I am always on a mission to use patterned paper from the stash. I rarely buy it now, but there is so much from my early card making days...and some so pretty!
I had a small section of the floral and gold paper, and added some pink paper from Charlotte, a CTMH set probably nearly ten years old . Oh, my. But with a foiled sentiment from Gina K Designs and a little confetti bling I have a pretty card.
I hope you will be inspired to try this sketch and link up to AHSC.
The Japanese art of mending broken things with gold is so beautiful. I have been trying to write a note to a friend who is feeling quite broken right now, and as I was looking at some of my origami papers from Japan, the inspiration for what to write became clear. You can read about kintsugi below.
My card uses the sketch from #698 challenge at Freshly Made Sketches. I ink blended on a piece of card and then drew a vase shape with a black pen. Using a Zig glue pen, I drew some 'broken' lines on it, then pressed with foil. I cut a Leafy Branch die from gold and trimmed it down to go in the vase.
"The philosophy of kintsugi applies to change by encouraging us to view the rebuilding of our lives after change through a lens of compassion and acceptance, recognizing that the cracks and repairs in relationships, careers, and personal well-being are not signs of failure but evidence of our human vulnerability and our courage to mend what has been broken.
In honoring our imperfections and the journey to mend them, we celebrate the unique beauty that emerges from our efforts to heal and grow. Kintsugi teaches us that in the act of repairing, we are engaging in an act of transformation, creating something more meaningful, more resilient, and even more beautiful than before."
The sister challenge at Double Trouble has a 'spotlight technique' option which of inspired my card in a way. I used Spellbinder's Air Mail layered stencil for the background panel. The envelope and some of the greenery is from an older Mama Elephant die set. I added a flower and another leafy bit from other dies in my stash. Before adhering the flowers and greens, I stamped some script on the inside of the envelope with Gina K Elegant Script Background. The sentiment is from a Gina K All Occasions set. I added some silver gel pen and confetti.
I hope you will play along!
Time for a new sketch at
Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge
and this is my DT inspiration for you. My card uses the Potted Shelves Mini-delight set from Altenew.
I stenciled the background with Gina K Designs Decorative Double using Sandy Beach ink. I ran the darker piece through my crimper. Wow! That's an ancient tool I haven't used in a while. I did a bit of texture stamping on the back panel of Desert Storm card stock.
It was super relaxing to piece together these cute little plants. Hope to see your take on this sketch at AHSC.
My card today was inspired by challenge #295 at AAA Cards. I used a Spellbinder's layering stencil for the waves, and a MFT stencil for clouds. Inks are Simon Says Stamp Sea Foam, Surf, and Ocean. The stamped silhouette image and sentiment are from a very old Close To My Heart set. So I used Summer + Colors from the challenge game.
My friend brought a stunning bouquet of flowers from her garden the other day. She has an talent for growing and arranging - and sharing. I made this card today to thank her.
I used Gina K Designs floral stencil inked with Peach Bellini, Coral Reef, Jelly Bean and Asparagus inks. The panel was cut with her die and then I used the frame stencil to create borders and placed the layering stencils over that. I left the frame stencil on and added a light blending of Sea Glass to each of the spaces. The sentiment was from another of her sets, Postage and More set for little stamped elements, and the card base in Peach Bellini. I really love using large floral stencils this way.
Linking to Just Us Girls #785 Stencil Week
Inspired by Freshly Made Sketches #696. I used a piece of a panel I made with an embossing folder wax paper/ ink resist technique and a small die I've had in my stash for a long time. The sentiment and coffee beans are from Gina K Designs, Coffee Critters set.
I changed up the shape of the center pieces using stitched square dies from My Favorite Things. and added stitching to the side triangular panels with a stitched border lines set. The stencil is Tumbling Leaves from Simon Says Stamp inked in Jelly Bean and Fresh Asparagus.
Challenge #638 at Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge begins today!
I wanted to create my own plaid background so I inked up the Diagonal Stripes background stamp from Gina K Designs and inked it in pink. I then turned the paper one turn and inked again in peach.
The card base is Innocent Pink. I cut panels using Master Layouts 4 &5. The sentiment is from Gina K All At Once-All Occasion set.
I added a little flower and some sequins to finish it off. Hope you will join the fun at AHSC.
Going around in circles? Why, yes :-)
Inspiration from Freshly Made Sketches #694 today. This cute little Mama Elephant stamp and die set just always makes me smile. It's been around my craft room for a long time. I colored with pencils. The embossing folder is also an oldie - Provo Craft Spots & Dots.
I began with a gel print made a little while ago, and added some gold embossing with some circles from my CTMH stash of stamps and Elegant Script Background stamp from Gina K Designs.
The sentiment is from Gina K, Blooming Sunflower set.
Though it appears monochromatic, this is card did use several colors of paint (pink, red, white, brown) with stencils, two added images and metallic as well - meeting the "Inky Pinky" challenge of our sister blog Double Trouble. You can see their challenge graphic below.
Inspired by the sketch challenge #758 at Just Add Ink and challenge #274 at Tic Tac Toe.
My card used some Spellbinders floral die cuts, the Booming Butterfly stamp and die from Gina K, and the rosette die cut from Master Layout 14. I repurposed the inside of some mailing paper for the black and white behind the rosette die cut. I did add just a touch of color with pencil and Gamsol and a few dots of white gel pen.
Taking some inspiration from Gina K friends, and using The Great Outdoors set from this month's kit. I created this for a dear friend who loves golf and the great outdoors. I cut some postage stamps using Master Layout 4, masked off the edges and ink blended some sky and hills before stamping the images in Versafine Onyx Black ink. I added a few details from the Postage and More set. The back panel was embossed with Linen folder from Altenew.
This little set (Tall Stems) by Gina K Designs is just sweet and elegant. I really love the delicate lines and font. I added some border details with a MFT die that has been in my stash for a long time (Basic Stitch Lines). I colored with Prismacolor pencils. Inspiration from challenge #693 at Freshly Made Sketches and Addicted to CAS #286.
I used the Watercolor Stripes stencil from Altenew with Lipstick ink from Gina K, and Pear from CTMH for the background.
Happy Summer everyone! Come play along at
Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge!
Inspired by Freshly Made Sketches #692
I have used a brand new layering stencil from Spellbinder's June 2025 club, Rolling Tide, inked with Altenew's Lapis Lazuli color set. The fish were stamped, colored with Copics, and fussy cut. The fish and sentiment are from a CTMH set, Under the Sea, that has been in my stash for about fifteen years!
is a simple center fold card. I used some linen card stock from my scrap box for the side panels. They were dry embossed with Spellbinder's Branching Out folder. The circle frames were cut with Gina K Master Layouts 5 & 7, and then I used the smaller circle to cut from my stenciled piece for the centers. Spellbinder's Mosaic & Quilted layering stencil has two designs included, and I think this is the Mosaic one. It has three layers. The sentiment was silver embossed from Gina K's All At Once- All Occasion set. A few silver confetti pieces were added.
Please join the fun at Try A Sketch On Tuesday (the challenge runs from June 24-July 6), and also check out our sister challenge blog Double Trouble for more fun and inspiration.
Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge!
Don't be afraid of this. I actually took a 4 1/4 x 5 1/2 piece of scrap paper and drew the shapes in to fit, then measured them. I selected four patterned papers from my black folder and then cut putting the little pieces on the 'pattern' to keep them organized. After gluing them down to a 4.25x5.5 piece of card stock, I felt it needed the pop of a black mat, so trimmed tiny bits off the sides. The sentiment is from Gina K Delicate Flowers. This was fun, and I have included my template below. Have a go with your pretty scraps!! Link up and show us your creation at AHSC
Love how these delicate looking flowers pack a gorgeous scent!
This is just the first outing with Gina K Designs Frangipani stencil. I paired it with some leaves from the Dazzling Dahlia stencil. The inks were Passionate Pink, Wild Dandelion, Butterscotch, Jelly Bean, and Fresh Asparagus. Cut with Master Layouts 4 and 5.
Patterns and layers in the great new sketch at
My card uses up some delightful hoarded scraps from a CTMH collection called Babycakes and a MFT stamp and die set Jumping Giraffe. It came together quickly with a little bit of alcohol marker color.
I hope you will join the challenge at TSOT and also check out our sister challenge at Double Trouble!!
