I know all my followers are aware of how much I love my Gel Press. That being said another member of the FSJ Creative Team, Carrie Rhoades, loves the Gel Press as well. We decided to have a challenge throwdown to create cards from each other’s pulls and one of the throwdown stipulations was to include some not so pretty pulls; because, as I tell my crafters, “There are no ugly pulls!”

I received Carrie’s package of pulls this past Thursday; and, quite frankly, I didn’t see any ugly pulls but maybe I have conditioned my mind to see past the obvious and to envision the beautiful. Here is the one I chose to use for the Freshly Made Sketches Challenge 351. I think it is a gorgeous Gel Press pull. *** Carrie used yarn wrapped around her brayer and acrylic pain to create this Gel Press pull (see below). Here is Carrie’s link to the “ugly” pull I sent her and she used for Round 1’s throwdown Carrie Stamps, No Such Thing as a Bad Print blog post (click here).

This set the stage for the FMS 351 sketch.

The minute I began working on putting a card together for this sketch, I knew this pull was a winner! I began with the Thankful Friends stamp set and incorporated some fall colors (Pumpkin Bread, Tangerine Fusion, Rich Coral, Hazelnut Blend and Turbo Teal):

The corrugated paper adds texture and dimension to the circle mats. To create a little depth to the circle mats, Pumpkin Bread ink was applied directly from the pad to the edges of the circles. A hint of twine peeking out from behind the mats adds a little fun to the card. I think the squirrel is just too adorable and makes a great focal point for this card. The sentiment says it all, “Choose to be Grateful.” Do you choose to be grateful? I do.

Product List