  Pretty Poppies (MFT)

Ink:  Versafine Onyx Black, Limestone, Pink Pearl, Coral Bliss, Olive, Moss (Altenew)

Cardstock:  White

Dies:  Stitched Mats Rectangle (Lil Inkers)

Accessories:  Sparkling Clear Confetti (Pretty Pink Posh)

Cheers

Karren

Strength Butterfly

Hi and welcome to another challenge from the Freshly Made Sketches team.  Our hostess this week is Linda Callahan and here is her sketch:

And here is my card using Linda's sketch.

This was not the card I had in mind when I sat down to create but this is how it ended up.  I didn't make it for anyone, but in looking at it, I think maybe I made it for me.  Losing my son has brought me to my knees and I'm struggling to get back up.  I haven't made any Christmas cards and I won't be sending any this year.  I have no desire to celebrate Christmas.  Matthew's birthday is one week before Christmas and I'm already dreading December. 

I used my favourite background stamp to white emboss onto a panel and then sponge with Fog ink.  I also splattered some Fog ink onto the panel.  Onto the background I used Fog ink to stamp multiple butterflies.  The orange butterfly is popped up on foam tape.

Thanks for visiting.  Please check out the wonderful cards made by the rest of the design team.

Products used:

Stamps:  Papillon (Tim Holtz), Essential Sentiments (MFT), Dream Big (Altenew)
Ink:  Versafine Onyx Black, Sunkissed, Orange Cream (Altenew), Fog (SSS)
Cardstock:  White, Black
Dies:  Inside/Out Stitched Squares (MFT)

Cheers
Karren

Mermazing

Hi and welcome to the latest challenge at Fusion

I combined both the sketch and the photo for my card.

I created the background panel with Copics before drawing in the seaweed in the background, also with Copics.  I then used London Fog ink to stamp the plants and fish before die-cutting the top and bottom with a curved stitched die.

I adhered that to a white card base and stamped the sentiment on a curve to mimic the die-cut panel.  The mermaid was colored and die-cut with the co-ordinating die and I liberally added clear sparkle pen before adhering her with foam tape.

Thanks for visiting.  I hope you'll check out the DT cards and have a go yourself.

Products used:

Stamps:  Mermazing (MFT)

Ink:  Amalgam, Versafine Onyx Black

Cardstock:  White, X-Press It

Dies:  Mermazing (MFT), Stitched Based Edges (MFT)

Accessories:  Copics, Spectrum Noir Clear Sparkle Pen, Nuvo Glitter Drops (Aquatic Mist)

Cheers

Karren

Peaceful Flowers

Hi, I'm here with a card for the latest challenge at Freshly Made Sketches, where this week our hostess is Jen Mitchell and she has given us a square sketch to play with.

I used a couple of new to me Altenew sets for my card.

I created my own background panel with Dot Art and light gray inks on gray cardstock.  I then cut it down and matted it onto some teal cardstock before adhering to a square card base.  The flowers were stamped and cut with my Scan n Cut before being added with foam tape.  I finished with a simple sentiment and some enamel dots.

Thanks for visiting.  I hope you'll check out the gorgeous cards made by the rest of the DT.


Products used:

Stamps:  Peaceful Reverie, Dot Art (Altenew) Assorted Greetings (Gina K)
Ink:  Aqualicious, Teal Cave, Morning Frost, Silver Lake, Bamboo, Parrot (Altenew), Versafine Onyx Black
Cardtock:  White, Grout Gray, Tropical Teal (MFT)
Accessories:  Spectrum Noir Clear Sparkle Pen, Teal Dots (CTMH)

Cheers
Karren

Summer Bouquet

Hi all and welcome.  Today's card uses the latest sketch at Freshly Made Sketches, where our hostess is Jennifer Timko.

As part of my recent retail therapy, I bought some stamp sets from The Greetery and used one of them on today's card.

I stamped the images in grays and then again in green/lavender colors.  After die-cutting, I arranged them and held the arrangement together with Press n Seal while I worked on the rest of the card.  Onto a panel of Grout Gray cardstock I dry-embossed the Weathered embossing folder before adhering it to a white top-folding card base.

I then added my floral arrangement, tucking in the white-embossed sentiment.

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

Products used:

Stamps:  Summer Sketches (The Greetery), Clean Line Everyday (SSS)
Ink:  Versamark, Bamboo, Wisteria, Hydrangea, Gray Denim, Cloudy Night, Silver Lake, Charcoal Suit (Altenew)
Cardstock:  White, Black, Grout Gray (MFT)
Dies:  Summer Sketches (The Greetery)
Accessories:  White Embossing Powder, Weathered Embossing Folder (Taylored Expressions)

Cheers
Karren