Doesn't it suck when your real life gets in the way of your craft life? I joke, but for so many of us the demands of children/work/family/friends doesn't allow for as much craft time as we'd like, and the truth is we have to keep our priorities our priority! You know? Kim Teasdale was the mastermind behind iSpy Sketches and it has been a pleasure and an honour to work with the sketches she compiled and with the ladies who I designed with. Kim has had to close iSpy Sketches and none of the team was in a position to take it over (it's a LOT of work!!) so sadly our little foray into the challenge world is over.

This has been a really creative and fruitful experience. I have made a lot of cards with the wonderful iSpy Sketches and here's my favourite iSpy card from this past year:


I just love that you never know how a card is going to turn out - even when you use a sketch...

*sniff sniff*

Thank you for all of your comments and for playing along with us this year! It made me so happy to see people play along with our team.

Take care!

It’s all you need…

Or so I’ve heard….

Onto this week’s iSpy Sketch!! A few of us have had the opportunity to be on a design team with the lovely lady we are featuring this week so I'm thrilled!!! This week we are featuring  Christine Okken ( ChristineCreations at SCS) and is inspired by this card.

 

I made this card with some lovely Pink Paislee products that I’ve been dabbling with. It’s nice to have a clean and simple card design up your sleeve and this is a great one!

 

Here is how to play:

• Create a paper crafting project (card, scrap book page or 3D item), based on the sketch provided.Post your creation on your blog or an online gallery (using a code ISSC44 and link it here with the inlinkz widget below.
• Please provide a direct link to your post - not the generic link to your blog.
• A new challenge will be posted every Friday at 12:01 AM EST, and you have until noon on the following Friday EST to submit your entry.
• You may enter as many times as you like, but please provide a newly designed project with a new link for each additional project.
• We will choose the top 2 creations to be featured in our "Top 2 Winners" post every Sunday where we will announce who we have picked :) The winners will receive their very own iSpy Sketches blog badge!
• Don't forget that you may combine our challenges with others and use supplies from any company that you wish :)
• Have fun and we look forward to "spying" your creations!

Hi there readers! Where has November gone? I literally cannot believe we're over half-way through the month. In a blink of an eye, I tell you.. On to this week's iSpy Sketch: 

ISSC42 is by Anya Schrier and is inspired by this card.

Hi there! I am SO excited for this weekend. It’s a long weekend here in Canada (in honour of Remembrance Day) and I am taking off with my little guy to visit Jessica Knutsen and hang with Jessie Rone!! I love going to Jessica’s place, her family is a bunch of characters and I think my son is going to have a great time getting to know them! Before I packed up all my “gear” I made this cute little card for this week’s iSpy Sketch.



I used a bunch of Doodlebug products (I was going to apply for the DT, but who am I kidding: I’m way too freakin’ busy!!!) so I have a bunch of stuff hangin’ around. I love the bright colours and they just SCREAM Christmas, don’t they? Like, really… SCREAM!!!!!!!!!!!! Anyway. I used a cute little Stampendous! stamp (Birdie Kiddo) and coloured her up with Copics.

Here is how to play:

• Create a paper crafting project (card, scrap book page or 3D item), based on the sketch provided.Post your creation on your blog or an online gallery (using a code ISSC41 and link it here with the inlinkz widget below.
• Please provide a direct link to your post - not the generic link to your blog.
• A new challenge will be posted every Friday at 12:01 AM EST, and you have until noon on the following Friday EST to submit your entry.
• You may enter as many times as you like, but please provide a newly designed project with a new link for each additional project.
• We will choose the top 2 creations to be featured in our "Top 2 Winners" post every Sunday where we will announce who we have picked :) The winners will receive their very own iSpy Sketches blog badge!
• Don't forget that you may combine our challenges with others and use supplies from any company that you wish :)
• Have fun and we look forward to "spying" your creations!

Hi! Did you have a good Hallowe’en? It poured here and all of the little kids (my son included) were just drenched, but it didn’t get in the way of their candy dreams, hahaha. And… I’ve caught that fall cold that’s going around and because I have asthma it goes straight to my lungs… FUN! But I bet you came here to see a card, didn’t you??!!

This week’s iSpy Sketch (ISSC40) is by Julie H. (Juble at SCS) and is inspired by this card. Here’s my creation:


It’s a very simple design and lately when I’m keeping it simple I like to do a fun technique. To create the main image panel I grabbed some watercolour paper and “smooshed” some distress inks direct-to-paper and misted it with Studio Calico’s “Shine”. (It’s a colour-less mist with a subtle glimmer/shimmer… it’s really pretty) Once that dried I stamped on top and added some stickles. This will be a really special card for a friend.
Supplies: Butterfly from There She Goes’ Spread your wings, and sentiment from There She Goes’ Puppy Love.

Here is how to play:

• Create a paper crafting project (card, scrap book page or 3D item), based on the sketch provided.Post your creation on your blog or an online gallery (using a code ISSC40 and link it here with the inlinkz widget below.
• Please provide a direct link to your post - not the generic link to your blog.
• A new challenge will be posted every Friday at 12:01 AM EST, and you have until noon on the following Friday EST to submit your entry.
• You may enter as many times as you like, but please provide a newly designed project with a new link for each additional project.
• We will choose the top 2 creations to be featured in our "Top 2 Winners" post every Sunday where we will announce who we have picked :) The winners will receive their very own iSpy Sketches blog badge!
• Don't forget that you may combine our challenges with others and use supplies from any company that you wish :)
• Have fun and we look forward to "spying" your creations!

Hi there! I have a really fun card for you today using this week’s iSpy Sketch! This week's sketch inspired by Maureen Plut (Irishlatte at is based on this card. Maureen lives in the same province as myself, Kim and Angela...  How cool!!! Here’s the sketch.. It’s really clean and simple, and so easy to apply to a card:

And here’s my card:

 

I used a bunch of bright and beautiful Doodlebug goodies (papers, die cut and twine) and coloured up one of my favourite Stampendous Christmas images: Stocking Kiddo, with Copic markers. (And a touch of charcoal pencil too…)

 

Here is how to play:

• Create a paper crafting project (card, scrap book page or 3D item), based on the sketch provided.Post your creation on your blog or an online gallery (using a code ISSC39), and link it here with the inlinkz widget below.
• Please provide a direct link to your post - not the generic link to your blog.
• A new challenge will be posted every Friday at 12:01 AM EST, and you have until noon on the following Friday EST to submit your entry.
• You may enter as many times as you like, but please provide a newly designed project with a new link for each additional project.
• We will choose the top 2 creations to be featured in our "Top 2 Winners" post every Sunday where we will announce who we have picked :) The winners will receive their very own iSpy Sketches blog badge!
• Don't forget that you may combine our challenges with others and use supplies from any company that you wish :)
• Have fun and we look forward to "spying" your creations!

So a couple of colleagues of mine ( it's a double entendre since they are a couple that teach at my school) just had a baby and I went to look in my stash for a baby card and, what do you know, I didn't have one!! I thought about it and was like, yep, I don't make baby cards... Ever.... I need to make them more often!

This week's iSpy sketch features one of my favourite elements: a banner, so it was great fun to put together!




I was thumbing through my stamps and came across this cute little image (Baby Giraffe by Stampendous!) and was like, YES! Unisex, adorable, fun to color.... It's a great staple in my stash. He/she is colored with copics with charcoal pencil accents, and I added a little sponging in the sky. The sentiments are SRM Stickers.








- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Yay!! Another week of inspiration from iSpy Sketches!! Fall is now in full swing here on the West Coast...It almost seems like a shock to the system but it's nice to be getting out warmer clothes and being able to justify those yummy hot Starbucks drinks. LOL!!!
This week's sketch is by Jean Cross (naturecoastcrafter at SCS) and is inspired by this card.


 

I tried out a technique that I saw Teri do on the Technique Tuesday blog. I didn’t quite do the “ombre” thing, but this background was created in a similar way: I scribbled a couple of different colours of watercolour crayons on a clear block, misted it with water, then smooshed it onto the cardstock. It served as a pretty base for my glittery clouds.
I stamped the sentiment (Bright Idea by Technique Tuesday) in black and drew a box around it, kinda like the inspiration card.

Here is how to play:

• Create a paper crafting project (card, scrap book page or 3D item), based on the sketch provided.Post your creation on your blog or an online gallery (using a code ISSC37), and link it here with the inlinkz widget below.
• Please provide a direct link to your post - not the generic link to your blog.
• A new challenge will be posted every Friday at 12:01 AM EST, and you have until noon on the following Friday EST to submit your entry.
• You may enter as many times as you like, but please provide a newly designed project with a new link for each additional project.
• We will choose the top 2 creations to be featured in our "Top 2 Winners" post every Sunday where we will announce who we have picked :) The winners will receive their very own iSpy Sketches blog badge!
• Don't forget that you may combine our challenges with others and use supplies from any company that you wish :)
• Have fun and we look forward to "spying" your creations!

Hi there! This week the iSpy Sketches design team is taking a look back at some of our favourite sketches and we’re calling it “Free For All Friday.” I took this opportunity to alter the sketch a little more than I did the first time around and use the original as more of a “jumping-off point.” It was a great creativity booster!

I used the sketch from ISSC #14. Here’s the sketch:

 

and here’s my card in full-colour:

This is going to end up being a prototype for a Christmas card I make for a friend’s company. Their business colours are black and yellow – but I cheated and used dark brown instead… I hope they don’t mind! The poinsettia is a die cut by Spellbinders (one of my all-time fav's) and I cut out some Best Creations glitter paper. Have you ever used it? $3.99 a sheet, but it’s so pretty… In small doses…

Supplies: Cardstock: Bazzill Cardshoppe; Patterned Paper: Echo Park; Glitter Paper: Best Creations; Sentiment Stamp: Jingle All the Way by Ali Edwards from Technique Tuesday; MME Twine.

 

Here is how to play:

• Create a paper crafting project (card, scrap book page or 3D item), based on the sketch provided.Post your creation on your blog or an online gallery (using a code ISSC36), and link it here with the inlinkz widget below.
• Please provide a direct link to your post - not the generic link to your blog.
• A new challenge will be posted every Friday at 12:01 AM EST, and you have until noon on the following Friday EST to submit your entry.
• You may enter as many times as you like, but please provide a newly designed project with a new link for each additional project.
• We will choose the top 2 creations to be featured in our "Top 2 Winners" post every Sunday where we will announce who we have picked :) The winners will receive their very own iSpy Sketches blog badge!
• Don't forget that you may combine our challenges with others and use supplies from any company that you wish :)
• Have fun and we look forward to "spying" your creations!

Hey readers!! Great news today: I'm sticking around on the Stampendous design team! I was asked to be part of the "special projects" design team and all I can say for now is: you will see my projects in a large retailer near you sometime soon! I am so glad that my guest spot has turned into a permanent position because I love Stampendous SO SO SO much.. So yay! I'm not leaving!


To celebrate I made two very colourful card with Agapanthus Thank You. Here I am playing with white embossing powder again.. Are you sick of it yet? Cause I'm not!!

Here's another:


Wanna know what's cool about this card? That black flower is a removable hair accessory! It kinda makes me not want to give it away, lol... (the sentiment is from SRM Stickers)

So you know what else?? These two cards use this week's iSpy Sketch.

 

Hi there!! I have a very bright and happy card to share this evening! It’s a double-duty card – challenge #1, I used this week’s iSpy Sketch! ISSC34 challenge is Joanne Basile (basilefamily @ SCS) and is based on this card. Here’s my version:

I used Amy Tangerine papers and embellishment (doily) and the image has to do with challenge #2. I made this card for our monthly feature at the There She Goes blog called TSG (Again!) where we feature 3 older sets. This set is called Wrapped in Joy and it’s awesome because the set is geared towards various gift-giving situations (Christmas.. Birthday…) and the art is just too cute! Check out the There She Goes blog to see the special feature!

Design Notes: I used Copic markers to colour the image, then I added some shading with a Pastel Chalk pencil in black with a blending stump… Oooooo… dramatic!!!

 

Wanna join us at iSpy?? Here is how to play:

• Create a paper crafting project (card, scrap book page or 3D item), based on the sketch provided.Post your creation on your blog or an online gallery (using a code ISSC34), and link it here with the inlinkz widget below.
• Please provide a direct link to your post - not the generic link to your blog.
• A new challenge will be posted every Friday at 12:01 AM EST, and you have until noon on the following Friday EST to submit your entry.
• You may enter as many times as you like, but please provide a newly designed project with a new link for each additional project.
• We will choose the top 2 creations to be featured in our "Top 2 Winners" post every Sunday where we will announce who we have picked :) The winners will receive their very own iSpy Sketches blog badge!
• Don't forget that you may combine our challenges with others and use supplies from any company that you wish :)
• Have fun and we look forward to "spying" your creations!

Hi there! I’m sharing a bright and happy card using this week’s iSpy Sketch: ISSC33.

This week's challenge features Cindy Elam (Cards4Ever @ SCS) and is based on this card.

I don’t often use BoBunny (the colours are not usually to my taste) but these papers are BRIGHT BRIGHT, so I like ‘em!! Everything is BoBunny except for the trim (Maya Road) and the sentiment (Wishes by Technique Tuesday).

 

Here is how to play:

• Create a paper crafting project (card, scrap book page or 3D item), based on the sketch provided.Post your creation on your blog or an online gallery (using a code ISSC33), and link it here with the inlinkz widget on the iSpy Blog.
• Please provide a direct link to your post - not the generic link to your blog.
• A new challenge will be posted every Friday at 12:01 AM EST, and you have until noon on the following Friday EST to submit your entry.
• You may enter as many times as you like, but please provide a newly designed project with a new link for each additional project.
• We will choose the top 2 creations to be featured in our "Top 2 Winners" post every Sunday where we will announce who we have picked :) The winners will receive their very own iSpy Sketches blog badge!
• Don't forget that you may combine our challenges with others and use supplies from any company that you wish :)
• Have fun and we look forward to "spying" your creations!

Hi there friends and readers! I am sorry I’ve been kinda quiet this past week or two.. I’m in full back-to-school mode and my body is just not on the same clock as the school… That’s all I have to say! lol… but seriously. I have some great kids and I’m really looking forward to my choirs starting up!

This week’s iSpy Sketch challenge (ISSC32) is inspired by Marie-Alice (ladybug91743 @ SCS) and is based on this card.

Here’s my take:

It is mostly cardstock and patterned papers (My Mind’s Eye), but the most important part – the sentiment – is a new Technique Tuesday stamp that I finally christened called Bright Idea. Thanks to this sketch, I love how this card turned out… YAY!!

 

Here is how to play:

• Create a paper crafting project (card, scrap book page or 3D item), based on the sketch provided.Post your creation on your blog or an online gallery (using a code ISSC32), and link it here with the inlinkz widget below.
• Please provide a direct link to your post - not the generic link to your blog.
• A new challenge will be posted every Friday at 12:01 AM EST, and you have until noon on the following Friday EST to submit your entry.
• You may enter as many times as you like, but please provide a newly designed project with a new link for each additional project.
• We will choose the top 2 creations to be featured in our "Top 2 Winners" post every Sunday where we will announce who we have picked :) The winners will receive their very own iSpy Sketches blog badge!
• Don't forget that you may combine our challenges with others and use supplies from any company that you wish :)
• Have fun and we look forward to "spying" your creations!

Hi there!!! It's time for another iSpy challenge! (click here to go to the blog)
The long weekend is here and summer is officially over... NoOooooOooooo!! Im back to school on Tuesday. Eeks!!! We hope you've enjoyed the sketches we've had all summer long!!
This week, you are in for a treat!!! We are featuring Karen Dunbrook ( kdunbrook @ SCS) and is based on this card. . Karen is the queen of CAS!!! If you check out her blog or SCS gallery, you'll need to grab a cup of coffee and a cloth because you'll be drooling over her fantastic work!!!

Here is the card I made:





It is definitely not CAS because I wanted to play with my pretty papers and make lots of layers! I stamped a little scene with stamps from There She Goes Oh Crop! on watercolor paper... Then colored with distress markers. I made this card for a friend I am camping with right now, and my little family is up here so I thought this sentiment/scene would be perfect!! And it was!!! She loved it.

So here are the challenge deets:

~Create a paper crafting project (card, scrap book page or 3D item), based on the sketch provided.

~Post your creation on your blog or an online gallery (using a code ISSC31), and link it here with the inlinkz widget on the iSpy blog.

~Please provide a direct link to your post - not the generic link to your blog.

~A new challenge will be posted every Friday at 12:01 AM EST, and you have until noon on the following Friday EST to submit your entry.

~You may enter as many times as you like, but please provide a newly designed project with a new link for each additional project.

~We will choose the top 2 creations to be featured in our "Top 2 Winners" post every Sunday where we will announce who we have picked :) The winners will receive their very own iSpy Sketches blog badge!

~Don't forget that you may combine our challenges with others and use supplies from any company that you wish :)

~Have fun and we look forward to "spying" your creations!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

I stamped the image onto watercolour paper and coloured with Ranger Distress Markers. I LOVE LOVE LOVE them!! Once I was done colouring I added some shading with a charcoal pencil and blending stump. I used a bunch of My Mind’s Eye papers in the background… Kinda bright, right?? AVERT YOUR EYES!!


To get a little help putting this together I used this week's iSpy Sketch: ISSC30 from Jacquie Southas ( Jacquie J @ SCS) and is based on this card. 

• To play, simply go to the iSpy Sketches blog, check out the sketch and the gorgeous design team samples and  create a paper crafting project (card, scrap book page or 3D item), based on the sketch provided. Post your creation on your blog or an online gallery (using a code ISSC30), and link it here with the inlinkz widget below.

This is new BasicGrey stuff right here. In the past I have hoarded chipboard elements because normally there's only ONE of each thing in a pack. What if I need that one thing in the future? It will be gone!! 

Hi there!!! Can you believe it's Friday again already? WOW!! Where is August going?  I hope you're all enjoying it as much as we are. 
This week we are featuring  Mary Brown (stampercamper @ SCS) and is based on this card.
I decided to do a NO STAMPING card. All of the magazines nowadays are full of cards with no stamping and it’s a no-stress easy way to make a pretty card. Check mine out:
 


I used My Mind’s Eye patterned papers, twine and coordinating chipboard elements. I sewed around the outside because after I assembled everything it didn’t have that personal touch.


What do you think? Do you appreciate cards with no stamping? Do you feel cheated?? lol…

Here is how to play:

• Create a paper crafting project (card, scrap book page or 3D item), based on the sketch provided.Post your creation on your blog or an online gallery (using a code ISSC28), and link it here with the inlinkz widget below.
• Please provide a direct link to your post - not the generic link to your blog.
• A new challenge will be posted every Friday at 12:01 AM EST, and you have until noon on the following Friday EST to submit your entry.
• You may enter as many times as you like, but please provide a newly designed project with a new link for each additional project.
• We will choose the top 2 creations to be featured in our "Top 2 Winners" post every Sunday where we will announce who we have picked :) The winners will receive their very own iSpy Sketches blog badge!
• Don't forget that you may combine our challenges with others and use supplies from any company that you wish :)
• Have fun and we look forward to "spying" your creations!

Hey there! It’s time again for another iSpy Sketch challenge. I love that every week more and more people are taking part. Sketch challenges really are the best kind of challenge!!

I picked up these Studio Calico papers while I was in Portland. This pad is not what I would usually get (muted, vintage 60’s, kind of odd patterns) so I just went for it!! I chose to use the starburst paper in the corner and let it permeate throughout the whole card. The “love” sticker is from MME Nostalgia that coordinated perfectly, so it got stuck smack dab in the middle of the sun!! The butterflies are also Studio Calico and go a long way to reinforce the whole 60’s vibe.


(In addition to this challenge, I also made this for two Dare to Get Dirty challenges: DTGD12va.sunshine and DTGD12Westies)

• Create a paper crafting project (card, scrap book page or 3D item), based on the sketch provided.Post your creation on your blog or an online gallery (using a code ISSC27), and link it here with the inlinkz widget below.
• Please provide a direct link to your post - not the generic link to your blog.
• A new challenge will be posted every Friday at 12:01 AM EST, and you have until noon on the following Friday EST to submit your entry.
• You may enter as many times as you like, but please provide a newly designed project with a new link for each additional project.
• We will choose the top 2 creations to be featured in our "Top 2 Winners" post every Sunday where we will announce who we have picked :) The winners will receive their very own iSpy Sketches blog badge!
• Don't forget that you may combine our challenges with others and use supplies from any company that you wish :)
• Have fun and we look forward to "spying" your creations!

Hi there! Are you having a great week? It’s all of a sudden gotten REALLY HOT here and I’m sorta melting, but luckily I have a couple of comforts to cool me down: homemade Pina Coladas, A/C in our bedroom, and Starbucks Frappuccinos. Oh yah, AND MAKING CHRISTMAS CARDS!!
In addition to this week’s sketch I played along with the current Paper Smooches Sparks challenge found here. I loved the colours (a lot of kraft) and the simplicity.. I also loved being able to pull out my Kim Hughes Christmas stamps (the deer is in one of the Paper Smooches Kismet set (Happy Camper) and the sentiment an holly are from an old CHF set..

Here is how to play:

• Create a paper crafting project (card, scrap book page or 3D item), based on the sketch provided.Post your creation on your blog or an online gallery using a code ISSC26, and link it here with the inlinkz widget below.
• Please provide a direct link to your post - not the generic link to your blog.
• A new challenge will be posted every Friday at 12:01 AM EST, and you have until noon on the following Friday EST to submit your entry.
• You may enter as many times as you like, but please provide a newly designed project with a new link for each additional project.
• We will choose the top 2 creations to be featured in our "Top 2 Winners" post every Sunday where we will announce who we have picked :) The winners will receive their very own iSpy Sketches blog badge!
• Don't forget that you may combine our challenges with others and use supplies from any company that you wish :)
• Have fun and we look forward to "spying" your creations!