Good morning & Happy Friday! I’m looking forward to a relaxing weekend! In fact, the only plans we have are for a trip to Target (one of my favorite places!) and I might even sneak in a massage appointment and finally use the gift certificate that Jon gave me for Christmas!

And it would certainly top off the weekend if I had some time to get inky too. Maybe even try another card with this week’s sketch. I hope you’ll play along too! Here it is:

And here are the sketch requirements:

Create a card using the above sketch as inspiration. You’re not required to use TE stamps to play, but there’s a bonus prize if you do! To be entered into the prize drawing you must link your card using the In Linkz provided below by Thursday, March 22nd. And of course there are prizes that are up for grabs:

1. I will randomly select one person from all of the challenge links to receive a $10 gift certificate to the TE Store! If you used predominantly TE Stamps on your project you’ll receive an extra $10 bonus for a total $20 gift certificate!

2. I will select my favorite card to win Top Chef honors! The winner of the Top Chef will play along with the sketch crew and have her blog and card design featured here on the TE blog.

So are you wondering about our winners from last week? The random winner of a $10 gift certificate to the TE Store is Betty Benton! Congrats!

And the winner of our Top Chef honors is Chaitali N. who created this gorgeous card! I love how she got creative with those squares on the sketch and incorporated them into a larger scene. Chaitali will be joining with the sketch crew for TESC155 and we’ll learn more about her then!

But first it’s time to welcome this week’s Top Chef, Linda Suarez! We asked Linda a few questions to learn a little more about her:

Q: What are your 3 favorite types of embellishments?
A: Bling, brads and chipboard. I think rhinestones or pearls often add that perfect finishing touch to a card – love, love them. Brads have been my downfall since I was a scrapbooker (before I started making cards). I have a large drawer filled with them. Chipboard elements are divine. I especially like making my own using dies and patterned papers or matching stamps.

Q: What was your last crafty purchase?
A: Well, my local scrapbook store has been receiving steady shipments of CHA orders so I have been stalking them weekly. Just last week, I purchased all the new Bo-Bunny and Simple Stories 6×6 paper pads. And of course, I had to get some of the matching embellishments. I love, love patterned paper (again from my scrapbooking days) and I especially love the smaller paper pads with coordinating patterns for making cards.

Q: Where do you find your stamping inspiration?
A: Right now, I am getting most of my inspiration from sketch challenges. I find that they often give me the jump start I need. Design teams are another source of inspiration for me. These talented people are responsible for most of my stamp purchases. Often, stamps I think I have no need for, go to the top of my buy list when I see what an awesome design team does with them. I also love visiting the blogs and galleries of other papercrafters. I recently discovered Pinterest and love how I can use it to tag favorites projects.

Thank you for sharing a piece of your crafty life with us, Linda! All of your creations are fabulous and you certainly proved that with your sketch card this week! Scroll down check out Linda’s card using this week’s sketch and find all of her beautiful cards on her blog: Lucky Dog Stamper.

For my card I pulled out my latest favorite MME Howdy Doody paper pad to create my card. I have this paper pad sitting right in the center of my stamp table so that’s why I keep reaching for it all the time. Well, that’s one reason… the other reason is just that I LOVE it! The sketch is super simple and I decided to keep my card pretty simple too. I started by stamping the tulip vase from the Spring Tulips set in Memento Tuxedo Black ink and colored them with Copics. I also highlighted the tulips with a little glitter and added glossy accents to the water in the vase. The wood-paneled patterned paper added lots of interest to the card without much work. So after adding my sentiment and three little Buttercup Liquid Pearl dots I called it good!

Of course, it wouldn’t be a TE Sketch Challenge without inspiration from our fabulously talented sketch crew!

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