Freshly Made Sketches #616

 Welcome to Freshly Made Sketches!

Our fabulous sketch comes from the super talented Amy O'Neill this week! My first thought was to put a wreath in the center square and it only took me a few minutes to decide on the Memory Box Sussex Snowflake Wreath.

The wreath has a vellum layer under the glitter cardstock and is adhered loosely to a polka dot vellum square. The PTI Wet Paint Holiday die is cut three times with the top layer from a deep pink shimmer cardstock and popped into place at the center of the wreath. 

The square panel is adhered to the pink panel sitting on the card base to finish the design.

I hope you check out the amazing Clean Team designs and play along with us at Freshly Made Sketches this week.

Thanks for stopping by,

Jacquie

Freshly Made Sketches #613

 Welcome to Freshly Made Sketches #613!

Clean Team designer Kim Singdahlsen's fabulous sketch was a perfect opportunity to use a couple items picked up on a recent shopping trip with a couple crafty friends. I so miss the days of having several scrapbook and stamping stores within an easy drive and took full advantage of opportunity to see, touch and smell so many favorite products in real life before buying.

An older Poppystamps Holiday Mistletoe die, tied with sheer ribbon and finished with pearl berries, sits so prettily on the new Spellbinders Tufted 3D embossed panel. When I see a simple strip in a sketch, I poke through the patterned paper and washi stash. The new Teresa Collins washi was the perfect size and color to provide a sentiment and finish the design. It is wrapped all the way around the card front, providing a sentiment inside the card, too.

 

I hope you checkout the amazing Clean Team designs and play along with us at Freshly Made Sketches this week!

Happy Thanksgivings to our American friends and safe travels if you are on the road this week!

Thanks for stopping by,

Jacquie

Freshly Made Sketches #612

 Welcome to Freshly Made Sketches #612!

The super talented Clean Team designer Linda Callahan has provided a fabulous, classic sketch for us this week! It was just perfect for pausing the Christmas card production and adding a much needed masculine birthday card to my stash.

The Memory Box Graceful Stag Collage die is cut from a piece of holiday tartan paper that was trimmed to size first. It is adhered to a Sizzix 3D Leaf Pattern embossed panel and a second, darker green panel is embossed and staggered behind it.

The Poppystamps Birthday Blowout sentiment is stamped on a MFT Mod Rectangle die cut that is adhered to a second, slightly offset dark green die cut to finish this super simple design.

I hope you check out the terrific Clean Team designs and play along with us at Freshly Made Sketches this week!

Thanks for stopping by,

Jacquie

Freshly Made Sketches #611

 Welcome to Freshly Made Sketches #611!

This fabulous layered sketch from Clean Team designer Jen Mitchell had me pulling out the Memory Box Star of Wonder die while I let a few ideas roll around in my head. My plan to use metallic gold paper disappeared when I started playing with a holographic silver star washi. 

The washi is adhered to white cardstock scraps before the star and fishtail flag are die cut.  A very deep blue Indigo cardstock is used for the card base and the rounded edge panel. This smaller panel is embossed with stars.

An Ali Edwards December Daily 2019 Christmas Phrases sentiment is silver embossed on a white panel before the edges are inked.

There is an extra special challenge to getting a good photo that balances the dark texture on the deep blue panel with bright shine of the washi.

I hope you check out the amazing Clean Team cards, along with another Challenge #600 winner and guest design this week, Laurie Unger, and play along with us this week at Freshly Made Sketches!

Thanks for stopping by,

Jacquie

Freshly Made Sketches #610

Welcome to Freshly Made Sketches #610!

The super talented Clean Team designer and challenge leader, Jen Timko, has given us a fun sketch this week! I chose to do a repeat design because I wanted to repeat the sentiment across the three bands, but of course you can mix it up with any images you want to use. I've been enjoying a couple weeks in BC and am fortunate we just had a single day of rain, but it left a nice layer of snow on the mountains so snowflakes are on my mind. 

The base panel is embossed with Taylored Expressions Winter Flurry and wrapped with three think strips of Lawn Fawn Pixie glitter paper first. Glitter snowflakes are added to aqua vellum rounds and finished with a Pretty Pink Posh jewel next. The MFT Itty Bitty Holiday sentiment is heat embossed with a Ranger Tinsel embossing powder for another touch of shine and the strips tucked under the snowflakes to finish the design.

I hope you check out the amazing Clean Team designs and play along with us this week at Freshly Made Sketches!

Thanks for stopping by,

Jacquie

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

Freshly Made Sketches #605

Welcome to Freshly Made Sketches #605!

Clean Team designer Karren Johnson has given us a fun sketch this week! Initially my plan was to go with a rising/setting sun idea but poking through Christmas stamps and dies had me pivot to using a Memory Box Reindeer Circle die.

The MFT Itty Bitty Holiday sentiment is embossed in platinum on a strip of vellum which is wrapped around the cut out panel before it is popped up over a Falling Snow embossed panel. A red nose jewel is added to the deer and a few other gems scattered around. I'm on the fence whether the gems were a good idea or not.

In addition to the amazing Clean Team designs, another Challenge #600 winner, Cindy Beach, is our Guest Designer this week! I hope you check out all their cards and play along with us at Freshly Made Sketches.

Thanks for stopping by,

Jacquie

Freshly Made Sketches #604

 Welcome to Freshly Made Sketches #604!

The always elegant Clean Team designer, Cécile Ribon, has provided a lovely sketch this week! I immediately pulled out MTF Abstract Art and a paintbrush while I went back and forth over whether to stamp the brushstrokes images or paint them with watercolors. As you can see, the stamped images won.

The top center area of the square panel is very lightly inked with pale blue before the stamped swipes of color were added. The MFT Itty Bitty Summer sentiment is heat embossed in Platinum next and then the Wplus9 sailboat adhered with the body and tip of the mast tight to the panel and the sail popped up with foam adhesive.

In addition to the fabulous Clean Team designers we have one of the winners of our Challenge #600 winners, Annette Elias, as a special Guest Designer this week.  I hope you check out all their amazing creations and play along with us at Freshly Made Sketches this week!

Thanks for stopping by,

Jacquie

Freshly Made Sketches #603

 Welcome to Freshly Made Sketches #603!

I immediately saw Clean Team designer Jen Brum's trio of stacked circles as a snowman. The PTI Shape Up Snowman was a little larger than I wanted, but I decided to take creative license and squeezed it into the design.

Heat embossing gives the mittens and toque a bit of wooly texture and a pop of color. The aqua panel is placed over a snowflake embossed paneled before the snowman is popped in place. Her arms hold the Lawn Fawn Winter Big Scripty Words sentiment sign. 

I hope you check out the always fabulous Clean Team designs at Freshly Made Sketches and play along with us this week!

Thanks for stopping by,

Jacquie

Freshly Made Sketches #602

 Welcome to Freshly Made Sketches #602!

I had great plans for embossed backgrounds and multiple layered elements when I saw Kim's fabulous sketch this week, but in the end went super clean and simple with my design.

The full panel is inked to give an ombre feel moving from left to right, so that the left vertical panel is softly implied rather than a hard edge. The Memory Box Woodland Branch die cut is trimmed and attached to further suggest the left vertical panel. An MFT Greetings and Salutations sentiment stamped directly on the panel and a sweet Memory Box Resting Bird bird attached to the branch finish the design.

Check out the amazing Clean Team designs at Freshly Made Sketches and play along with us this week!

Thanks for stopping by,

Jacquie

Freshly Made Sketches #601

 Welcome to Freshly Made Sketches #601!

I was thrilled to see Clean Team designer Linda Callahan's sketch this week as I've had a few washi tapes sitting on my desk waiting for the right opportunity.

Knowing I would use a wide cacti washi, it was an easy decision to pull out the Hero Arts Layering Prickly Cactus for the center panel. The cactus is cut from a Peacock Feathers and Twisted Citron inked panel and layered with the MFT Sweet Succulents sentiment and sequin flowers.

I hope you check out the amazing Clean Team designs and play along with us this week at Freshly Made Sketches!

Thanks for stopping by,

Jacquie

Freshly Made Sketches #600 Celebration

 Welcome to the  Freshly Made Sketches #600 celebration!

We are celebrating YOU this week! Freshly Made Sketches has been so much fun for 12 years and 600 sketches because of YOUR amazing talent and participation in the weekly challenges! To help celebrate, many of our repeat weekly challenge winners are guest designing with us this week and the inspiration is next level amazing.

Each member of the Clean Team will pick a favorite this week as normal, but to continue the celebration, our picks will be invited to guest design on a future challenge. It really is about celebrating YOU this week!

For my card,  a white cardstock scrap is inked with yellow, orange and pink bands before the base piece of the Memory Box Drifting Side Butterfly dies is cut. The white outline piece is adhered over this and the complete butterfly adhered to a cloud stenciled horizontal panel.

A favorite MFT Greetings and Salutations sentiment is heat embossed on a black strip and slipped under the butterfly to finish off this clean and simple design.

I hope you check out all the amazing Clean Team and guest designer cards this week at Freshly Made Sketches. I'm looking forward to the FMS600 gallery filling with your stunning designs!

Thanks for stopping by,

Jacquie

Freshly Made Sketches #599

 Welcome to Freshly Made Sketches #599!

I had so many ideas for the offset vertical panel in the fabulous Jen Mitchell's sketch this week that it was hard to focus on just one. Most of my designs had the panel being a die or stamped image, with the sentiment off to the right, so I'm not sure how I ended up with my sentiment on the panel.

Once settling on the Poppystamps Art Deco Birthday Greetings sentiment, dies and embossing folders were pulled that would work for a masculine design. The Stampin' Up Woodgrain and Sizzix 3D Leaf Pattern folders were supported by a few trees trimmed from a Memory Box Pine Tree Landscape die cut.

Check out the amazing Clean Team designs and play along with us at Freshly Made Sketches this week!

Thanks for stopping by,

Jacquie

Freshly Made Sketches #598

 Welcome to Freshly Made Sketches #598!

Our amazing Clean Team leader, Jennifer Timko, has given us a great sketch this week! I didn't have an immediate idea for my design, but was pondering the sketch while swiffering away the post vacation cobwebs that popped up in all corners of the house when I started thinking Halloween.

I don't have a lot of Halloween products but somehow ended up with this tiny Tim Holtz Sizzix cobweb corner embossing folder in my collection and I'm sure it has never been used. 

Those of you that came into card making from the scrapbook world might recognize the Making Memories Magnetic Rubber Stamp Alphabet set used to create the sentiment. Feeling like something more was needed, a sweet MFT Fab-Boo-Lous Friends spider tied itself to the upper web with an Avery Elle Bunting bow.

Check out the terrific Clean Team designs and play along with us this week at Freshly Made Sketches!

Using anything never been used before will always makes me think of Darnell and her NBUS (Never-Been-Used-Schtuff) Challenge, so my card is going to join NBUS Challenge #53.

Thanks for stopping by,

Jacquie