I created this card to participate in the fantastic milestone challenge out at Freshly Made Sketches. I have added the image for the sketch to the right, and if you click it you will go to their site. I'm not sure if I have ever participated in a challenge of theirs while it was "live", but I have certainly used LOTS of their sketches for inspiration after they are done. I really had fun with this sketch – it is so open for interpretation and letting those creative juices flow. I love that we have this amazing resource on the internet, and I especially appreciate all of the gorgeous artwork that the designers share with us each week. They really are amazing artists, and they provide so much inspiration to all of us! Click on the image link and you will see the current challenge and you can see all of the great submissions. Clearly lots of people wanted to help celebrate their 200th sketch! Of course, prizes from lots of great sponsors doesn't hurt, either. I'm especially excited/proud that Stampin' Up! is one of the premier sponsors for the challenge!

I used a couple of products on this card that I hadn't tried out yet. The first is the cool wooden greeting at the top of the card. I have seen so many fantastic creations with these, and I thought it was perfect for this card. You get 5 each of the following words: "Congrats", "Thanks", and "Celebrate". The second product I've been hoarding for a while is the filter paper. I used it for the "faux silk" technique for the vanilla map panel in the lower section of the card. The filter paper is fantastic for this technique!!! I never tried "faux silk" before, and I'm just kicking myself because it is soooo easy! You do need two specific types of adhesive for this card: the Tombow Multi-Purpose Liquid Glue is what you need to adhere the wooden word to the card, and Stampin' Up! Glue Stick is whate you need to stick down the crepe paper for the faux silk technique.

Below is an old video that Stampin' Up! put together a few years ago for demonstrators. One of the perks of being a demonstrator is receiving a gorgeous publication called Stampin' Success. This video was created by the company as a companion to an issue of that magazine as an additional resource to us demos. Stampin' Up! didn't have the filter paper yet when they created the video, so Carrie used gold old tissue paper. As I said above, I used the filter paper for the technique and I was very please at how well it held up to the scrunching/unscrunching required to create the effect. I also very lightly applied some Crumb Cake ink to the edges and wrinkles using a sponge dauber. It added a bit of "aging" to the map panel that was just the effect that I was looking for on this card.

Product List

The Open Sea Wood Stamp Set $27.00	World Map Clear Stamp Set $15.00	Expressions Natural Elements $5.00	White Filter Paper $3.00
Lost Lagoon 3/8" Silky Taffeta Ribbon $5.95	Ovals Collection Framelits Die $27.00	Sponge Daubers $5.00	Liquid Multipurpose Glue $4.00
Stampin' Glue Sticks $4.00	Crumb Cake 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock $7.00	Island Indigo 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock $7.00	Very Vanilla 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock $8.50
Lost Lagoon 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock $7.00	Soft Suede Classic Stampin' Pad $6.50	Crumb Cake Classic Stampin' Pad $6.50	Lost Lagoon Classic Stampin' Pad $6.50