Freshly Made Sketches #760

The sketch at Freshly Made Sketches conjured up all sorts of things but I couldn't decide until I found some ornaments already foiled and stenciled in the package.  That lead to this.

The Ornaments are from Pinkfresh Studio.  Of course the silver foiling and silver ink on the ornaments or the silver embossing on the sentiment don't show up well in the photo but it gives a beautiful shine IRL.  When I picked the background paper it looked like it matched the lighter color in the ornaments but alas it doesn't look like it now.  It was embossed with an older 2D folder from Richard Garay that Michele gifted me many years ago.  I added some Honey Bee Winter Greenery cut from Spellbinders Treasured Antique Cardstock in Brushed Metallic.  

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Just Us Girls #847 - CASE a Designer

It's time for the Design Team to inspire your card at Just Us Girls.  

Fifth Thursday means CASE the Designer.  Pick a card made by one of the team and make your own card based on it.  Here's my inspiration.

Large floral - Mondo Chrysanthemum from EBE, colored with Ohuhu markers with Altenew artist markers on the leaves.  Patterned paper background - Honey Bee.  EZPZ 

I hope to see your card in the gallery whoever you choose to CASE.  

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Time Out #325

It's a theme challenge at Time Out.

We are being sponsored by Birch Press and the winner of this challenge will receive a $25 store credit.

We are being joined by Rita Wright as a guest designer. She and the Design Team have plenty of inspiration for you over on the blog.

I saw Jennifer McGuire do a card similar to this using Pinkfresh Studio Beautiful Branch and I wanted to try it.  The flowers are stenciled with red from Altenew and Rustic Wilderness Distress ink. The top corner of the card base is cut to give the branch some open space and a second die cut glued to the back of it for a cleaner look.  It looked rather bare to me so I stamped and colored another one for the bottom.  The sentiment is from Honey Bee's Squeeze the Day.  

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The Paper Players #809

Christy has a great sketch at The Paper Players.  I wanted to do something other than Halloween or Christmas so I made a masculine card. 

My son-in-law's birthday was the other day and I gave him a card using Taylored Expressions golf set. It inspired me to make this one.  Truth be told I actually was going to use the golf bag on his card and that's why it's in green and white - the colors of Michigan State where he went to school.  Since it was ready for a card, I made this one for any other golfer in the family.  The white background was embossed with Lawn Fawn's Woodgrain.  The green is from a Christmas pack from Honey Bee, cut with a fancy edge from a now defunct company and cut again with Kristina's Finishing Touches.  The sentiment was computer generated.  

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Peace on Earth #122

I got Spellbinder's St. Nick back in February and made one card with him.  I thought I would work on Christmas cards this summer and made him but never put him on a card until now.  This one's for Peace on Earth.

I wanted to make a more rustic version so I used paper from The Paper Studio for his coat and the tree.  He's a tall one so I put him on a Monarch card (7 1/4 x 3 5/8) made from PTI Rustic White.  A simple sentiment from Penny Black finishes it off.  

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Color Hues #143

No Halloween from me for the orange and black challenge at Color Hues.  

I knew I wanted to use my Honey Bee Coneflower for the challenge so I cut it in SB Carrot, inked the inside edges and added a black cone.  The background is a reverse stencil print that I got by using Brushos through a stencil for another challenge. The panel was trimmed down to show a black border and a heat embossed sentiment from The Ton finished it off.  

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Freshly Made Sketches #759

Today's card is for Freshly Made Sketches.  It took a while to decide what to do.  I don't usually send autumn cards, I have a plethora of birthday cards, and I even have enough Christmas cards made.  Guess what I went with?

Only because I bought a vintage paper pack from The Paper Studio and wanted to use some of it.  I also have the Mini Holiday Florals from Honey Bee that I have never used so I put them together and voila'. I'm sorry the leaves look black.  They are actually Altenew Mountain Pine. Since the DSP is 'vintage' I couldn't use white cardstock with it so PTI Rustic White to the rescue.  The sentiment is from Pinkfresh Studio's Ornaments.  I'm getting a head start on next year's card.  That's the only reason I have so many ready to go - I keep making all year long.  

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The Paper Players #808

Stef wants to see clean and simple autumn cards in the gallery at The Paper Players.  I aim to please.

I love all the fun colors that pumpkins and gourds come in and made a barrel full using Honey Bee's Fall Bounty.  They were cut from scraps of colored cardstock and inked for shading. The barrel is a Sizzix die cut from woodgrain paper.  I wanted them to pop so placed it all on a dark brown panel with a sentiment from Honey Bee that was embossed in copper. 

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Just Us Girls #846 - Stencil Week

I'm hosting Stencil Week over at Just Us Girls and it's Anything Goes.

My image is from Altenew's Lush Garden Craft Your Life Kit.  It comes with stamps, dies, embossing folder and stencils.  After embossing the panel, I stenciled it with Altenew inks, using alcohol markers for the center of the smaller flowers.  The sentiment is from BetterPress.

We love seeing your stenciled designs in our gallery.  If you need inspiration, please check out what the Design Team and our guest designer Carrie Sheridan have made. 

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CAS Christmas October 2026

The prompt for CAS Christmas is Poinsettia and it was a difficult decision to choose one from the many I have until I accidentally ran across a forgotten one from Waffle Flower and that became the star of my card. 

Just to be different, I went with C9 Dragonfruit for my poinsettia, inking it up with Altenew Razzleberry for depth.  The background is one I got from Darnell ages ago.  I loved the embossed panel but the folder was discontinued so she sent me some.  I used quite a few in the beginning but I'm glad I had a few left so I could use one on this card to make it clean and simple.  The sentiment is from Pinkfresh Studio and although it looks a different color on screen it's actually the same paper.  Side note:  In die cutting the poinsettia I lost the little circle die for the center.  A silver embellishment from PPP did the trick.  

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Inkspirational #378

There's a clean and simple challenge over at Inkspirational with the optional twist of plaid.  I love plaid so had to include it on my card.

I'm always in need of masculine birthday cards and I thought cattails and a seed pod from Honey Bee would be the way to go.  This plaid from Honey Bee was such a great color to go with them.  The sentiment is from PTI.  

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Freshly Made Sketches #758

I made a Christmas card this summer while playing with some dies and thought it would work for Jen T's basic sketch at Freshly Made Sketches.

It had been a while since making these Amaryllis from Honey Bee.  Everything was cut from colored cardstock with some inking for shading.  The background is a coverplate from Concord and 9th and the sentiment is from Pinkfresh Studio.  I know the sentiment is not in the correct place for the sketch but it was the best place for it at the time I made the card. 

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Double D Challenge Windows

 The inspiration board at Double D has Autumn views through the windows but I went in an entirely different direction.

The window is from Memory Box, cut in light gray cardstock and layered for stability.  The "view" was blended with Distress Inks and the vellum ghosts are from TH.  They were run through my Xyron before attaching to the panel.  Some DSP from my stash for 'wallpaper' and a sentiment cut from Memory Box letters finish off my scary/not scary Halloween card. 

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Just Us Girls #845 - Mood Board Week

It's Mood Board Week at Just Us Girls and our host Carol has a great photo to inspire your card.

If you need ideas, the Design Team and our guest designer Carrie Sheridan have some wonderful cards based on this photo for your viewing pleasure over on the blog.

I was drawn to the sweater and used my Altenew Cozy Sweater embossing folder for my center panel.  To bring in the leaf, I added the panel to an ancient piece of patterned paper.  The sentiment from Honey Bee's Sweater Weather was stamped in Altenew Jasper Red.  

I hope you get some cozy vibes from the photo and join us in the gallery.

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Time Out #324 -Photo Inspiration

Time Out has a Photo Inspiration Challenge this fortnight.

I must say I was stumped at first because we're all using stamps from our sponsor but I found one that worked perfectly. 

It's called Framed Teacups from STAMPlorations.  I heat embossed the image and watercolored  it with Distress Ink in Dried Marigold, Spiced Marmalade, and Carved Pumpkin with a little Bellini from Catherine Pooler thrown in for good measure.  A piece of vellum was cut with HB's Deckle Edge dies and colored with some of the same ink.  The background from my Bits Box was stamped with Hero Arts Canvas Background.  

The winner will be awarded a $25 STAMPlorations store credit and be invited to be a guest designer for a future challenge so be sure to enter your card in our gallery.

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The Paper Players #806

The colors Jan chose for The Paper Players challenge were fun to work with.

My idea all started with the Rattan Basket from Honey Bee.  Then it was a matter of what to fill it with.  Out came my Autumn Bouquet dies, also by Honey Bee.  I thought the arrangement would look good on Spellbinders Stylish Ovals.  I cut a card base with them, then a top panel that was embossed with Tasteful Textile by SU!.  

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Color Hues #142

I pulled out an oldie for my card at Color Hues.

That's PTI Wreath for all Seasons in the middle of that oval - probably close to 15 years old.  It's stamped with Altenew ink and then I tried to match the inks to the border - C9 Brickyard and Altenew Honey Drizzle.  The ovals are Spellbinders Modern Ovals, the embossing folder is Honey Bee Burlap and the sentiment is from MFT.  Oh, and that little bow?  It's from an also very old Catherine Pooler set. 

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