Celebration Pennants — FMS339

We’ve got a new sketch for you over at the Freshly Made Sketches site, and this week our hostess is our fabulously talented Canadian friend, Jen Brum.  Take a look at this fun sketch:

While I adore this sketch, I have to admit it gave me fits.  I had an idea right away, but couldn’t make it work after trying for a while.  Same issue with my second idea.  My third idea just looked too boring and plain.  Then I finally had a decent idea.  But it wasn’t easy.  I had almost finished the card when I somehow smudged some ink on the white space.  Grrr…  Started over and then the sentiment didn’t stamp well (which of course, was my last step) and since I hadn’t used the Stamperatus, it couldn’t be easily fixed.  Grrr…  So I stamped it on scratch paper, cut it out, and placed it over the original sentiment.  Two hours later, I’ve finished this card.  Man, some days are just like this.  But even the worst stamping days are still pretty good.

Some masking and sponging were involved with the base layer on this card.  I used Smoky Slate and Mint Macaron ink.  I then cut out the banners from the new Pick a Pennant stamp set, which will be available in the new catalog (only two more days until it’s released).  It has a coordinating framelits set, but I don’t have that yet so I cut them out by hand.

The pennants were stamped with Daffodil Delight and Grapefruit Grove ink.  I then stamped the patterns with Crushed Curry and Calypso Coral ink.

We hope you’ll join us and create your own card using the sketch!  We love to see what you create.  Meanwhile, be sure to stop by the Freshly Made Sketches site to see what the design team has created for your inspiration.

Enjoy your Wednesday!  Thanks for stopping by!

 

Triple Topiaries — FMS338

It’s Wednesday, and that means it’s time for a new sketch over at Freshly Made Sketches.  And this week, our favorite Colorado resident, Kim Singdahlsen, is our hostess.  Take a look at her fun sketch:

I dusted off a stamp set, Vertical Greetings, that has been on my shelf for a while for this sketch.  Fortunately, this set will not be retiring this month and is sticking around for another year in the new annual catalog.  I haven’t used it enough, so I am glad to see it stay.

I have also used a new stamp set, Artisan Textures, on this card.  I stamped one of the images four different times, slightly overlapping the images to fit the space I wanted.  This created a background for the topiaries and provided a little color.

While playing around with different color combinations, I decided to compare some of the different greens.  On my card, I used Granny Apple Green (new color) for the topiary on the left, Lemon Lime Twist (returning In-Color) for the topiary in the center, and Old Olive (returning color) for the one on the right.

I have to say that the Granny Apple Green is really pretty.  I think these three greens will be my go-to greens.

Another new color, Mango Melody, was used for the pots on this card.  I have been waiting forever for Stampin’ Up! to add a pretty and fun yellow-orange to its color palette.  And this one will fit the bill.  I think Mango Melody and I will be very good friends.  You will probably see me using a lot of this color, as I love how it pairs with many other colors, and it’s just a beautiful, happy color on its own.

The blue on this card is Soft Sky.  I’m sad to say I’m down to my last sheet of card stock of this color.  I will miss it.  Sigh…

The sentiment is from a new Paper Pumpkin stamp set and was stamped with Early Espresso ink.

We hope you’ll join us and create your own card using the sketch!  We love to see what you create.  Meanwhile, be sure to stop by the Freshly Made Sketches site to see what the design team has created for your inspiration.

Enjoy your Wednesday!  Thanks for stopping by!

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Animal Welcome — FMS337

We have a new sketch for you over at Freshly Made Sketches.  This week our hostess, Linda Callahan, who loves a good pun even more than I do, has a great sketch for us.  Take a look:

I needed a baby card this week, and was disappointed to see that my stash was totally depleted.  So I pulled a new set off my shelf which will be available with the new catalog next month, Animal Outing, and used it.  It was the only set I have left that is appropriate for a baby card after pulling all of my retiring sets off the shelf.  Fortunately, there are some really cute ones in the new catalog, and I will have to get a couple.

I colored the sweet pair with my watercolor pencils and a blender pen.  When I got this set, I didn’t notice that the kangaroo had a koala bear in its pouch.  When I went to color it, I was taken by surprise — wait, that’s not a baby kangaroo.  I guess this would also be a great card for an adoption.

I did use some retiring products on this one — the dsp, washi tape, and doily (tears are sliding down my face right now for this one).

We hope you’ll join us and create your own card using the sketch!  We love to see what you do with the sketch.  Meanwhile, be sure to stop by the Freshly Made Sketches site to see what the design team has created for your inspiration.

Enjoy your Wednesday!  Thanks for stopping by!

A Remarkable Farewell — FMS336

We’re back with another new sketch over at Freshly Made Sketches, and this week our Boston-area friend, Jen Mitchell, is our hostess.  She has a super versatile sketch that was so easy with which to work.  Take a look:

I wanted to use a favorite retiring stamp set, Remarkable You, and make a Mother’s Day card, and this sketch worked perfectly for both requirements.

I colored the image with my Stampin’ Blends markers and used a piece of Petal Garden dsp.  The sentiment is from an old Paper Pumpkin stamp set.  Not only is the dsp and stamp set retiring, but so is Soft Sky.  I was sad to see it on the retiring list, and wanted to use it once more before it is gone.

We hope you’ll join us and create your own card using the sketch.  We love to see what you create!  Meanwhile, be sure to stop by the Freshly Made Sketches site to see what the design team has created for your inspiration!

Enjoy your Wednesday!  Thanks for stopping by!

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Thankful Bouquet — FMS335

Ready or not, it’s time for another new sketch over at Freshly Made Sketches, and this week our crafty pilot friend, Jennifer Timko, is our hostess.  She has a simple, classic sketch for us and it is one that is super versatile.  Take a look:

Since Stampin’ Up! has made some of the new products from the upcoming annual catalog available a month early, I thought I should feature this suite today.  There is some gorgeous dsp and a new stamp set, Love What You Do, that you can order now.

I started with a Mint Macaron (I’ve missed this color — It’s so good to have it back) card base and stamped the clusters of small flowers with Mint Macaron ink.  The sentiment was stamped with Tranquil Tide ink.

The flowers were all cut out with paper snips (lots of fussy cutting) from a sheet of Share What You Love Specialty DSP.  They were arranged and a bit of Fresh Fig ribbon (this is retiring) was added, as were some new Share What You Love Artisan Pearls.

Stampin’ Up! is offering three different bundles, which all include free products, when you purchase products in this new suite.

 

 

We hope you’ll join us and create your own card using the sketch!  Meanwhile, be sure to stop by the Freshly Made Sketches site to see what the design team has created for your inspiration!

Enjoy your Wednesday!  Thanks for stopping by!

A Super Duper Farewell — FMS334

It’s time for a new sketch over at Freshly Made Sketches, and this week I get the privilege of creating it and playing hostess.  It seems like most cards I create have a vertical orientation, but for some reason when I create a sketch, I tend to use a horizontal orientation.  I’m not sure why that is, but I always end up wondering why I don’t create more horizontal cards.  Well, this sketch is pretty clean and has lots of possibilities.  Take a look:

When I made the sketch a few weeks ago, I had a specific stamp set in mind.  However, since I am not very good at predicting which stamp sets will be retired and which will stay, I didn’t guess correctly on this one.  So I picked another stamp set, Super Duper, that is retiring.  I love the fun, graphic sentiments in this set.

Going along with the retiring products theme, I’ve also used Peekaboo Peach as the card base.  This color will be retiring soon; however, there will be a new In-Color called Grapefruit Grove, which is a really pretty peachy color.  Some other retiring products include the black Baker’s Twine (yep, I had to stock up on this!  So sad to see it go!), the Tutti-Frutti Adhesive Backed Sequins, the Picture Perfect dsp, and the Enamel Shapes.

We hope you’ll join us and create your own card using the sketch!  We love to see what you create.  Meanwhile, be sure to stop by the Freshly Made Sketches site to see what the design team has created for your inspiration.

Enjoy your Wednesday!  Thanks for stopping by!

 

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One of a Kind Mermaid — FMS333

It’s time for another new sketch over at Freshly Made Sketches, and this week our incredibly talented friend from down under, Narelle Farrugia, is our hostess.  Take a look at this fun sketch:

In my quest to use retiring stamp sets before they officially retire, I pulled my Magical Day stamp set off the shelf.  I love the sweet little mermaid in this set, and can’t help but think of Ariel from the Little Mermaid.  Boy, I saw that one many times when my girls were little.

I started this one by coloring a little bit of embossing paste with a drop of Pool Party ink on my silicone mat and then spreading it over a Pattern Party Decorative Mask.  I used a little bit of leftover ribbon from Sale-a-Bration to add a bit of color.

For the focal circle, I stamped the the mermaid and sea horse and colored them with Stampin’ Blends and Stampin’ Write markers, and then die-cut them with the coordinating framelits.  The other circle was cut from a piece from the Myths & Magic dsp.

This is such a fun suite, and it will only be available for a short time so get it now if you want it.

When I was deciding on which stamp set to use this week, I remembered The Paper Players current challenge, and thought this would work with their theme as well as our sketch.

We hope you’ll join us and create your own card using the sketch.  We love to see how you interpret the sketch and visit your blog.  Meanwhile, be sure to go by the Freshly Made Sketches site to see what the design team has created for your inspiration.

Enjoy your Wednesday!  Thanks for stopping by!

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A Fond Farewell to Cool Treats — FMS332

It’s time for a new sketch over at the Freshly Made Sketches site, and this week our favorite New Zealander, Karren Johnson, is our hostess.  Take a look at the fun sketch she has for us:

Since Stampin’ Up! released the list of retiring products, I’ve been inspired to use those that I have loved before they will be gone.  When I saw this sketch, I grabbed the Cool Treats set off my shelf, dusted it off, and got to work.  This set and coordinating framelits make the cutest ice cream treats and popsicles.

I used another retiring product on this card — the Ticket Tear Border punch.  I feel like I barely got to know that punch.

The dsp I used is from the Tutti Frutti dsp stack.

We hope you’ll join us and create your own card using the sketch!  We love to see what you create as we browse the gallery each week.  Meanwhile, be sure to stop by the Freshly Made Sketches site to see what the design team has created for your inspiration.

Enjoy your Wednesday!  Thanks for stopping by!

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Mother’s Day Pumpkin — FMS331

Ready or not, it’s time for another new sketch over at Freshly Made Sketches!  And this week, our favorite French friend, Cecile Ribon, is our hostess.  Take a look at this fun sketch she has for us:

I needed to make something in a hurry, and I had the newest Paper Pumpkin kit out on my desk.  Have you seen it?  It is beautiful!  I decided I could easily use some of the elements in it to fit the sketch, so that was the direction I took.

I love how the kits make it so easy to put beautiful cards together.  And I love how most of them come with a stamp set that you can use even when the kits’ contents run out.

Everything on this card came from the kit except the Gold Metallic Thread.

Did you know that Stampin’ Up! is running a special right now on Paper Pumpkin?  You can get the first two months’ kits at 50% off.  What a great way to try it!

We hope you’ll join us and create your own card using the sketch!  We love to see what you create.  Meanwhile, be sure to stop by the Freshly Made Sketches site to see what the design team has created for your inspiration.  We have a new guest designer for April.  Tracey McNeely is joining the team this month, and we are so glad to have her on board.

Enjoy your Wednesday!  Thanks for stopping by!

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Birthday Panda — FMS330

All you have to do is blink your eyes and it’s time for another new sketch over at Freshly Made Sketches!  It sure seems like that anyway.  Our hostess this week is our favorite Canadian designer, Jen Brum.   Take a look at this fabulous sketch:

I knew I wanted to make a card using the Party Panda set as this is the last week of Sale-a-Bration and this is one of the sets offered.  I love the sweet images in this set, and it was one of the first Sale-a-Bration items I had to have.  And now that it’s the last week of the offering, I figured that I should actually use it…for…the…first…time…  Argh!  As I said, all you have to do is blink your eyes…  Time flies!

I colored this party animal’s hat with Stampin’ Write markers and added a little shading to him with a gray watercolor pencil, and then I cut him out.  The balloon is from the Balloon Celebration stamp set, and I hand drew the string.  The paper is from the Picture Perfect Party dsp stack.

We hope you’ll join us and create your own card using the sketch!  We love to see what you create!  Meanwhile, be sure to stop by the Freshly Made Sketches site to see what the design team has created for your inspiration!

Enjoy your Wednesday!  Thanks for stopping by!

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