Hello all my card making friends! Welcome back for Sketch Saturday #761.

Today’s sketch features circles and the twist is to use Orange.

While orange is not my favorite color, I feel like it really made my card pop.

I remembered that I had a mat pack in my stash that had some bright fun colors. When I checked I found the background paper with a subtle watercolor type pattern.

I pulled out the orange and blue/turquoise as my main colors and used my stitched circle die cuts to make the shapes.

I added the Thinking of You stamped sentiment on one of the circles and the dark brown pearls at the bottom of the card.

I am really pleased with the way this card came together and the sketch makes it so easy.

Please be sure to visit the Sketch Saturday #761 blog post to see all the other cards from the design team. We hope you play along and link your card at the bottom!

Thank you for stopping by! You can comment on this post or send me a message on my Contact page.

Please let me know if you have any questions or suggestions. I am here to help you preserve, organize & enjoy your photos and family stories.

You can also join my VIP Facebook page or follow me on my social media channels.

Come back again soon!

Machelle

Card Making

Cards papercrafting

September 21, 2024

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Sketch Saturday #760

by Machelle Willing

We are back again with Sketch Saturday #760. Today’s sketch is all about angles.

Just a side note – I have a lot of trouble with angles, it is one of the things I just have always had trouble grasping the concept of.

So for this card I used my Creative Memories trimmer which happens to have a handy 45 degree measurement printed on the cutting surface (see the second pic). Easy peasy!

Now back to the sketch – the twist was to make a masculine card.

For my card I used darker colors in blue, green & gray. I also used a lighter woodgrain paper and added multiple layers. A stamped Happy Birthday sentiment finishes it off.

These are colors I use a lot in different hues and woodgrain is always in style. So there you have it!

Don’t forget to check your trimmer to see if there are guidelines to help you with your cards & angles.

Also, check out the Sketch Saturday #760 blog post for all the other ideas from the design team and to link up your card at the bottom.

If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, please leave them in the comments section below or send me a message on the Contact page.

If you want help with any papercrafting projects or how to get started scrapbooking, I would love to hear from you!

You can also follow me on my social media channels through the links on the sidebar or check out my Creative Memories Advisor page if you need any supplies.

Thanks for stopping by & I hope to “talk” again soon!

Machelle

Card Making

Cards papercrafting

September 7, 2024

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Sketch Saturday #759

by Machelle Willing

Hello friends! Today is Sketch Saturday #759.

We have a landscape orientation with a couple of layers and a swirl embellishment.

The twist is to feature a sentiment.

For my card, I stayed true to the sketch and used a paper collection that had shades of blue cardstock for the background & main layer for my sentiment.

Then I used a coordinating piece with flowers and swirls in white for a subtle accent layer.

The pearl embellishment went perfectly under my Happy Birthday sentiment. The dark brown pops and makes it stand out from the other more muted colors.

A simple but elegant looking card with a featured sentiment. I hope this inspires you to make your own card and link it up over on the Sketch Saturday blog.

Be sure to also check out the other design team members cards. Even when you start with a sketch, everyone’s cards are unique.

As always, if you have any questions or suggestions, please leave me a comment or send me a message on the Contact page.

Thanks for stopping by!

Machelle

Card Making

Cards papercrafting

August 24, 2024

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Sketch Saturday #758

by Machelle Willing

It’s time for Sketch Saturday #758. Today’s sketch has an elegant feel to it with an added swirl in the corner and the twist was to use sequins.

Here is the sketch:

I used multiple layers with the last pattern being a butterfly floral paper.

I was originally going to use a stamp for the swirl but decided it was too big for the space.

Instead I found a thin metal die set that had the smaller swirl shape and I feel it fits better. It also adds dimension and texture.

Then I finished with the copper & gold colored sequins for just a little pop.

I went ahead and added the Happy Birthday sentiment so it is ready to go.

Don’t forget to check out the Sketch Saturday #758 blog post for all the design team’s card ideas.

We love to see how everyone makes the sketch their own, so add your card to the links on the website.

I have been working on a series of posts for all those who love photos and stories but don’t know where to start in saving their memories.

Be sure to check back next Saturday for my Scrapbook for Beginners – Part 1.

In the meantime, if you have any questions or suggestions, please leave me a message on the Contact page or comment below.

Thanks for stopping by!

Machelle

Sketch Saturday #757

by Machelle Willing

Good morning & welcome to Sketch Saturday #757! Today we have a sketch with lots of square layers.

I was so excited when I saw this sketch, because I recently acquired a HUGE scrapbook stash off of Facebook Marketplace. In addition to a ridiculous amount of paper, there was a box of small pre-cut squares.

Some of them are plain and the others have two different types of decorative edging.

This was the perfect starting point for my card. The twist for Sketch Saturday #757 was to use summer colors.

I had every color of the rainbow to choose from, so I went with sunny yellow, fruity orange & grass green.

I picked the colors of the squares first & then found a pre-printed 2×2 card from a Simple Stories collection that I have had for quite a while.

It already had a sentiment on it & I took the colors from the flowers in that card to match the other paper flowers.

I also have several different shapes & colors of brads, so I alternated the colors & shapes of the flowers & brads.

I went through my stash of die cuts and found the multi-colored strip to go behind the sentiment square.

After I had all that picked out & coordinated, I realized the white of the card was too stark so I took the only other color that I hadn’t used (the pink) for the background.

It is a very bright pink textured cardstock & really sets off the other textures of the edges of the squares & the paper flowers.

I love how this one turned out & it came together with pieces I already had on hand.

Be sure to check out the other designers and link your card to the Sketch Saturday #757 blog post.

Check back here soon for the first in a series of scrapbooking posts.

I would love to hear from you about where you are in your papercrafting hobby. Do you scrapbook, make cards, junk journal or make some other type of project?

Let me know if you have been crafting for years or if you are just starting out – or want to start but don’t know where or how.

You can leave a comment below or send me a private message on the Contact Us page.

Also, be sure to follow me on my social media pages or join the VIP Facebook Group for more inspiration & ideas.

Thanks for stopping by!

Machelle

Sketch Saturday #756

by Machelle Willing

Welcome to the weekend! Sketch Saturday #756 is live on their blog, be sure to go check out all the inspiration from the design team.

Here is the sketch & the twist is to make it funny.

I stayed pretty true to the original sketch this time and tried my best with the “funny” part. Puns are definitely not my strong suit.

I started with the blue background paper that has a very subtle tone-on-tone design. Then I found the brown piece that was left over from a card kit. I felt the patterned papers went well together.

With all the darker colors, I felt like it needed something lighter to make it pop, so I added the yellow to highlight the coffee cup.

Then I left the sentiment on white, since the outline of the cup is white.

Overall, I was pleased with the way this one came out. Be sure to leave a link over on the Sketch Saturday #756 blog post with your interpretation of this card.

We look forward to seeing what you make!

In the meantime, if you need help with preserving or organizing your photos, please leave me a message on the Contact Us page.

If you need any supplies to help you scrapbook your memories or make pretty things, please check out my Creative Memories page.

And if you want to see more from Small Town Scrap, please follow my social media pages or join the VIP Facebook group.

Until next time,

Machelle

Sketch Saturday #755

by Machelle Willing

Hello to all my card makers! Today I have Sketch Saturday #755. Let’s have a look at the sketch:

And the twist for this week is Christmas in July.

Before we get to my interpretation, let me tell you this was not my first attempt. Or even the second – it was the third. Third times the charm, right?

So my original idea was a tower of presents, but I wanted to add ribbon to them. I didn’t have any ribbon in my scrapbook stash that matched my paper.

The next logical (?) thought was, well, it is a Christmas card so let’s look in the Christmas ribbon. I did find some that would have worked, but Christmas ribbon is very slick and not bow friendly.

After trying to get the ribbon to stick (and it being not straight) & then getting adhesive on top of the ribbon – it was time to take a breath, walk away for a minute & then try again.

Here is the final result:

I found this sticker, which was just perfect for the sketch!

Just remember that papercrafting should not be hard or stressful. Sometimes you need to just walk away & come back with a fresh perspective and it’s okay to make things simple.

Thank you for stopping by, come back again for more sketches from the Sketch Saturday blog and be sure to check out all the other Design Team members cards from Sketch Saturday #755.

I am also working on an update to my Word of the Year 2024 – Progress and some other organizational posts here at Small Town Scrap.

If you have any comments or suggestions, please leave them below or you can message me directly on the Contact page.

Talk soon!

Machelle

Sketch Saturday News

by Machelle Willing

Today I am back with some exciting news – I am a new member of the Sketch Saturday Design Team!

I was previously a Guest Designer on another challenge site, but this is my first official post on a regular team. I hope to inspire & encourage you to follow along on the Sketch Saturday blog and link the cards you make.

Let’s get started!

Sketch #754

So this week we were to pick a sketch from the 2019 Archives of the Sketch Saturday blog. There were so many great ones to choose from but I finally decided on #586.

Here is the sketch:

I choose this one because of the ovals. I knew I could use the Creative Memories cutting system as there are three blade sizes & it makes it easy to mat the shapes. I have had the original system with the ovals & circles for YEARS and still find them useful.

My Interpretation:

I did add the presents inside the ovals but that was the only change I made to the original sketch. I started with the three green patterned papers and then found the plaid blue & green strip.

The colors in the stickers (presents & envelope) made it all come together and added the pop of red, so I went with red for the enamel dots in the upper right corner, too.

Overall, I am really happy with the way it turned out & I hope it helps spark an idea for you as well. Be sure to check out the Sketch Saturday blog to see all the Design Team inspiration & link up your own creation.

Don't forget:

There is additional information and papercrafting goodness over on my Social Media channels or you can join my VIP Facebook group. There is also a link on the sidebar to subscribe to my newsletter.

If you have any questions, suggestions or comments you can leave them below or send me a message on the Contact Us page.

I look forward to chatting with you again soon!

Machelle

Blog News Card Making

Cards

May 23, 2024

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Creative or Crafty?

by Machelle Willing

I recently saw an ad on Facebook that asked the question “Do people call you creative or crafty?”

What's the difference?

That was my first thought – aren’t they the same thing? But really they are not.

To me, being creative means sitting down with a blank piece of paper, canvas, etc. and creating something new. Starting with just an idea in your head.

Being crafty, on the other hand, is being able to replicate some idea or item you have seen. That doesn’t mean you can’t change it up and make it your own, just that the idea or item was not original to you.

In fact, most of the paper crafts I make end up not looking like the original, but some aspect sparked the idea.

Is one better than the other?

Absolutely NOT! They are just different. I personally am not a creative person, but give me a few minutes on Pinterest & I can find a multitude of things I want to make.

As long as I have a visual guide or written instructions I can make pretty much anything. Sometimes just a picture will do, depending on the item.

Below are two examples of this – the first one is a pin for a crochet pattern. Obviously, I need the written instructions to make this headband. However, the second pin in just a picture of the “mood board” page I made for my Word of the Year 2023.

Sharing and encouragement

I love the internet for inspiration and appreciate all the people who share their talents and ideas, regardless of whether they are creative or crafty.

That is one of the reasons I love crafty hobbies – because of the community. Everyone is so open and giving of their time and skills. Teaching, sharing and encouraging others.

Time well spent

Spending time on your hobbies is an important form of self-care. It always relaxes me to sit down and make something pretty. It is a bonus if I get to do that with friends, either in person or through Zoom or Facebook groups.

It also gives me a sense of accomplishment, especially if I have learned something new.

Creative or Crafty?

Which do you consider yourself? Let me know in the comments and share something you have made.

I am in the process of adding a gallery of some of the things I have made for inspiration and encouragement. Be sure to check back soon for more.

Machelle

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Sketch Saturday #761

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Sketch Saturday #756

Sketch Saturday #755

Sketch Saturday News

Sketch #754

My Interpretation:

Don't forget:

Creative or Crafty?

What's the difference?

Is one better than the other?

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Time well spent

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