Tuesday Morning Sketch Challenge #145: Unlock Your Future

Happy Tuesday, Friends! It's Tuesday Morning Sketch Challenge time, again! This week is our judged challenge with a twist: use die cut(s).  Stamping Scrapping is our generous sponsor, and our own Kathy Curry has come up with a fantastic sketch for this challenge.

I'm using the CR84FN53 color palette of pink, aqua, and neutral:

My niece is graduating from high school this month, and I wanted to make her a card, but I wanted it to be something soft and feminine, rather than academically-themed. 

I turned the sketch sideways, and made it rectangular rather than square. Then, I layered several different die cuts, sponging Distress Ink on the edges for a vintage look, and topped it off with a lock stamp from Our Craft Lounge. I used a deckle ruler to tear the edges of the stamped layer, cut the lock openings with a craft knife, then further distressed it with ink. I used a brick design embossing folder for the bg paper, which I sewed along the edges before adhering to the card base.

Here's a peek at the inside:

The "unlock" sentiment is one I created in Word, printed onto a transparency, then rubbed onto the cs. I used three different Our Craft Lounge stamp sets for the key, flourish, and congrats sentiment (they're listed below). 

Okay! Ready to play? Well, head on over to the Tuesday Morning Sketches blog, where you'll find all the rules, the linking tool, and lots of fab inspiration by the rest of the DT! Then get all creative with your own project--remember this is our judged challenge! I can't wait to see what you create!

I'll be entering this card in these challenges:
CR84FN Color Challenge 53: Pink, Aqua, Neutral
Great Impressions Rubber Stamps Challenge #3: Anything Goes
The Emerald Fairies Challenge #23: Anything Goes


~Hugs,

 

Stamps: Under Lock & Key, Say It Big, In Flight (Our Craft Lounge)
Paper: Cafe Mediterranean (DCWV); Love Next (My Mind's Eye); Just Chillin' (Making Memories); kraft cs
Ink: Distress Ink; Memento
Dies: Fair Isle Pendant, Ironwork Accents, Bird Flourishes (Spellbinders)
Accessories: Scallop Dot Edge Punch (Martha Stewart); Bricked embossing folder (Sizzix); ribbon (Michaels); Stickles; Enamel Accents; sewing thread; foam dots
Size: A2 (4.25" x 5.5")

Thanks for visiting my blog!

To have Ink Up delivered to your inbox,

subscribe in the box at the top right of the page.

So Happy Bouquet

Hi Friends! I hope you are all having a great weekend. It's ballet recital weekend here, and we're having a weekend guest, so we're staying busy; therefore, I'll be brief.

This is a congratulatory card, suitable for a wedding, anniversary, graduation, even a birthday--any kind of celebration. 

I colored the image with Sharpie markers, and shaded the bg inside the die with chalk.

The navy layer was embossed with a Textile Texture embossing folder, and I used a text background stamp for the lavender layer.

I used a Garden Trellis border punch on the inside of the card, to match the front, and left plenty of room for personalization.

I'll be entering this card in the following challenges:

Crazy 4 Challenges 135 C4C135: Gardening or the Great Outdoors
Creative Craft Challenges2: Anything Goes
Moving Along With the Times: Summer Sunshine

Thanks for stopping by today, and enjoy the rest of your weekend!

~Hugs,

 

Stamps: Bouquet (Studio 112); Playful Expressions (TPC Studio); Text Distressing (Glitz)
Ink: Sharpie markers; Colorbox
Dies: Labels Large, Labels Four (Spellbinders)
Accessories: Garden Trellis border punch (Martha Stewart); Textile Texture embossing folder (Cuttlebug); Word Tags punch (McGill); chalk; rhinestones; ribbon (Michaels); foam dots
Size: A6 (4.5" x 6.25")

Thanks for visiting my blog!

To have Ink Up delivered to your inbox,

subscribe in the box at the top right of the page.

Tuesday Morning Sketch Challenge #144: Friendship

Hi Friends! Ready for another fun Tuesday Morning Sketch? Here you go...

Marie always creates fun sketches, and our fantastic sponsor this week is Ribbon Carousel. Now, who couldn't use a little more ribbon, right?

Hope all the bright colors aren't too blinding. :)

Here's are a few close ups. I used my paper crimper on the little purple rectangles behind the three small images, and I colored the flowers and butterflies with Copic markers.

I treated the inside panel exactly like the image panel on the front of the card, with a background stamp and sponging on the edges--just making it large enough to fill the inside. I decided not to use a sentiment inside, to give more room for personalization. 

I hope you'll play along with us this week. For lots more inspiration, you can find links to the DT's blogs at Tuesday Morning Sketches, and that's also where you can link up your creation. Can't wait to see what you come up with!

I'll be entering this card in the following challenges:

Emergency Crafters: Bold & Bright

Simon Says Stamp: Anything Goes

Creative Craft Challenges2: Anything Goes

Thanks so much for stopping by! Have a great week!!!

~Hugs,

 

Stamps: Sweet Days of Summer (Flourishes); Dots & Flowers Background Stamp (Hero Arts)
Paper: Summer Song (My Mind's Eye)
Ink: Distress Ink; Colorbox; Stampabilities; Copics
Dies: Classic Rectangles Sm & Lg, Classic Scalloped Rectangles Sm, Parisian Accents (Spellbinders)
Accessories: Ribbon (Michaels); rhinestones; Corner Chomper; Paper Crimper
Size: A2 (4.25" x 5.5")

Thanks for visiting my blog!

To have Ink Up delivered to your inbox,

subscribe in the box at the top right of the page.

Our Craft Lounge--April Artist of the Month: And a Little Flower

Hi Friends, and Happy Monday to You!!! I've certainly been loving my Monday's this past month, but sadly, this is Week 5 of the Our Craft Lounge April Artist of the Month series, which means it's my last week there. :( And, here's my final AOM card:

To make this card, I used the May 2012 Week 1 Viva la Verve Sketch, turning it for a vertical cardbase. I sponged the edges of all the pieces with black Distress Ink and matted them on black cs. On the bg layer, I stamped a flourish and dot pattern from the In Flight stamp set.

I absolutely love all the stamps in the In Flight stamp set, but this is my favorite one. All those curlicues and ruffly wings feel so feminine. I stamped the butterfly on the Labels One panel, and again on another piece of white cs. I colored both butterflies, then fussy cut the extra one and glued the body of it to the other butterfly on the Labels One panel. I used black rhinestones for the head and antennae.

Here's the inside:

I used more of the black and white ribbon on the inside of the card and stamped another pretty flourish from the In Flight stamp set at the bottom.

Thanks, again, Kendra, Cami, and the entire Our Craft Lounge DT, for letting me join you this month. It was truly a fantastic experience!

And, thanks, to you, for stopping by. Have a fab week!

I'll be entering this card in the following challenges:

Viva la Verve May 2012 Week 1

Flourishes Timeless Tuesday #166: Bingo (pink, ribbon, die cut)

Little Darlings Challenge #22: Flowers

Moving Along With the Times: Garden or Flowers

Emergency Crafters: Bold and Bright

~Hugs,

 

Stamps: In Flight (Our Craft Lounge)
Paper: Out of Print (Basic Grey)
Ink: Distress Ink; Memento; Copics
Dies: Labels One (Spellbinders)
Accessories: Rhinestones; ribbon (Taylored Expressions); flower (Recollections)
Size: A2 (4.25" x 5.5")

Thanks for visiting my blog!

To have Ink Up delivered to your inbox,

subscribe in the box at the top right of the page.

Lavender Daisy and a Tote

Hello again...I'm baaaack! I've got one more card to share with you today, as well as a sewing project. I'll start with the sewing project, as I only have one photo for that.


I made this quilted tote bag for a friend I met when I first started my blog, about nine months ago--Hi, Heather! (I posted a similar tote bag here, where you can also find a link for the free pattern, but I used French seams inside this one so the seam edges are enclosed.) Heather probably has no idea how much she helped me back then, answering all kinds of questions, critiquing my blog, and giving me encouragement when I thought I was never going to get blogging or cardmaking figured out. I've still got a lot to learn, but at least now I know it's not impossible. Thanks for getting me through the hardest part, Girl!!! Couldn't have done it without you! :D I'll get this in the mail to you on Monday.


Now on to the card.

I used the colors from The Play Date Cafe Challenge #129, of Dusk, Magenta, and Seedling--a luscious palette!

I stamped the daisy with Staz On ink, then used chalk and a wet paintbrush to color it. The edges of the image panel were torn with a deckle ruler, then I sponged Distress Ink on it. The lavender and green panels are all dry embossed. The bg layer was embossed with a Sizzix embossing plate. It's subtle, but you can see the squares if you look closely.

I made an envelope for this card using my Martha Stewart Scoreboard. Because the paper is patterned, I added pieces of solid cardstock for the mailing address and return address, and the scalloped border is decorative.

The inside is partially lined with paper that coordinates with the card. I really like making matching envelopes for my cards, but they are too time-consuming to do it often. 

Well, that will do it for me tonight.

I'll be entering this card in the following challenges:

Play Date Cafe Challenge PDCC129: Dusk Magenta, Seedling

Simon Says Stamp: Anything Goes

Moving Along with the Times: Garden or Flowers

Pixie Dust Studio Challenge #124: Embossing

Little Darlings Challenges: Flower Challenge

Thanks for stopping by...again! :)

~Hugs,

 

Stamps: Watercolor Daisy (Hampton Art)
Paper: Best of Brenda Walton (K&Co); watercolor paper
Ink: Distress Ink; Staz On
Accessories: Chalk; deckle ruler; Real Estate Sign Large punch, Scallop Diamond Edge punch (EK Success); Corner Chomper; Swiss Dot embossing folder, Script Texture embossing folder (Cuttlebug); Squares embossing plate (Sizzix); twine (The Twinery); foam dots; scoreboard (for envelope)
Size: A6 (4.5" x 6.25")

Thanks for visiting my blog!

To have Ink Up delivered to your inbox,

subscribe in the box at the top right of the page.