Sketch Saturday #771

by Machelle Willingon March 8, 2025May 22, 2025

Today we have more cardmaking inspiration for Sketch Saturday #771.

It’s a portrait card with a couple of layers, two embellishment areas and a space for a sentiment in the middle.

I stayed pretty true to the sketch with the exception of adding one more paper layer in the middle.

The twist for this sketch was to include a button & that was actually my starting point for this card.

I found the orange button & orange is not a color I normally use.

I happen to also have a small pad of paper scraps in very bright colors & that is where I found the orange paper in the middle. It is a very subtle tone on tone paper with diagonal stripes.

Next I found the Happy Birthday sentiment strip. It is a golden yellow & I decided blue would be a good color to accent both the orange & yellow.

Finally, I found the flower stickers with a little bit of sparkle.

This came together fairly quickly & I used several items that have been in my stash for quite a while.

And that, in the papercrafting world, is a win-win!

Be sure to check the Sketch Saturday #771 blog post for the other Design Team cards and to link your version at the bottom.

Here in Texas, we are getting some warmer weather & daylight savings time starts this weekend!

That means open windows, spring cleaning & finishing painting projects around the house.

Hoping to have more time to devote to photo management & scrapbooking stories.

I would love to help you with your memory keeping goals or to get started documenting your stories. Leave me a comment or send a message on the Contact page.

Ya’ll come back soon!

Machelle

by Machelle Willingon February 22, 2025May 22, 2025

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Good Saturday morning! Welcome back for some more cardmaking inspiration with Sketch Saturday #770.

Today’s sketch is a landscape design with a couple of layers, a swirl and arrows or chevron. Here is the sketch:

Sketch Saturday #770

My card is pretty true to the sketch with a patterned background paper then solid cardstock layer & finally a pre-printed sentiment for the top layer.

I added a swirl die cut but instead of the arrows on the left, I used three enamel dots. (I love enamel dots!)

Sketch Saturday #770 card handmade by Small Town Scrap

As always, go over to the Sketch Saturday #770 blog post to see the rest of the cards by the design team.

Add your interpretation of the sketch at the bottom of the post.

I would love it if you left a comment or you can send a private message to our Contact Us page.

Come back soon,

Machelle

Card Making Sketch Saturday

by Machelle Willingon February 8, 2025May 22, 2025

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Welcome to the weekend! It’s time for Sketch Saturday #769.

Sketch Saturday #769

Today’s sketch is fairly simple with the twist being to feature a flower.

Here is my example:

My starting point was the flower die cut, which I substituted for the hexagon layer.

I chose the background cardstock from the darker buds and then added the foiled polka dot banner for the paper strip.

For the hearts, I used one foiled die cut & two enamel pieces.

All the die cut pieces are from an older Creative Memories embellishment pack.

I finished it off with a paperclip style embellishment for the sentiment.

As always, make sure you check out the other cards from the design team on the Sketch Saturday #769 blog post.

You can link your card at the bottom to be considered for our Top 3 recognition.

If you have any questions, comments or suggestions you can leave them here on this post or send me a message on our Contact page.

I am also here to help you with any of your papercrafting supplies, photo management or just getting started with memory keeping.

Check back again soon,

Machelle

Card Making Sketch Saturday

by Machelle Willingon January 25, 2025May 22, 2025

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It’s time for Sketch Saturday #768.

Today’s sketch has four panels on the edge of the card and a small square. The twist is to include a heart.

Sketch Saturday #768

So, first of all I decided to turn the sketch & make it portrait instead of landscape.

The way the outside panels are placed suggested movement to me. I immediately thought of a watercolor chevron paper I have & decided to cut it into strips.

This left what looks like arrows to me. I matted those onto coordinating colors and then added the heart on the square.

Definitely a bold & bright card with fun details.

Now head over to the Sketch Saturday #768 blog post to see the other team members examples.

While you are there, don’t forget to link your card at the bottom.

Please leave a comment here or send me a message on my Contact page. As always, I would love to hear from you!

You can also sign up for my newsletter in the sidebar, join our VIP Facebook group or follow my social media channels.

Ya’ll come back soon,

Machelle

Misc

by Machelle Willingon January 17, 2025May 22, 2025

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Hello friends! I have finally decided on my 2025 Word of the Year – Seasons. I have felt very busy lately & didn’t even start thinking about a word until the beginning of January.

Usually I start thinking about it around November or at least the early part of December, but it just slipped through the cracks.

Once I started thinking about it & testing different words in my mind I couldn’t really come up with anything. I decided to google One Little Word (Ali Edwards class title for picking a word every year) to see what other people were choosing.

The minute I saw Seasons I knew that was what I was looking for. The Bible verse in Ecclesiastes immediately came to mind. I have always heard the first verse, but it is actually 11 verses.

2025 Word of the Year scripture Ecclesiastes 3: 1 - 11

I think the older we get, the more reflective we are. I love to look back on memories from years past, which is why I scrapbook.

I can’t wait to dive into each verse and really think about each season I have experienced so far, what is happening right now & what do I want to set for goals for the future.

Now, let’s look at a couple of the Merriam Webster definitions of the word “Season”.

One of the four quarters into which the year is commonly divided. I’m sure this is the most common definition – Spring, Summer, Fall & Winter.
The time of a major holiday – the Christmas Season.

But the next one is what I am focusing on for my 2025 Word of the Year.

3. A suitable or natural time or occasion.

I love how a word can help us to be present, take action or just sit back and reflect. It can be so many things all at once.

You can also try out a word for a few months & if it isn’t working, change it. It is really just for you – a reminder to slow down and think about what you want out of this coming year.

One of the things my husband & I have been working on is moving back to my hometown area and finding our forever home.

That speaks to verse 2 – we have to uproot in order to plant new roots. Hopefully, this will be the last time we move.

It also relates to verse 6 – a time to keep and a time to throw away. As we are going through all the things we have accumulated in the last 25 years, I have learned to let go.

We don’t need or want to move ALL of the things that are just collecting dust. Some of it I can’t let go of, but some of the things I can take pictures of & let the physical item go. (Previously I gave some of my scrapbooks to family members and downsized to smaller albums.)

So, I am going to focus on each line & see if it pertains to this Season of life.

I will also look for other quotes and sayings throughout the year that relate to Seasons and see what speaks to me.

If you have a 2025 Word of the Year, I would love to know what you chose & why. You can leave a comment on this post or leave me a message on our Contact page.

Also, don’t forget that if one of your resolutions or commitments for the new year is to save, organize, share or enjoy your photos, I would love to help you get started.

There are so many ways to tell your story & preserve your memories – find what works for you!

Check back in soon,

Machelle