Sketch Saturday #300 Special Celebration with Simon Says Stamp and a Blog Hop

We  have  some exciting news for you today.  
This is our 300th challenge here at 

Sketch Saturday
How amazing is that!

We  are sponsored by our very special friends at
Simon Says Stamp
who are offering one lucky winner $25 to spend in store

AND
Jo Edwards, the founder of Sketch Saturday
has joined us to celebrate!
The sketch this week was designed by Jo
and was the very first sketch here at Sketch Saturday...

AND

To celebrate we are having a BLOG HOP!

There is a considerable amount of mystery CANDY hidden along the way so be sure to visit all of the Saturdays for inspiration and comment at each stop to maximize your chance to win some candy.  Do then come and play along with our sketch for a chance to win the fabulous prize from Simon Says Stamp. 

For my card, I used this delightful Sugar Nellie Simply Sassy by the lovely Krista Smith called Hippie Chick and coloured her with Copics.  My papers are Farmland by Crate Paper and the whole card is cut using Go Kreate dies.  I have a lot of these oversized Prima flowers which are sadly no longer in vogue but I thought it looked perfect with this large image.  I added some little star charms on chains given to me by our No 1 daughter.  

And here is Jo's very first sketch...

If you are hopping with us you should have arrived here from Carla and your next stop on the hop is Niki:

Lizy
Vannessa
Cathy
Alex
Marzena
Carla
Lesley (ME)
Niki
Laura
Jen
Jo
Debra
Melissa

Then grab your stash and get creative.  We love to see what you come up with.

I am entering my card into the following challenges:
Anything goes at Papertake Weekly, Loves Rubberstamps, Crafts and Me and Creative Inspirations, and
Birthday at The Ribbon Girl;
G is for Girls at ABC; and lastly
Special Lady (or Mother's Day) at The Sugar Bowl

Sketch Saturday #299 with A Random Fan

It's Saturday and time for another great sketch
this week by Deb at

Sketch Saturday

and we are delighted to be sponsored by
A Random Fan

My neighbours held a baby shower last Sunday and I supplied the materials for the invitations which were jointly designed and made by two lovely young ladies - Amelia and Emma - with a little help from me.  I also made my very first "nappy cake" so scroll down for some photos.
I made a card for the lucky Mum-to-be using Debra's brilliant sketch and this sweet image by Lili of the Valley called Baby with Bunny which just happened to be to hand because best matey Julie brought over some baby stamps to play with at my house and I just had to borrow a couple.

Papers are Echo Park Springtime and the sentiment is by Stampin Up.  I don't think this is my best colouring but I had a lot of "cake" work left to do so I was in a bit of a rush and it was getting very late.  Here is our sketch.  I LOVED using it and I'm sure you will too so come and play along!

And these are the invitations we made using some ribbon, a PTI baby shower stamp sentiment and die set and this cute little Cuttlebug pram embossing folder.

Finally - here is the cake!  I had some trouble photographing it because it was quite big.  The ribbons around the "cake" are decorated with LOTV stamped shoes (girls and boys). Thank you Julie!

I am entering my "nappy cake" into the challenge at Charisma Cardz for using something not meant for crafting

Christmas at Sweet Stampin'

I'm on time for a change for the mid-month post at
Christmas at Sweet Stampin'

where our challenge is
A Tropical Christmas
and we are lucky enough to be sponsored by
The Hobby House

My fellow CASSettes have come up with fabulous creations and I urge you to drop by them for a visit, share some love, then grab your Christmas stash and get ahead of the game with your Christmas cards.

I had a lot of fun with my card this month using a lovely sentiment from Papertrey Ink as my focus with My Mind's Eye Merry Little Christmas papers and this little guy cut from my Cricut and coloured with Copics.

I felt my cut flamingo didn't have enough realism so I hand cut a bit off the body of a second cut, flipped it and placed it upside down across his back.  IRL flamingos do not have upward pointing tails, they have downward ones. I added a punched wing from a Stampin Up punch which gave my guy a little more detail even though it shouldn't really be there and I coloured on a face onto a third cut on white paper.  Now of course he looks much more real - especially wearing his Santa hat!  The garland is by Memory Box, the red divider is a Sizzix embossing folder which is straight but looks wonky and I just added a couple of banners to fill up the corner.

I am entering my card into the challenge at
Stamping Sensations - wings, fantasy and fiction.

I don't want to worry you but Christmas is just a whisper over 300 days away...

And having gone for a visit to my fellow CASSettes and spotted a few Santas on the beach, I thought I would amend my post to add my very own photo of Santa on the beach taken last November.  This is Siesta Key Beach (voted best beach in the USA in 2012).  The sculpture is made of sand!  Those people can't possibly be me and the hubster surely.  Goodness the camera adds pounds!!!

Sketch Saturday #298 with Oak Pond Creations

It's Saturday and time for another sketch from 

Sketch Saturday

sponsored by the oh so cute

Oak Pond Creations

Alex is responsible for our super cool sketch this week.  I first looked at it when I was reclining so it appeared rotated and I instantly thought "Bird House"  - well who wouldn't?  And I came up with this...

I cut the birdhouse shape by hand from First Edition Bird Song papers and added a Spellbinders roof and doorway.  My birdy is a shop-bought embellishment probably by K&Co but I can't guarantee it.  The tags are cut from the same paper pad and the background DP is from a coordinating pad.  Now perhaps you can see why I thought of a birdhouse.

My fellow Saturday's have created wonderful inspiration for you so there is no excuse for not playing along this week.

Sketch Saturday #297 with Dilly Beans

It's Saturday and time for another sketch from 

Sketch Saturday
this week our lovely Vannessa came up with the sketch and we are lucky enough to be 

sponsored by the fun and funky 

Dilly Beans

Megan K. Suarez from Dilly Beans very kindly offered the DT some images to play with.  I chose Lulu framed - a fabulous image ready framed in a rectangle.  Then I saw this week's sketch where the focal point is a circle!  My first thought was" uh oh" but then I had a lightbulb moment and simply rotated the sketch and used a circle embossed with my Cuttlebug swirly embossing folder on which to place my image.  I brayered the raised swirls with black ink, coloured the circle in the same colours I used for Lulu's hair and mounted the combination of image and embossed circle on a spell binder fancy scallop so now she looks like she has a full head of hair and I'm delighted with it.  I tried to give Lulu a darker complexion which I thought went better with her new hair style!

My papers are Crate Paper "Party Day" and I used a new punch for my star and my go-to Stampin Up tiny tag punch for the sentiment.  I wasn't familiar with Megan's images previously but I'm sure I shall pop by Dilly Beans to buy some more as I think they are lots of fun.  And here is Vanessa's wonderful sketch.

So clear some space on your craft table and come and play along with us.  And don't forget to stop by my fellow Saturdays and share some love!

I am entering my card into the following challenges:

Dilly Beans - hearts and love

Papertake Weekly - with a heart

Bunny Zoe - hearts/love; and 

Cute Card Thursday - clever cutting 

(well I think it was clever finding a way to make my rectangular image into a circle)

Sketch Saturday #296 with Simon Says Stamp

It's Saturday and time for another sketch from 

Sketch Saturday

sponsored by our lovely friends at 

Simon Says Stamp

I needed to make a card in a bit of a hurry and I didn't have time to colour an image so I chose these pretty Teresa Collins Fabrications "canvas" papers, some recollections flowers and Marianne Design leaves and teamed them with a Memory Box "happy", a PTI "birthday" and a fat staple.  Job done!

It's an unusual colour combo but it looked very pretty IRL.  Sadly as it seems to be pouring with rain just about ALL the blimmin time these days - my photograph is pants.  Hey ho!

Do come and play along with Jen's lovely sketch and don't forget to share some love with my teamies.

I would like to enter my card into the challenge at
The ABC Challenge - E is for Embellishment
(I used a fat staple, ribbon, shop bought flowers, die-cut leaves);

Sketch Saturday #295 with A Day for Daisies

It's Saturday and time for another sketch from 

Sketch Saturday

sponsored by

A Day For Daisies 

This week our lovely Cathy designed our sketch and I must say that I loved playing with it.  I also adored the image so kindly provided by Tammy at A Day for Daisies.  She is called Graceful Fairy of Flowers and you can find her here.

I coloured my image with Promarkers, Copics and Spica pens and used Prima Meadow Lark papers and a Stampin Up sentiment.

Do share some love with my fabulous teamies and then come and play along with us this week.

I am entering my card into the following challenges:

Creative Inspirations - stamping, 

Cute Card Thursday - something new (my image) ; and

Deep Ocean - Fantasy

Sketch Saturday #294 with Milk Coffee 25 Jan

It's Saturday and time for another sketch from 

Sketch Saturday

sponsored by our lovely friends at
Milk Coffee

I thought I would use this cute image called Fairy Tiffany 2 which you can buy here.  I'm not sure I did her justice because I actually printed her a little too small to enable me to colour her easily.  She does look pretty though with my Prima Romance Novel papers.

And here is our wonderful sketch this week!  

 I hope you enjoy playing with it as much as I have.

Goodness me I'm like a broken record with my constant apologies for being behind in my posts or inattentive to my blog buddies.  The weeks at the back end of 2013 just seemed to whiz by and 2014 has started in a similar rush with me being LATE for
Christmas at Sweet Stampin'

where our challenge is
Festive Foliage 
and we are lucky enough to be sponsored by
the lovely Kathryne's StampArt Design at Whimsy

Kathryne also very kindly supplied me with this super sweet image called RAGGEDY GIRL GINGERBREAD JOY which I coloured with Copics and Promarkers and paper pieced her lettering and mittens. 

I thought she was just right to peek through the centre of a wreath made up with some Martha Stewart leafy branches and holly placed over Memory Box bramble and twiggy wreaths.  My papers are My Mind's Eye Lost and Found Christmas.

Do come and join in with my fellow CASSettes and get started on this year's Christmas cards!!!  And don't forget to share some love with my teamies!

Sketch Saturday #293 with Bunny Zoe's Crafts

It's Saturday and time for another sketch from 

Sketch Saturday

sponsored by our lovely friends at

Bunny Zoe's Crafts

This week I think I have actually managed to stick closely to Deb's fabulous sketch.  Hooray!
I really liked this sketch and I like the design of my card although having finished it, I wish I had opted for less contrast between the focal centre panel and the DCWV design papers behind.  There is some yellow and soft orange in the DPs but it isn't very visible.  The purple window shade on my house fails to pull in the background colours because it's just too small and although there was green and purple in my uppermost banner I covered up the green.   Still, I had fun with this lovely memory box village die and cutting my sun rays for the sky.  We sure do need some sun round these parts!!!   My sentiment is Papertrey Ink.

And here is Deb's great sketch.   So why not clear some space on your craft table and come and play along with us.

I am entering my card into the following challenges:
Cute Card Thursday - Warm it up
Aud Sentiments - Any sentiment

Sketch Saturday #292 Clouds and Purple Linings

It's Saturday and time for another sketch from 

Sketch Saturday

sponsored by our lovely friends at

Simon Says Stamp

I'm afraid I've been playing fast and loose with our sketch this week.  Sorry Jen!   My card had a mind of its own  and although I did keep referring to the sketch, my finished creation is a rather loose interpretation of it even for me!  I wanted to use this wonderful image called Standing in the Clouds by A Day for Daisies for my beautiful Goddaughter who had a birthday yesterday.  I needed my image (which includes the cloud) to be rather bigger that the sketch permitted hence my failure to literally keep to the sketch.

Most of this lovely lady and her cloud is paper pieced using Theresa Collins Fabrications papers.  The banner is cut with a PTI die and the sentiment is Stampin Up.   My colouring medium is Copic and I used some liquid applique for her fur trim.  

Please share some love with my teamies and come and play along with us this week. We would love to see you!  

I am entering my card into the following challenges:

Simon Says - Ice Inspiration and Cute Card Thursday - Cold and Frosty  

(I chose to interpret both of these challenges as needing warm clothes)

Stampin for the Weekend - Anything goes

Sketch Saturday #291 Not old but vintage

Happy New Year!
Welcome to 2014! 

Sketch Saturday

has had a fun makeover.

Thanks Jen!  It looks great!

This week Vanessa has designed a fantastic sketch and 

Sir Stampalot 

is our brilliant sponsor

And here is my birthday card using some Paper Studio and Graphic 45 papers and a lovely die cut car by Marianne.

COME and play along won't you!!!

And don't forget to share some love with my fabulous teamies!

I am entering my card into the challenge at Aud Sentiments for Sentiment as the focus.

Sketch Saturday #290

I have made some new year's resolutions to be 

on time with my card posts and up to date with my commenting and visits.

It's just as well that the new year hasn't started yet because

I'm late with my card post and not up to date at all 

and it's MONDAY and approximately 40 hours late to tell you about our current brilliant sketch from 

Sketch Saturday

sponsored by our lovely friends at

Prairie Fairy 

I did actually make four cards for our wonderful clean sketch before Christmas but I just neglected to post them to my blog!  Sorry teamies!!!!

I used pre-coloured LOTV images and added some of my own colouring and a great deal of sparkle.  My papers are Craft Work Cards.  And here is our sketch...

Come and play along with us, won't you!  Our challenge will close a little early this week to allow some construction work on our challenge site and if I don't manage to drop by before hand

HAVE A WONDERFUL NEW YEAR CELEBRATION

and I'll see you in 2014!

Christmas at Sweet Stampin' ... "Oh the weather outside is frightful...

...But the fire is so delightful

And since we've no place to go

Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!"

Sadly my house doesn't actually have a working fire and we so need it.  The weather here in the South of England truly has been frightful with high winds and the kind of rain that comes at you horizontally and leaves you battered as well as cold and drenched.
With only one sleep to go before the big day, and having just returned from seeing Elton John in Prague, today is going to be manic so I thought I would post my card now for

Christmas at Sweet Stampin'

where our challenge is
LET IT SNOW
and we are lucky enough to be sponsored by
the lovely Emma at
Flat Friends

Once I had worked out what I wanted to do, this card was a very easy make. My trees were stamped twice (in black and then white) over my snowy 'ground' using this wonderful Memory Box die which I am SOOOOO pleased I bought and with which I intend to make many many more cards for next Christmas! The sleigh is a Cheery Lynn die cut and the moon is just white inked onto the dark background.  I added a red nose to the lead reindeer and glittered snow into the sky.

And this card is very indicative of what I want to say to you today.

Come and join the Cassettes with your final snowy Christmas makes this month and have a 

VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS

Sketch Saturday #289 Pa rum pa pum pum

It's Saturday and time for another sketch from 

Sketch Saturday

sponsored by our lovely friends at

Simon Says Stamp

This week you can choose any of our sketches after #215 and you can find our sketch archive here.

I so enjoyed putting this card together for a very special cyber friend using this gorgeous image called "Shall I Play for you"  by Mo Manning which you can find here.  My papers are DCWV Old World Winter and I added some musical notes and a drum; both by Memory Box.  I have used a Stampin Up die to cut out the image and the Papertrey Ink sentiment.

I chose this sketch number #248 which was the one I designed myself. Typically, I have altered it a little; flipping it, adding an extra corner feature and of course the drum.  But I HAD to add the drum!!!  You can select any of the sketches from our archive to play along and we look forward to seeing your creations. Don't forget to tell us which sketch you have used.  Next week, there will be no challenge as we are going to take a little Christmas break but we will be back on 28th!   And here is the sketch I used.

I am entering my card into the following challenges:
Papertake Weekly - Christmas Creatures;
Loves Rubber Stamps - Anything Goes Christmas;
Creative Inspirations - Traditional Christmas Colours
Digital Pencil 2 - Animals Birds Bees Insects Fairies