Best Dad

Hi everyone!  I'm back with a card for the latest Freshly Made Sketches challenge where our hostess this week is Lee Ann Barrett.  And what a great, CAS sketch she has for us!

I love sketches like this so my mind was whirring!  Eventually I settled on this card for my father's upcoming 86th birthday.

He'll get a laugh out of the sentiment - not sure how my three sisters will feel though 😃  This has actually photographed darker than it should.  The cogs are dark gray stacked and slightly offset onto black to form a shadow.  These are 5 layers deep.  Once I was finished layering (thank God for spray adhesive!), I put them to one side and worked on the rest of my card.  I embossed two separate sentiments from two different stamp sets onto a strip of black cardstock with Platinum embossing powder.  

I then added a strip of Scor-Tape and burnished on some gilding flakes.  I like that they give an imperfect finish - just right for a masculine card, I think!

Thanks for visiting!  The design team have some gorgeous cards using this sketch, so I hope you'll check them out.

I'm linking this up to the DIY challenge at The Male Room - the cogs put me in mind of a workshop - and also the Southern Girls Challenge, who are looking for projects for or about someone special.  Well, my dad is pretty special to me 💕

Products used:

Stamps:  All About Dad, More Essential Sentiments (MFT)
Ink:  Versamark
Cardstock:  White, Black Licorice, Steel Gray (MFT)
Dies:  Steampunk Corner (Memory Box)
Accessories:  Platinum EP (Ranger), Nuvo Gilding Flakes

Cheers
Karren

Slothy Birthday

Hi and welcome!  I'm here with the latest challenge from Freshly Made Sketches and this week it's my turn to be challenge hostess.  I came up with what I think is an easy sketch - just right for this time of year when everything seems to be rushed and panicked!

My oldest is turning 21 on Monday (how did that happen!?!) He had a thing for sloths a few years ago, so when I saw this Art Impressions stamp set I just had to buy it to use for his birthday card.

Onto a white top-folding card base, I applied some gray embossing paste over the Tap Dance stencil from SSS.  While that was drying, I die-cut a rectangle frame die from Cement Gray cardstock.

I used the image of the sloth hanging upside down from the tree branch as my "star" in the sketch.  I colored the image and cut it out with my Scan n Cut.  Quite serendipitously, the image had a single balloon but my Scan n Cut didn't register the thin string line and cut it off.  I was going to glue it back together, but then had the idea to create my own balloons from dies.  This way, I get the balloon on the card and it also means I didn't have to find somewhere to stamp a sentiment.

I adhered everything onto the card base, popping up the sloth with foam tape.

Thanks for visiting!  I hope you'll check out the rest of the DT's cards and also join in our DT call.  This is the last week, so have a go!

I'm playing along with a few challenges as well.  Lately, I haven't had the time to do any more than meet my DT commitments, so I'm killing several birds with one stone, so to speak.

Addicted to Stamps and More - Make Your Mark challenge
The Male Room - Celebrate challenge
Southern Girls Challenge - Anything Goes

Products used:

Stamps:  Slothsome Set (Art Impressions)
Ink:  Amalgam, Hickory Smoke Distress Ink
Cardstock:  White, Black, Tropical Teal, Cement Gray (MFT), X-Press It
Dies:  Pierced Rectangle Frames, Balloon Numbers (MFT)
Accessories:  Copics, Tap Dance Stencil (MFT), Embossing Paste, Spectrum Noir Clear Sparkle Pen

Cheers
Karren

Edited to Add:  This card got a shout out at Southern Girls.

Snowflakes

Welcome!  It's time for another sketch over at Freshly Made Sketches and this week our challenge hostess is Kim Singdahlsen

I sort of went a bit over-sized with a couple of my elements, but I think you can still see the sketch.

The background panel is one I embossed and ink-blended a few weeks ago for another project and ended up going in a different direction.  So this card was reasonably quick to whip up . I die-cut the panel with a Mod Rectangle Stax die and adhered it to a white card base.  The sentiment is embossed with the same gold EP onto Blu Raspberry cardstock.

For the snowflake I also gold-embossed that onto Blu Raspberry and cut it out with the co-ordinating die.  I made a smaller snowflake with vellum and adhered them both together before gluing them both to a gold sparkle circle.  I finished with a clear droplet in the centre.

Thanks for visiting!  The DT have some gorgeous cards, so please head on over and check them out.

I'm playing along with 4 Crafty Chicks Snowflake challenge, as well as Simon Says Stamp All That Glitters is Gold and Southern Girls Inks and Sprays (hope ink-blending counts?)

Products used:

Stamps:  Cool Christmas, Simply Snowflakes (MFT), Outline Snowflakes BG (SSS)

Ink:  Versamark, Peacock Feathers, Blueprint Sketch, Chipped Sapphire Distress Ink

Cardstock:  White, Bristol Smooth, Blu Raspberry, Vellum, Gold Sparkle (MFT)

Dies:  Double Stitched Circle Stax, Simply Snowflakes, Mod Rectangle Stax (MFT)

Accessories:  Antique Gold EP, Clear Droplet (Pretty Pink Posh)

Cheers

Karren

Edited to Add:  This card got a shout out at Southern Girls.

Pawfect Birthday

Hi!  Today's card was made using the current sketch at MFT Stamps and also their color challenge.

The colors first put me in mind of Halloween, but I decided to go with a set that I've had since it was released but not yet used.

I stamped this cute image and colored it with Copics before cutting it out with my Scan N Cut.  I put that to one side and worked on the rest of my card.  Patterned paper to the rescue with black and white stripes on the top and bottom and some polka dots in Wild Wisteria in the centre piece.  I added a slanted sentiment strip cut from Steel Gray cardstock and then a Lavender Fields stitched circle before adding the girl with foam tape on top.  I finished the card with some Ripened Pumpkin Nuvo Crystal Drops.

I'm also entering this card into Southern Girls Challenge as they're looking for critters and dogs are my favorite critters 😄

Thanks for visiting.

Products used:

Stamps:  New Best Friend (MFT)

Ink:  Black Licorice Hybrid, Extreme Black (MFT)

Cardstock:  White, X-Press It, Steel Gray, Lavender Fields, B&W Stripes, Itsy Bitsy Polka Dots (MFT)

Dies:  Inside/Out Stitched Circles, Essential Slanted Sentiment Strips

Accessories:  Copics, Nuvo Crystal Drops Ripened Pumpkin

Cheers

Karren

Witching You

Hi and welcome!  Today's sketch for the Freshly Made Sketches challenge comes to you from the lovely Amy O'Neill. 

I have a confession.  I dislike ovals as much as my teamie, Jen, dislikes circles, so I cheated and used an arch instead of an oval.

We don't even celebrate Halloween here but I couldn't resist this adorable MFT stamp set and took it for its inaugural inking to make this card.  I colored the images with Copics and cut them with my Scan n Cut.  I added some dot detail to one of the sweets then set them aside while I worked on the rest of my card.

I masked off an area on my card base and sponged some Distress Oxide inks into the open area.  Once that was dry, I white-embossed the sentiment.  Onto a smaller die-cut panel, I cut out an arch opening and added a stitched arch frame around the opening.  I popped that panel up on foam tape and finally added my colored images.

Finally, I added clear sparkle pen to the pumpkins, hat and the sweets.

Thanks for popping by!  I hope you'll check out the rest of the DT cards as they're gorgeous as always.

I'm linking this up to Southern Girls Critter Crazy challenge, as well as CAS on Friday who are looking for autumn/Halloween cards and CASology with a Scary cue word (not that you can call this critter scary!)

Products used:

Stamps:  Frightfully Sweet (MFT)
Ink:  Extreme Black (MFT), Versamark, Mustard Seed, Carved Pumpkin, Wilted Violet Distress Oxide
Cardstock:  White, X-Press It
Dies:  Stitched Dome Stax, Stitched Doe Frames, Stitched Rectangle Stax (MFT)
Accessories:  Copics, White EP, Spectrum Noir Clear Sparkle Pen

Cheers
Karren

Stay Awesome

Hi and welcome!

I love the colors at Color Throwdown this week, but for some reason I never like anything I make that uses kraft cardstock.  Anyway, I love gray and yellow so decided to push past my fear of kraft and make a card using the sketch at MFT Stamps, which is beautifully CAS.  I am using the tic-tac-toe board at Southern Girls Challenge (I went with bling-stamp-yellow).

I inked up this new-to-me stamp set (which has now been retired) and colored it with Copics.  I added some white gel pen dots to her dress to zhoosh it up a bit (she is in France, after all 😁). I die-cut the images with the co-ordinating dies and set it aside to work on my card base.

I stamped "Stay Awesome" from Essential Sentiments onto a strip of Desert Storm cardstock and added a thin strip of black underneath before adhering that to a white card base.  I then added the Eiffel Tower, moving it up the card a bit to appear further away, and finally the girl.  I colored her scarf and handbag with clear sparkle pen and also added some sparking clear confetti.

Thanks for visiting!

Products used:

Stamps:  Mon Cheri, Essential Sentiments (MFT)
Ink:  Black Licorice Hybrid
Cardstock:  White, Black, Desert Storm, X-Press It
Dies:  Mon Cheri (MFT)
Accessories:  Copics, Sparkling Clear Confetti (Pretty Pink Posh), White Gel Pen, Spectrum Noir Clear Sparkle Pen

Cheers
Karren

Edited to Add:  This card got a shout out at Southern Girls Challenge.

Muse and Muse

Hi all!  I'm here with a card I made yesterday using the inspiration from both the Muse challenge and the Muse Christmas Visions challenge.

When I first saw Anita's Muse card, I thought the white die-cut along the bottom was snowflakes and that gave me the idea to create a snowflake card.  Looking closer at her card, I can now see they are flowers, but the inspiration still stands.  I was also inspired by the white and blue color scheme and the white die-cut sentiment, although I added a touch of ink to my sentiment.

From Pam's Muse Christmas Visions card, I was inspired by the layout, the "joy" sentiment and the inky, masked circle.

I die-cut a stitched circle from masking paper and added it to a white top-folding card front.  I then sponged distress inks into the circle, keeping the centre lighter.  Before removing the mask, I spritzed the card with clear shimmer spray.  I was pleasantly surprised to see that the ink had gone through the stitch lines in the circle die-cut, adding more interest.

The snowflakes are stacked three high and were also spritzed with shimmer spray before being added to the card.  The "joy" is also stacked three high and on the top one I lightly sponged the same inks I used for the circle and then also spritzed with shimmer spray.

Here's a side view where you can just see the shimmer.

Thanks for visiting!  I'm also linking this up to Southern Girls challenge and HLS June Christmas challenge.

Products used:

Ink:  Chipped Sapphire, Faded Jeans, Broken China Distress Inks

Cardstock:  White

Dies:  Let it Snowflake Too, Jumbo Peek a Boo Circle Window, Joy (MFT), Maryanne, Melody (SSS)

Accessories:  Sheer Shimmer Spray

Cheers

Karren

Edited to Add:  This card got a shout out at Southern Girls Challenge.

Tulip Wishes

Hi!  Our hostess this week at Freshly Made Sketches is Jennifer Timko and check our her fabulous sketch!

I wanted a big colorful central image on my card, so I played with a NBUS stamp set that I got last Stamptember and hadn't inked up. 

After I stamped and colored the image, I masked it off then sponged some Distress Inks around the flowers.  After removing the mask, I went around the outside of the image with a yellow Copic marker to accentuate the flowers.  I die-cut both the card base and the colored panel with a stitched die and added a strip of striped paper inbetween the two layers.

The sentiment comes from another WPlus9 set and was cut with a slanted sentiment strip die.

Thanks for visiting.  Head on over and check out what the rest of the DT did with this wide-open sketch.  I'm linking this up to Southern Girls Nature Challenge.

Products Used:

Stamps:  Humble & Kind (SSS/WP9), Modern Peonies (WP9)
Ink:  London Fog (Memento), Versafine Onyx Black, Scattered Straw, Mustard Seed Distress Inks
Cardstock:  White, Black, X-Press It, Black & White Stripes (MFT)
Dies:  Stitched Rectangle Stax, Slanted Sentiment Strips (MFT)
Accessories:  Copics, Sherbert Shimmer Nuvo Drops

Cheers
Karren