Freshly Made Sketches #609

 Welcome To Freshly Made Sketches #609!

This lovely layered sketch comes from the super talented Clean Team designer, Judy Rozema!  The MFT Christmas Text paper was the starting point for my design. Once the aqua text was picked for the rectangle panel, it is inked and added to a white base.

A Poppystamps Shaker Ornament substitutes for the square panel. The MFT Bitty Holiday Wishes sentiment is heat embossed in platinum and layered with a vellum flag. The last step was to poke a few holes and add floss stitches and French knots. I'm second thinking these, but time was not on my side this week.

Joining the fabulous Clean Team this week is Challenge #600 Celebration winner, Donna Mikasa. Check out all their amazing designs and play along with us at Freshly Made Sketches! 

Thanks for stopping by,

Jacquie

Freshly Made Sketches #608

 Welcome to Freshly Made Sketches #608!

I'm hosting this week and went back and forth between creating a brightly colored banner with holiday patterned papers or stockings hanging from the mantel from the sketch.  As you can see, the stockings won today.

While the Hero Arts molding paste and MFT stencil fireplace was drying, a trio of stockings is die cut from green cardstock. The stocking tops are felt partial die cuts and trimmed to fit before being adhered. A Lawn Fawn Deck the Halls sentiment is stamped on a panel before the fireplace panel is added below. 

Stacked strips create a mantel where the stockings alternate with Poppystamps Small Blooming Poinsettias to finish the design.

Please check out guest designer Melissa Grant, my winner pick from our Challenge #600 Celebration, and the always amazing Clean Team designers at Freshly Made Sketches!

Thanks for stopping by,

Jacquie

Freshly Made Sketches #607

 Welcome to Freshly Made Sketches #607!

I often talk about it being hard to let go of what I first see in a sketch, and this week was no different with the fabulous Amy O'Neill's sketch of a skein of yarn! Maybe it is only the knitters out there that will have the same response as I did.  

Unfortunately the design in my head was not coming out on paper so I put it aside,  taking another look at the sketch while thinking about Christmas images. And then it came to me that a Christmas cracker was the obvious answer. For the record, even though Christmas crackers are readily available in the US, I don't know anyone here that grew up with them as part of the Christmas feast. As a Canadian with British parents, they are every bit a part of the holidays to me as Santa and stockings.

It took a bit of sketching and poking through supplies that haven't seen the light of day in a very long time to come up with my version of a Christmas cracker. 

The crepe paper was cut to size using a scalloped edge border die for the base. A piece of patterned paper was scored along the long sides so it could wrap around the crepe paper and the folded edges adhered to the aqua napkin, allowed the cracker to have a rounded shape. Snips of pom-pom trim are added for fun and interest. The platinum MFT Bitty Holiday Wishes sentiment heat embossed on aqua vellum finishes the design.

I hope you check out the amazing Clean Team designs, along with a Challenge #600 Celebration winner and guest designer Colleen Begley, at Freshly Made Sketches this week!

Thanks for stopping by,

Jacquie

Freshly Made Sketches #606

 Welcome to Freshly Made Sketches #606!

I immediately saw the three layered circles in Clean Team designer Narelle Farrugia's fabulous sketch this week as Christmas tree ornaments. As often happens, a few minutes flipping through my dies had me heading in a completely different direction.

The Memory Box Pillar Candle Trio is cut from both white shimmer paper and white cardstock. Only the outline piece of cardstock was used to back the shimmer piece and give a bit more dimension to the candles. A little greenery is added along the bottom along with a few red glitter Stickles berries. I went a bit off sketch, adding my sentiment by stamping directly on the panel below the candles.

We have another winner from our Challenge #600, Claire Apostoloff, guest designing. Check out her terrific card and the rest of the amazing Clean Team designs at Freshly Made Sketches and play along with us this week!

Thanks for stopping by,

Jacquie