Friday, 3 April 2026

Magnolia Birthday

Hi and welcome!  It's Good Friday and a public holiday here in New Zealand, so what better than to get into the craft room?  I decided to make a card using the latest sketch over at Card Challenges, as well as the tic-tac-toe challenge at Paper Players and the birthday challenge at Krafty Chicks.  Because of time zones and full-time working, I don't often get to play with Paper Players so try and grab the opportunity when I can.  I went with the left diagonal with Die-cut/Flowers/Layers to come up with this card:


I coloured up the magnolia a few weeks ago when I was doing a bit of Copic-colouring so I don't know what colours I used, but I was pleasantly surprised when I found it already coloured and die-cut!  That formed the basis for my card, so I matched the flower colours with various cardstock colours and die-cut them from both a strips die and a stitched ric-rac die.  I layered the ric-rac over the strips and adhered them to a white card base that I'd embossed with the Subtle embossing folder.


I then adhered the white-embossed sentiment to the flower with liquid glue and added foam tape behind both before adding to the card.  Some clear shimmer pen to the centre of the flower added a bit of sparkle and I decided not to add any further embellishments.  

Thanks for visiting!







Products used:

Stamps: Magnolia Blossoms, Bitty Birthday Wishes (MFT)
Ink: Amalgam (Gina K.), Versamark
Cardstock: White, Black, X-Press It, Blush, Coral Bliss (Altenew), Bellini, Wildberry, Crimson (Spellbinders)
Dies:  Magnolia Blossoms, Stitched Ric Rac (MFT), Slim Stripes (Pink Fresh Studio)
Accessories: Copics, White EP, Subtle EF (SU)

Cheers
Karren

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Thursday, 2 April 2026

Sticky Note

Hi all and welcome to another sketch from the team at Freshly Made Sketches.  Our sketch hostess this week is Judy Rozema and here is the card I made.



As soon as I saw the torn edge, I thought stationery so that’s the route I took. I created two sticky notes and a torn edge and adhered them to an embossed background. I finished with some silver foil paper clips and a bold sentiment - albeit in the wrong place!


Thanks so much for visiting. The design team have some gorgeous cards so I hope you’ll check them out.




Products used:

Stamps: Take Note (SSS)
Ink: Versafine Clair Nocturne
Cardstock: White, Stone Gray (MFT), Misty Morning (Altenew), Peach Sorbet, Terracotta (Spellbinders) Mist (Lawn Fawn), Off The Grid patterned paper (MFT), Silver mirror foil
Dies: Push Pin Notes (Spellbinders), Notebook Edge (MFT), Notebook Journal Card (SugarPea Designs)
Accessories: Distress Mix Embossing Folder (Spellbinders)

Cheers
Karren

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Sunday, 29 March 2026

The Desk

Hi!  This card uses the colors at this week's Card Challenge.  When I first saw the colours, my mind went blank, but then I started scrolling through my MFT products and came across the various office die sets and decided to give it a go!  Confession:  all these products have never been used, even though I purchased the kit when it was released so... hangs head in shame... but pleased they finally got used because they are fun!



I created the "office" using various dies from three different sets.  The "wall" is stenciled with a small brick stencil and Lost Shadow Distress Ink.  The "floor" and the computer screen are patterned paper. I used the challenge colours as closely as possible, although the desk may be a bit too brown.  Once I'd assembled all the die-cuts I went looking for a sentiment and found this one (also never used) and thought it worked well with the office theme.




Thanks for visiting!

Products used:

Stamps:  Sticky Note Sentiments (MFT)
Ink: Versafine Clair Nocturne, Lucky Clover, Lost Shadow, Scorched Timber Distress Inks
Cardstock: White, Black, Celestial, Beeswax, Truffle, Teal Topaz (Spellbinders), Floor to Ceiling patterned paper (MFT), One of a Kind patterned paper (Paper Rose)
Dies: At My Desk, Office Greenery, Around the Water Cooler (MFT)
Accessories: Salvaged Brick Stencil (Honey Bee Stamps)

Cheers
Karren

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Friday, 27 March 2026

Peony Sympathy

Welcome to a new challenge over at Tic Tac Toe.  I played with the centre column: Colouring Technique (stencils)/Dies/Sympathy to come up with this card.


I used some postage collage dies, stamps and stencils for my main image and backed that onto an embossed panel cut from a very dark purple cardstock. After I stenciled the background I left the stencil in place and spritzed on some Broken China Distress Spritz to give a bit of shine and interest.


The sentiment was already hot-foiled so I stacked it three deep and added it to the card front.  I stamped a sympathy sentiment on the inside of the card.




Thanks for visiting.  Head on over to Tic Tac Toe and play along!







Products used:

Stamps: Nesting Postage (Waffle Flower), Moments of Grace (SSS)
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, Celestial Mist, Glacier Iris, Dreamy Periwinkle, Reindeer Moss (Altenew)
Cardstock: White, Glacier Iris, Andromeda (Altenew)
Dies: Nesting Postage Collage (Waffle Flower), Here For You hot foil and dies (Pink Fresh Studio)
Accessories: Nesting Postage Collage Peony Stencils, Broken China Distress Spritz, Black Hot Foil

Cheers
Karren

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Thursday, 26 March 2026

Floral Bucket


It's Freshly Made Sketches day and our hostess this week is Amy O'Neill.  I made this card using some NBUS which just arrived a week or so ago.


I was planning on putting the bucket of flowers onto a vellum oval, but I decided to leave it as is, so my card doesn't toally match the sketch, but close enough, I think.  The die-cut elements were cut from coloured cardstock and then ink-blended for added dimension.  After I assembled all the pieces, I set to work on my background.  Onto a card-sized panel of patterned grid paper, I roughly stamped a text stamp, deliberately missing bits.  I adhered that to the card base then added a strip of woodgrain for the "ground" for my bucket to stand on.


I then went through my pre-foiled sentiments and found this simple birthday sentiment.

Thanks for visiting! The design team have some gorgeous cards as usual, so I hope you'll check them out.






Products used:

Stamps: Handwritten (Simon Hurley)
Ink: Tea Dye, Walnut Stain, Hickory Smoke, Shaded Lilac, Tattered Rose, Dried Marigold, Abandoned Coral, Evergreen Bough, Rustic Wildnerness Distress Inks
Cardstock: White, Olive, Rouge, Pastel Sunrise (Altenew), Cement Gray (MFT), Lavender (Lawn Fawn), Wood & Notebook (Snap Basics)
Dies:Wildflower Bucket (SSS) Hexi-Gem Sentiments Hot Foil (Spellbinders)
Accessories: Copper hot foil

Cheers
Karren

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Saturday, 21 March 2026

Magnolia

Hi and welcome!  I made this card using the sketch over at Card Challenges, but it also fits the theme at Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge as well as CAS on Friday and Addicted to CAS.  For both of these challenges, I hope my card is CAS enough.


I don't colour anywhere near as often as I used to and I don't know why.  So today, I thought I'd make myself colour and guess what?  Once I started, I really enjoyed it!  I coloured up this magnolia using Copics and die-cut it with the co-ordinating die.  In keeping with the sketch, I lightly stenciled a circle shape onto the card base using the English Brick Wall stencil and Lost Shadow Distress Ink.


For the bottom panel, I embossed a strip of Pink Lemonade cardstock with the Subtle EF and then adhered it to a strip of lightweight vellum and then onto some black & white striped patterned paper.  The vellum softened the boldness of the black and white in keeping with the rest of the card.  Finally I stamped the sentiment and added some pearls to match the pink of the magnolia flowers.


Thanks for visiting!








Products used:

Stamps: Magnolia Blossoms, More Essential Sentiments (MFT)
Ink:  Amalgam (Gina K.), Versafine Clair Nocturne, Lost Shadow Distress Ink
Cardstock: White, X-Press-It, Pink Lemonade, Black & White Stripes (MFT), vellum
Dies: Magnolia Blossoms (MFT)
Accessories: Copics, English Brick Wall Stencil (MFT), Holiday Pearl Stickers (Honey Bee Stamps), Subtle EF (SU)

Cheers
Karren

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Edited to Add: This card got a shout-out at Addicted to CAS.


Thursday, 19 March 2026

Whisking


Hi and welcome!  Today's sketch over at Freshly Made Sketches was designed by Narelle Farrugia.  I went a touch rogue but did sort of include all the elements of the sketch - just in different shapes!



As soon as I saw the Spellbinders baking series by Tina Smith, I wanted it.  You know me and anything miniature...  This is the first card I've made with it.  I stuck to a fairly limited colour scheme and assembled the die-cut elements.  The background is the embossing folder which I lightly inked with white ink.


I arranged the die-cut elements to match the sketch as closely as I could (the mixer and beaters are the top two circles, the cord is the foliage (albeit on the wrong side); the mixing bowl is the third circle; the measuring cups are the bottom circle and the cookies are the foliage at the bottom) 😄

Thanks so much for visiting.  Please check out how the rest of the DT stuck more closely to the sketch than me!

I'm playing along with Addicted to Stamps and More's Birthday challenge




Products used:

Stamps: Sugared Expressions (Spellbinders)
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, Unicorn White (Hero Arts), Hazelnut (Altenew)
Cardstock: White, In The Buff, Eiffel Tower (MFT), Bellini (Spellbinders), Guava (Lawn Fawn), silver mirror foil
Dies: Magic Mixer, Measure Mates (Spellbinders)
Accessories: Confection Companions Embossing Folder (Spellbinders), Corner Chomper

Cheers
Karren

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