Control Freaks Getting Sketchy

I'm so excited because the Control Freaks theme this month is a sketch! I don't remember this ever being a theme before, but then my memory *is* getting sketchy, LOL. I'm the first stop on the hop, but if you just landed here from Melissa's blog, The Stamp Doc, welcome! There are seven of us this month and I can't wait to see what everyone did!

I went three different directions with this, and could have gone so many more! There is a Birthday card, a Grateful/Thanks(giving) card, and a Christmas card. So here is the sketch... isn't it purty?

And here is my first card using the sketch... The birthday card. The minute I laid eyes on the sketch, I immediately thought of the free Sale-a-Bration Delicate Dahlias set with the big beautiful blossom. I knew it would be a great "circle" on the card.

I did use the filler stamp to add color, but it wasn't bright enough to suit me, so I added more color with a Blending Brush, concentrating the darker toward the center. A lot of fussy-cutting later, and it was ready to pop up on dimensionals.

Timeworn Type embossed the background, Calypso Coral DSP made the banner, and a light Petal Pink Stampin' Blend colored the white ribbon. Oh, and the cute little Bumblebee Trinket is the accent. (Can't forget the bee!) I swiped the vertical greeting from Celebrate With Flowers.

The Christmas card started with the gold embossed Bright Bauble colored with Mint Macaron (light & dark) Stampin' Blends. I fussy cut it, too, because I didn't want any margins around it.

Did you notice the horizontal strip behind it? That's two die cuts from the Gingerbread Dies glued on a strip of Gold Shimmer Ribbon. Fancy-schmancy! The Genial Gems fit the circles on the ornament perfectly and give it an elegant look.

I realized when I was finished I should have moved the "Joy" over to the left so it was overlapping the ornament a little. I know from experience that trying to remove a Stampin' Dimensional from an embossed piece invariably leads to torn cardstock, and I didn't want to risk it!

This last card is my favorite, and I almost didn't make it! I was going to go with just the two above, but it struck me that the swirl in Sparkle of the Season would make a good circle background, and everything just fell into place from there!

I love it when that happens, which isn't nearly often enough, LOL. The die cut autumn wreath was colored with Stampin' Blends, as was the adorable little pumpkin and the loose leaves.

I cut down the Paper Lattice so it would fit the sketch better, and used a sponge dauber to darken it with Soft Suede ink. A little strip of Be Dazzling Specialty Paper (a SAB item, which ends in TEN days!) added enough bling to make my heart happy.

So there you have it; one sketch three ways! Which one do you like best?

Up next is Tami, at Swimming in Stamps. She's sure to inspire you with more wonderful ideas for this sketch!