Sketch Saturday (#717)

Well, it's official! I am on the Sketch Saturday Design Team. And I'm excited to share my first project! 

If you've followed me at all, you know how many times I suggest using a card sketch to get your creative juices flowing. It works for me every time. I had a lot of fun with this sketch!

Using a die from Tim Holtz (665856) and a Stampin' Up! Set (Snowman Season), I created this little wintery card.

We would love to have you play along! Just click below to go to the Sketch Saturday Blog for all the details on how you can play along, along with some awesome inspiration from the Design Team.

Sketch Saturday 717

Til next time,

Keepin' it inky!

COMING SOON!

I have a surprise coming soon….stay tuned! 

In the meantime, here are a couple of recent cards I’ve done.

Til next time, 

Keepin’ it ink

y!

Masculine Birthday Card - Easy Peasy!

I am hanging out in my craft space today to get a few things straightened up, sorted out, and put away. As I was doing that, I came across this card I meant to post a few weeks back. Better late than never, I guess. 

I know a lot of us struggle with masculine birthday cards. This classy card is both masculine and simple.

I had been wanting to do some old page backgrounds, so I went to my local book resaler and bought an old yellowed dictionary for a quarter. I snagged a page out of there and went to town distressing. It was a thin paper so I had to be a little tender with it. I first crumpled the stank out of it. Before flattening it out, I gently swiped some ink over the top of it. I kept with browns and grays for this project. I flattened out the paper and recrumpled it. After gently smoothing it out (just a bit) I added a little darker shade of ink, just gently swiping over the raised areas. Using a light tan, I further aged the paper by brushing a little ink across the edges of the paper. 

Once I was satisfied with the grunge-level, I attached it to a piece of kraft colored cardstock cut slightly larger than my page panel. That was attached to a black A2 card base. I added a sprig I cut from the Taylored Expressions Branch Out die set. I embossed the sentiment with white powder on black cardstock, trimmed it down, and attached it to a piece of kraft cardstock the width of the card.

For the inside of the card, I kept it basic and simple (most masculine cards don't have a lot of flare it seems).

I just stamped a simple sentiment on kraft cardstock and attached it to the inside of the card. The kraft paper is light enough that a personal note can easily be added with any type of pen.

Well, now that I've shared this card with you, I think I am less inspired to finish my craft room straightening/sorting and focus on some more craft (minus the room) projects.

Til next time,

Keepin' it inky!

IN THE ABSTRACT: PLAYING WITH A NEW KIT FROM TAYLORED EXPRESSIONS

I got this kit recently and I am absolutely smitten with it. I kept looking at it when it first came out and telling myself that I certainly did not need another set of stamps, dies or stencils. But I kept being drawn to it and thinking about it and, every time I saw it, couldn't believe how much I really liked it. So....yeah, no will power for creative things that move me. I ordered it.

And I am so happy I did.

I have been playing with the stencils (which includes both the stencil AND the masks), dies (yes, I had to order the add-on because they are so awesome), and stamps (some with abstract designs and some with the sweetest sentiments). Also included in the kit were some beautiful envelopes, seals, and tiny little gems. All packaged in a cool zippered pouch for storage. (And, no, I am not selling them, nor do I get any kind of benefit from this post...I just simply love this set and felt the need to share my enthusiasm.)

So are you ready to see my first 4 cards?

All background inks used were Distress Oxides applied with a brush. The sentiments were stamped with Gina K Amalgam Ink. The cardstock I used was heavyweight white and black (Recollections). Glue used was Gina K Connect. 

I had so much creative fun putting these together. My mind just went free. I only glued close to the stem on the dies so that there was a little movement in them when attached. They create a lot of depth and dimension.

I had a difficult time picking a favorite, but it may be last one. Do you have a favorite? I'd love to hear in the comments. 

Til next time,

Keepin' it inky.

#tayloredexpressions

#intheabstract

Tone it Down with Vellum

 I've been playing in my craft room again. I'm trying to use up some of the massive quantities of paper I've collected over the years. I love this delightfully sunny paper pack I used today, but one of the patterns was just a little too bold. So I toned it down with vellum.

You see those blue roses? They were just a bit too busy. But the colors were perfect. To tone it down, I cut a piece of vellum the same width but lightly longer than the patterned paper panel. I scored fold lines at the top and bottom, wrapped the vellum to the back and secured it with tape. That way there is no glue or tape spots showing through the vellum.

I followed one of my favorite card sketches for the inspiration for this card. Here are all the supplies I used:

This card was made for a very dear friend. So I needed something a little snarky on the inside. The sentiments from this Technique Tuesday set are awesome!

(BTW, she loved the card)

I'll be back later with another set of cards I created with a new stamp set I just got. But for now,

Til next time,

Keepin' it inky!