Snippets.....

My friend Brian King designed the sketch for Cas(e) this Sketch this week so I had to play along.  After I finished my Halloween card - with this dapper little duck - I visited the Design Team blogs.  

That Michele designed the sweetest card from snippets and kind of dared me to do the same! I love a good challenge so I dumped out my two snippet bowls - one has sentiments and the other images. I also have a small basket of rejected backgrounds. 

A total mishmash of stuff for sure.....like a bicycle with no wheels, flowers with no stems, sea creatures with no ocean....I am sure Michele's snippets are much better!

But I wasn't going to give up! First I picked a sentiment strip and looked for anything that would work with the word sweet!  Ahhh strawberries!  I added a tropical green leaf and I was good!  I found a blue cut out circle that I clipped to make a bowl......use your imagination here folks I was desperate!  I trimmed a banner, found a plaid scrap and I was good to go! The soft stenciled layer was in my background basket - luckily my image covers the "bald spot"!  So here's my snippet card using the CTS sketch!

I have to admit it was fun trying to make it all work!

Check out the designs at Cas(e) this Sketch!

Stamp Sets: Birds of a Feather, Spooky Sweets, Holiday Home

Ink: Memento Black, Pool Party, Copics

Paper: Bird Ballard DSP, Calypso Coral, Whisper White

You Are Simply Fabulous....FMS400

For sure you are all simply fabulous!  We wouldn't be here today celebrating our 400th sketch without all of your amazing creative work!  Every week I look forward to visiting the gallery.  Not a week goes by that I don't learn something new from someone.  Thank you all for supporting our sketch challenge every week!

We are also blessed with an amazing team at Freshly Made Sketches.  It is a team of delightful, caring, and generous ladies - and oh they make pretty good cards too!

So join us again this week and you will be eligible to win one of these terrific prizes from some wonderful stamp companies!

Winners of these prizes will be chosen randomly from our gallery this week.  Once chosen, we will contact you via the information we have in our linky and post here on our blog.  You will have 5 days to respond or we will choose another recipient.  

• CAS-ual Fridays Stamps: $25 Gift Code
• Concord & 9th:  $25 Gift Code
• Ellen Hutson:  $25 Gift Code
• Hero Arts:  $25 Gift Code
• Lawn Fawn:  $25 Gift Code
• Neat & Tangled:  $25 Gift Code
• Newton's Nook Designs:  $25 Store Credit
• Reverse Confetti:  $25 Gift Code
• Simon Says Stamp:  $25 Gift Code
• Sugar Pea Designs:  $25 Gift Certificate
• Taylored Expressions:  $25 Gift Code
• Uniko:  Clear Stamp Set (In stock, any value)

Many thanks to our generous sponsors!

Celebrate 400 with Freshly Made Sketches!  

Stamp Sets: Harvest Hellos (SU!), Simple Strips (TE)

Paper:  Whisper White, Gingham Gala, Poppy Parade

Ink:  Memento Black, Versamark Clair Twilight, Copics

Fusion: Floral Wall

I have this oh-so-talented crafty friend who likes to "card everyone" and she sent me this sweet stem of flowers - stamped on watercolor paper.  Watercoloring scares me and I think she was telling me to be brave and go for it!  I didn't dive into the deep end of the pool but I did use water.  I scribbled some zig markers on blocks and painted with an aquapainter - not too scary - maybe I will swim out farther next time!  Thank you Michele!

I was inspired by both the photo and the sketch this week at Fusion!

Hardwood Embossing Folder (SU)
Paper:  Balmy Blue, Whisper Whitre
Ink: Zig Markers, Versa Fine Clair Nocturne

Still Celebrating....FMS400/300

The sketch this week is originally #300.  We are repeating a few sketches as part of our 400 Sketch celebration.  This time around I used a sweet carousel in the oval as the focal point.  

One hundred sketches ago I created a bouquet of flowers using this sketch.  The right hand rectangle became the focal point of the design.  I love how you can take the same sketch and and interpret it in so many ways.

Show us your interpretation of our sketch at Freshly Made Sketches! 

Stamp Set:  Carousel (Altenew)

Paper:  Whisper White, Bird Ballard DSP

Ink:  Memento Black, Copics

Still Celebrating......FMS400/200

Our celebration continues at Freshly Made Sketches!  In keeping with our flashback sketches  for the month of August today we present Sketch 200.....a wide open design for all sorts of creative ideas!  200 challenges ago I went with a Halloween theme....

This time around I went with a  summery roller coaster theme.  Being on the FMS team has been a wonderful ride!  Hope you come along this week!

Stamp Set: Let The Good Times Roll, Lift Me Up

Ink: Lovely Lipstick, Pacific Point, Call Me Clover, Daffodil Delight, Grapefruit Grove, Lemon Lime Twist, Seaside Spray

Paper: Whisper White, Lemon Lime Twist

Fusion: Family

When the Big Guy and I bought a tiny cabin on a lake forty years ago we had no idea (and no children at the time) that it would become the center of family gatherings.  I'd be a millionaire if I had a nickel for every time a kid jumped off the dock......or the boat...or an inner tube...or someone's shoulders!  I do a lot more reading by the lake these days than jumping in the lake - the next generation has that well in hand.  On quiet days I swear I can still see my dad teaching my son to fish off the rock wall.......

I love the lake scenes you can build from this Hero Arts set!  Hope you join us at Fusion!

                                             

Stamps/Ink/Paper from Hero Arts July 2019 Kit

Celebrating #400! FMS/1/100

Freshly Made Sketches is celebrating 400 Sketches this month and we are going retro a bit for the month of August.  This card is based on our very first sketch - which we also used for #100.  It is fun to look back at previous designs. I followed the #1 Sketch exactly for a Back to School card.  For #100 I used two coffee cups on an anniversary card. And the third time around I definitely loosened things up using clouds and a plane as sketch elements.

Jen Mitchell and I have been on the team since Lesley Croghan developed it with Jen Timko joining just a few sketches later.  The two Jens are the backbone of this team and do all of the behind the scenes heavy lifting!  Those three very talented ladies are responsible for this challenge taking off ...... and keep it flying high!  

I hope you join us as we celebrate this month.....and there just may be some prizes popping up before the month is over!

                                                           

Stamp Set: Bon Voyage (Lawn Fawn)
Paper: Whisper White, Follow Your Art DSP
Ink: Copics, Memento Black

Retail Therapy

We can all use a little retail therapy now and then.  This sentiment is perfect to use when enclosing a gift card!  Emma is vacationing in Cape Cod this week with her cousins so naturally the Big Guy had to send spending money to the kids for their own "retail therapy."  Emma made three cards for her cousins and the Big Guy added $$$ and wrapped them up............this was the final result.....

Sometimes you just have to go with the flow........

I used the sketch from Fab Friday for my design.

Stamp Set: City Streets by Sunny Studio

Paper: Seaside Spray, Whisper White, Retired DSP from SU!

Ink: Memento Black, Copics, Distress

SU! Embossing Folder, Sugar Pea Die Cut