Shiny Leaves

 Hi!  I'm here with a card for a few challenges:  Just Us Girls want 6 of something on their cards to celebrate their 600th challenge which is an amazing achievement!  Sunday Stamps have a gorgeous colour challenge, although I now see it says the colours must be the primary colours and I think the black card base may disqualify me.   (So I went back to my craft room and made a second card using all the same products but with a cream card base 😄) I played with Sketch Saturday's sketch and, without measuring, am hoping my card fits the Up to One Third challenge at AAA Cards, where I did use the optional twist of leaves.

I started this card by creating the alcohol-inked panel with Yupo paper and various alcohol inks matching the colours at Sunday Stamps.  Once I was finished I die-cut it with a leaf die and also stacked it four deep with three white die-cuts to give it some stability.  

The sentiment was white-embossed onto a strip of Sage Leaf cardstock and added to the card base.

And here is the second card with the cream card base:

I have to say I much prefer the dramatic look of the black card base, but the cream one is pretty, too.

Here's a photo of the alcohol-inked Yupo I had left over after die-cutting my leaf, so you can see the gorgeous colours.

Thanks for visiting!

Products used:

Stamps:  More Essential Sentiments (MFT)

Ink:  Versamark; Alcohol Ink (Lemonade, Dandelion, Butterscotch, Valencia, Terra Cotta, Pesto, Statue)

Cardstock:  Black, Whip Cream (MFT), Yupo

Dies:  Skeleton Leaves (Tim Holtz), Stitched Dot Circle (MFT)

Accessories:  White EP

Cheers

Karren

Edited to Add:  This card got a shout out at Sketch Saturday and Sunday Stamps.

Always and Forever

Hi all!  This week it's my turn to host over at Freshly Made Sketches and here is my sketch.

It's a bit different but I just love color-blocked cards and this layout is perfect for that!  Having said that, I ended up not doing a color-blocked card, but rather an ombre card instead.

To create my frame, I took one of the dies from Blueprints 27 and did some partial die-cutting to get the look I wanted.  Here's what the die looked like originally (the window die):

So instead of the 3 squares, I only wanted one rectangle.  It didn't matter too much about the top square because I knew the sentiment would cover it up, but I carefully die-cut around the bottom two squares.  I did end up with a couple of horizontal stitch lines, but I couldn't avoid that.

To fill in the panels, I blended some distress inks onto some Strathmore Bristol Smooth cardstock and spritzed a Perfect Pearls/water mist over the top before cutting the panel down the middle .  I turned one strip upside down so the red tones were at the top and adhered them behind the window frame.  I then added some foam tape behind the frame and adhered it to a white top-folding card base.  The sentiment was white embossed and die-cut with a Stitched Fishtail Flag die.  I die-cut a heart from some leftover sponging and added that to the banner before covering it with Nuvo Crystal Glaze.

Thanks for visiting!  I hope you'll head on over to the FMS blog and see how the rest of the DT interpreted my sketch - they are amazing!

I'm linking this up to AAA Cards, Paper Players and Just Us Girls, who all have Love/Valentine themed challenges running and Sunday Stamps who have a color challenge.

Products used:

Stamps:  Lots to Say (Reverse Confetti)

Ink:  Worn Lipstick, Spiced Marmalade, Picked Raspberry, Abandoned Coral, Candied Apple Distress Inks, Versamark

Cardstock:  White, Black, Bristol Smooth

Dies:  Blueprints 27, Stitched Fishtail Flag Stax (MFT)

Accessories:  White EP, Perfect Pearls, Nuvo Crystal Glaze

Cheers

Karren

Edited to Add:  This card got a shout out at Just Us Girls

Christmas is coming

Hi!  I'm back with a card using the latest sketch from Freshly Made Sketches!  This week our sketch hostess is the lovely and talented Amy O'Neill.  Here is Amy's sketch:

As did a couple of the other girls in the design team, I chose to use snowflakes for my "stars".  This is a pretty simple card and I took a leaf from my teamie, Jen's card from last week.  She inlaid her circular element and I decided to do some dry-embossing to represent the oval panel. 

The Fog stitched panel was dry-embossed with the oval then adhered to a white top-folding card base.  The snowflakes were cut from white glitter paper and added to the card.  I then added a pale blue Nuvo Jewel Drop to each snowflake.  The sentiment has three white layers and one black layer to add dimension.

Thanks for visiting!  Head on over and check out the fabulous creations made by the rest of the design team.

I'm linking this to the challenge at AAA Cards where they are celebrating Christmas.

Products used:

Cardstock:  White, Fog, Black, White Glitter
Dies:  Let it Snowflake Too, Merry Christmas, Stitched Rectangle Stax (MFT), Stitched Ovals (Lil Inkers)
Accessories:  Nuvo Jew Drops

Cheers
Karren

Purple and Blue

Hi all and welcome to Freshly Made Sketches for another sketch challenge.  This week it's my turn to be hostess.  I hope you like my sketch and it gives you all a lot of room to interpret how you wish.

I made a birthday card for my sister using the sketch.  And I pulled out WPlus9's beautiful Modern Anenomes set (every time I say "anenomes" I hear Nemo trying to pronouce it in the movie!  Am I the only one?)

I have to admit, this is one of my favorite cards I've made lately and I almost didn't want to give it away!  

I cut some masks of the anenomes and then positioned the stamps, one by one, in my Misti.  After I stamped each image, I flipped the panel upside down and stamped in the opposite corner.  I continued doing this, masking as I went, until I had all three flowers and the two leaf sprigs.  After I colored the images with Copics, I replaced the masks and then slightly sponged with some Broken China Distress Ink.  I also outlined the images with a Copic cool gray marker to make them pop a bit.

The sentiment was one I'd made up earlier and didn't use.  It is several layers of black die-cuts then spritzed with Glitter Dust.  The rest of the sentiment is from a PTI set and white embossed onto black.  The whole panel was die-cut with a stitched rectangle die and popped up onto the card base with foam tape.

Thanks for visiting!  The rest of the design team have made gorgeous cards using my sketch, so head on over and check them out.

I'm linking this card up to the CAS challenge at The Flower Challenge as well as the Celebrate challenge at AAA Cards.

Products used:

Stamps:  Modern Anenomes  (WPlus9), Wet Paint (PTI)
Ink:  Intense Black, Broken China Distress, Versamark
Cardstock:  White, Black, X-Press It
Dies:  Celebrate, Stitched Rectangle Stax (MFT)
Accessories:  Copics, White EP, Glitter Dust

Cheers
Karren

Always a Good Idea

Welcome to another fabulous sketch from the Freshly Made Sketches team!  This week our hostess is one of our very capable and talented Camp Mothers - Jen Mitchell.

I decided to make a card with a coffee theme and link it up to the Fall Coffee Lovers Blog Hop.  As well, the colors work well with the Autumn colors theme at AAA Cards.

Autumn puts me in mind of rain, so I pulled out the adorable Rainy Day set by Newton's Nook and did some Copic coloring and paper piecing.  To further add to the autumn theme, I added a pumpking from the Fall Fox set by SugarPea Designs and a coffee cup from the Newton Loves Coffee set.  The patterned paper comes from CTMH and the ombre paper in the background has a nice, warm feel to it.  I added a bit of gray shading to the paper-pieced umbrella and called the card done!

Thanks so much for visiting!  The design team have some gorgeous cards, so head on over and check them out!

Products used:

Stamps:  Rainy Day, Newton Loves Coffee (Newton's Nook), Fall Fox (SugarPea Designs)

Ink:  Intense Black

Cardstock:  Desert Storm, X-Press It, Cats & Bats, Happy Times (CTMH)

Dies:  Rainy Day, Newton Loves Coffee (Newton's Nook), Fall Fox (SugarPea Designs)

Accessories:  Copics

Cheers

Karren

More Than I Can Bear

Hi and welcome!  Today's card was made for a few challenges, not least the MFT 2017 Card Superstar Contest!  I decided to throw my hat in the ring and after a lot of umm-ing and ahh-ing, I decided this card fits the Coloring category best.  Which is probably the most fiercely contested category as there are some absolutely amazing colorists out there.  But hey, nothing ventured, nothing gained 😃  The other challenges I'm entering are Simon Says Stamp's Wednesday Challenge to Stamp It; CAS on Sunday who are looking for coloring and my second entry for AAA Cards, whose theme is Creatures Great or Small.

So this card took me an age to create!  I had a sketch drawn out on scrap paper which gave me the basic layout.  I wanted a night sky behind the scallop circle frame so sponged some Distress Oxide and Distress Inks onto a panel of Bristol Smooth cardstock, keeping the lighter color in the center and circling out to the darker colors.  I then flicked on some water drops and some shimmer spray and set it aside to dry.  I die-cut a panel with the stitched frame in Blueprints 13 and also cut a circle using a Pierced Circle die.  The scallop frame was adhered over the top.  I took a piece of heat-resistant acetate and white-embossed the sentiment and adhered that to the back of the circle cut-out.

Once the ink-blended panel was dry, I adhered some silver star confetti randomly onto the panel then attached it to the front panel with liquid glue.

All the images were colored with Copics and the bears were dabbed with Coloreless Blender on a piece of towel to give some texture to their fur.  All the images were then cut with my Scan n Cut.  I do have the dies for the Happy Hedgehogs set, but not for the Birthday Bears so had to keep all the cutting consistent.  Just for interest's sake, there are 18 individual leaves - colored to look like autumn leaves, 5 mushrooms and 2 acorns around the 2 bears 😃I went around the outside of each cut image with a black marker and also added Black Glaze pen to the bears' eyes.  The two acorns and the two bears are all popped up on foam tape,  The rest of the images are adhered directly to the card.

Thanks for visiting. 

Products used:

Stamps:  Birthday Bears, Happy Hedgehogs, Polar Bear Pals (MFT)

Ink:  Versamark, Black Licorice Hybrid, Chipped Sapphire Distress, Wilted Violet, Faded Jeans, Broken China Distress Oxide

Cardstock:  White, X-Press It, Acetate, Bristol Smooth

Dies:  Blueprints 13, Stitched Circle Scallop Frame, Pierced Circle Stax

Accessories:  Copics, White EP, Star Confetti, Navy and Silver Shimmer Spritz, White Gel Pen, Black Glaze Pen

Cheers

Karren

Chill

And I'm back with my second card today for Camp Create - this time for Day 2 - Magnificent Masking.

I created this one-layer card by first stamping and masking the palm tree.  I then masked off the top and bottom of the ink-blended panel.  Once that was complete, I used some torn paper as a mask for the sand.  The reverse of that mask was used for the sea, along with another straight piece of paper.  Finally I sponged in the sky.  All the inks I used for the sponging were Distress Oxide inks and the paper is Bristol Smooth.

Once I was finished, I removed all the masks, colored the palm tree and used a Sharpie paint pen to add the waves and foam.  To give the tree something to "rest" on, I stamped the sentiment right underneath.  The birds are from the Party Like a Pirate set.

I'm also adding this to the AAA Cards Masking challenge.  Thanks for visiting.

Products used:

Stamps:  Penguins in Paradise, Party Like a Pirate (MFT)

Ink:  Intense Black, Versafine Onyx Black, Antique Linen, Broken China, Salty Ocean Distress Oxides

Cardstock:  Bristol Smooth

Dies:  Blueprints 25 (MFT)

Accessories:  Copics, White Sharpie Paint Pen

Cheers

Karren

Edited to Add:  This card got a shout out at AAA Cards.

Beach Scene

Hi and welcome!  I made today's card using the sketch at MFT.  As well I'm linking up to AAA Cards birthday bash and the window theme at Inkspirational.  When I first saw the sketch, I was stumped, but after letting it percolate in my brain for a few days, I had the idea to use the rectangular panel as a window, which fit in perfectly with the Inkspirational challenge.

I created a beach scene using distress inks and white gel pen on a piece of Bristol Smooth cardstock and set it aside.  I then took an inside/out stitched rectangle die and did some partial die-cutting on a white card base.  I laid the die onto the card base and positioned the top plate half way down the die and cut it.  Then I moved the die up so it wasn't as tall, and positioned the plate on the bottom half and cut it.  The beach scene was then adhered behind the opening.  The sentiment was stamped in black ink.

Then I went to work on the images.  The penguin and ball were already pre-stamped and colored from another project.  Originally I was only going to use the palm tree and bunny but I liked the look of the penguin and bunny together so used them both.

The copics in the photo below do not include those used on the penguin and ball.  I don't have a record of those colors.

Thanks for visiting!

Products used:

Stamps:  Penguins in Paradise, Beach Bunnies (MFT)

Ink:  Black Licorice Hybrid

Cardstock:  White, Bristol Smooth, X-Press It

Dies:  Penguins in Paradise, Beach Bunnies, Inside/Out Stitched Rectangles

Accessories:  Copics, Spectrum Noir Clear Sparkle Pen, White Gel Pen

Cheers

Karren