Jar of Fishy Love - HSS249 Sketch Challenge

Pin It Now! Time for another fun sketch at Hand Stamped Sentiments! I'm still lovin' on the Jar of Love bundle, and I've been looking for an excuse to make a card using the cute little fish included in the set. Take a look...

This is my favorite of the two; I made one portrait, as in the sketch, and one flipped landscape.  I usually have to make two cards when doing a challenge - a "starter card" to get moving, then the second one is usually better.

Here's the sketch!

And here's the one that's most like the sketch...

I just love that fishy!  And the 'A Little Foxy' DSP is the perfect backdrop.  The Smoky Slate is a great neutral, and the Calypso Coral pattern is perfect to pair with the fish stamp.  Not too busy!

I had to get a little creative with the doily layer.  One card uses a tree top die from Thoughtful Branches, and the other uses a doily from our Oh Happy Day card kit.  And what do you think of the little bubbles made of pearls?!

Head on over to Hand Stamped Sentiments and check out what everyone has done with this fun sketch!  I'd love it if you played along :)

Rustic & Flower-full Jar of Love HSS247

Pin It Now! A new stamp set is like a cool, sweet breath of fresh air! My latest new purchase is the Jar of Love bundle, and oh, is it fun! And beautiful, and versatile, and easy to use...

I used our latest sketch challenge at Hand Stamped Sentiments as a springboard.

This sketch has loads of potential!

I love that I could add many laters without it getting too bulky.  I think I can still mail this without the extra postage.  No dimensionals here, just layers on layers. 

Don't you love that little bit of patterned paper?  It's from the Festive Birthday DSP pack.  The one with the pinatas?! I love this floral!

Inside, I used the leftover flowers and paper scrap.

Head on over to Hand Stamped Sentiments and give this sketch a go!  I'd love to see what you're up to!

Have a blessed and crafty day!
~Erika

SUPPLIES:
STAMPS: Jar of Love, Hardwood
INK: Crushed Curry, Tempting Turquoise, Pumpkin Pie, Emerald Envy
PAPER: Festive Birthday DSP, Crumb Cake, Whisper White
EMBELLISHMENTS: Basic Pearls, burlap scrap, 1-3/8" circle punch, 1" square punch for banner ends
BIG SHOT: Everyday Jars Framelits Dies

Sweet & Simple Cards with Banner Blessings HSS246

Pin It Now! Hey crafty friend! I'm playing around with the new In Colors this week - I'm still warming up to them - and Hand Stamped Sentiments' latest challenge has given me the boost I need to get a little creative!

I need some nice, mailable cards to lift some spirits this week, and what better stamp set than Banner Blessings?  And Flirty Flamingo is such a happy color!  It pairs with the sentiment perfectly for some happy snail-mail.

The flower stamps are from Birthday Blooms, and I had to fit Dapper Denim in there, so I used it on the sentiment stamp just as an accent.  

Here's the color combo, up close and personal...what do you think?  

I'm glad I didn't stop at one - looking forward to spreading some sunshine this week!
Hope you'll join in at HSS!

SUPPLIES:
STAMPS:  Banner Blessings, Birthday Blooms
INK: Sweet Sugarplum, Flirty Flamingo, Memento Tuxedo Black, Versamark
PAPER: Flirty Flamingo CS & DSP
EMBELLIES: Linen Thread, Sweet Sugarplum Ruched Ribbon, Basic Pearls, Corrugated Paper

Masculine Birthday with Serene Scenery HSS245

Pin It Now! Time for a new challenge at Hand Stamped Sentiments!  This week's challenge is an inspiration collage.

There's so much in this inspiration grouping to choose from, you're sure to be inspired!  I picked out the wooded scene, as well as the colorful background behind the deer in the postage stamp image.  I created a sweet and simple masculine birthday card - I never seem to have a man card when I need one in a pinch! 

I was going to create a watercolored background with several colored ink pads and a blender brush, but then came across this pretty colored background paper from the Serene Scenery 6x6 DSP pad.  It's a water / seashore scene, but the muted colors did well with the color combo I was looking for.  Fast and easy! 

Head on over to Hand Stamped Sentiments and check out the design team samples and our fellow participants!

This Christmas - I'll Be Ready!

Pin It Now! So, it's only 218 days til' Christmas!  It's never too early to prep.
My youngest & I go walking as often as possible around a park loop, and we have the tradition of playing Christmas music on Pandora, even in the dog days of summer.  It really got me in the mood for Christmas cards.

I went looking for a sketch challenge to start with, and noticed that Freshly Made Sketches and Sunday Stamps have similar layouts this week.  So, I thought I'd take the same elements and make one card for each sketch.

I've used new SU DSP called This Christmas, and a retired and perfectly gorgeous stamp, Prince of Peace.

I love both sketches! Circles are my favorite element. Please visit them and check out all the fantastic inspiration!

I'm just tickled to have two Christmas cards to add to my very small stash!

Oh Happy Day Card Kit Alternate / HSS243 Sketch

Pin It Now! Hey crafty friend!  Are you staying cool?  Here in the NC mountains it's only 80 degrees today...aaaahhh. Much nicer than my home state of MD, where my Mom tells me it's 102.

Nice day to make a card, indoors, right?!

Here's a card I made using the Oh Happy Day card kit.  I used the elements from one of the cards pictured in the instructions, and tweaked it to fit the sketch for Hand Stamped Sentiments.

Here's the sketch!

I added Basic Black cardstock for a larger base, cut the card in half and layered the solid back of the card with the patterned front.  Added a piece of coordinating paper from By the Shore DSP, and a fancier ribbon (Gold Natural Trim) than the baker's twine that's included with the kit.  

The kit is fantastic, but I like to beef up the smaller cards! 

Head over to Hand Stamped Sentiments and see what's new!

Honeycomb Happiness Birthday Celebration HSS232

Pin It Now! I went searching for a birthday card last week for a girlfriend - specifically a pink birthday card.  And can you even fathom that I have NO pink birthday cards? For real? I fixed it with this sweet and simple little watercolored balloon card using Honeycomb Happiness from our current Sale-A-Bration.

I incorporated our current sketch at Hand Stamped Sentiments - it's a good one!

I kept the card simple, as I plan to mail more cards this year than I probably have over all my cardmaking years combined.  This is the year that I bless people with a greeting.  It doesn't have to be fancy.  It just has to get done.

Inside...from Birthday Blooms.  I love how it matches the cursive wood embellishment on the front.

Thanks for stopping by!
SUPPLIES:
STAMPS: Honeycomb Happiness, Birthday Blooms
INK: Memento Black, Island Indigo, Pool Party, Blushing Bride
PAPER:  Birthday Bouquet DSP, Blushing Bride, Whisper White, Corrugated Paper
EMBELLISHMENTS:  Expressions Natural Elements, Gold Sequin Trim, Metallic Gold Thread,

Honeycomb Happiness & Bloomin' Love for HSS230

Pin It Now! It's about time for creating Valentines!  Love the soft pink and blue of Blushing Bride & Soft Sky.  Using the latest sketch from Hand Stamped Sentiments, here's my first Valentine of 2016 :D  But scroll all the way down, there are 2 cards for this sketch!

The sketch: Click on the pic to visit HSS for more inspiration!

I love this suite from the Spring Mini! Not just for Valentine's Day, this one can be used just for an all occasion card for a friend.  

I thought the sketch was so much fun, I decided to make one more with it! 

How do you like this SWEET chick?!  It would make anyone's day brighter. Honeycomb Happiness is a Sale-A-Bration set that you can get for FREE with any $50 order.  I'll be making a bunch of cards up with this fun set. I'm thinkin' Easter...

Don't forget to check out Hand Stamped Sentiments for this quick and easy sketch!  I'd love to see what you do!

SUPPLY LIST:

STAMPS: Honeycomb Happiness, Bloomin' Love

Birthday Blooms in Watercolor HSS229

Pin It Now!

Hey crafty friend! Today I'm sharing a watercolored card with a beautiful new stamp set from the Spring Occasions Mini, Birthday Blooms.  It's just perfect for our current color combo over at Hand Stamped Sentiments. 

Using an aqua painter and ink pads, the colors are layered to create deeper and lighter shades on the petals and leaves, and Sahara Sand is washed all around the image to give it depth.  Our Sahara Sand lace trim is perfect to finish it off! 

Definitely a new favorite stamp set!  

SUPPLIES:
STAMPS: Birthday Blooms
INK: Elegant Eggplant, Always Artichoke, Sahara Sand, Memento Black
PAPER: Watercolor Paper, Sahara Sand CS, Elegant Eggplant CS
ACCESSORIES: Sahara Sand Lace Trim, Vintage Faceted Button, Linen Thread, Basic Rhinestones