Oak Note

Welcome!  Today is the last day of my time off work so I've been trying to spend as much time in my craft room as possible the last couple of days.  As well as making a couple of cards for upcoming design team challenges, I also found the time to make a card for some current challenges.  This card uses the sketch at Paper Players as well as the mood board at Just Us Girls.

This card involved a lot of messy play and it was great!  I found a panel of cardstock I'd spritzed with mica sprays last year (using the Halloween 2022 collection).  I wanted to brighten the panel a bit so I added a few yellows and oranges and set it aside to dry.  For the background panel, I ink-blended some Distress Oxide inks and die-cut with the Shiplap Builder die before adding Vintage Photo DOX to the edges of each die-cut.  I adhered all the individual elements to a panel of photocopy paper and then die-cut with a stitched rectangle die.

The kraft panel was embossed with a brick embossing folder after being die-cut with a smaller stitched rectangle die.

Once the mica panel was dry, I die-cut it with the shadow layer of the Oak Leaf die then cut the inner with black cardstock.  The sentiment was die-cut from white and black and adhered together, then it was just a matter of assembly.

Thanks so much for visiting.

Products used:

Ink:  Antique Linen, Tea Dye, Vintage Photo Distress Oxide Inks

Cardstock:  White, Black, Neenah Desert Storm

Dies:  Oak Leaf (Neat & Tangled), Stitched Rectangle Stax (MFT), Shiplap Builder (The Greetery), Just a Note Posh Script (Memory Box)

Accessories:  Brick Embossing Folder (Tim Holtz), various Mica Stain Sprays

Cheers

Karren

Edited to Add:  This card got a shout out at Paper Players.

Hey There

 Hi!  I'm here with a quick post for the latest Freshly Made Sketch challenge where our hostess this week is Cecile Ribon.  Here's my card:

There is no stamping on this card.  I did some ink smooshing with Salvaged Patina Distress Ink on a white card base and then added some triangles die-cut from some patina patterned paper.  I finished with a hot-foiled and die-cut sentiment.

I hope you'll check out how the rest of the team interpreted the sketch.  Thanks for dropping by.

Products used:

Ink:  Salvaged Patina Distress Ink

Cardstock:  White, Patina (Craft Consortium)

Dies:  Hey There Combo (Waffle Flower), Triangle Pattern Builder (Neat & Tangled)

Accessories:  Black foil

Cheers

Karren

Celebrating My Boy

 Hi and welcome!  Our sketch hostess this week over at Freshly Made Sketches is Narelle Farrugia and she has a great sketch for us.  Here's what I did with it:

I had need of a birthday card for my son, who would have been turning 24 this week.  Even though he's not here anymore, I still make him a birthday card, like I did for nearly all of the 21 years he was here (I started card-making seriously when he was about 4).

Instead of circles, I had the idea to use triangles for the card and then came the challenge of choosing colours.  Originally I went with various shades of gray/blues but it looked too dull, so I pulled out a new Altenew colour, Tanzanite and paired that with Enchanted Gold.

After stamping and die-cutting the triangles, I stamped the sentiment and then covered it with a scrap of paper before flicking on some Enchanted Gold ink and some blue/gold paint.

I arranged the triangles, popping some up with foam tape and then finished the card with some clear droplets.

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

Products used:

Stamps:  Triangle Pattern Builder, Art Deco (Neat & Tangled)

Ink:  Versafine Onyx Black, Tanzanite, Enchanted Gold (Altenew)

Cardstock:  White

Dies:  Stitched Rectangle Stax (MFT), Triangle Pattern Builder (Neat & Tangled)

Accessories:  Clear Droplets

Cheers

Karren

Awesome

 Hi and welcome to the latest Freshly Made Sketch challenge where our hostess this week is Narelle Farrugia.

This card would have to go down as the fastest card I've ever made - 15 minutes from start to finish!

I didn't think I was going to be able to make a card for this week's challenge but last night, I snuck into my craft room for 15 minutes before heading out to a coffee meeting and saw a pack of patterned paper I'd just received from my mum, who is a CTMH consultant.  I decided to make patterned paper and dies the focus of my card and this is the result.

The "You Are So" is white embossed onto black and the card base has been embossed with the Subtle embossing folder.  I found a section of the patterned paper that had a darker panel at the top and used that to cut the sentiment die, which is backed onto black cardstock.

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

Products used:

Stamps:  Awesome (Neat & Tangled)

Ink:  Versamark

Cardstock:  Soft Stone (PTI), Black, You Are Enough patterned paper (CTMH)

Dies:  Awesome (Neat & Tangled)

Accessories:  White EP, Subtle EF (SU)

Cheers

Karren

Rainbow Dots

Hi and welcome to the latest challenge from Freshly Made Sketches where our hostess this week is Cecile Ribon.  And here is Cecile's sketch:

I struggled to come up with anything and ended up with a card I'm not totally happy with, but it is what it is.

In the end I die-cut some dots from a white panel and adhered some embossed strips behind in a rainbow fashion.  I found a bold but plain sentiment for the top and adhered with foam tape to a white card base.

The DT have some really creative takes on the sketch so I hope you'll check them out.

Thanks for visiting.

Products used:

Stamps:  Celebrate (Neat & Tangled), Tiny Alphabet Background (SSS)

Ink:  Versamark, Versafine Onyx Black

Cardstock:  White, Red Hot, Persimmon, Daffodil, Sour Apple, Blu Raspberry (MFT)

Dies:  Stitched Rectangle Stax (MFT), Medium Dot Line (SSS)

Accessories:  Clear EP

Cheers

Karren

Not Alone

Welcome to a new challenge from the team at Freshly Made Sketches, where our hostess this week is Amy O'Neill.  And here is Amy's sketch:

I really wasn't feeling like making cards when I sat down to do this, so I decided to let dies do all the work and came up with this card.

I looked through my pre-inked alcohol ink panels and found this piece of blue which I die-cut with a maple leaf die.  I left all the innards attached and set it to one side.

I die-cut two separate rectangles with pierced rectangle dies, placed them together and ran them both through my Big Shot with a pinpoint die.  This put the pattern in the same place on both panels.  I separated the panels and put the larger of the two onto the card base and did the same thing again.  This way all three panels had the pinpoint die - although now I look closer at the sketch, I probably shouldn't have added the dots to the card base!

I adhered all the layers together and then added the maple leaf.  No foam tape or dimension on this card - all the piercing adds the interest.  Finally I finished with a white-embossed sentiment - my message to everyone.

Thanks for visiting.  I hope you'll check out the cards made by the design team and take some time out to have a go yourself.

Products used:

Stamps:  Essential Sentiments (MFT)
Ink:  Versamark, Alcohol Inks
Cardstock:  White, Black, Yupo
Dies:  Blueprints 21, Pierced Rectangle Stax (MFT), Pinpoint Rings (Poppy Stamps), Maple Thanks (Neat & Tangled)
Accessories:  White 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 is moving out of home in a couple of weeks.  Yes, the timing is not great and I don't want her to leave, but we're not going to stop her as she is craving independence.  So, on the day she moves out, I'll give her this card:

I deliberately chose this Neat & Tangled set for Sarah’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)

A Box of Celebration

Hi and welcome!  I'm back with a card for the latest from the team at Freshly Made Sketches.  This week our hostess is Amy O'Neill and she has a wonderful sketch for us:

I had some fun with this sketch and came up with a bright and cheerful birthday card.

I stamped the box onto Desert Storm cardstock and cut it with my Scan n Cut.  I then shaded the sides of the box with a Copic marker.  I also cut a slit across the top of the box and creased the edge to give it some dimension.  I colored the wrapping papers with various Copics and again used my Scan n Cut to cut them out.  After arranging the papers inside the "box", I used some foam tape to pop up through the centre of the box and adhered it to the card base over some patterned paper.

The sentiment was die-cut after coloring a piece of white cardstock with Copic markers in an ombre fashion.  The rest of the sentiment came from a PTI set.  

Thanks for visiting!  Please head on over to check out the cards by the rest of the design team.

Products used:

Stamps:  Celebration Box (Honey Bee Stamps), Wet Paint (PTI)

Ink:  Black Licorice Hybrid

Cardstock:  White, Desert Storm, X-Press It, Fresh Gingham (MFT)

Dies:  Celebrate (Neat n Tangled)

Accessories:  Copics, Corner Chomper, Spectrum Noir Clear Sparkle Pen

Cheers

Karren

Gelato Triangles

Hi!  I'm playing along with the fun color challenge at Neat & Tangled as well as the repeat stamping challenge at CAS on Sunday.  And becuse this is a CAS card, I'm also linking up to Addicted to Stamps and More.

When I saw the fun challenge colors, I immediately thought of doing a geometric card with the images stamped in the different colors down the left hand side of the card.  So that's what I did 😄

I kept the colors in the same order as the challenge graphic because I think it looks gorgeous!  The triangle stamp comes from a NBUS set called Triangle Pattern Builder and I used the second smallest triangle, repeat stamping it in the different colors.

The sentiment comes from Art Deco set and once all the stamping was done, I die-cut the panel with a stitched frame die and adhered it onto a white card base using some fun foam to pop it up.

The final step was to add some Nuvo Jewel Drops to match the triangle colors.

Thanks for visiting!

Products used:

Stamps:  Triangle Pattern Builder, Art Deco (Neat & Tangled)

Ink:  Rose Quartz, Puffy Heart, Purple Wine, Peach Perfect, Bamboo, Sea Glass (Altenew), Versafine Onyx Black

Cardstock:  White

Dies:  Blueprints 24 (MFT)

Accessories:  Nuvo Jewel Drops

Cheers

Karren

Edited to Add:  This card got a shout out at CAS on Sunday.

Time to Celebrate

Hi!  It's time for another Fusion challenge, so have a look at the newest inspiration and sketch:

My card didn't come out how I wanted, but I spent way too much time on it, so decided to call it quits and leave it as it was.

I created the panel on the right using a stencil and several distress inks.  After stenciling with blue inks, I moved the stencil and sponged on some Pumice Stone ink.  I mounted that panel onto a layer of Midnight Muse cardstock and adhered it to a Soft Stone cardbase.

A sentiment and some stamped stars finished off the card.

The DT have some gorgeous cards to show you how it's meant to be done, so head on over and check them out!

Thanks for visiting.

Cheers

Karren

Birthday Band

Hi and welcome!  It's Freshly Made Sketch Challenge Day and this week, Rita is our hostess and here is her fabulous, layered sketch.

I have to admit to a moment of panic when I saw the sketch - all those layers!  But when I broke it down into elements, it became much easier to come up with a card.

This is another NBUS set, so one more checked off :)  The images were colored with Copics and arranged onto the white-embossed banner as their "ground".  The two layers behind are both patterned paper and for the flag, I used vellum.  The wee heart was die-cut from Blueprints 29.

I have to say I feel a bit sorry for the first wee bunny having the second bunny blasting into his ear :)

Thanks for visiting.  The rest of the design team have created some gorgeous cards using Rita's sketch so pop on over and check them out.

Products used:

Stamps:  Strike Up The Band (MFT), Celebrate (Neat & Tangled)

Ink:  Black Licorice Hybrid, Versamark

Cardstock:  White, X-Press It, Pure Poppy (PTI), vellem, Watercolor Wash (MFT), Perfectly Plaid (Lawn Fawn)

Dies:  Strike Up The Band (MFT), Pierced Square Stax (MFT), Pierced Fishtail Flag Stax (MFT), Blueprints 29 (MFT)

Accessories:  Copics, white EP

Cheers

Karren

Awesome Alphabet

Hi and welcome to another challenge at Freshly Made Sketches.  This week our fabulous guest designer, Cecile Ribon, is our hostess and she has given us a bold, modern sketch.  Check it out:

Because the sketch was so bold, I decided to go bold with my card.  I broke out my alcohol inks which I haven't used in years and went to town.

First, I took a piece of Alcohol Ink Cardstock and various ink colors and just had some fun creating a pattern.  Once I was happy with the result, I stamped over it with a bold alphabet background stamp, using Jet Black Archival ink and matted onto some black cardstock.  Then I was stumped for what to use for the circular element as the sentiment was already sketched in at the top.  Hmmm!  How about splitting the sentiment? After stamping the first part of the sentiment, I die-cut the alcohol ink panel with the outline Awesome die leaving a gaping hole in my alcohol ink piece!  I filled the hole with a black die-cut Awesome word.  It looks and feels pretty cool in real life.

Thanks for visiting!  The rest of the design team have some wonderful examples to show you so be sure to head over to their blogs and check them out.

Products used:

Stamps:  Awesome (Neat & Tangled), Alphabet Background (SSS)

Ink:  Jet Black Archival, Alcohol Inks (Denim, Butterscotch, Sailboat, Terra Cotta, Pesto Stream, Copper)

Cardstock:  White, Black, Alcohol Ink Cardstock (Ranger)

Dies:  Awesome (Neat & Tangled)

Cheers

Karren

Make Today Awesome

It's time for another fabulous challenge at Freshly Made Sketches and our wonderful hostess this week is Shannon Jaramillo.

As soon as I saw the sketch, all I could think of was a shaker card so that's what I made.

The background is a white embossed panel that I watercolored over using Distress Inks.  The stamped sentiment is stamped onto the card base inside the shaker element.  The die-cut word is stuck on the card front and over the acetate.

I filled the inside with a mixture of blue, green and clear sequins and in hindsight, I wish I'd stuck with clear as the colored sequins make it a bit harder to read the sentiment.  But there was no way I was pulling it apart, so the colored sequins stay!

Thanks for visiting.  Be sure to visit the rest of the design team and see how they've interpreted the sketch.  They'll impress you for sure!

Products used:

Stamps:  Garland Bold Prints (Hero Arts), Awesome (Neat & Tangled)
Ink:  Black Licorice Hybrid, Blueprint Sketch, Mermaid Lagoon, Cracked Pistachio, Versamark
Cardstock:  White, Watercolor, Black, Acetate
Dies:  Inside Out Stitched Circles, Blueprints 24 (MFT), Awesome (Neat & Tangled)
Accessories:  White EP, sequins

Cheers
Karren

Be Awesome

Hi and welcome!  Today is Freshly Made Sketch Challenge Day and once again we have a fabulous sketch for you!  Our hostess today is our talented Canadian friend, Jen Brum and here is her sketch:

My son is planning on leaving home and going to share a house with 6 of his friends (yep, 7 young men in the same house - oh joy!)  While my heart hurts that my firstborn is leaving home, I'm happy for him and of course he's welcome to move home again if it all proves too hard or too expensive :)

I wanted to encourage him in this rite of passage so I made him this card, using Jen's sketch:

As you can see, I changed the rectangles to triangles and off-set them slightly, but hopefully you can still see the sketch.  I sponged different colored inks onto some triangles I cut using my paper trimmer and arranged them onto a white card base.  The sentiment is from a NBUS Neat and Tangled set.  I just love that font and also that there is an outline die.  So cool!

Thanks for visiting!  Be sure to visit the rest of the design team and see their amazing cards.

Products used:

Stamps:  Awesome (Neat and Tangled)
Ink:  Black Licorice Hybrid, Beanstalk Green, Goldenlocks, Maliblue, Coral Reef (SSS)
Cardstock:  White, Black
Dies:  Awesome
Accessories:  White EP

Cheers
Karren