Congrats

It's time for another Fusion challenge and here are the details.

I played with the sketch this time and used the green from the photo to come up with this card.

I used a stencil and some glitter paste to create the mandala.  While it was drying, I stamped and die-cut the sentiment and embossed the second part of the sentiment onto a strip of black cardstock.

I finished the card with some irridescent crystals.

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

Products used:

Stamps:  Congrats All Round (Mama Elephant)
Ink:  Obsidian (Altenew), Versamark
Cardstock:  White, Black
Dies:  Congrats (Mama Elephant), Stitched Rectangle Stax (MFT)
Accessories:  Seafoam Glitter Paste (BoBunny), Captivating Mandala Stencil (MFT), Irridescent Crystals (Studio Katya)

Cheers
Karren

Sparkly Celebration

I'm here with sketch number 419 from the team at Freshly Made Sketches.  Our sketch hostess this week is Lee Ann Barrett and here is her sketch:

I had a desire for something other than a white card base this week, so came up with this card, which is probably going to be for my mother's birthday next month.

The card base and angled panel is After Midnight cardstock from MFT.  I clear-embossed the Kaleidoscope background onto the angled panel and then sponged some Chipped Sapphire distress ink around the edges.  I also sponged around the card base edges as well.

I matted the panel onto a Silver Sparkle panel and used foam tape to adhere it to the card base.

The sentiment is stacked three high and the stamped sentiment was cut with an angled panel to mimic the main sketch.

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

Products used:

Stamps:  Kaleidoscope BG (SSS), Celebrate (Neat & Tangled)
Ink:  Versamark, Obsidian (Altenew), Chipped Sapphire Distress Ink
Cardstock:  White, Silver Sparkle, After Midnight (MFT)
Dies:  Celebrate (MFT)
Accessories:  Clear EP

Cheers
Karren

Time to be Awesome

It's time for another fun challenge from the team at Freshly Made Sketches where Jacquie Southas is our hostess this week.  Here is her sketch:

My youngest son is moving out of home in a couple of weeks.  Yes, the timing is not great and I don't want him to leave, but we're not going to stop him as he is craving independence.  So, on the day he moves out, I'll give him this card:

I deliberately chose this Neat & Tangled set for William's card because this was the set I used when Matthew left home the first time 3 1/2 years ago.  Here's a link to the card I made for Matthew. 

Apologies for the poor photography - I think my camera focused on the silver and dulled everything else.  The card base is white and I added a strip of black embossed with the Weathered Embossing Folder.  I die-cut another white panel as well as some silver cardstock with a stitched border die and used foam tape beind the panel to pop it up. 

I stamped some stars and the first part of the sentiment onto this panel and then used a silver die-cut with the black shadow and called it done.

Thanks for visiting.  The design team have some wonderful cards so I hope you'll check them out.

Products used:

Stamps:  Awesome (Neat & Tangled)

Ink:  Obsidian, Cloudy Night (Altenew)

Cardstock:  White, Black, Silver

Dies:  Stitched Basic Edges (MFT), Awesome (N&T)

Accessories:  Weathered EF (Taylored Expressions)

Coppery Hello

Welcome to another year of Fusion challenges.  We've got an updated challenge graphic and a new team member, so I hope you'll head on over and check out who we are fortunate enough to add to our team.

I created a fusion this time, by flipping the sketch on its side and playing with the colors in the photo.

Onto a white die-cut panel, I stenciled over a mandala stencil with Smoked Hickory ink - concentrating heavier color on the left and fading out towards the right.  I then flicked on some bronze mica spray and some black distress paint and set it aside to dry.

The leaves were die-cut from copper cardstock and added, along with the sentiment, when the panel was dry.  I used some craft foam to pop it up on the white card base.

Thanks for visiting.  The DT have some wonderful cards for our first challenge of the year so I hope you'll check them out.

Products used:

Stamps:  Assorted Greetings (Gina K Designs)
Ink:  Hickory Smoke Distress Ink, Obsidian (Altenew)
Cardstock:  White, Bristol Smooth, Copper
Dies:  Stitched Rectangle Stax 2 (MFT), Layering Leaves (Concord & 9th)
Accessories:  Captivating Mandala Stencil (MFT), Antiqued Bronze Distress Mica Spray, Black Soot Distress Paint

Cheers
Karren

Plank Bouquet

Hi and welcome to another year of challenges from the team at Freshly Made Sketches!  Our first sketch was designed by Judy Rozema.

I white-embossed the Plank background stamp onto both a white panel and a panel of Bristol Smooth and die-cut them both with a stitched rectangle die.  Onto the Bristol Smooth piece, I ink-blended various green distress inks then lightly spritzed with Perfect Pearls mist.

The flowers were stamped with Altenew inks and cut with my Scan n Cut.  I die-cut the sentiment die and arranged all the elements onto a white card base, before finishing with some enamel dots.

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

Products used:

Stamps:  Blossoms (Scrapbook.com), Plank (SSS)
Ink:  Versamark, Dew Drops, Aqualicious, Teal Cave, Chamomile, Frayed Leaf, Forest Glades, Evergreen (Altenew), Shabby Shutters, Peeled Paint, Mowed Lawn Distress Inks
Cardstock:  White, Black, Bristol Smooth
Dies:  Stitched Rectangle Stax 2 (MFT) Thanks Jotted Script (Memory Box)
Accessories:  White EP, Enamel Dots, Perfect Pearls Mist

Cheers
Karren

22nd Birthday

Hi all and welcome to the last Freshly Made Sketch Challenge of the year, where our hostess is Amy O'Neill.  And here is Amy's sketch for us:

I had need of a birthday card as my son would have been 22 years old on Tuesday of this week.  I couldn't let the day go by without making him a card - no matter how weird that sounds - so this is the card I came up with.

I used SugarPea Designs You're My Type die set and the sentiment from Yay for You by MFT.  It's really hard finding a birthday sentiment that doesn't mention "Happy" or "Celebrate" so this is a simple statement of fact.  The colors chosen are from Hero Arts - Paradise and Adriatic along with a bit of Cherry Crisp from MFT.

I added clear sparkle pens to the hearts and Nuvo Crystal Glaze to the heart above the "22".

Thanks for visiting.  I'm hoping to spend some time over the next couple of weeks stamping for the fun of it and joining in a few challenges but it will depend how I feel.  Frustratingly, when I'm not stamping, I want to be stamping, but when I can be stamping, I have zero motivation!  I wish you all a peaceful season and to those of you missing someone, I can now truly understand how that feels and I wish I could give you all a hug.

Products used:

Stamps:  Yay for You (MFT)
Ink:  Versamark
Cardstock:  White, Black, Cherry Crisp (MFT), Paradise, Adriatic (Hero Arts), Itsy Bitsy Polka Dots (MFT)
Dies:  You're My Type (SugarPea Designs), Stitched Rectangle Stax (MFT)
Accessories:  Spectrum Noir Clear Sparkle Pen, White EP, Nuvo Crystal Glaze

Leafy Birthday

Hi and welcome.  Here's the latest sketch from the Freshly Made Sketches team where our hostess this week is Narelle Farrugia.

I am in need of a birthday card for DH, whose birthday is on Christmas Eve.

To make this card, I blended some distres inks onto a panel of Bristol Smooth cardstock.  I then added a stencil and went over again, using slightly more pressure.  Finally I added some flicks of water and die-cut the panel with a stitched rectangle die.

The leaves were die-cut from black cardstock and then flicked with Antiqued Bronze Mica Spray and white gouache before being set aside to dry.  I then stamped and die-cut the sentiment.

The card was easy to put together and makes for a nice masculine card.

Thanks for visiting.  I hope you'll check out the rest of the DT as they have some gorgeous cards as always.

Products used:

Stamps:  KIS Birthday (PTI)
Ink:  Versafine Onyx Black, Broken China, Peacock Feathers, Mermaid Lagoon, Chipped Sapphire Distress Oxide Inks
Cardstock:  White, Black, Bristol Smooth
Dies:  Stitched Rectangle Stax (MFT), Skeleton Leaves (Tim Holtz)
Accessories:  White Gouache, Antiqued Bronze Mica Spray (Tim Holtz), Scribble Script Stencil (Donna Downey)

Karren