Unscripted Sketch #174

...from a different angle

Hard to believe that the last long weekend of the summer is upon us! Where did the time go?

I look forward to the change of season....cooler weather, fall colors, skies full of Canada geese heading south.  But then.....the -40C hits!  The only good thing about that is the endless hours of crafting time (too darn cold to do anything else).

Another awesome sketch!  I created a trellis with strips of paper (took four tries to get it right!).  I glued a really thin strip of black paper on each side of the trellis just to give it a bit of definition.  I used 3 layers for the flowers (MFT die) and one layer for the leaves (same die).  I shaped the petals a bit before adhering them to the card with dimensionals.  The stem/vine is hand cut.  The sentiment and die are from SU Bitty Banners.  I used a copic marker to trace around the banner. The card reminds me of a Ukrainian blouse that my Baba cross stitched :)

 Hope you can find the time to play along with us this week at Unscripted Sketches.

Wishing you all a pleasant holiday weekend!

Unscripted Sketch #173

Edited to add: 
I had entered this into the CAS-ual Fridays challenge but after reading the rules, I realized that I cheated!!!  Yikes - I don't cheat!  Should have read the rules first because they clearly state that the card must not have been posted prior to the start of the challenge. I had posted the card earlier in the week for my Unscripted Sketches submission so I voluntarily deleted it from the CAS-ual Fridays challenge.  Hopefully, I can come up with another idea before their deadline :)

"Back to School" is in the air!

I have been seeing so many delightful projects featuring the return to the classrooms.  An event that is probably more welcome to the parents than the children :)  Even though my children have long left the cozy comforts of home, I still get excited when I see all the cool school supplies in the stores.  Remember how exciting it was to put your name on all those new products?

When I saw this sketch, "Blackboard" instantly popped into my mind.  I used some CTMH black paper.  The white core shows through when sanded and gave the paper a 'chalky blackboard look'.

Of course, I did not have an apple stamp (can you believe that - no apple?) so good old Clip Art to the rescue.  I colored it with my Copic markers and glossed it up with Crystal Effects and popped it up on a dimensional.  It looks so yummy that I am sure Snow White would definitely chomp a bite out of this one!

I used a white Gelly Roll pen to print the "For My Teacher" sentiment.  My printing really sucks so it didn't take much to achieve a first grader result!

The large alphabet letters were stamped using white Studio G ink (you know the cheap $!.50 kind).  The alphabet stamps are an old, OLD foam set that is really dried out!  I was pleasantly surprised though....the stamped image actually looks like chalk on a blackboard.! Moral of this wee story - don't through out old stamps!

Pop on over to the  Unscripted Sketches.blog and check out this week's DT creations.We would love to see how you were inspired by this sketch.

Happy crafting!

PS....I had entered this into the CAS-ual Fridays challenge but after reading the rules, I realized that I cheated!!!  Yikes - I don't cheat!  The rules clearly state that the card must not have been posted prior to the start of the challenge. I had posted the card earlier in the week for my Unscripted Sketches submission si I voluntarily deleted it from the CAS-ual Fridays challenge.  Hopefully, I can come up with another idea before the deadline :)

colourQ challenge #151...

Look closely and you will see that the "Thank You" sentiment is stamped in Basic Grey!!!  Hard to tell but it really is.  I just couldn't find a suitable place in the card to incorporate the grey without compromising the simplicity of the design.  I used my curvy/bendable ruler to create the curve (simply traced the outline with a Sharpie).

I used Tempting Turquoise to stamp the backside of the leaf stamp for the blue impression, then stamped the leaf on top with Momento Black.  The rhinestones were colored with an orange Copic.  The color is actually very close  Pumpkin Pie.

I chose to layer the card front with the colors showing on the left side only...seems to draw attention to the stamped image.

Check out all amazing DT creations as well as all the incredible submissions at colourQ #151 !

Minty Fresh Challenge in the Moxie Fab World

Wow! Mint Green has come a long way since my Great Grandma's dishes! The inspirational photos that Cath posted have definitely catapulted this color onto my "Trendy Color List".

Now, what needs to be said about this watch.......

Exactly!  The gold/mint green combination is elegant, clean & fresh and timeless (pun intended).  I used the face of the watch as my inspiration for the card.  I placed the circles around one of the larger circles to imitate the face of the watch.

I used several different bits and pieces of stamps for the patterned circles,  It was quite a challenge trying to maintain the somewhat graphic design element when the majority of my stamps are either too flowery, too juvenile or too swirly!

I stamped the designs using Tsukineko Encore Metallic Gold ink, and quickly sprinkled on a light dusting of gold embossing powder, then heat embossed.  I tried using Versamark but the impression was a bit too 'heavy' for some of the patterns.  The circles were then matted with a shiny gold metallic paper!

The gold pearls were also embossed.

Tip:  I used wee pop-up glue dots (smaller than the base of the pearl) to adhere the pearls to the back of an old plastic cutting board.  I used my Versamarker to coat the top and sides of the pearls.  Popping up the pearls on pop dots makes it easy to get the marker and powder down to the bottom of the pearl (no struggling with tweezers either).  The excess embossing powder then falls right off and you are left with a nice clean edge.  The embossing powder did stick to the cutting board but does clean off relatively easy.

Tip Two:  Speaking of shiny, metallic paper.....5,000,000 photos later, I decided that perhaps I should google a solution to keep the metallic paper from reflecting everything in it's path.  Simple solution - hold a light colored piece of paper in front of the card while it is being photographed to avoid the reflective paper picking up everything from the sofa to the living room window!

Want to play along with this cool color challenge?  Head on over to the The Minty Fresh Challenge at the Moxie Fab World, check out the sweet photos that Cath has posted for our browsing pleasure and then link up your project.  Hurry though, cuz the deadline is September 3rd!

Happy crafting!

CFC66 - SPLISH SPLASH

CFC66 - "Create a project featuring something you might see in or at the ocean"

Our summer has been quite busy so I haven't had time to play along with some of my favorite challenges.  Hubby went fishing (yum yum - fresh Pickerel for dinner tonight) so I had the whole day to spend in my craft room!

I used my SU Tasteful Trims die to make the waves using the reverse of the scalloped edge.  The fish is a free digi stamp is 'origin unknown'.  The 'splashes' of water are bits of a Sizzix Scribbles & Swirls die. The worm is hand drawn and the wee hook (look close, it is there) is a piece of jewellery wire.  Notice that it is a 'barbless' hook.  Conserve/Preserve....gotta do our part to sustain the walleye (Pickerel) population!

I think that I got a bit carried away with the Crystal effects....started with the worm, then the 'splashes' of water....and then the waves!  No doubt the 'wet look' was more than achieved here :)

My intentions were to play along with the ColorQ 150 challenge as well but I missed the entry deadline (awe darn!).  This card was inspired by these sweet colors:

Check out the dazzling array of DT talent as well as all the amazing entries as the CAS-ual Fridays blog.

Happy crafting!

Unscripted Sketch #172 - Piggyback Color Challenge (Optional)

Wow!  These colors were truly a challenge....but in a good way!  Having to step away from my favorite 'same old, same old' colors was actually easier than I thought!  

The sketch came together easily but trying to find colors close enough to the challenge colors was tricky!  I pulled out all my scraps and laid everything down on the floor, trying to find the right hue.  Kind of like matching up a pair of socks in the dark!  In the end, the brown proved to be the most challenging.....the sentiment fixed that!

I am a bit unsettled with the balance of this card, specifically the bottom half.  If I wouldn't have glued the flower stems down so well, I would have re-positioned them so that they criss-crossed about 1/2 inch higher than where they do on the card.  Not a biggie, but I think it would have taken care of that 'gap' near the bottom.  I did try 'squishing' in an extra leaf or two, but the result looked 'squished'....imagine that?  

Remember the piggyback is optional.  Give it a try if you want.  If not, then use the sketch alone to create to your heart's content.  Don't forget to share your creations with us! Just click to link  

Happy crafting!

Unscripted Sketches #171

Hey there! So glad that you stopped by :)

I was inspired by Ardyth's card that she posted last week.  This woman is amazing! There is not a day that goes by that a new card (or two or three) is posted on her blog.  Her work is clean & simple and her color selection is always, ALWAYS something that I just want to copy! Check it out folks - you will not be disappointed!

I just peeked in on some of the submissions from our ubber talented DT at Unscripted Sketches. You are going to be so inspired by their creations.  So, show us your stuff gals.  Just click to link!

Happy crafting!

Unscripted Sketches #170

.... hmmm, I must be stuck on the animal thing....

When I initially looked at this sketch I thought about masking and dauber inking to create either a rainbow type pattern, a sunset or sunrise, or a hilly landscape scene.  Obviously that idea didn't happen!

This fun stamp set caught my eye, particularly the shape of the vine....a perfect fit for the sketch.  It took several (seriously at least 10 tries) to get the elements lined up so that I was happy with the balance.

We have been having an incredible stretch of ridiculously hot & humid weather here in central Manitoba.  The heat is okay but the humidity is quite unbearable.  Time for some cool weather and rain.  I am watering my plants twice a day - poor things are suffering from this heat as well (or at least I think they are).

Hope you have time to play along with the sketch this week at Unscripted Sketches.  Pop on over to the blog and check out the eye candy that the rest of the DT has created just for your inspiration!

Happy crafting everyone!