Make it Monday #276

Hi everyone! Just a quick post for a challenge...

Happy Monday... if that's possible! :) One of things that I do look forward to at the start of each week is PTI's Make it Monday. This week's was fun and introduced me to a technique that I never would have dreamed up: colored pencils on kraft paper. At first when I watched the MIM #276 video from Melissa, I thought, "Aren't the pencils going to fade out on the paper?" But they don't - yay! It's actually a really nice way to make the colors pop against the brown tones of the paper.

So here's my take on this week's challenge:

I really LOVE the "What the Doodle" series from PTI and thought the feather would be a good way to incorporate a Papertrey product into the card. The details on this feather image are so beautifully designed, and it's great for coloring! Hope you like the final design, and have a great week!

Freshly Made Sketches #274

Hi all! Hope you had a good weekend. I'm back today, participating in the Freshly Made Sketches challenge #274. I've had to take a break from cardmaking for some life things going on lately, but I'm thrilled to be back at the craft table and joining in today!

You know how some sketches come easy and some take FOREVER to create? Something about this design just "clicked" with me. I'm meeting some friends next weekend to make birthday cards together, so I knew this sketch would be perfect!

After a trip to Hobby Lobby yesterday, the card come together for me pretty quickly today!

Here's the sketch:

And here's my take on it:

I was a little indecisive with a few decisions about this card, so I made two designs to see which I liked better - and I don't have a clear favorite! The orange and mint blue card bases play off the cupcake paper really well. Just got lucky with finding coordinating colors at Hobby Lobby this weekend! I also wanted to experiment with having the small flags line up and be different sizes. I like them both! I'll show my fellow cardmaking friends both designs next weekend to see what they think. Do you have a favorite? I'd love to hear your take on it!

Have a great week, and thanks for dropping by! :)

Freshly Made Sketches #256

Happy Monday! Who participated in World Cardmaking Day over the weekend? There were some GORGEOUS cards out there! I love WCD because it's a chance to see the amazing talent out there! There were some great examples to use as inspiration.

I spent some time this weekend making a card for this week's Freshly Made Sketches #256. I thought about this sketch a few times before jumping in - anyone else ever do that? Some of the sketches I can just roll with immediately, but this one took some thought.

Here's the sketch from FMS:

And here's my take on it:

I recently bought that holiday music paper at Hobby Lobby, so that was my jumping-off point! I played off of the red in the printed paper with some red cardstock, ribbon, and ink. I also thought some gold in there would be a nice complement to all of the red. The gold embossing just adds a little elegance to the card, right?

Hope you all got in some cardmaking time over the weekend, and have a great week! Excited to see this week's winner over at FMS!

PTI September Blog Hop

Hi all! Hope you had a good weekend! :)

I'm joining in the Papertrey Ink monthly blog hop today. This is one that I'd like to participate in more frequently. They always pick the most gorgeous inspiration photos and colors for us. This month's picture is no exception...

I love the combination here of white, black, gold, kraft, and green. All of them could really be used as neutrals on a card, and they look beautiful together. There's also a slight hint of Christmas with the pine cones and greenery, so that gave me the idea for a card. I was inspired by Betsy Veldman and this week's Make it Monday (check it out here - I am always SO impressed with her and ideas), and I used her sketch for my own card.

Now, it's no Betsy Veldman card, but I really loved the way this turned out. The color combination is just so elegant and rich, and there are so many different sentiments I could have included here. This is maybe the 3rd or 4th Christmas card I've made so far this year, and it's my favorite! Still deciding what my card is going to look like, but this one will also be going out to someone this holiday season! Have you started your Christmas cards yet?

Have a great week!


Stamps - PTI (wreath and gold branches), Paper Smooches (sentiment)
Paper - Simon Says Stamp (black), Studio Calico (brown and white patterned paper)
Leaf die - Simon Says Stamp 
Black twine - Hobby Lobby
Versamark ink - Hobby Lobby
Gold & white embossing powder - Hobby Lobby
Gold ink - Michael's
Dark green paper - Stampin' Up
Powder tool - Amazon 

SIP Challenge #64

Hi all! Summer is coming to a close... at least, I thought it was until the temperatures around here went back up into the 90s again this week! Ugh. Last week was cooler, and I got a taste of fall goodness. And now we're back to hot, hot, hot summer. Bring back fall! It's my favorite time of year, so I'm ready for these hot days to depart, and the cool, comfy fall weather to stay for good.

And speaking of fall, the reds and yellows of the season were the springboard for the card I made for this week's SIP Challenge: clean and simple!

I made a simple thank you note with fall colors, nature, and leaves.

For me, the biggest challenge with "clean and simple" is stopping. Just adding a few things and then letting it be. I feel like there's a lot of empty space on this card, but I resisted the urge to fill it up! I do think one of the best parts about this card being simple is that that yellow-gold leaf really pops out!

What do you think? Too simple? Just right? Is clean and simple easy for you, or do you have to remind yourself to keep it simple??

Have a great week!

Materials
Leaf punch - Hobby Lobby
Red marker - gift
Black wood rings stamp - Concord and Ninth
Red enamel dots - Simon Says Stamp
Baker's twine - Hobby Lobby
Red cardstock - Stampin' Up
Yellow cardstock - Stampin' Up

Freshly Made Sketches #245

Hi all! I'm back today with another card for Freshly Made Sketches. Have you checked them out yet? They are one of my favorite sites for sketch ideas. That's where I struggle the most. I find once I know what I want the layout to be, then the colors, sentiment, and embellishments come pretty quickly. But getting that design down the toughest part for me!

So, I'm playing along with Freshly Made Sketches #245 this week. I'm also entering this card into the gallery for Online Card Classes: Heat Wave. It's my first session with OCC, and I am very happy with the videos, tips, and tricks! (How can you not be when the leaders are Jennifer McGuire and Kristina Werner???)

Here's this week's sketch from FMS:

And, with a little "Christmas in July" inspiration, here's my take on it:

This card was SUPER simple to get together. Last year, I bought a paper pack from Hobby Lobby with Christmas theme. (It's by Recollections and called the "Cozy Lodge" collection if you're interested). All of the papers, including that deer with the sentiment, are from that pack. I just did some cutting with my Fiskars trimmer to get the paper to the size I wanted. The most difficult part of this card was the heat embossing across the card. I used Wow! Primary Ebony embossing powder. I also included a new technique I picked up from Online Card Classes to include that heat embossing. I finished the card with some black and white baker's twine, and a touch of Wink of Stella on the deer and his antlers. Done!


Anyone else getting an early start on Christmas cards in July? It does take a lot of time to make all of those holiday homemade cards!


Have a great day, and be back again soon!

Freshly Made Sketches #244

Hi all! Hope you had a good weekend. It has been H-O-T here. Gives me more time to stay inside in the AC and make some cards. :)

I recently made the plunge and purchased my first Hero Arts kit, and I LOVE IT. Did anyone else purchase this kit? I think they are all sold out now, but for those of you who were one of the lucky early purchasers, have you played around with the kit items yet? Honestly, I can't stop adding the stamps and die cuts to my cards. It is so perfect for July with the nautical theme, and I think the designers just did such beautiful work. My favorite stamp among the set is that turtle. Adorable! The jellyfish have such movement, too, and even the coral stamps come out beautifully. The ombre ink is so smooth and pretty, and the two specialty papers are amazing in person. If you're like me and you like the look of glitter and sparkle without the mess, these papers are for you!! I think it's one of those ones that I will go to again and again. A new personal fave!

And that leads me to this week's Freshly Made Sketches #244. Guess what set I jumped right to for this sketch? :)

Here's my take on it:

 I thought that turtle from the Hero Arts kit would add a different spin to the oval element in the middle of the sketch, so that was my jumping-off point. (I had die cut some turtles to have on hand when the kit first arrived, so that saved me some time when I went to put this card together. A good tip!) I also wanted to do something non-traditional to make a bit of a water-y look in the back, so I grabbed the shiny green paper that came with the kit, along with Papertrey Ink stencils. I used Blue Ribbon ink from Ranger and a blending took to make that background. I used a phrase from the Hero Arts set and Lawn Fawn Merman ink for the sentiment portion. For some finishing touches, I covered the turtle in Wink of Stella (this effect is so hard to photograph, but I promise it's there!) along with some PTI rainstones to reinforce the water/nautical theme. Then I just mounted this on a white card I had bought in a pack at Hobby Lobby, and that's it!

I'm sending this off soon to a friend with a July birthday. Hope you have a beautiful day! Until next time!