Sketch Challenges

 This weekend we had nothing planned and I was able to spend almost 2 full days in my craft room getting inky.  It was productive and my mojo was flowing pretty well.  I completed 30 cards (some were multiples) but was proud that I got so much accomplished.

Of course, my favorites are always sketch and color challenges as it gives me a jumping point.  

You can definitely see the theme of what I was creating (floral):

For the Fusion Card Challenge, I used the colors in the photo with the sketch to base my card on.  I pulled out my Simon Says Stamp Even More Spring Flowers and Verve Stamps Poppy Birthday along with some glitter washi tape and Teresa Collins Now & Then patterned paper from my stash.  I colored the floral image with my aquapainter and inks and embossed the sentiment.

For my next creation, which was more of a challenge because it's the Freshly Made Sketches and it's SQUARE which I don't do often.  

Again, with the floral theme and pulling out some of my patterned papers along with one of my favorite images from Taylored Expressions, Sketchbook Florals and dies.  I colored my image with my copic markers and added the little tag sentiment on.

Hope you've enjoyed the creations and appreciate you stopping by and saying "hi".  

Happy Mother's Day

 We had some baseball rained out this weekend which allowed me some time to spend in the craft room getting crafty.  I had gotten a new kit so it was perfect timing.

I used the As You Can See It #248 sketch.

The new kit I got was the Dandelion Messages from Simon Says Stamp and I used a sentiment from Verve Stamps.

Hope you all have a great week and thanks for stopping by!

Card details:

Stamps:  Dandelion Messages from Simon Says Stamp, Blessings from Verve Stamps

Inks:  Night of Navy, Pickled Raspberry Distress Oxide

Accessories:  Liquid Pearls Petal Pink

Love

 

I've been spending a few evenings stamping while we are still off from sports most nights.  It's been great to get back into stamping a little more and using up some supplies I have.

For this card, I used the Freshly Made Sketches #470 and turned it onto the side (although now I realize my hearts are the opposite of the sketch).  The hearts were stamped & cut out of some backgrounds I had created using Distress Oxide inks awhile ago and hadn't gotten around to putting them together with anything.  The background on each of the cards were done using repetitive stamping of a background stamp from the Love Notes set from Verve Stamps.  

Thanks for stopping by to visit!

Card details:

Stamps: Take Notes & Love Notes from Verve Stamps

Inks: Distress Oxides, Basic Gray from SU

Cardstock: Confetti White from Papertrey Ink

Love gave her wings

This week is the Verve Stamps Inspiration Challenge and it is Vivacious Valentine's challenge.

This card was created for a female to bring a smile to her face (at least I hope it does).  I love this image and the little wings on it so I stamped it three times, once on my cardstock, once on vellum and once on patterned paper and then put it altogether.  

This uses an older sketch from Mojo Monday (#378) which was a tall and skinny card.  I don't create these too often but I really liked how it turned out-just wish I still had it to take a better picture of it.

Thanks for stopping by today and have a fabulous weekend!

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Card details:

Stamps: Wings of Love from Verve Stamps

Cardstock: Glitz Love you madly, Going Gray, Regal Rose, Rustic White, vellum

Inks: Memento Grey Flannel and Tuxedo Black

Embellishments: sequins

Just For You

Yeah, two weeks in a row I was able to play with the Mojo Monday challenge :-)

This card was a little bit out of the norm for me being that it's a tall card but I've been making a few of those lately.  

Along with the long card I also tried to make somewhat of a shaker card with some of the zillion sequins I have in my stash.  It was fun to do and I think I might need to do more of them.

I also used some of the new sequins ribbon I received in my last order from SU!

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Card details:

Stamps: Sweet Treats from Verve Stamps

Cardstock: Night of Navy, Pool Party, Not Quite Navy, My Mind's Eye Now & Then "Milo"

Inks: Not Quite Navy

Embellishments: sequins, sequin ribbon from Stampin'Up

Just a Note

The other night I was quite inspired to craft and my hubby took charge of the kiddos and let me escape for a few hours down to craft.

I had ordered this little card kit from Mish Mash's little shop and went to work creating with the supplies.  I ended up making 6 cards in which I'll share 2 today and the rest over the next week or so.

For my card above I used the SFYTT for January-didn't get it posted on my blog in time to play along but still had fun using it.

For my next card I channeled my out of the box thinking and inspiration from a fellow stamper who's style I've admired for a long time and she's been so supportive in making me stretch out of the norm for me.  Monika Davis has some of the most amazing creations and I was really drawn to this card and her "clustering" of elements.  While I didn't quite capture it as well on my first try I'll definitely be attempting it again.

Again, I used the elements from Mish Mash's shop on my card and I used theVerve set Take Note to stamp the tag with some typewriter font.  Love how these cards turned out and that's not often I'm feeling that way.  For the string circle, I actually cut off the string that was on the tag, colored it with my copic which stiffened it just a little.

Thanks for stopping by to check out my creations!

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Card details #1:

Stamps: Sentiment Sampler from Paper Smooches

Paper: Basic Gray, Chickaniddy Crafts-Date Night, Creamsicle Cardigan

Ink: Basic Gray

Accessories: Washi Tape, Scalloped Square Nestabilities, Itty Bitty Accents Punch Pack from SU, Instagram photo courtesy of Michelle Wooderson, brads

Card details #2:

Stamps: Take Note from Verve Stamps

Paper: Basic Gray, Chickaniddy Crafts-Date Night, Creamsicle Cardigan

Ink: Basic Gray, Apricot Appeal

Accessories: Lace Ribbon, Scalloped Square Nestabilities, Itty Bitty Accents Punch Pack from SU, Instagram photo courtesy of Michelle Wooderson, brads

With Sympathy

This week my new online friend, Eileen Flannery and I decided to challenge each other to use up some of our goodies we've been buying.  We share a love of Verve stamps and so the Mojo Sketch of the week seemed like the perfect challenge.

I also used a few color combinations to include with my cards, my first one created for a family friend who passed away this past weekend:

for the card on the right I used CQC276

and then a wedding color combination on the left one.

I was pleased that these cards came so easily to me.  After I created the one on the left I was feeling on such a roll I completed 2 of the one on the right.

Thanks for stopping by today and hope you are having a great weekend!

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Card details:

Stamps: Bloom & Grow and One Person from Verve Stamps

Cardstock: Crumb Cake, Chocolate Chip, VIP Purple, Purpilicious, You're Such a Graycious Host, Create Paper The Pier

Inks: Chocolate Chip, Smoky Slate, Regal Rose, Rose Red, Wisteria Wonder, Elegant Eggplant, Cool Carribean, Bermuda Bay

Accessories: Pearl, brad, Webster's Pages Designer Trim

BC403: By The Sea

Today our blogger's challenge theme is "By the Sea".  I'd love to be by the sea right now as it's cold here in GA and even thought there is sun...it's not warm enough for me.

I've just recently participated in a Birthday Card swap with a friend and decided I needed to create some masculine cards which I don't do often enough...I really don't have a lot of masculine sets.

I stamped these surfboards onto some patterned papers and cut them out.  The little sponged and distressed cardstock hopefully looks like a sand pile :-)

This was the most recent Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge #252 I used as well.

Hope you will join us at Blogger's Challenge and show us what you've got "by the sea"!

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Card details:

Stamps: Relax from Verve Stamps, From Us by Simon Says Stamp

Cardstock: Sahara Sand, My Minds Eye Fine & Dandy True Blue

Inks: Chocolate Chip

Embellishments: Circle punches

Celebrate Your Day

I really need to work on my photo skills with my cards-ugh!  Doesn't help the morning is rainy and dreary so no good light to work with.

I came across this challenge from friends site and liked the color combination this week so thought I would try my hand at it. I broke out my new Poppy dies and did a lot of embossing (the gold and the sentiment).

I also used their sketch which was the previous week's challenge which you can check out on their blog Can You Case It?

Hope you like it!

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Card details:

Stamps: Poppy Birthday from Verve Stamps

Cardstock: Pool Party, Whisper White

Inks: Versamark, Pool Party

Embellishments: sequins, gold EP

Happy Holidays

Moving right along with another set of Christmas cards using a variety of patterned papers and inspired by a card from Julee Tillman as seen below.  I love every detail of her card and think it loved the paper pieced vase for the flowers...and I love how it translated into a Christmas card.

Happy Holidays and Season's Greetings!

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Card details:

Stamps: Abundant Blessings from Verve Stamps

Cardstock: Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla, Simple Stories Handmade Holidays

Inks: Chocolate Chip

Embellishments: Making Memories Rub-ons, pearls

You are Loved

On a crazy clean & simple roll here-creating a lot of different cards using favorite sketches and my 

6 x 6 paper stash.

The cards above use the Operation Write Home #220 and the cards below use Operation Write Home #185 sketch with a little liberty on the placement of the square.

I decided to break out some of the die cuts that are included with the paper pack on these cards and like how they turned out.  Sometimes they are easy to incorporate, but not always.

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Card details:

Stamps: Splattered Mug 10017 from Stampotique, Chit Chat from Paper Smooches and Treasured Words from Verve Stamps

Cardstock: Mellow Moss, Crumb Cake, Kaiser Craft Peachy Keen collection

Inks: Chocolate Chip

Embellishments: circle punches, pearls

Fly Away Birthdays!

The past 2 weeks I've been working at making some cards for my stash and for gifts using up some of my 6 x 6 card stock pads-I have a lot of them and need to start using more of them.

So with 2 pads of paper in mind I went to work one day cutting out several dozens of pieces to assemble cards and whenever I've had free time I've been sitting down to stamp/assemble about 4 of them at a time.

For these 2 cards I used the My Mind's Eye Kraft Funday Happy Days paper pack and the Operation Write Home sketch #211.  In retrospect I wish I would have used a bolder color for my circle but wanted it to stand out against then number background.

I die cut my butterfly twice, one with patterned paper and once with vellum.  I then wrapped the body with some twine and tied it off creating some antennae.

This card also ties into the Diva Dare for Day 3 that Charmaine is hosting to use vellum.

I kept my cards pretty clean & simple, very little embellishments-will be sharing a lot of them over the next few weeks, think I made roughly 40 of them using 2 pads of paper (and not even the whole pad).

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Card details:

Stamps: Treasured Words by Verve Stamps

Cardstock: My Mind's Eye Kraft Funday Happy Days, Baja Breeze, Whisper White, vellum cardstock

Inks: Night of Navy

Embellishments: twine, die from Papertrey Ink, spellbinders circle dies

BC391: Give Thanks

It's been a long time since I've participated in blogger's challenge.  

I had told Lisa I needed to really kick my butt in gear to stamp more and so I committed to joining this week and trying to keep up going forward.  I spent some time this week cutting up some of my patterned paper in the hopes to create a ton of cards this weekend and next week.  I have been inspired by seeing these 6 x 6 tutorials (gosh knows I have enough of 6 x 6 papers to last a lifetime).

I kept this one pretty clean and simple and I'm not really happy with my crummy photography on my cards these days either (call it being lazy).

This card is using a variation of the Operation Write Home Sketch #211.  I love these sketches as they give measurements.  I was trying to use up my scraps so I went with what I had.

Hope you will join the Blogger's Challenge and show us how you are giving thanks.

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Card details:

Stamps: Treasured Words and Poppy Birthday from Verve Stamps

Cardstock: Crumb Cake, Baja Breeze, Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla, Kaiser Craft Peachy Keen Collection

Inks: More Mustard, Baja Breeze, Calypso Coral, Chocolate Chip

Embellishments: Dimensionals

Birthday Sunflowers

I've been trying to get back into my creative mode and this past weekend was pretty successful.  I stamped and worked a little on my Project Life album.

I thought I'd be tired of sunflowers after doing the wedding invitations and then the wedding itself, but no-it's the first one I pulled out to work with when I was stamping.  Of course I went straight for my sketches as well :-)

For this card I used the current Retro Sketches challenge.

Hope to see you all around here more frequently!

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Card details:

Stamps: Simply Sunflower from Papertrey Ink and Poppy Birthday from Verve Stamps

Cardstock: Cherry Cobbler, Confetti White, The Pier by Crate Paper

Inks: So Saffron, Close to Cocoa and Wild Wasabi, Archival

Embellishments: Notebook punch, Memory Box jewel stickers

Patterned Paper Trio

I feel like a bit of a dingy as I had pre-set some of my blog posts, but failed to add in my creations.  I appreciate all of you who stopped by to let me know there was nothing there-so this post will encompass all of those in one.

These sets of cards I created for a friend for some raffle baskets she's doing.

Card details:

Stamps: Birthday Messages from Simon Says Stamp and Harvest Berries from PaperTrey Ink

Cardstock: Basic Black, Rustic White, Fancy Pants Memories Captured

Inks: Archival Jet Black, watercolor paints

Embellishments: Sakura Clear Glitter pen, stapler, Flag-It die set from Verve Stamps

Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge #210

Card details:

Stamps: Chit Chat from Paper Smooches and Blessing from Verve Stamps

Cardstock: Fancy Pants Memories Captured, Basic Black, Rustic White

Inks: Archival Ink Jet Black, So Saffron, Pear Pizzaz

Embellishments: Aquapainter

A Random Thursday sketch challenge.

Card details:

Stamps: Everyday Greetings from Mama Elephant and Poppy Birthday from Verve Stamps

Cardstock: Pink Pirouette, Rustic White, Fancy Pants Memories Captured

Embellishments: My Mind's Eye Find Your Wings & Fly Up & Away Enamel Dots

Happy Birthday!

Another set using up my patterned paper stash.

Card details:
Stamps: Birthday Messages from Simon Says Stamp and Harvest Berries from PaperTrey Ink
Cardstock: Basic Black, Rustic White, Fancy Pants Memories Captured
Inks: Archival Jet Black, watercolor paints
Embellishments: Sakura Clear Glitter pen, stapler, Flag-It die set from Verve Stamps

With Gratitude

This was another set of cards I created for a friend using up some patterned paper packs I have.

Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge #210

Card details:
Stamps: Chit Chat from Paper Smooches and Blessing from Verve Stamps
Cardstock: Fancy Pants Memories Captured, Basic Black, Rustic White
Inks: Archival Ink Jet Black, So Saffron, Pear Pizzaz
Embellishments: Aquapainter

Spreadin' a Little Love

This is a set of cards I created trying to use up some of my patterned papers.

A Random Thursday sketch challenge.

Card details:
Stamps: Everyday Greetings from Mama Elephant and Poppy Birthday from Verve Stamps
Cardstock: Pink Pirouette, Rustic White, Fancy Pants Memories Captured
Embellishments: My Mind's Eye Find Your Wings & Fly Up & Away Enamel Dots

Building Blocks Duo

Sharing a few more cards I created using the Building Blocks Sketch Challenge.  This card uses sketch #1.

Again, trying to use up some of my patterned papers and keeping some cards pretty simple.  

I love the ability to combine different stamp sets with these sketches.

For my card above I used the Poppy Birthday set from Verve and the Birthday Sampler set from Paper Smooches.

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Card details:

Stamps: Poppy Birthday by Verve Stamps, Birthday Sampler from Paper Smooches

Cardstock: Pear Pizzazz, Not Quite Navy, Teresa Collins Now & Then

Inks: Not Quite Navy

For this card I used sketch #2 and didn't add anything extra to it.

Card details:

Stamps: Oh Happy Day by Avery Elle

Cardstock: Pear Pizzazz, Not Quite Navy, Teresa Collins Now & Then

Inks: Not Quite Navy 

Happy Birthday Sunflower

This card just brightens me up and makes me think of warmer weather.

I've needed to create some birthday cards for my stash, but this card went in the mail almost immediately after I made it for a stamping friend.

Again, some new stamps I had added to my stash that I never got around to using.  Finally had some time to play with them and loving both sets.

Hope you are having a great start to the week!

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Card details:

Stamps: Simple Sunflower from Papertrey Ink and Poppy Birthday from Verve Stamps

Cardstock: Chocolate Chip, Cool Carribean

Inks: Cool Carribean, So Saffron and Chocolate Chip