Happy Snowman

 I've been getting busy on Christmas cards. I want to share this one with a couple of challenges.

The snowman having fun skating is from retired SU Spirited Snowmen. I stamped it, colored with SU Blends and then die cut it with a circle. I sponged Pool Party ink around the edge so it would stand out against the white card base. The papers are from the Christmas scrap box which is overflowing.  Do you also have a separate scrap box with Christmas papers?

I've used the sketch from Freshly Made Sketches

Also entering at Let's Craft and Create where it is anything goes + use a sketch.

Monochromatic

I am excited to share my own sketch for this week's Tuesdy Morning Sketches. This is my go to sketch when I am stumped.

I made a monochromatic card using different patterns in Pool Party from SU!. 

On the background horizontal piece I slightly tamped some script. The vertical strip is from the scrap box. Behind the dragonfly is an oval of textured vellum.  For the dragonfly, I lightly sponged aqua, lavender, and green onto a white scrap and die cut it with a Die Versions die. Hard to tell, I winked the wings. Then accented with flat Pool Party gems. The sentiment is SU, stamped and then fussy cut.

I hope you will be inspired by this sketch. Feel free to change up the oval shape to your own interpretation. Share your creation with us at 

New Tuesday, New Sketch by Melissa for Tuesday Morning Sketches. This one has so many possibilities.

My card is for a bright and cheerful birthday. I don't use much orange on cards but this cheerful piece from the scrap box was calling pick me, pick me. 

I used ribbon for the two strips on the left. The center is embossed with a floral e/f from Cuttlebug. I swiped an orange ink pad across the surface to make the design stand out. The sentiment is an old one from SU. 6 iridescent gems accent the right side. I love these gems. They reflect whatever color you put them on.

Check out the design team and get inspired to make your own interpretation of this sketch. Looking forward to seeing what you create.

Pretty in Pink

For Cardz 4 Galz challenge 232.

The papers are from the scrap box. The flowers and leaf are Essentials by Ellen. The sentiment is SU.

I used the sketch from Sketch Saturday

Sunrise on the Beach

Cardz 4 Guyz new challenge is Sunrise or Sunset. 

I started with a pale orange paper and sponged on tan, blue, pink, and yellow masking with a die cut circle. I added a little yellow to the sun. I then stamped seaweed and sandpipers from SU retired Wetlands stamp set. The birds are from retired SU On The Horizon. The sentiment is an unlabled one, stamped, trimmed, and sponged with orange and pink.

This was all secured to an Espresso Brown card base.

Cute Witch

 Tuesday Morning Sketches has a really fun new sketch by Melissa. 

Large square cards require extra postage so I made a mini square today. It is 4 1/4" square and will fit an A2 envelope.

There is a lemon-lime base. Topped with a large SU orange and black check. The cute witch image is also SU, colored with SU blends. I used a circle punch to make the fancy corners. My corner embellishments are also from SU stamped and fussy cut. Just for a little fun, I added a green gem "wart" to the chin. 

I hope you will really like this design and find some inspiration to make a card to share with us.

Red Car

 I want to share the birthday card I made for my husband. 

That is an actual map page from an old atlas that was falling apart. I saved a few pages before tossing it. They make great cards for people who like to travel or retirement cards.

I used a deckle edge rectangle die to cute two pieces out of the center of the 4 x 5 1/2 have map piece. Then I layered them with green rectangles to make the layers.The car is a Bugaboo digital colored with markers. I found the stamped sentiment is my scrap box and can't remember where it is from. I think it might be a digi also.

Inside message I found on my home Hallmark program I had already written a message so covered the bottom with a sheet of paper.

I'm entering this in the challenge Double Trouble Challenge

1. Use 3+ layers.

2. Use these colors from this photo

Is it fall yet?

 Here we are midway through August, kids are back in school, beginning to see days getting shorter. Can fall theme cards be coming soon? Fall is my favorite season. I live in southern Indiana where we have all the hardwoods that turn a gorgeous variety of colors. 

I have a fall card to share for the new sketch from Tuesday Morning Sketches

This one is pretty simple. Remember you can change shapes and orientation, just so the concept is recognizable. I went with sketch as is, using pretty fall leaves for the heart.

I used a white card base then a layer of Kraft. The retired from SU DSP has a gold embossed design. I used a gold glitter paper behind the banner which had to go all the way across for the sentiment to look right.The leaves are die cuts from Dollar General Store and popped up on foam squares.

I hope you have some time to craft this week and will share your creation with us.

Sailing Off Into the Suset

 Cardz 4 Guyz challenges us to make masculine cards. This week's theme is camping or outdoor activities.  First I want to thank them for choosing my last card for top 3, see it here

I was straightening up some papers. I came across an unopened pack of 6x6 papers from SU! that maybe 2 years old. It is a fun unexpected find. It is call Fancy Flora. A lot of the pieces look like watercolor or smudged paint.  This one reminded me of the sea. However, it was too pink on the top for a masculine card. What to do? Get out the inks and blend on some oranges and yellows to look like sunset.

I often use sailboats for masculine cards. This sailboat and circle are from SU's retired Swirly Bird Stamp and Die set. The sentiment is also SU.

Inside I did a computer sentiment and stamped a small "sun" circle.

Here is the original paper.

I hope I have inspired you to take another look at your designer papers and see other possibilities.
 

"kaleidoscope"

 Group of Seven Cardmakers is featuring a fun technique this month. Dubbed kaleidoscope technique  by Darnell, one of their designers.

It involves a gold embossed design. Then colored with inks or water colors. Then it is cut in strips and rearranged on a card front. I've used a pre made gold embossed card from SU! They are embossed on both front and back but I cut them apart and then cut them down to A2 size. Bargain deal, getting 2 cards from one. 

Here is the first one done with ink blending along the front. Then cut in 1" strips.

After assembling the strips, I glued them to a So Saffron card and added gold ginko leaves from SU! to the front. The sentiment is and old one in the stash. It is embossed with gold, glued on and anchored with a pink gem.

The second one: I colored the image with watercolor pencils and brushed with water.

The roses and leaves are from Essentials by Ellen. I winked the roses. The sentiment is again gold embossed, fussy cut and propped with foam tape.

Here is the original card base.