Strength & Hope

Welcome! It's time for our weekly sketch challenge on the UDI blog. If any of the links are missing, you can head over here. You will find a complete list of the Divas who are in on the sketch challenge. This week's sketch is pictured below. It was pretty straightforward, but I did rotate it.

I had something totally different in mind for this, but it wasn't working out so I fell back to a favorite color combination of mine, the classic Basic Black, Basic Gray, and Whisper White.

Elizabeth's blog is the next stop, and she always does such lovely work! I know you won't be disappointed!

We are having the most glorious weather here on the East Coast! There is low humidity, a wonderful breeze, highs about 75... Yesterday and today will rank as two of the top ten days of the year, I am sure!

Have a wonderful weekend, and thanks for stopping by!

Blessings,
Barbara

See you later!

It's time for our weekly Diva Sketch Challenge.  The list of all participants can be found here, and the sketch is pictured below.  I just returned home from a shoebox swap and realized I had not made my card for this week!  I will get to it first thing in the morning, so I hope you will have a chance to stop back and see my card.

Meanwhile, if you are blog hopping, head on over to Elizabeth's blog to see what she has come up with.

Thanks for stopping by, and enjoy your holiday weekend!

Blessings,
Barbara

Daydreamin'

This is going to short and sweet! I am traveling this week but did have time to make a card using this week's sketch. I will post the details later, but I can tell you it is all Stampin' Up! The next stop is Elizabeth's blog, and if you find any broken links you can head over to the UDI blog.

Have a great weekend, and thanks so much for stopping by!

Blessings,
Barbara

Sweet Friend

My apologies for posting this a little later than I should have!  I started my sketch card last night about 8:00.  When I was finished with it, I got my camera to take pictures, only to discover that I had a dead battery!  At that point I was tired and did not want to wait for the battery to charge, and I really prefer taking my photos using natural light in the day light hours over flash at night.  I hope you think it was worth the wait.

So, all that aside, welcome to my blog and another UDI sketch challenge!  This is DSC136.  If you are hopping from blog to blog and any of the links are broken you can head over here to find the links. 

When I saw this week's sketch, I immediately thought of the new Postage Stamp Punch (#122344, $15.95) and the Pretty Postage stamp set (#123097, $8.95).  I stamped the image in Early Espresso ink and used a blender pen to add Rich Razzleberry and Old Olive to the images.  I also rotated the sketch and made the card horizontal rather than vertical.

The "sweet friend" is from an often overlooked stamp set  in the back of the catalog, "Hello, You" (#117118, $9.95) on page 183.  Here is the finished card.

Recipe:
Stamps:  Pretty Postage, Hello, You
Paper: Whisper White, Early Espresso, Old Olive, Rich Razzleberry DSP
Inks:  Early Espresso, Rich Razzleberry, Old Olive
Accessories:  blender pens, postage stamp punch, stampin' dimensionals.

Next stop is at Elizabeth's blog.  She always does beautiful work, so I know you won't be disappointed.  Thanks so much for stopping by!  If you have time, I love to read your comments, so share a little love if you can.  :-)

Have a wonderful weekend!
Blessings,
Barbara

Fabulous Flower Fest

And just in time for Mother's Day!  This may just be my favorite stamp set in the new summer mini catalog.  I started by casing the card that is on page 20.  I made cards for my downline members and then showed them how to make their own designer paper using the Flower Fest stamp set, ink pads and sponge daubers.  I had some scraps left on my stamping table and used them for this week's card.  Here's Diva Sketch 135 for the Saturday Sketch Challenge.  If you are following the blog hop and there is a missing link, you can always head here to see who is next.

Recipe:
Stamps:  Flower Fest
Paper:  Naturals White, Pink Pirouette, Wild Wasabi, Rose Red
Inks:  Pink Pirouette, Wild Wasabi, Rose Red, Peach Parfait
Accessories:  sponge daubers, dotted scallop ribbon punch, scallop trim border punch, stampin' dimensionals

After I had this put together, I realized it would have made a great gate fold card!  Oh well, next time.

The next stop is Elizabeth's blog.  I'm sure she'll have something wonderful for us.

Thanks so much for stopping by!  Have a wonderful weekend, and enjoy your Mother's Day!  I hope you are able to spend some time with your family.

Blessings,
Barbara

Touch of Kindness

It's time for another UDI Saturday sketch challenge!  Where does the time go?  It seems like the week just started, and here we are at the weekend! Here is this week's sketch.

I was working on casing a card from the talented Diana Gibbs, and when I saw the sketch for the week, I realized it was almost the same sketch, but turned upside down! Here's my take on Diana's watercolor card. (I just love the frayed ribbon, which she has shown before. It is the first time I have tried it.)

I couldn't find my color coach, so I based all of the colors on the botanical Gazette DSP. The recipe follows.

Stamps: Touch of Kindness
Paper: Old Olive, Cherry Cobbler, Very Vanilla, Marina Mist, watercolor paper
Inks and markers: Black Staz-on, Not Quite Navy, Marina Mist, Old Olive, So Saffron, Cherry Cobbler, Soft Suede
Accessories: Aquapainter, Stampin' Dimensionals, Basic Black 1/14" Striped Grosgrain ribbon

The ribbon is just cut in half down the middle and then frayed. It is very easy to pull the threads off once it is cut.

We are finally having beautiful spring weather here in New Jersey! We went from 15 degrees below normal to 15 degrees above normal earlier this week, which really encouraged the blossoming trees as well as the tulips.

Before you go, please take the time to leave a comment. I love hearing from you! Now it's off to Elizabeth's blog to see what she has done with the sketch.

Have a wonderful weekend!
Blessings,
Barbara

Happy Easter!

I'm taking a weekend off from the Diva Saturday Sketch because I am enjoying time with my daughter, son-in-law, and my sweet granddaughter, Mabel!  You can see the sketch here, and the next stop is Elizabeth's blog.  If you have a minute you can scroll down and see the card I did earlier this week.

Have a Blessed Easter!

Barbara