Sites of the week

Happy 1st Saturday of the month! It’s time for another SKETCH FOR YOU TO TRY {aka SFYTT}, along with another fabby sponsor…YOUR NEXT STAMP!

I just want to recap some of the changes we have made to SFYTT. {No, I won’t be posting this every month/SFYTT post, just want to make sure no one has missed some of these details right now.}…

You may have already noticed the new post time…11am EST. Also there will be more uniform posting throughout the month. I will be posting the {monthly} sketch each Saturday along with links to the SFYTT Sisters that are posting that day. Just so you know how it will work…All of the Sisters will post on the first Saturday of the month, then 1/2 will post on the 2nd Saturday and the other 1/2 will post on the 3rd Saturday and then we all come together again during the last week {not necessarily the last Saturday for all of the designers} of the month. Clear as mud? LOL! Hopefully, this will help SFYTT Fans know when and where to seek and find inspiration and samples.

YAY for February’s sponsor, who also has a new release coming up next week!…

This month’s sketch, which I actually took from THIS YNS CARD {scroll down a little on the linked post} that I posted last year…

My take on the sketch, using the new release set, WORLD LOVE…

Each and every month, we choose an SFYTT participant to join us as the Designer of Month. For February, we are lucky to have the super talented ANGELA THOMAS join us!

A little about Angela in her own words…

My name is Angela Thomas and I am a self-proclaimed stamp addict. Yes….I admit it!! It is the first step after all isn’t it? LOL. I am currently a Teacher on Call (when there’s actually work available) and in my spare time enjoy card-making. My style is somewhat eclectic as I love a CAS card but also love to pile it on, as well. I’ve been stamping for approximately 5 years and can’t imagine my life without it (and a martini every now and then…LOL…). When I make a card, I’m always on the lookout for a fantastic layout so joining all the ladies at SFYTT is an out of this world amazing experience. I’m here with stamping royalty!!!! I’m honoured to have been asked to join the girls this month!!

How fun…Angela flipped the sketch {too bad she didn’t get her YNS stamps yet!}…

Want to play along, too? The link system is at the end of this post and here are the details you should know…

Check out what all the SFYTT Sisters came up with, too!…

Amber Hight
Amy Sheffer
Becky Carafa
Carole Burrage
Iwona Palamountain
Jen Tapler
Jodi Collins
Kerry Johnson
Megan Lock
Susan Liles

and… Jen Roach and Veronica Zalis from the YNS DT

Ok, now it’s your turn! Happy stamping and for all you that are playing along each and every month…GOOD LUCK!!

Welcome to another {Your Next Stamp} FUN FRIDAY! This month kicked off the FUN FRIDAY series from the YNS design team. Each Friday, DT members will be sharing their YNS creations along with a fun tip, trick or technique. You can find links to all those sharing on Fridays on the YNS blog.

As for me, I want to share with you my textured filled card using Anika from Holland…

Lots of layers!!…

She was FUN to color!…

Simple embellishment with sentiment…

Ok, so let’s chat TEXTURE!

Merriam-Webster defines TEXTURE as the visual or tactile surface characteristics and appearance of something.

By this definition and in the terms of card making…it’s how a card looks and feels. Texture can be lacking and it can also be way overdone. So, how did I incorporate it into my card?

1. Distressed edges
2. Sewn panel
3. Embossed panel
4. Punch panel
5. Ribbon and twine
6. Layers

You can see that I did not distress, sew on and emboss every layer. This would send this card into texture overload, especially since the focal point is a large colored image. If the main image panel was a sentiment, distressing, sewing and embossing on multiple panels could look good. I probably could have gotten away with sewing on the red dot panel, but it was nap time and I try not to make too much noise that might wake the beast. I know you moms know what I mean!
The small eyelet lace punched panel atop the embossed kraft panel also adds texture, as will as visual appeal by tying in the white from the main image panel and card base.
Embellishments, such as the ribbon and twine I used, are super simple ways to add texture to a card. You can play around with the placement and how to tie/knot it so that it fits the style of your creation.
I contemplated whether or not to add “Layers” as part of this “dissertation” on texture and then I thought to myself that it is the most basic part of the texture of this card. I find myself running my fingers over the layers and realizing how much different this card would be if it was all flat. So remember, dimension makes a difference!

What’s your favorite way to add texture to your creations?

It’s FUN FRIDAY with Your Next Stamp! Each Friday some of the design team members will be sharing both their creations and a tip or two about a technique or their creative process.

First, let me start off with my card using the darling APPLE CUTIE…

Detail shots…

I used an older Mojo Monday sketch for this card…

I often get asked, “Where do you begin when creating?” Truth be told, there are lots {and LOTS} of places I start. I think that if I always started at the same place my work would get boring. Sometimes I start with an image, or an inspiration piece. Other times I have papers that I want to work or continue to work with. More often than not, I have a color scheme or sketch in my head. While I could go on and on about each of these, I am going to stick to one that I know pretty well…starting with a sketch.

I am always looking for a great sketch {also known as a layout}. I feel that it can really make or break a card {along with paper choice, but we’ll leave that for another day}. So, first find a sketch that you like and you feel that you can work with. An elaborate sketch can both trigger and hinder the creative mind, so be sure that you think that the sketch is “do-able.”
If you already have an image in mind, double check that the image will play nice with your main image panel. If not, you might just need to re-think either your sketch or image selection. For instance, a tall skinny image would not have worked well on the sketch above. I’m not saying that it couldn’t have been done, but I probably would not have liked the outcome.
The key to working with a sketch is the ability to make it your own. If a sketch shows a star as embellishment, don’t feel that is what you have to use. Think about what works for you and your card. Add ribbon, layers {note that I did not say ‘panels’} and other embellishments as you see fit, as long as it works with the parameters of the sketch.
You may have to make the sketch “work for you.” Making it work does not translate into making it look nothing like the original sketch {hopefully you know what I mean by this}. On my card, you can see that the 3 small round panels on the left side are slightly different from how they are shown on the sketch. I could have made them smaller on my card, but I did not like the way that it looked, so I altered it slightly to “make it work” for me.

Hopefully these tidbits about working with a sketch have helped. You can find sketches on lots of sites, like HERE on the first Saturday {and EVERY}of the month. Yep, shameless plug and I am ok with it

More new stamps to start off the new year!

Today YOUR NEXT STAMP is releasing new images from design team member and illustrator, Jenny Suchin. Jenny kicked off the hop on her blog and you should have come here from Amy’s blog. If you missed a hop stop, take a U turn so you don’t miss out on any of the cuteness along the way!

Thanks for the lift…

Detail shot…

All of the new releases are available now at YOUR NEXT STAMP.

I’m keeping this short and sweet as I go to play nurse to Nicolas who is on the mend, but still coughing up a storm due to pneumonia. My poor lil’ man!

Leave a little love {a comment} on each stop along the way for a chance to win one of these new sets and then, keep on hopping along to…

Diana’s blog

Happy Monday! I hope you all had a fun weekend! We had a fun time celebrating Nic’s 2nd birthday…

Unfortunately, he woke up with a fever yesterday and we are going to make his 2 year well check a sick visit today…poor baby!

As for what’s been going on creatively, I have been busy working on a bunch of different things. Your Next Stamp is introducing a new line, illustrated by design team member Jenny Suchin. She has several sets that are being released this week and I have a little peek for you today…

This set comes with a fun lil’ image, too, but I am saving that for a card that I have made for release day, January 11.

As you can see, I used a {ever so trendy} map in this card, too. I have wanted to play in a Moxie Fab challenge for a long time and I am finally taking the plunge in the Map to Your Heart Challenge. You can find all the details for the challenge HERE.

I have a couple more pics from Nic’s Cars ‘n Cupcakes Birthday. I tried not to be too “theme-y,” but had a little fun with the cars that I cut on my Silhouette, along with the colors blue, orange and red.

Cupcakes/Toppers…

Cookie/Flag Favors…