Canopy Crafts

Mosaic Madness for {PP145}

2013-05-12T03:00:00.000-04:00

Happy Sunday peeps and Happy Mother's Day to all my friends who are mothers--furbabies included--out there! This week is our color challenge over at The Paper Players and the talented Jaydee has a rich color challenge for us:

I was itching to use another of my sneak peek products with these gorgeous colors so I grabbed the new stamp set Mosaic Madness, available May 31st, and got to work:

Not only does this stamp set have a coordinating punch--love that!--but also a coordinating embossing folder. I embossed the Whisper White cardstock and started stamping a bunch of different shapes until I found what I liked. The outline mosaics are stamped in Midnight Muse and the centers--a separate stamp (again, love that!)--are Gumball Green.

I stamped directly on the embossed cardstock with Raspberry Ripple inside the smaller mosaics. I just love these shapes--really clean but still ornate, ya know?

I kept the inside super simple for a hand-written note. Just added a few more outline mosaics with alternating colors for the center. While these colors, on their own, are very rich and regal when paired with white they look crisp and faintly patriotic! Perfect for summer--since that's what it feels like around here! I hope you're feeling some warmer weather where you are for Mother's Day today. Please drop by The Paper Players to check out the rest of the Design Team samples, I know you will enjoy it! Then come on along and join in the fun before our challenge closes on Friday, May 17th at Noon (PDT). Hope to see you there!

The Paper Players Design Team

Supplies
Stamps: Mosaic Madness [available 5/31/13]; Curly Cute
Ink: Midnight Muse; Raspberry Ripple; Gumball Green; Versamark
Paper: Midnight Muse, Gumball Green; Whisper White CS
Extras: Modern Mosaic Textured Embossing Folder [available 5/31/13]; Mosaic Punch [available 5/31/13]; 1.25" square punch; white embossing powder; Stamp-a-ma-jig

Wildflowers for Mom

2013-05-10T03:00:00.000-04:00

Hiya friends--we made it--it's Friday! Woohoo! Just wanted to sneak in another post this week for our Mother's Day challenge over at The Paper Players. I needed a card for my lovely MIL who truly would prefer a bouquet of wildflowers to roses anyday. When I saw the new Wildflower stamp and coordinating embossing folder, I knew it was perfect for her card:

I inked the stamp with Stampin' Write markers in Lucky Limeade, Poppy Parade, Crushed Curry and Island Indigo and stamped onto watercolor paper. I love the texture that shows through!

I also used my Aqua Painter to add a light touch of Soft Sky ink around the embossed edges. It's VERY subtle, lol! I probably could have gone a little darker but I was being cautious. :-) I am really impressed with how easy it is to line up the coordinating embossing folder to the stamped image. Love it!

With the image so large, I didn't have a suitable sentiment to fit so I stamped one from Teeny Tiny Wishes and punched out each word with the retiring Medium Jewelry Tag punch and tied it onto some Linen Thread.

I combined some sentiments on the inside--one from the retiring set, You Are Loved and one from a retired hostess set. I couldn't resist coloring a portion of the flowers again to decorate the inside. I hope my MIL likes it--I think it's just her style. And that's what it's all about, right? Making a card that you know is just PERFECT for that special someone.

And speaking of special someones....I passed my 4-year blog-o-versary yesterday and I remain amazed by all the special folks who visit here each day, subscribe or follow me on this crafting journey. Of course, a girl always loves comments but whether you leave one or not I am truly honored that you find a little bit of inspiration in my work. So, thank you, thank you, thank you! Be on the lookout for some blog-o-versary candy soon! ((hugs))

Edited 5/11/13: my friend, Lesley, alerted me to the fabulous Wonder of Watercolor challenge happening in the Moxie Fab World so I would like to throw this card in the mix! Thanks Lesley for alerting me and thanks MFW for some beautiful inspiration!

Supplies
Stamps: Wildflower; Teeny Tiny Wishes; You are Loved; Something to Celebrate [retired]
Ink: Early Espresso; Soft Sky
Paper: Island Indigo CS; watercolor paper
Xtras: Lucky Limeade, Poppy Parade, Crushed Curry and Island Indigo Stampin' Write markers; linen thread; medium jewelry tag punch; aqua painter

Daydreaming of Mother's Day {PP144}

2013-05-05T03:00:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone and happy Sunday to you! This week at The Paper Players the amazing Anne-Marie is giving us one more chance to get all our cards made for Mother's Day!

One of the benefits of being a Stampin' Up! demonstrator is an advance look at the new catalog and the chance to pre-order some of the goodies including the new In Colors that I've used today.

One of the cards in the new catalog inspired me to dust off the Daydream Medallions stamp set and combine it with some of the gorgeous new In Colors. I'm afraid the dark and dreary day we had today didn't do much to show how pretty these colors are. I'll try for a better pic if the sun ever comes out again!

I stamped the layered medallions in Crisp Cataloupe, Baked Brown Sugar and Pistachio Pudding on a piece of Very Vanilla cardstock. I used the Floral Frames framelits to cut a window from the Pistachio Pudding cardstock to frame the focal element. At 4.34" x 6.5", this card is larger than standard A2 size but I wanted to show off the full size of the beautiful framelit and it will still fit in a larger (non-SU) envelope. Because you can never shower Mom with enough pearls, I've scattered them all around the inside and outside of the medallions.

Since this card is destined for my wonderful Mother , I had to use one of these new Very Vintage Buttons that I just know she will love. Isn't it pretty? The carved detail is gorgeous and they look like a vintage ivory treasure from a well-traveled button box.

The sentiment stamped in the middle of the medallions on the inside is actually two separate sentiments from the Petite Pairs set. They're perfect on their own but paired together they send a heartfelt message. Of course, I couldn't have layered the medallions and the sentiments so well without the aid of my handy Stamp-a-ma-jig!

I hope you like my card today. I would love to hear your thoughts on the three new In Colors I've shown you. Make sure to check out the rest of The Paper Players Design Team with their wonderful projects and probably a few more sneak peeks:

The Paper Players Design Team

If you've still got one or two Mother's Day cards to make, why not join in the fun with our challenge? You've still got time to hand-deliver, or even mail, a card to Mom or a special Mom in your life. We'd love for you to join us before the challenge closed on Friday, May 10th at Noon (PDT). Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies
Stamps: Daydream Medallions, Summer Silhouettes, Delightful Dozen; Something to Celebrate [retired]
Ink: Crisp Cantaloupe, Baked Brown Sugar, Pistachio Pudding
Paper: Pistachio Pudding, Very Vanilla CS
Extras: Floral Frames framelits; Linen Thread; Basic Pearls; Lots of Tags die [retired];Very Vintage Buttons [available 5/31/13 in 2013-2014 Annual Catalog]; Stamp-a-ma-jig

This 'n' That Sketch {PP143}

2013-04-28T03:00:00.000-04:00

Hiya, friends and Happy Sunday! Of course, Sunday means another week with The Paper Players where our friend, Ann, is hosting a sketch challenge. I LOVE sketch challenges, don't you? They're a great way to get the mojo flowing and Ann's sketch this week is no exception:

This one's a keeper! Love the flagged banners and I knew right away that I wanted to use some Washi Tape from Stampin' Up's new suite of products called This and That.

Washi Tape is so much fun to work with! It's re-positionable and for someone like me (~~a little OCD~~) who loves to play around with the layout, being able to pick it up and re-position the pieces of tape is key! The colors in the Epic Day DSP are so fresh and modern and made choosing my color palette easy. The base is Crumb Cake and the DSP is layered onto Gumball Green. I stamped the big flower from Betsy's Blossom's onto Daffodil Delight cardstock and stamped the fun Hey There sentiment (from my first Paper Pumpkin kit) in Gumball Green.

The fabulous patterns on the washi tape really show up well when attached to a neutral base. Here, I added some score lines to a strip of Very Vanilla cardstock that I aged with my spritzer and Crumb Cake marker as well as some sponging.

On the inside I really played around with color and texture--adding an itty bit of washi tape and some embossed chevrons made with the Borders Scoring Plate. The Feel Goods sentiment was inked up in markers and the flowers from Fabulous Florets were added in Pool Party for a splash of fun!

And for even more fun, be sure to check out the rest of the creations from our design team--there's good eye candy there! We hope you'll join in the fun this week before the challenge closes on Friday, May 3rd at Noon (PDT). Thanks for stopping by today!

The Paper Players Design Team

Supplies
Stamps: Betsy's Blossoms; Hey There; Fabulous Florets; Feel Goods
Ink: Gumball Green. Daffodil Delight, Crumb Cake, Pool Party
Paper: Crumb Cake, Gumball, Green, Very Vanilla; Epic Day This and That DSP
Extras: 2.5" circle punch; In Color Dahlias; Simply Scored; Borders Scoring Plate; Epic Day Washi Tape

A Birthday Party for Vicki!

2013-04-24T06:00:00.000-04:00

Hi all! Surprised to see me on Wednesday? Well, it's a special day today because my friend, Lesley, is hosting a linky birthday party on her blog for Vicki Burdick! She's gathered us together around the virtual birthday cake--or the stamping table as it were--to wish Vicki a very happy birthday! Head on over to Lesley's blog and check out the fun!

I've never met Vicki in person but we've worked together when she rocked her Guest Designer gig on the Paper Players Design Team. As a long-time follower of her blog, It's a Stamp Thing, I was thrilled to work with this talented and friendly artist. Vicki is kind, caring and incredible creative so when Lesley extended the invitation for Vicki's linky party, I said you 'betcha! So here's to you, Vicki, wishing you the happiest of birthdays and a wonderful year ahead!

And in case you're wondering about the card, there's a complete supply list at the bottom.

The background paper is the fabulous Naturals Composition Specialty paper that's been sponged with White craft ink. Each sheet features a different embossed pattern. The sponging covers the naturals paper but leaves the glossy embossed areas giving the whole thing a lovely texture AND shine. Shine on, Vicki!

Supplies
Stamps: Apothecary Art
Ink: Lucky Limeade, Early Espresso
Paper: Naturals White, Certainly Celery, Pool Party, Calypso Coral, Crumb Cake CS; Naturals Composition Specialty Paper
Extras: Labels Framelits; Boho Blossoms punch; Modern Label punch; Scalloped Oval punch; piercing tool & mat; Daffodil Delight seam binding ribbon; Basic Pearls

Eleanor's Garden {PP142}

2013-04-21T03:00:00.000-04:00

Happy Sunday, friends! We've had a great weekend so far....visiting with family from out-of-town and watching our daughter play [and win] her volleyball game today! I hope you've enjoyed your weekend too! Today, Jaydee is our hostess over at The Paper Players with a [very] challenge Clean-and-Simple challenge:

Wowza, that's right...a one-layer card. When I thought about what to do with this one, I couldn't get the fabulous label shape from the Everything Eleanor set out of my mind. So I decided to use the masking technique and build my card around the label. Here's what I came up with:

I realize now that I should have stamped the sentiment a little higher...aargh! Anyway, the base is Naturals White and I used the colors of Pool Party, Daffodil Delight, Calypso Coral, Pear Pizzazz and Soft Suede. I think you can figure out what's where, lol! To the label I added floral images and the leaves from Secret Garden.

I stamped the label in Pool Party first, then the small Calypso Coral flower and used a mask to stamp around it with the Daffodil Delight flower and Pear Pizzazz leaves (who else is delighted to see Pear Pizzazz return? OMG!) You can also see that I added a little Silver Dazzling Details to the flower centers.

Keeping it clean and simple, I added another Pool Party label to the inside framing the sentiment I stamped in Soft Suede.

Be sure to check out my teammates over at The Paper Players--they really hit it out of the park this week! I hope you'll consider joining us before our challenge closes on Friday, April 26th at Noon (PDT). Enjoy the rest of your weekend and...thanks for stopping by today!

The Paper Players Design Team

Supplies
Stamps: Everything Eleanor, Secret Garden, On Your Birthday [retired]
Ink: Pool Party, Calypso Coral, Daffodil Delight, Pear Pizzazz, Soft Suede
Paper: Naturals White
Xtras: Silver Dazzling Details

Moving Forward with Color {PP141}

2013-04-14T03:00:00.000-04:00

Hiya peeps! Happy Sunday to you and yours. It's Paper Players time and Awesome-Anne-Marie has a beautiful color challenge for us this week:

Aren't they pretty together?! I saw this fabulous past sketch at CAS(E) this Sketch and knew right away that I wanted to feature the fun blimp from the set, Moving Forward. First, here's the sketch:

And here's what I did with it:

Stampin Up's Framelits make it so easy to embrace the trend of using a negative space (the space left behind when punched or cut out with a die). I cut a piece of Baja Breeze cardstock to the desired size (3 x 5.25"), ran it through the Big Shot with an Oval Framelit which created a perfect space to stamp the blimp from Moving Forward in Rich Razzleberry.

Of course, the Cloudy Day embossing folder is the perfect texture for this sky high sentiment! I made a sweet little embellishment out of the sentiment with the Itty Bitty Banner Framelits and trailed them from the blimp with some Island Indigo Baker's Twine.

The clouds, birds and sentiment from the Up, Up & Away set were a perfect match for the theme of my card.

I hope today's card has inspired you to play along with Anne-Marie's gorgeous colors this week. We would love to see you in the gallery! Please do check out the rest of the Design Team's creations over at The Paper Players and then go get crafty! Our challenge closes on Friday, April 19th at Noon (PDT).

The Paper Players Design Team

Supplies
Stamps: Moving Forward; Up, Up & Away
Ink: Rich Razzelberry, Baja Breeze, Crumb Cake, Island Indigo
Paper: Rich Razzelberry, Baja Breeze, Crumb Cake, Whisper White CS; Summer Smooches DSP
Extras: Oval & Itty Bitty Framelits; Island Indigo Baker's Twine; Cupcake punch; Cloud Day embossing folder; Basic Rhinestones

A Secret Garden, Recycled {PP140}

2013-04-07T03:00:00.000-04:00

Hiya friends! Wow, where did last week go? Was it just me or did Easter really sneak up on us this year? I was totally unprepared and have spent the last week trying to play catch up. It's time to catch up with my friends over at The Paper Players where I am hosting this week's Theme Challenge!

Since April is National Earth Month, I thought it would be fun to use recycled items on our projects. I save all kinds of things (probably more than I should) and am always finding inspiration in colors and patterns everywhere but especially packaging items. The inspiration for today's card came from of all things, a tissue box!

Love the colors, the patterns...all of it! In need of an idea for a sketch, I went looking at some challenges and found this week's fun Mojo Monday sketch:

I knew I was going to use one side of the tissue box as my focal point, so I cut it apart, cut one piece down to size and used it just as I would use any other pattered paper. The colors were a great match to Gumball Green, Marina Mist, Early Espresso with just a pop of Summer Starfruit.

The images on the box reminded me of the florals from the Secret Garden stamp set so I stamped a few of them in the corners on the card base. I love adding some stamping to the background--especially in a matching color and with coordinating images. It adds a lot of interest and helps ground the whole design.

I liked how the stamps coordinated with the tissue box images so I added some more to the inside in Gumball Green, Marina Mist, Bashful Blue and Summer Starfruit.

So, I'll be you've got some pretty tissue boxes of your own around the house! You won't look at one the same again, will you? I hope you'll reconsider some of the items in your home and look at their potential use on a craft project. If you do, we would love for you to join us over at The Paper Players before the challenge closes on Friday, April 12th at Noon (PDT). Be sure to check out the rest of my mates on the Design Team for their amazing recycled, re-purposed and re-imagined projects!

The Paper Players Design Team

Sandy Mathis (off this week)

Supplies
Stamps: Secret Garden, Petite Pairs; Blooming with Kindness
Paper: Gumball Green, Whisper White, Early Espresso CS; Designer Patterns Stack (subtles)
Ink: Early Espresso, Gumball Green, Marina Mist, Bashful Blue, Summer Starfruit
Xtras: Scallop Oval punch; Large Oval Punch; Oval Framelits; Occasions Paper-Piercing Pack; Linen Thread; Summer Starfruit stitched satin ribbon

OMG, a Color Refresh!

2013-04-04T23:07:00.002-04:00

OMG! Have you heard the news? Stampin' Up announced a Color Refresh today that includes...can you guess.....yes, it's true....POOL PARTY!! Excuse me a minute while I do a happy dance! So exciting! We also get to keep Island Indigo, Wisteria Wonder and Calypso Coral--YAY! And that's not all...we are welcoming back some previously retired colors that also bring a smile to my face including:

Bermuda Bay
Blushing Bride
Crushed Curry
Pear Pizzazz
Soft Sky

Woohoo, way to go Stampin Up! Of course, we are saying goodbye to some other colors as well and though a few make me sad...I think I'll adjust well enough happily hugging my Pool Party ink pad, LOL!. Here's the lowdown in chart format:

Changes will take effect with the new catalog on May 31, 2013 and new color kits will be available in the new catalog. Products in retiring colors (ink, refills, markers, cardstock, etc.) will only be available while supplies last so be sure to visit my website if you need to stock up! BTW, You might want to visit my website April 6-8th during the FREE SHIPPING on EVERYTHING event! That's right, FREE SHIPPING on EVERYTHING but only between April 6-8th!

A Mother's Day Sketch {PP138}

2013-03-24T03:00:00.000-04:00

Hiya friends and happy Sunday! Has spring arrived in your neighborhood yet? Here in North Florida it's still colder than usual so I thought I would hurry Mother nature along a bit with my card today! I loved the soft color palette at the challenge blog, Fab Friday {FabFri14}:

Aren't they pretty? So, I combined these with Anne Marie's fabulous sketch for our challenge this week at The Paper Players to make a Mother's Day card full of flowers! First, Anne Marie's awesome sketch:

and here's what I did with all this inspiration:

What do you think? I have to admit, this card made me happy. :-) I was in the mood for a soft, feminine flowery card and this is what developed! I stamped the background image from Postage Due in Sahara Sand ink onto Naturals White cardstock added the flourish from Everything Eleanor in Lucky Limeade ink and a few background flowers from the same set in Blushing Bride (substituted for Pink Pirouette).

I stamped the Everything Eleanor flowers in Calypso Coral onto Blushing Bride cardstock and fussy-cut all three. I added a little sponging with Sahara Sand, a few pearls and some Lucky Limeade organza ribbon from last year's Sale-a-Bration.

I really wanted the color of the flowers on the main panel to pop so I kept the base card and background the same color just adding some tone-on-tone stamping with the Netting background stamp in Sahara Sand. A little piece of Lucky Limeade ruffled ribbon provides just the right amount of border and texture.

The flourish from this stamp set is so pretty--in fact it's the reason I bought the set(!)--that I just had to stamp it some more on the inside and added a few more flowers. What a versatile stamp set Delightful Dozen has turned out to be; providing this wonderful sentiment for Mother's Day.

It may be a little early for a Mother's Day card but I hope these springtime flowers bring a little big of cheer your way today! Please check out the rest of the design team and their beautiful projects over at The Paper Players and then join in the fun! Just make sure to join in before the challenge closes Friday, March 29th at Noon (PDT). Thanks for stopping by!

The Paper Players Design Team

Oh, Hello Paper Players! {PP137}

2013-03-17T03:00:00.000-04:00

Hi there, friends! Happy St. Patrick's Day! I've got a card to share with you for this week's challenge over at The Paper Players where the always amazing Ann hosts a Clean-and-Simple challenge for us and it's a sketch...my favorite!

And here's how I interpreted the sketch:

My color palette was inspired by the colors in the Tea for Two Designer Series Paper. Even though I didn't use designer paper here, the colors were perfect for coloring the chevron image, from Oh, Hello, with Stampin' Write markers.

Here, I used Lucky Limeade, Island Indigo, Calypso Coral and So Saffron. My trusty Stamp-a-ma-Jig was just the ticket for lining up each chevron as well as the sentiment.

I was on a roll with the markers so I added one more colored chevron to the inside and added another sentiment from Oh, Hello. We made a stepped up version of this card in one of my stamp clubs today and we had so much fun adopting British accents with the phrases in this set! Adding in my personal favorite..."Hello, lovely"! We have so much fun, love hanging out with my stamp club friends! :)

And, I hope you've enjoyed hanging with me today. Do go check out the awesome projects from the rest of The Paper Players team and consider playing along with us before the challenge ends on Friday, March 22nd at Noon (PDT)

The Paper Players Design Team

Supply List
Stamps: Oh, Hello
Paper: So Saffron, Whisper White CS; In Color Designer Series Patterns Stack
Ink: Early Espresso
Extras: Early Espresso Baker's Twine; 1.25" Square Punch; Corner Rounder punch; Stamp-a-ma-Jig; Calypso Coral, Lucky Limeade, Island Indigo & So Saffron Stampin' Write Markers

Ears to You, Paper Players {PP136}

2013-03-10T03:00:00.000-04:00

Hi there, friends! As Sunday rolls around I'm sad that our Spring Break has come to an end :-( but glad to be this week's hostess over at The Paper Players. This week we have a color challenge and oh how I love working with color! I find color inspiration literally everywhere but often from fashion and home decor. This week, I've chosen a bright and happy spring combination.

Pretty, yes? I think so! I knew that I wanted to make an Easter card and the single stamp Ears to You was calling my name! I showed it some ink with a previous sketch from Retro Sketches [love] and came up with this:

To the Early Espresso base I added a layer of Pool Party CS embossed with the Cloudy Day embossing folder. I ran the full piece through the Big Shot twice to cover the entire section. That did leave an area in the middle where the two embossed sections met but I covered that easily with ribbon, the Top Note shape and the focal element. Doesn't the Lucky Limeade chevron pattern from Summer Smooches DSP look great with the patterned bunnies?!

And about those bunnies....I first stamped the entire image in Early Espresso and then added the bunnies. I stamped each bunny in Regal Rose, Lucky Limeade and Pool Party inks then fussy-cut each one. Have I told you how much I love to fussy-cut? Really, I do just ask my stamp clubs, LOL! The trick here was to leave a bitty white border so it would cover up the Early Espresso image I stamped first. Why did I do it this way, you might ask? Well, I wanted the sentiment in Early Espresso and I wanted a more saturated color than what coloring it with markers would provide so....fussy-cutting was the answer!

Lastly, I wanted those sweet little bunnies on the inside but the stamp was too big. My Digital Studio to the rescue! I created a page just the size I needed (4" x 5.25") and added three bunnies from the Little Additions digital stamp brush set and colored them in my challenge colors. After I printed it onto Whisper White cardstock, all I had to do was stamp the sentiment from Delightful Dozen in Early Espresso to finish it off!

Here's another version of this same card that the gals in my clubs made last month. This time, I used the Sunshine & Sprinkles DSP as my color inspiration and we only had to fussy-cut two bunnies instead of all three! I was kind to them. :-)

I customized the inside of the club card too with a page from MDS using Daffodil Delight, Marina Mist and Melon Mambo to color the bunnies.

I hope I've inspired you to play along with our color challenge over at The Paper Players. We would love to see your creation in the gallery. Just make sure to link up before the challenge closes on Friday, March 15th at Noon (PST). Until then, be sure to stop by my fellow Design Team mates to see their lovely creations and leave them some love! Thanks for stopping by!

The Paper Players Design Team

Supplies Used to Make this Card
Stamps: Ears to You; Delightful Dozen
Inks: Regal Rose, Pool Party Lucky Limeade, Early Espresso
Paper: Pool Party, Early Espresso, Whisper White, Regal Rose CS; Summer Smooches DSP
Extras: Oval Framelits; Occasions Paper-Piercing Pack; Top Note die; Early Espresso Quilted Satin Ribbon [retired]; Cloudy Day embossing folder; Printed 2011 In Color Designer Brads; Little Additions digital stamp brush set; paper snips

Up, Up & Away with CAS {CTS17}

2013-03-05T09:52:00.001-05:00

Hi everyone, happy Tuesday! I can't believe I'm sneaking in another post this week but I had to get this one in under the wire. I was introduced to a new-to-me challenge site, CAS(E) this Sketch and I was smitten with this week's sketch!

See what I mean? What a creative sketch! Since I needed a birthday card for a [male] family friend, I had to give this cool CAS sketch a try. Here's what I made:

My color scheme was taken straight from the Comfort Cafe designer series paper and includes Midnight Muse, Cajun Craze and Summer Starfruit.

I stamped the hot air balloons from Up, Up & Away in Cajun Craze and Summer Starfruit onto Very Vanilla cardstock and fussy-cut. A little Linen Thread bow added just enough detail but isn't too feminine.

I love how the die from the Hearts a Flutter framelit allows me to stamp in the negative space. I just lined the framelit up on the card front, secured it in place with some small post-it notes and after a quick pass through the Big Shot I've got a cute little window for the sentiment. edited to add: I'm a bit behind in checking my Google Reader and just discovered the Emphasize the Negative Challenge in the Moxie Fab World so I had to play along...and you should too!

To balance the placement of the sentiment on the inside, I stamped a couple more balloons and some Pool Party clouds both peeking through the window and to frame the additional balloons.

I hope you've enjoyed my surprise post today! Be sure to check out the fabulous sketches over at CASE(E) this Sketch. You're sure to find some inspiration! Thanks for stopping by today.

Supplies
Stamps: Up, Up & Away
Ink: Cajun Craze, Summer Starfruit, Soft Suede, Pool Party
Paper: Midnight Muse, Very Vanilla CS; Comfort Cafe DSP
Extras: Linen Thread; Hearts a Flutter Framelits; paper snips; Crystal Effects (to secure the bow)

Stitched Papillon Potpourri {PP135}

2013-03-03T03:00:00.000-05:00

Hiya friends and welcome to another week with The Paper Players! LeAnne is our hostess this week and she has a fun challenge for us:

I couldn't wait to get to work with my sewing machine and had all sorts of ideas swimming in my head. I created one project (I'll show you later this week) but then I saw one of the newest digital MDS downloads and knew right away what I would do with it:

I love printing DSP with My Digital Studio on my home printer. It's a great way to extend my designer paper collection for very little money. This paper is from the Spring to Life Digital Kit and features these adorable butterflies on a Lucky Limeade background.

I printed the DSP onto Whisper White cardstock and got to work on the butterflies. I stamped the bitty butterfly from Papillon Potpourri in Versamark on Basic Gray cardstock, heat embossed with clear EP and punched them out with the coordinating Bitty Butterfly punch. I backed each one with another bitty butterfly punched from vellum cardstock and stitched them to my DSP using a little bit of removable adhesive to hold them in place during sewing.

My first instinct was to use a gray or limeade ribbon but I experimented a little and found that Calypso Coral really popped against the Basic Gray. Coral was too much for the sentiment though so I heat embossed a sentiment from Blooming with Kindness with Pewter embossing powder. You can also see that I sponged the Framed Tulip embossed edges with a little white craft ink to highlight that gorgeous embossing.

I promise you those butterflies on the inside really are Calypso Coral! They look a bit more terracotta here but it's really not. :-) Paired with a sentiment from Wishes Your Way, this seemed the perfect pick-me-up to a friend who recently underwent surgery.

So, what do you think? Have I inspired you to add some stitching to your project? Real or faux, whatever way you can imagine...we would love to see it in the gallery at The Paper Players. Be sure to check out the rest of my friends on the design team and their fabulous stitched creations! Then come on back to join us before the challenge closes on Friday, March 8th at Noon (PST). Thanks for looking today!

The Paper Players Design Team

Supplies
Stamps: Papillion Potpourri; Wishes Your Way; Blooming with Kindness
Ink: Calypso Coral, Lucky Limeade, Basic Gray, Versmark
Paper: Basic Gray, Calypso Coral, Whisper White, Vellum CS; Spring to Life Digital Kit DSP
Xtras: Calypso Coral ruffled ribbon; Pewter embossing powder; sewing machine; Framed Tulip embossing folder; Bitty Butterfly Punch; Basic Rhinestones

A Sketch By the Tide {PP134}

2013-02-24T03:00:00.000-05:00

Hi friends! Did you think I fell off the earth? I had so much going on last week that I took a little break from The Paper Players. Before I knew it, it was Sunday again and time for another Paper Players challenge! They do come around quickly, don't they? This week, Jaydee has a fabulous sketch for us:

I told you it was fabulous, right? I will be using this one over and over! I used the sketch to design a card for my stamp clubs using one of my favorite sets from the Spring Catalog, By the Tide:

Oh how I love the coral and seahorse images! I've used some of my favorite colors here too: Summer Starfruit, Calypso Coral and Pool Party. Such great beach colors together! What am I going to do when Pool Party retires in June?? I started with a Crumb Cake base and added a layer of Pool Party embossed with the Fancy Fan folder. I sponged some Pool Party ink all over the embossing to really make it pop. Love how the fancy fan texture looks like waves.

The circle of Whisper White was cut with the 3" circle die onto which I collage stamped the coral, seahorse and script images and scattered some pearls in the coral. I used two strips of designer paper for the vertical element of the sketch, notching the ends and giving them a slight curl for extra movement. Can you hear them blowing in the warm ocean breeze? Well, probably many of you are under piles of snow right now so you'll just have to imagine the lovely breeze! :-)

I am really loving this sentiment from the Sale-a-Bration set Vintage Verses--it's so pretty! And, of course, I can't get enough of that sweet little seahorse either! He was the perfect finishing touch to the inside of my card.

I just know the rest of my friends on the Design Team will have some amazing projects for you this week. Be sure to pop over and give them some love! Then pop over to the Paper Players to join us before the challenge closes on Friday, March 1st at Noon (PST). I can't wait to see what you can make with Jaydee's sketch!

The Paper Players Design Team

Supplies
Stamps: By the Tide; Petite Pairs; Vintage Verses
Ink: Calypso Coral, Summer Starfruit, Pool Party
Paper: Crumb Cake, Pool Party, Whisper White, Summer Starfruit CS; Sycamore Street DSP, Designer Series Patterns Stack (2011-2013 In Colors)
Xtras: Naturals Trim ribbon; Basic Pearls; 3" circle die; 1.25" square punch; 1.25" circle punch; Fancy Fan embossing folder

Vintage Verses for the Paper Players {PP132}

2013-02-10T03:00:00.000-05:00

Hiya friends and stampers! It's another great week over at The Paper Players. The always-amazing-Ann has a fresh color challenge for us:

I absolutely love Summer Starfruit--it's such a bright and happy color. The girls in my stamp clubs have some rather....ahem....."colorful" descriptors for this color but I love it! Especially paired with Midnight Muse and that little pop of Primrose is the perfect accent color:

Patio Party DSP has all the challenge colors in it so I started with the paper as my inspiration building my card around the Summer Starfruit pattern. A couple of Paper Doilies off-set from the sentiment panel were the perfect landing spot for a trio of butterflies.

Love the texture provided by the Needlepoint embossing folder! I thought it was a great match to the stitching lines of the Primrose Petals satin ribbon too.

Since I used a sentiment from Vintage Verses (FREE during Sale-a-Bration) on the front, I kept it going with another one from the same set on the inside. More butterflies on the inside, complete the look! I have no idea who or what I will use this card for but I had fun pulling together these colors. And I hope you do too when you make a card to join us in the challenge this week! :-) Be sure to stop by the rest of the Design Team and check out their fabulous work! Don't forget, our challenge ends Friday, February 15th at Noon (PST).

The Paper Players Design Team

Supplies
Stamps: Vintage Verses; Papillion Potpourri
Ink: Midnight Muse, Summer Starfruit, Primrose Petals
Paper: Midnight Muse, Summer Starfruit, Whisper White CS; Patio Party DSP
Xtras: Bitty Butterfly punch; Elegant Butterfly punch; Primrose Petals stitched satin ribbon; Needlepoint embossing folder; Basic Pearls

Poppies Full of Sympathy {PP131}

2013-02-03T03:00:00.000-05:00

Happy Sunday, everyone! This week I am your hostess over at The Paper Players for our monthly Theme Challenge:

I find that sympathy cards are among the hardest to design--even more so than masculine cards. For me, it's about finding just the right balance between enough embellishments to make it special but a clean design to convey peace and serenity.

So how did I do? Do you feel calm looking at this card? :-) One way I think it conveys a calming effect is through color. The Color Coach came through on this one for me: Not Quite Navy, Pool Party and So Saffron are pleasing to the eye as well as cool and serene. I stamped the large background stamp, Pleasant Poppies, onto Pool Party designer paper with Not Quite Navy ink.

I stamped it a second time and fussy cut a few flowers for added dimension. This adds some interest but isn't too heavy or busy to detract from the overall feeling of the card. I matted the focal image on So Saffron and added a sentiment from Loving Thoughts--also on So Saffron cardstock. Just a touch of Not Quite Navy taffeta ribbon keeps it simple but elegant.

I hope you like my Poppies Full of Sympathy card and feel inspired to play along with our challenge at The Paper Players. Be sure to stop by and check out the work of the other Design Team members...you won't be disappointed! If you can play along with our challenge this week, just remember that it closes Friday, February 8th at Noon (PST). Thanks for stopping by!

The Paper Players Design Team

Supplies
Stamps: Pleasant Poppies; Loving Thoughts
Ink: Not Quite Navy
Paper: Not Quite Navy, So Saffron cardstock; In Color Designer Paper Patterns Stack
Extras: Not Quite Navy taffeta ribbon; paper snips

Oh, Whale for the Paper Players

2013-01-27T04:00:00.000-05:00

Happy Sunday, friends! I hope you're having a great weekend. Sundays are a great day around here because it means another week with The Paper Players! Check out the great sketch our friend, LeAnne has for us this week:

It's a good one isn't it? I must say, though, I took a few liberties with it--including flipping it--but I think you can see the bones, at least I hope that LeAnne can!

We made another version of this at my stamp clubs this month and it seemed to be a big hit! Don't you just love that little whale? For the main panel, I added some large scalloped "waves" cut with the Tasteful Trims die from the gorgeous Sale-a-Bration Sycamore Street DSP.

I alternated the scallops and tucked the Island Indigo whale from Oh, Whale in amongst the waves. Then, I curled up the edges of the scallops to add more dimension. A pass through the new Cloudy Day embossing folder {heart!}, some [free] Tangerine Tango satin ribbon and a rhinestone eye completed the look.

To mimic the ribbon in LeAnne's sketch, I added a trio of waves with the stamp from Oh, Whale to the Sahara Sand card base. Some Sahara Sand marker spritzed onto the card added interest and a "sandy beach" feel.

The inside got a similar treatment with some more wavy stamping and polka dotted waves. With the ease of the coordinating Happy Whale Clearlit, I couldn't resist adding another die cut whale.

And, with LeAnne's great sketch I know you won't be able to resist our challenge this week! Check out the rest of the Design Team for some fabulous inspiration and then go get busy in your craft room! Just make sure to come back and share with us at The Paper Players by Friday, February 1st at Noon (PST).

The Paper Players Design Team

Stamps: Oh, Whale; Friendly Phrases; Wishes Your Way
Ink: Tangerine Tango, Island Indigo, Sahara Sand, Summer Starfruit
Paper: Sahara Sand, Whisper White; Sycamore Street DSP
Extras: Tasteful Trims die; Tangerine Tango satin ribbon; Cloudy Day embossing folder; basic rhinestones; Happy Whale clearlit;

Swallowtail Multi-Color Technique

2013-01-20T03:00:00.000-05:00

Hi there, friends! I'm so excited to share today's card with you. But first, Jaydee has a wonderful Clean-and-Simple sketch challenge for us over at The Paper Players:

Such a great sketch with all kinds of possibilities. While at Stampin' Up's Leadership Conference last weekend, we saw a demonstration using multiple ink pads to color the gorgeous Swallowtail stamp from the Spring Catalog. I was so inspired to try it myself:

I turned the stamp rubber side up and applied ink directly with the ink pad, tilting the ink pad and brushing it on in sections like a paintbrush. Starting in the middle and working outward I used Elegant Eggplant, Summer Starfruit and Baja Breeze.

Because I wanted the butterfly to float off the edge of the card base and show more of the beautiful stamp, I stamped it again on the Summer Starfruit base using the stamp-a-ma-jig to line it up with the previous stamped image. I also spritzed a little Soft Suede marker across the card front.

On the inside, I used Baja Breeze and Summer Starfruit only to ink the butterfly, stamped off once and then onto the Whisper White cardstock. A sentiment from Blooming with Kindness was added to bring in my third color--Elegant Eggplant.

With the large Swallowtail stamp, I've shown you just one way to interpret Jaydee's clean-and-simple sketch. Check out the rest of the Design Team for even more gorgeous inspiration. I hope you'll come back to The Paper Players and show us your creation before this challenge closes on Friday, January 25th at Noon (PST). Thanks for stopping by today!

The Paper Players Design Team

Stamps: Swallowtail; Blooming with Kindness; Sweet Essentials
Ink: Summer Starfruit, Elegant Eggplant, Baja Breeze
Paper: Summer Starfruit, Whisper White CS
Xtras: Color Spritzer; Soft Suede marker; Dazzling Diamonds; glue pen

Blue Sky & Daffodils {PP128}

2013-01-13T03:00:00.000-05:00

Hi there friends! It's another Paper Players Sunday and the always-effervescent-Anne-Marie is our hostess this week for a color challenge!

I love color challenges. I love the opportunity to mix colors and how the combinations sometimes push me outside my comfort zone. I have to admit, anything using Pacific Point does just that, lol! That said, I adore this combination that Anne-Marie has given us. Pacific Point is really pretty with gray & yellow. I knew that I wanted to incorporate flowers:

And that is exactly what I did! I was itching to use the Secret Garden stamp set and coordinating Framelits and they did not disappoint. I started with a Basic Gray base and layered a piece of Pacific Point run through with the Tulip Frame embossing folder and trimmed down to size. I found the perfect patterned Pacific Point paper (say that 5 times fast!) in the International Bazaar DSP.

Then the fun began! I stamped the flowers with Versamark ink onto Daffodil Delight and heat set them with white embossing powder. I stamped each flower twice and fussy-cut the center part to layer. I wanted to highlight the beautiful line art of the flowers so I added a little shading with a blender pen and Daffodil Delight ink. I must say I am really pleased with the results!

I do hope you'll join us this week for Ann-Marie's fabulous color combination. As you read this I am traveling back from SU's Leadership Conference--my very first! I am sure that I will have lots of ideas to share with you as I try to absorb and create with all that I've learned from the experience. In the meantime, be sure to check out the rest of the Design Team who are sure to have some stellar projects to share with you. This week's Paper Players challenge closes on Friday, January 18th at Noon (PST). Thanks for stopping by today!

The Paper Players Design Team

Stamps: Secret Garden; Blooming with Kindness
Ink: Pacific Point, Daffodil Delight, Basic Gray, Versamark
Paper: Pacific Point, Daffodil Delight, Basic Gray,Whisper White CS; International Bazaar DSP
Xtras: Secret Garden Framelits; Basic Gray taffeta ribbon; Labels Framelits; Festive Paper Piercing Pack; Tulip Frame embossing folder; blender pen

A Preview Surprise!

2013-01-08T03:05:00.000-05:00

***If you're looking for my Paper Players card, click here***

Hi friends! I know you must be thinking what's up...Nance posting on Tuesday?! Well, it's a very special post because today is the day when I am revealed as a Guest Designer for the Create with Connie & Mary Spring 2013 Edition!

I was delighted to be invited back to the Create with Connie & Mary team--even for one project. Connie & Mary have lined up an amazing group of artists and the
Create with Connie and Mary Spring 2013 Edition will be chock-full of fabulous projects and tutorials but...only for subscribers.

Each Guest Designer will feature a stamp set or product on their project. Here is the card I created as a sneak peek...can you guess what product I will feature?

You won't want to miss it! Preview week started yesterday, and the session runs all week. There are some talented designers ready with over a month’s worth of projects – just for you!

Remember, the only way to get to see my project created especially for Connie & Mary, or the other designer’s projects, is to sign up, so head over to Create with Connie & Mary to take advantage of the $29.95 early bird price today!

Love Across and Down {PP127}

2013-01-06T05:00:00.000-05:00

Hi there, friends! Happy Sunday and welcome to the first Paper Players challenge of 2013. I've had a lovely two week break over the holidays and am ready to get back to the "real" world. ;-) This week, the sweet and sassy [Ann] Schach is hosting a theme challenge:

I am excited to share my card with you today. First, a little back story....I've been keeping a secret from you... :-) Have you heard of the Control Freak Swappers? They are an awesomely talented group of SU demos who host the monthly Control Freak Blog Tour as well as a swap group. And, can you guess? Yes...I was invited to join the fun! Truly, this is a big honor for me--it's an amazing group of talent and I am proud to be a Freak! OK, so that's the back story for the card which I made, with today's challenge in mind, for a recent Control Freak Swap!

Oh my gosh, there are so many products that I love from the new Spring Catalog on this card! First, I stamped a sentiment from the new set Cross My Heart in Early Espresso on Very Vanilla cardstock and fussy cut the shape.

The heart is punched from Primrose Petals cardstock with the Owl punch and got a glossy look with some Crystal Effects. See the Pool Party heart behind the sentiment? The heart was cut with a Heart Framelit and over-stamped with the chevron oval stamp from the new Oh, Hello set. Love this set, too!

And, I know you noticed the deep impressions of the new Honeycomb Embossing Folder, right? Isn't it gorgeous? This tiny little heart from the Tiny Tags set decorates a few of the honeycomb spaces. Finally, I added another heart under the sentiment and layered a piece of the yummy More Amore Specialty Designer Series Paper to the front as well as the inside.

Sorry for the photo-heavy post but I wanted to show you all the little details I so love adding! And speaking of show, I just know the rest of the Design Team has some wonderful projects to show you. Be sure to check them out, including our 5 new Guest Designers! I hope you'll get your craft on and join us before the challenge closes on Friday, January 11th at Noon (PST). Have a great week everyone!

The Paper Players Design Team

Supplies
Stamps: Oh, Hello; Cross My Heart; Delightful Dozen; Tiny Tags
Ink: Primrose Petals, Early Espresso, Pool Party

Paper: Very Vanilla, Primrose Petals, Pool Party CS; More Amore Specialty DSP
Xtras: Scalloped Ribbon Border Punch; Primrose Petals Stitched Satin Ribbon; Hearts Framelits; Owl Punch; Honeycomb Embossing Folder; Crystal Effects; Fancy Fan Embossing Folder

Happy New Year!

2012-12-31T19:51:00.002-05:00

Hi friends! We're taking a bit of a break at The Paper Players and with the holidays my blog posts have been infrequent...at best. :-) However, I wanted to take a minute to wish all my blogging friends a Happy New Year with a card I made recently:

The single Happy New Year stamp made this card easy-peasy with some silver glimmer paper and the Itty Bitty Banner Framelit.

I used a very dusty Circle Circus set to decorate the inside. I thought all the circle elements looked like bubbly champagne...a glass of which I will enjoy tonight and I hope you will too! We're visiting family in the northwoods of Wisconsin this week--much different than what this Florida family is used to!

Happy New Year, everyone!

Happy Holidays to you...

2012-12-25T02:00:00.000-05:00

{PP126} CAS Snowflakes

2012-12-16T03:00:00.000-05:00

Hiya everyone! It's our last challenge of 2012 over at The Paper Players. It's also our last with the current crew of Guest Designers. It's been a pleasure working with Dawn, Helen, Amy and Jen. I would like to wish them well and thank them for all their hard work these last 6 months--thank you ladies! It's also an exciting time because we welcome our new group of designers...what fun! Be sure to stop by and hear the news! In the meantime, you're here for a card! It's Clean-and-Simple week and Ann asked us to use Snowflakes on our projects.

And here's what I created:

This card is so simple to make--the hardest part was figuring out what colors I wanted to use! I rarely use Elegant Eggplant but I love it for a holiday card. It pairs so nicely with Wisteria Wonder which was run through the Big Shot with the Northern Flurry embossing folder--still a favorite!

You might notice that I sponged some Frost White Shimmer Paint over the embossed areas and edges to give it a shiny lustre. Shimmer paint elevates it from ho-hum to YUM in no time!

You might also be wondering about the smaller snowflake and why it looks darker? Well, that's because I used a sponge dauber and colored the Silver Glimmer paper with Elegant Eggplant ink. I think the color would be stronger if I used a re-inker bottle but the subtle difference is lovely too. Both the idea for coloring Glimmer paper as well as the layout for this card were seen in Stampin' Success--our magazine for demonstrators. It's always full of great ideas!

Be sure to check out the rest of the Paper Players Design Team for some fabulous inspiration. Because of the holidays, we're leaving this challenge open for two weeks! It will close on Friday, December 28th at Noon (PST).

Finally, a big shout-out and welcome to our new team of Guest Designers! Amy, Brian, Justin, Jen & Sandy, I am delighted to welcome you to the team and look forward to working with you!

The Paper Players Design Team
Ann Schach
Anne Marie Hile
Jaydee
LeAnne Pugliese
Nance Leedy
Amy White
Dawn Easton
Helen Heil
Jen Arkfeld