Red & White Snowflake Card

I have been working endlessly on the weekends to create Christmas cards and I love it when I sit down and inspiration hits and the card comes together quickly (which is what happened when I made this card). I began by dry embossing the white snowflake background and then used punched maroon snowflakes on top of the panel. I used a word document to print my sentiment and added a bit of twine for an accent.

Snowflakes on Split Front Panel

I am sharing another Christmas card and this one has a split or space in the front panel. I covered each part of the front panel with a multi patterned background which I recycled from the cover of a pad of paper. Since the pattern has a lot  maroon in it, I punched maroon snowflakes and used them to attached the two pieces of the front panel. I like the design of the card base and how quickly the card came together so I know I will be creating similar projects. Thanks for stopping by and taking a peak at my card!

Jingle Bell Card

Yesterday I posted a Christmas card with the same type of fold that I used on today's card. Once folded there are five panels. I kept the card clean and simple and only added embellishments to three of the five panels. I added hanging jingle bells to the center and  kept the largest jingle bell stationary with some 3D adhesive. The two smaller bells are hanging loosely. I can see myself using this folding technique again and again and it is easily accomplished. For a how to video go to  Debbie's Designs.

Thanks for stopping by and taking a peak at today's card!

November at The Sketch File

It's a new month which means that we are ready to introduce you to the new sketch at The Sketch File.  It's a fun sketch and it inspired me to create this Christmas card with a unique fold. I had seen the folding technique at Debbie's Designs. I was eager to try the folding technique and wanted to incorporate our current sketch. I hope you will take a few minutes to create a card or two with the sketch and share it with us.

Final Card for October Sketch

Tonight I'm sharing one final card based on the October Sketch at The Sketch File. Kathy has also posted a card to help inspire you. If you are feeling creative and want to play along with us, we'd love to see what you create with the sketch. Sorry for such a quick post, but I am exhausted. I've put in another very long day at work. Tomorrow will be another long day, so I've got to get plenty of rest.

October Sketch

Lately I feel like I can't take a decent photo. It is driving me crazy. I have tried in various parts of the house, outside and even in the car! I just can't seem to get the lighting right. So, I apologize for the photo, but hope it won't discourage you from taking a peek at this month's sketch and playing along with us at The Sketch File. I have adapted the sketch as you can see and Kathy and I encourage you to do so as well. I'm not sure you can tell from the photo, but I started with a 5"x7" card base and folded the front panel toward the fold at 2.5". I am loving this fold and have been creating several cards with this pattern.

October at The Sketch File

I am working like a crazy woman trying to get my Christmas cards done. I think I have about 55 out of 85 complete which isn't too bad at this point. This card is inspired by our October sketch at The Sketch File. Kathy and I hope you will join us and share a card or two.  As always the sketch will be up for the entire month.  I have folded this card a bit differently. I started with a 5"x7" card base and folded the front panel at 2.5". I attached the holly patterned paper to the front fold and added the details. I like this fold and will be revisiting it again and again. I hope you can still see the sketch in this card and I must apologize for the dark photo. I am always challenged when it comes to photographing a card that has a lot of white on it!

Introducing the OCTOBER SKETCH

It's time to introduce the newest sketch at The Sketch File. The October sketch will be available all month and we hope you will find time to create something based on the sketch. Kathy has provided a few versions of the sketch to encourage you to resize, rotate, flip, shrink, enlarge and generally have fun with the sketch.  

I have decided to focus on Christmas cards and I'm sharing this one with candy canes. I've used dry embossing for the snowflake background and used  a punch to create the boughs. The candy canes are handcut from red cardstock. I used paint to add the white stripes. After I had finished adhering all the bits and pieces, I regretted that I didn't make the candy canes larger and more of a focal point. 

Last Week in September

As we head into the last week in September, I have one more card to share with you. Once again I have used the September sketch from The Sketch File. It has been an interesting and inspiring sketch to work with and I am happy that it lent itself so well to yet another Christmas card. I am seriously behind on my Christmas cards and hope that I have the time, energy and creative inspiration to finish about another 30 or so before Christmas is upon us. The sketch has multiple layers to play with and Kathy and I want to encourage you to use the sketch and share your creation with us at The Sketch File. Here are a few versions of the sketch:

September Sketch @ The Sketch File

 I'm sharing another card inspired by our current sketch at The Sketch File. The September sketch has multiple layers. Initially I found it a bit challenging but the more I've worked with it, the more creative I felt. My favorite part of this card is the layer under the flower. I started with a circle, cut around the outside edge toward the center and then trimmed off the edges at an angle. I think it gave the flower more of a focus.  Unfortunately, the photo didn't come out well. It's hard to tell that the lighter areas are light green. They look gray on my computer. Sorry for the poor quality. If I had a lot more energy, I would make another attempt at getting a better photo but the day has already been too long. Here's the sketch: enlarge it, shrink it, rotate it and have fun!

Catching Up

Tonight I realized that I hadn't posted the SEPTEMBER sketch for the The Sketch File.  I had written the post, but just never posted. So the previous card is one that should have been posted last Tuesday. Of course, that means I'm running a week behind. It doesn't surprise me. I have been so busy with work that I am having a hard time remembering things. After spending 12 or more hours a day at work, it is hard to come home and think of anything else except resting.  I hope you enjoy Kathy's sketch and feel inspired by our cards. Please post your creation with us at The Sketch File.

September Sketch @ The Sketch File

I made this card for my niece. She has recently headed off for her first year at a university and I thought she'd like to hear from family. The layout for the card was inspired by the newest sketch at The Sketch File.  The September sketch is one of Kathy's multi-layer sketches. I hope you are feeling inspired and will join us this month. We'd love to see what you do with the sketch. Feel free to enlarge bits and pieces of it, shrink them or rotate or flip the sketch. HAVE FUN!

Feeling Inspired Yet?

Please join us over at The Sketch File. We have a fun sketch to create with and we hope you will feel inspired to use it. Both Kathy and I have been using the sketch to create cards to further inspire you. This week my card has a Christmas theme. Normally, I have all my Christmas cards created by now, but I am really behind this year. My job is just taking too much time these days. I am putting in 11 hour days (5 or 6 days a week) and come home feeling quite fatigued. I look forward to the weekends, especially the ones when I am not expected to work on Saturday.  HERE ARE THE SKETCHES WE'VE BEEN USING ALL MONTH LONG....I hope you feel inspired.

Stamped Cattails

Won't you join us at The Sketch File? We're keeping our sketch up all month long and both Kathy and I are sharing cards to offer inspiration. I created this card with a male recipient in mind. I used various shades of brown and stamped the image of the cattails with a brown ink as well.

August @ The Sketch File

Thank goodness I have had an opportunity to get some crafting done. Work lately has been stressful and it is good to get away from it all with a bit of crafting. I have been enjoying the challenge that our current sketch offers, It's one of those sketches that allows for simple, clean cards. As you can see I have kept my card simple and decided to use  a Christmas theme.  I used two different snowflake punches and added the twine and decorative edge to pull it all together.  I hope you find the time to craft this week and will be inspired by our current sketch at The Sketch File. I will be looking forward to seeing what you create with it.

  

August @ The Sketch File

August has arrived which means it's time to share our newest sketch. Each month at The Sketch File we introduce a new sketch. We keep the sketch up throughout the month and hope you will have time to visit us and play along. As with all of our sketches, feel free to modify it by shrinking parts, enlarging, rotating or flipping it. We'd love to see what you create.

My card was inspired by the sketch and the dark green Christmas ribbon with kittens. I didn't add a lot of other detail. I wanted to keep the card clean and simple.

JULY @ The Sketch File: Floral Card

As we wind down the month of July, I am sharing one more card inspired by our July Sketch. Kathy and I have enjoyed creating cards to inspire you and hope you will take a few moments to craft a card and share it with us at The Sketch File. As with all the sketches we share, you can make adjustments to the sketch by shrinking, enlarging, rotating, flipping parts of it and generally making it work for your project. We're looking forward to seeing your clever creation! By the way, Kathy also provides a few different versions of the sketch.

Better Late Than Never

I am so far behind on so many levels! I was planning to post this card last Tuesday. My only real excuse is that I have been putting in far too many hours at work and when I get home at night, looking at the computer is the last thing I feel like doing. I have promised myself to leave work on time this week (4:30 instead of 7:00). I hope I can swing it! 

This card is based on the July sketch at The Sketch File. We are using the same layout all month long and hope that you will find time to be creative and use the sketch in some way. See you at The Sketch File!

Let is Snow...July @ the Sketch File

Here is my second card based on our JULY sketch at The Sketch File. I love how simple this card is and that's the beauty of the sketch. You can make a card based on it with loads of detail or keep it very simple. If you hop on over to The Sketch File, you can see how Kathy used the same sketch but added lots of detail to her project. Either way, we hope you will feel inspired and will join us this month. We look forward to seeing what you create with the sketch.