Canopy Crafts

Just the Way You Are {CCMC188}

2012-02-09T03:00:00.000-05:00

Happy Thursday, friends, and welcome to another week at Create with Connie and Mary! This week we've got a great sketch for you, check it out:

Lots of possibilities with this one--you can even make it into a standard A2 size as I have done here:

This sweet little girl from Greeting Card Kids always melts my heart...probably because she reminds me of my daughter. I have so much fun coloring her dress and all the little extras like her bow and heart valentine:

I was channeling my friend Ann by adding a little pearl to her bow. I colored her dress with a Blender Pen and a Baja Breeze ink pad while her hair, skin, bow and heart were all colored directly with So Saffron, Blush Blossom and Poppy Parade Stampin' Write markers. Did you notice the little white spot on the heart? That was completely by accident as I was coloring the heart but it adds some dimension so I will make sure to do it on purpose next time!

To the background So Saffron designer paper, I added the floral image from Fresh Vintage to coordinate with the images in the Everyday Enchantment DSP used on the focal heart and flagged banner. And isn't the Baja Breeze Pleated Satin Ribbon delicious? Just a ring of sticky strip around the back of the heart and it sticks on easy-peasy!

I had fun mixing images from P.S. I Love You to create the sentiment on the outside...

while Sprinkled Expressions, another Sale-a-Bration set, provided the perfect sentiment to make this my daughter's Valentine card....just the way you are!

I hope I've inspired you to play along with our sketch at Create with Connie & Mary this week! We would love to have you join in the fun. Just make sure to do so by Wednesday, February 15th by Noon (EST). Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies

Stamps: Greeting Card Kids, P.S. I Love You, Fresh Vintage, Sprinkled Expressions

Ink: Poppy Parade, Baja Breeze, So Saffron, Early Espresso, Jet Black Stazon, Crumb Cake

Paper: Very Vanilla, So Saffron, Baja Breeze, Crumb Cake CS; Everyday Enchantment DSP

Xtras: Hearts Framelits; Ovals die; Baja Breeze Seam Binding Ribbon; Baja Breeze Pleated Satin Ribbon; Scallop Ribbon Border Punch; 1 1/4" Square Punch (to flag the banner end); So Saffron, Blush Blossom and Poppy Parade Stampin' Write markers;

Mixed Blossoms {PP81}

2012-02-05T03:00:00.000-05:00

Hey there friends! It's Paper Players Sunday...rumor has it there is some big football game today too? :-) I don't know about that, I just know it's time for The Paper Players!! I'm pleased as punch to be the hostess this week for our Theme Challenge:

Flowers! Yep, just use any flowers or floral image on your project. How easy is that? Well, since I had it in my head to use a specific stamp and punch combo, apparently it's not so easy but nonetheless I persevered and made TWO cards for you!

The first one using Wisteria Wonder, Calypso Coral and Lucky Limeade combined with the Mixed Bunch stamp set and coordinating Blossom punch. I made the center panel of DSP and drew a faint line down each side to use as a guide for the embossed scallops courtesy of the Adorning Accents embossing folder. I liked the layout so much that I made a second one:

This time pairing all the same elements but using Island Indigo, Daffodil Delight and Lucky Limeade. The designer paper on both card is from the Sweet Shop specialty paper and features a sentiment from Kindness Matters, a stamp set available FREE with a qualifying Sale-a-Bration order!

I hope you like my Mixed Blossoms card duo...be sure to stop by and see what the rest of the design team has made for you:

The Paper Players Design Team

I hope you'll play along with us this week. Please link up your craft goodness over at The Paper Players by Friday, February 10th at Noon (PST). I can't wait to see what you make...now go get crafty!

Supplies

Stamps: Mixed Bunch; Kindness Matters

Paper: Wisteria Wonder, Island Indigo, Lucky Limeade, Calypso Coral, Whisper White CS; Sweet Shop Specialty DSP

Ink: Wisteria Wonder, Island Indigo, Calypso Coral classic inks

Xtras: Blossom punch; Triple Blossom punch; Scallop border punch; 1 1/14" square punch; In Color Designer Brads; Lucky Limeade ruffled ribbon; Adorning Accents embossing folder

A Cup of Thanks {CCMC187}

2012-02-02T03:00:00.000-05:00

Happy Thursday, friends, and welcome to another week at Create with Connie & Mary! It's our first February challenge and the gals are starting us off with a beautiful color challenge:

Concord Crush is not a color I use very often--in fact, I don't use much purple at all--but paired with the most versatile color EVER, yes Pool Party, Concord Crush is gorgeous! I used this sketch over at the Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge for inspiration:

I really enjoyed this sketch and the Tea Shoppe set fit the layout perfectly! Designer papers used were Attic Boutique and Designer Patterns Stack (neutrals). Let me show you a few closeups of some details:

I stamped the little pansies from Tea Shoppe directly onto the Sahara Sand dp in the same color ink. Stamping on designer paper adds a subtle layer of interest and is a great way to customize your own designer paper! Most stamp sets come with a few smaller coordinating images that are perfect for this technique. I stamped the flowers in Pool Party on the sentiment banner too!

I couldn't leave well enough alone with the teacup either, LOL! I stamped it a second time in Concord Crush and fussy-cut a couple pansies for a little dimension. And I finally broke into a package of Hatpins for a little accent on the Pool Party seam binding ribbon.

Lastly, I used Stampin' Write markers to ink up a single teacup from the same set and stacked them on the inside. The edges were sponged with Sahara Sand and two sentiments from Petite Pairs were stacked together.

I hope I've inspired you to play along with these gorgeous colors. Be sure to take a look at some fabulous inspiration from the rest of the Create with Connie & Mary design team and then try your hand at something crafty! Just make sure to link it up at Connie & Mary by Wednesday, February 8th at Noon (EST). I can't wait to see what you make!

Supplies

Stamps: Tea Shoppe, Petite Pairs

Paper: Concord Crush, Pool Party, Sahara Sand, Whisper White CS; Attic Boutique DSP; Designer Patterns Stack (Neutrals)

Ink: Concord Crush, Pool Party, Sahara Sand classic ink

Xtras: 3" Circle die; Polka Dot impressions folder; Hatpins; Boho Blossoms punch; 1 1/4" Square Punch; Basic Pearls; Pool Party seam binding ribbon

Just a Little Note {PP80}

2012-01-29T03:00:00.000-05:00

Happy Paper Players Sunday, friends! I just love Sundays don't you? Sleeping in, big breakfasts and the whole day ahead. Hopefully you're enjoying your Sunday morning with a little blog surfing! This week, our fabulous friend Anne Marie is hosting a Texas-sized sketch challenge:

For today's card, I was determined to show the versatility of the You're My Type set by making a vintage-inspired feminine card. So I grabbed some new designer series paper, Attic Boutique and went to work:

What do you think? I really tried not to use Pool Party on yet another card but since it was one of the colors in the paper....I couldn't help myself! The colors here are so beautiful together: Daffodil Delight, Pool Party, Soft Suede and Calypso Coral. The DSP actually uses Pure Poppy but it is not a saturated color in this particular paper so I thought, at just a few shades lighter, Calypso Coral was a better fit.

Calypso Coral accents abound in the Baker's Twine, the sentiment on the banner and a little bit of ruffled ribbon bordering the center strip of Soft Suede designer paper--also from Attic Boutique. There's also a little bit of Pool Party spritzed onto the center circle...

I tried several different embellishments in the bottom left corner of the sketch but couldn't settle on one that I liked...until I added a trio of Daffodil Delight embossed buttons from the Sweet Buttons embosslit. I like the tone-on-tone look and they coordinate with the real button used at the top!

So, what do you think? Did I pull off a vintage look despite the clean lines of the typewriter? I hope it inspires you to play along with Anne Marie's wonderful sketch. Be sure to check out what the rest of my Paper Players friends have created:

The Paper Players Design Team

I hope you will play along...our challenge ends Friday, February 3rd at 12 Noon (PST). And, just in case you missed it on Thursday, I posted a FREE Tutorial for you on Full-Page Printing in My Digital Studio!! Check it out with the link below, or under my new Tutorials tab at the top of my blog! Thanks for stopping by!

Tutorial: Full-Page Printing in My Digital Studio

Supplies

Stamps: You're My Type

Paper: Daffodil Delight, Soft Suede, Whisper White cardstock; Attic Boutique DSP

Ink: Calypso Coral, Pool Party classic ink

Extras: Sweet Buttons embosslit; Decorative Label punch; Designer Buttons (brights); Calypso Coral Baker's Twine; Calypso Coral Ruffled Ribbon; Circle Scissor Plus

Twitterpated Cameo {CCMC186}

2012-01-26T03:00:00.000-05:00

Happy Thursday, friends, and welcome to another week at Create with Connie & Mary! It's a sketch week and the gals have a really pretty sketch that I think you will like. Let's have a look-see:

The first time I saw this sketch, the scallop framed oval made me think of a cameo. Then I saw this great card which just happened to be created by my fabulous Mom (!) and I was inspired to make this:

The colors and vintage patterns of the Twitterpated designer paper seemed like a good companion to the old-fashioned cameo. But wouldn't you know it, I don't own any Twitterpated DSP so you know what I did? That's right...printed it in My Digital Studio! And if you read all the way through today's post, there's a surprise for you at the end! ;-)

I stamped the cameo frame in Blushing Bride ink and the silhouette in Riding Hood Red then ran it through the Big Shot with the oval embossing frame. The edges were sponged in more Blushing Bride and some flowers were added with the Itty Bitty Punch Pack.

A Riding Hood Red border was added with the Adorning Accents Edgelit die and the Basic Gray background was stamped with the flourish image from Creative Elements.

Lastly, some yummy Baja Breeze Pleated Satin Ribbon was augmented by an embossed strip of Baja Breeze run through the Framed Tulips embossing folder. I love how the embossed image really pops out with just a little bit of sponging.

You still with me? I hope so because I have something for you...a free tutorial on Full-Page Printing in My Digital Studio! I hope you like it...just follow the link below to download the PDF file. It may take a few minutes to load, so please be patient. After you try it out, please come back and let me know if it was helpful to you!

Just maybe you'll use my tutorial to print some paper for this week's sketch! I hope you'll join us over at Create with Connie & Mary. Be sure to check out the rest of the Design Team's lovely inspiration and then link up your crafty creations! The challenge will run until Wednesday, February 1st at 12 Noon (EST). I hope to see you in the gallery!

Tutorial: Full-Page Printing in My Digital Studio

Supplies

Stamps: Forever Young, P.S. I Love You, Creative Elements

Ink: Basic Gray, Blushing Bride, Riding Hood Red, Baja Breeze

Paper: Basic Gray, Blushing Bride, Riding Hood Red, Baja Breeze, Whisper White; Twitterpated DSP (MDS)

Extras: Framed Tulips embossing folder; Baja Breeze pleated satin ribbon; Designer Frames embossing folders; Basic Pearls; Itty Bitty Punch pack; Adorning Accents Edgelits; 1 1/4" Square Punch

Tag It for the Players {PP79}

2012-01-22T02:00:00.000-05:00

Happy Sunday, friends, and welcome to another week with my best gal-pals The Paper Players! It's Jaydee's turn as hostess and as our reigning queen of clean and simple, she is challenging us to "Tag It: Create a Clean-and-Simple card with a tag on it!"

I pulled out my current favorite designer paper, Everyday Enchantment, and dusted off an old favorite, Beautiful Butterflies Bigz die, to make this:

A friend pointed out to me today that I use Pool Party a LOT. It's true, I'm guilty...but it is such a versatile color! Here, it pairs well with Crumb Cake and the Pure Poppy of the designer paper.

There's some other upcoming Sale-a-Bration goodies on here...Calypso Coral Organdy Ribbon and the Everyday Enchantment brad pack. Tied onto the butterfly, the ribbon makes a fine pair of gossamer antenna, don't you think?

Even though it's retired, this sentiment from the Hope Happens set is my favorite to pair with a butterfly. This card will be on it's way to a friend who recently went back to work after several years at home with her children.

And there you have it--a clean-and-simple post for a clean-and-simple card! Be sure to check out the rest of The Paper Players design team inspiration. We hope you will consider playing along with us this week! Our challenge closes on Friday, January 27th at 12 Noon (PST). I hope to see you in the gallery!

The Paper Players Design Team

Supplies

Stamps: Fabulous Phrases; Creative Elements [butterfly, inside]; Hope Happens [retired]

Ink: Crumb Cake, Pool Party, Early Espresso classic inks

Paper: Crumb Cake, Pool Party, Very Vanilla CS; Everyday Enchantment DSP [SAB available 1/24/12]

Extras: Beautiful Butterflies Bigz die; Everyday Enchantment Ribbon & Brad Pack; Scallop Tags die [non-SU]; Filial Press Textured Impressions folder; my sewing machine

Everyday Parfait {CCMC185}

2012-01-19T03:00:00.000-05:00

Happy Thursday friends, and welcome to another week at Create with Connie & Mary! It's a color combination that you're sure to love:

I have to admit, I haven't shown Peach Parfait much love in my projects so I was a little unsure what I was going to do with it. Fortunately, Everyday Enchantment designer paper, available through Sale-a-Bration on 1/24/12, came to the rescue. It features all three of the challenge colors so I built my card around it with inspiration from Tara Bilbao's gorgeous card and this little lovely from Elizabeth Price. Here's what I made for you:

The Labels Framelits and Apothecary Art stamp set really brought this card together quickly. I stamped the floral label onto Naturals Ivory cardstock with Soft Suede ink and colored the flowers with Peach Parfait, Calypso Coral and Lucky Limeade Stampin' Write Markers:

I trimmed out the sentiment banner with a little bit of Lucky Limeade punched with the Scallop Ribbon Border. A few pearls and a sweet little embossed butterfly add just enough detail to make it interesting.

Before I added the focal point, I spritzed the background with some Vanilla Smooch Spritz for a subtle sparkle. I'm starting to really love that smooch spritz! I know, what took me so long, right?!

And finished off the inside with some more Everyday Enchantment designer paper, a sentiment from Loving Thoughts and a floral spray from the Charming set.

I hope I've inspired you to dig out these colors and get busy in your craft room--we would love to see what you make! Be sure to check out the rest of the Design Team creations at Create with Connie & Mary for some fabulous inspiration! We hope that you will play along with us--the challenge will run until Wednesday, January 25th at 12 Noon (EST). I hope to see you in the gallery!

Supplies
Stamps: Apothecary Art; Loving Thoughts; Charming
Paper: Naturals Ivory, Peach Parfait, Calypso Coral, Lucky Limeade CS; Everyday Enchantment DSP (available 1/24/12 witha qualifying order)
Ink: Soft Suede, Calypso Coral, Peach Parfait classic ink
Xtras: Beautiful Wings embosslit; Scallop Ribbon Border punch; Lucky Limeade ruffled ribbon; Framelits Dies Labels Collection; Framed Tulips Textured Embossing Folder; Basic Pearls; Basic Pearls (Large); Peach Parfait, Calypso Coral and Lucky Limeade Stampin' Write Markers; Vanilla Smooch Spritz

Blushing Enchantment {PP78}

2012-01-15T03:00:00.000-05:00

Hey there friends, happy Paper Players Sunday! If you have a nice long weekend due to the MLK holiday I hope you are enjoying it...we sure are here under the Canopy! Today my sweet friend, LeAnne, is our hostess and is bringing us a beautiful color challenge:

So soft and pretty, yes? I'll admit it took me a while to get my head around pink and coral together but gosh they sure are purty! Here's what I made for you:

In designing this card, I discovered that I have absolutely zero designer paper in 2 of the 3 challenge colors....huh? How did that happen?! I mean if you saw my craft room, you would think I must have DSP in every color! Since I obviously don't, it was My Digital Studio to the rescue again! I downloaded the Twitterpated Digital Kit and printed both the Blushing Bride and Pear Pizzazz striped paper from the kit onto Very Vanilla cardstock. {I haven't forgotten a tutorial on full-page printing, I promise I'll get it together soon!} The two papers came together with the aid of last week's Sketchbook Saturday Challenge from the amazing Iwona Palamountain...and a little help from my sewing machine.

Once I got over the designer paper hump, I wanted to feature some of the gorgeous products available for FREE during Sale-a-Bration which begins on January 24th.

The frame stamp from Elementary Elegance is stamped in Pear Pizzazz and the center popped out with the Curly Label punch. You'll notice that the center of the punched piece was stamped in Blushing Bride ink. It was stamped with the "throw away" center part (the little part you pop out) of the Elementary Elegance frame stamp. This uber-clever idea was shared recently by the incomparable Mary Fish. Genius! The Happy Birthday sentiment is also from Elementary Elegance and was stamped in Calypso Coral. Which coordinates with the DSP I used for the flagged banner under the focal point as well as the organdy ribbon and brad. All part of another Sale-a-Bration freebie, Everyday Enchantment Designer Series Paper and Everyday Enchantment Ribbon & Brad pack!

Lastly, if you turn the card slightly you can see the subtle sparkle added all over with Vanilla Smooch Spritz.

So, what do you think? I hope you are inspired to play along and show these colors some love. Be sure to check out the work from the rest of our amazing design team:

The Paper Players Design Team

Remember, our deadline has changed in 2012. The Paper Players challenges now close at NOON on Fridays. This challenge will close on Friday, January 20th at 12 Noon (PST). I sure hope you will play along!

Supplies

Stamps: Elementary Elegance (available 1/24/12 during Sale-a-Bration)

Paper: Calypso Coral, Very Vanilla cardstock; Everyday Enchantment DSP; Twitterpated Digital Kit

Ink: Pear Pizzazz, Calypso Coral, Blushing Bride classic ink

Extras: Two Tags die; Everyday Enchantment Ribbon & Brad pack (available 1/24/12 during Sale-a-Bration); Curly Label punch; Pear Pizzazz Pleated Satin ribbon

Sweet Conversation {CCMC184}

2012-01-12T03:00:00.000-05:00

Happy Thursday, friends, and welcome to another week at Create with Connie and Mary! This week it's sketch time and we have a sweet one for you:

When I was a kid, dating myself here(!), the best Valentine candy and maybe the only Valentine candy that mattered were conversation sweethearts in all those yummy pastel colors. They came in a sweet little red and white box with a heart shaped window displaying the confections inside. Remember?

So that was my inspiration for today's card! The fun part about making this card was figuring out which colors I wanted to use for the candy hearts. I settled on Pool Party, Calypso Coral, Daffodil Delight, Lucky Limeade, Wisteria Wonder and Pretty in Pink--whew! I stamped in all those colors and used the Small Heart punch to pop out each one. I ran the Sweet Buttons embosslit through my Big Shot with some Whisper White cardstock for each candy heart to sit on.

A little bit of Dazzling Details was added around the edge of each heart and I wrapped some Early Espresso Baker's Twine around the main panel. No knot, no bow--just wrapped around for a little extra color and to coordinate it with the Early Espresso sentiment.

Pretty clean and simple for today! I hope you like it and are inspired to play along with this sketch. So many things you could do with the repeating elements: hearts, flowers, buttons, birds, butterflies, what ever you can dream up! Be sure to check out all the fabulous inspiration over at Create with Connie and Mary. Remember, the challenge closes Wednesday, January 18th at Noon (EST) so head to those craft rooms and get busy!

Supplies

Stamps: Candy Conversations

Ink: Pool Party, Calypso Coral, Daffodil Delight, Lucky Limeade, Wisteria Wonder, Pretty in Pink and Early Espresso

Paper: Pool Party, Calypso Coral, Whisper White cardstock

Xtras: Early Espresso Baker's Twine; Sweet Buttons embosslit; Small Heart punch; Polka Dot Impressions Folder; Dazzling Details

Hey Sweet Cakes! {PP77}

2012-01-08T01:02:00.001-05:00

Hiya friends, it's Paper Players Sunday...yahoo! It seems like the Players have been away forever but it sure was nice to have a break! So, we're back for 2012 with a theme challenge from the Lovely Lesley:

No time like the present to get started on those Valentine's Day cards, right? With so many fun new stamps in the Occasions Mini Catalog, I couldn't resist a Valentine with the Sweet Cake set:

I paired Sweet Cake with the coordinating Sweet Shop Specialty Designer Paper and the colors of Calypso Coral, Pool Party with a dash of Soft Suede. I stamped the cupcake image three times in each color and fussy-cut the dollop of Calypso Coral frosting and the Soft Suede cupcake liner. Of course, I added some Dazzling Diamonds to the frosting for a little extra sparkle!

Did you notice those sweet little embossed hearts on the Calypso Coral cardstock? That's the new Adorning Accents embossing folders. There are three in a pack and at just an inch wide they are perfect for small areas.

So sweet that I had to add a few more to the inside with another sentiment from Sweet Cake overstamped on the heart of hearts from P.S. I Love You.

I hope you like today's Sweet Cake card and I would love to know what you think! Be sure to check out the rest of the inspiring creations from The Paper Players Design Team:

The Paper Players Design Team

We hope that you will welcome us back by playing along with our challenge this week. We do have a change to our deadlines. Beginning with Challenge #77, all Paper Players challenges will end at NOON (PST) on Friday instead of midnight. For Challenge #77, "All You Need is Love", you have until Friday, January 13th at NOON (PST) to load up your fabulous creation over at The Paper Players. I hope to see you in the gallery...thanks for stopping by!

Supplies

Stamps: Sweet Cake, P.S. I Love You

Ink: Soft Suede, Calypso Coral, Pool Party classic ink

Paper: Calypso Coral, Pool Party, Whisper White cardstock; Sweet Shop Specialty Designer Paper Extras: Labels Framelits; Dazzling Diamonds; Calpyso Coral Baker's Twine; Adorning Accents Textured Impressions Folders

Join Me for A Cup? {CCMC183}

2012-01-05T03:00:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the first Create with Connie & Mary challenge of 2012! The gals have a gorgeous, I mean GORGEOUS color combination for you this week:

Aren't they lovely together? So soft and feminine that I knew right away which brand-new stamp set I was going to use! But first, take a look at this cool sketch I used from another new-to-me blog, Cardabilities:

That big half scalloped circle was the perfect shape for SU's new Framelits dies which premiered in the Occasions Mini Catalog yesterday! So here's what I made for you:

I love how the top of the Soft Suede Framelit extends off the card base. Because I made the card base smaller than a standard A2, 5 1/2" x 7 5/8" folded in half, it still fits inside a regular A2 (medium) envelope even with the label extending off the card! So how 'bout a few details?

The Blushing Bride base was stamped randomly in Blushing Bride ink with the pansy image from Tea Shoppe--another new item from the Occasions Mini Catalog. You can also see that I sponged the edge of the Very Vanilla Framelit with Pool Party ink. And how about that pretty Blushing Bride Pleated Satin Ribbon? (swoon!) Also from the new Mini catalog--new toys are so much fun!

I stamped a few more pansies coming out of the tea cup to mimic steam rising from that warm cuppa! Of course, the teacup was inked in Pool Party and adorned with a few Basic Pearls.

I made the tea tag with more stamps from Tea Shoppe, punched with the Modern Label punch and folded in half. I made a small hole with my paper piercer in the middle of the fold and ran some Linen Thread through to form the tea bag tag.

There are so many wonderful images in this set--10 to be exact--that I had to keep going on the inside, pulling in all the challenge colors again. They are just so pretty together!

I hope you've enjoyed today's card and that before you go, you'll let me know what you think of it! Be sure to check out the rest of the Create with Connie & Mary Design Team for some fabulous inspiration. I hope you'll play along with this gorgeous colors--you have until Wednesday, January 11th at Noon (EST). Thanks for looking!

Supplies:

Stamps: Tea Shoppe

Ink: Soft Suede, Pool Party, Blushing Bride

Paper: Soft Suede, Pool Party, Blushing Bride, Very Vanilla cardstock; Attic Boutique DSP

Xtras: Labels Framelits; Blushing Bride Pleated Satin Ribbon; Pool Party Ruffled Ribbon; Chantilly Crochet trim; Modern Label punch; Scalloped Ribbon Border punch; Linen Thread; Basic Pearls

Just My Type of New Year

2011-12-31T12:09:00.001-05:00

Wow, New Year's Eve, can you believe it?! I hope you have some fun plans for this evening. For us, we will be at home having dinner with friends--my type of New Year's Eve! Well, I finally found my crafting groove again--a new box of pre-ordered SU goodies will do it every time! Challenge blogs also help get back in the swing of stampin' too. I found some fabulous color inspiration at Colour Q:

and this great sketch at a new-to-me blog, Skipping Stones Design:

I paired these two with one of my favorite new stamps from the upcoming Occasions Mini Catalog called You're My Type.

I just love that typewriter, don't you? Embossed in black it is really standout--all shiny and solid:

Yes, I did fussy-cut the typewriter..crazy, right...but I really wanted to give it the pop of my one color, red, in the circle behind it. Love that typewriter font sentiment too--just the perfect fit on the scrolling paper.

The sweet little sentiment inside is from another Mini Catalog sneak peek, P.S. I Love You, which I framed with an image from a great set of heart stamps, I {Heart} Hearts. I'm still on my MDS hybrid kick too...the black and white designer paper here and on the front is from a digital pack called Night & Day which I just printed on my regular computer printer. I figured out a cool trick for getting a full sheet of paper to print, without that annoying border, so let me know if you would like a little tutorial. ;-)

Cheers to you, my friends....here's hoping 2012 is a bright new year for you and yours! See you next year...

supplies

stamps: I {Heart} Hearts; available January 4, 2012: Just My Type; P.S. I Love You

ink: Jet Black Stazon; Versamark; Real Red classic ink

paper: Basic Black, Real Red, Whisper White CS; Red Glimmer Paper; Designer Patterns Stack (Neutrals); Night & Day digital DSP (MDS)

xtras: Scallop Ribbon Border punch; Heart to Heart punch; Black Stampin' Emboss Powder; 3" Circle Die

Imagine the Possibilities {CCMC182}

2011-12-29T03:00:00.000-05:00

Happy Thursday friends! I hope you are enjoying a little relaxation between the holidays and looking forward to a new year. Thank you for all your well wishes...I am finally on the mend! Thank goodness, that was a long one! I haven't felt much like stamping so I was glad to have a sketch from Create with Connie and Mary to get my craft back on.

There were three thoughts that inspired me with this sketch: 1) a new year's card, 2) the gorgeous clock from the Forever Young stamp set and 3) the colors and shapes in this plate from Target:

Kinda funny combination, eh? With all that swirling around in my head, I modified the shapes of the sketch a little bit and came up with this:

Yep, it's another hybrid card! I didn't have any number stamps (gasp!), so I turned to My Digital Studio and used the Number It Stamp Brush Set to create my background paper. Of course, in MDS you can make the stamps any color and size you want. So, I lined up my numbers in a repeating pattern and then went to work coloring them with Island Indigo, Lucky Limeade, Concord Crush and Melon Mambo. Once I had the pattern, I just printed it on Whisper White paper and cut to size.

I really built the card and my theme around this clock from Forever Young. It seemed fitting to emboss it in silver and add just a bit more of the silver shimmer paper for some extra sparkle on new year's eve!

And one of my favorite stamp sets, Word Play, also seemed fitting for the inside sentiment:

Can you imagine the possibilities with this fantastic sketch? I hope so! Please check out the rest of the Design Team inspiration over at Create with Connie and Mary and then go get your craft on! If you can join us, please link up your creation by Wednesday, January 4th at Noon (EST). I can't wait to see what you create!

supplies

stamps: Forever Young; Number It Stamp Brush Set (MDS); Teeny Tiny Wishes; Word Play

paper: Lucky Limeade, Melon Mambo, Island Indigo, Whisper White cardstock; Silver Glimmer paper

ink: Versamark; Melon Mambo; Island Indigo; Concord Crush classic inks

extras: Silver Stampin' Emboss Powder; Designer Brads In Color; Scallop Ribbon Border punch; 1 1/4" Square punch (to flag the end of the sentiment strip)

Happy Holidays!

2011-12-25T03:00:00.000-05:00

Dear friends,

Thank you for all your support and encouragement throughout the year...

Wishing you and yours the happiest of holidays and a bright new year!

Glimmer Snowflakes {CCMC181}

2011-12-22T03:00:00.000-05:00

Happy Thursday friends, and welcome to another week at Create with Connie & Mary! Are you ready for Christmas? I'm not! I am nursing what has become my annual Christmas cold however, so today's card for Connie & Mary is verrrry clean and simple. The gals gave us a beautiful color duo:

Which just screams out for one last Christmas card don't you think? I rallied myself and what little creativity I could muster between cough syrup and antibiotics to make this for you:

The card base really is brushed silver cardstock even though it doesn't photograph well. On that I layered some basic grey and whisper white cardstock. I had the idea for the rows of Silver Glimmer snowflakes, made with the Northern Frost decorative strip, but laid out on the white they needed a little something to make them pop.

That's when I got the idea to back the snowflakes with strips of Basic Grey satin ribbon. I really like the combination of the preppy styled stripes with the glimmer snowflakes. A Basic Grey sentiment from Hand-Penned Holidays finished it off for me!

And that will do it for today. I hope you'll join us at Create with Connie & Mary and make something sparkle with this gorgeous color duet. Be sure to check out the rest of the design team for some wonderful inspiration. Deadline to play along is Wednesday, December 28th at Noon (EST).

This will likely be my last post before Christmas so I want to thank all of you for your daily visits, comments and encouragement--it means so much to me that you keep coming back and like what you find here. You're the reason I keep doing this! To all my friends, followers and readers, I wish you the happiest of Holidays and good times spent with your loved ones. Happy Holidays to you and yours!

supplies:

stamps: hand-penned holidays

paper: brushed silver, whisper white & basic grey cardstock; silver glimmer paper

ink: basic grey

xtras: northern frost decorative strip die; basic grey satin ribbon; basic rhinestones

Hybrid Snowboard {CCMC180}

2011-12-15T03:00:00.000-05:00

Happy Thursday, friends, and welcome to another week at Create with Connie & Mary! December is just flying by isn't it? We know you're extremely busy this time of year, so this week the gals have a nice and easy sketch for you:

The sketch is a square but you can alter it to a standard 4 1/4 x 5 1/2" size if you want. I have to admit that I am a little burnt out on Christmas cards so I was very happy to use this sketch as a birthday card for my nephew:

It's not Christmas but it's still a winter-themed card. My nephew LOVES to snowboard and can't wait for that first snow...living in Wisconsin, fortunately that isn't a problem! I don't own any of the Extreme sports stamps but they're all in My Digital Studio--yay!

So I added the Extreme Snowboard stamp to a page, colored it in Basic Grey and gave it a deep drop shadow. The drop shadow feature really makes it pop off the page. It almost looks like I fussy-cut it, doesn't it? Behind my snowboarder, I added the splatter stamp from the Extreme Elements set in Pool Party. Then I just printed that page on Whisper White paper and cut it to size. Even if you don't have My Digital Studio, Stampin' Up's digital images can be used as images in any image editing or word processing program. How cool is that?

I used Basic Grey cardstock for the base and ran it through the Northern Frost embossing folder. I sponged Whisper White craft ink over the snowflakes to give them a snowy-look.

A piece of Cherry Cobbler woodgrain designer paper from the Frostwood Lodge pack gave this card a rustic "boy" feel but I couldn't resist a little Silver Glimmer snowflake and Neutrals Glimmer Brad for a little sparkle. Snow IS sparkly after all, right? ;-)

Well, I think he will like it...and...I hope it inspires you to play along with this great sketch! If you need even more encouragement, be sure to check out the rest of Design Team's work over at Create with Connie & Mary. If you decide to play along with us, please link up your creation by Wednesday, December 21st at Noon (EST). I can't wait to see what you create! Thanks for stopping by!

Very Gold Cobbler {PP76}

2011-12-11T01:00:00.000-05:00

Happy Paper Players Sunday, friends! So glad you could join me today..I'm recovering from my almost-8-year-old's first sleepover birthday party. All went well but Mama is POOPED, lol! So, today you're here for a card...and what a lovely color combination Ann has for us:

Oh so perfect for the holidays! I used a sketch from Just Us Girls--even though it was last week's, I really liked it:

The oval in the center was calling out for a gold embossed tree don't you think?

Sorry the picture quality stinks but the weather was totally uncooperative today. Yes, there's even a little bit of wood grain in the background:

I stamped Woodgrain in Cherry Cobbler ink on the oval before I stamped the tree. It looks like a few stray bits of embossing powder got on the woodgrain but I think it's a lovely effect...or at least that's what I'm telling myself!

The Brushed Gold cardstock was embossed with the Petals-a-Plenty impressions folder and I used a lovely pinecone spray from the Autumn Days set for a random background pattern.

The Champagne Shimmer paint has a light gold touch so I sponged it directly onto the tree and stamped it on the inside along with the companion sentiment from Petite Pairs. And that's it, pretty clean and simple! If you like my card, be sure to check out the rest of the Design Team's work:

The Paper Players Design Team

Tara Bilbao
Rita Wright (December GD)

Since this is our last challenge of 2011, we are extended our deadline and will keep the challenge open until Friday, December 30th at midnight (PST). We hope that you will find some crafty time to yourself during this busy holiday season and come play along with us! Thanks for stopping by!

supplies:

stamps: lovely as a tree, woodgrain, petite pairs, autumn days

ink: cherry cobbler, versamark

paper: cherry cobbler; brushed gold; very vanilla

xtras: petals-a-plenty EF; vanilla seam binding ribbon; decorative label punch; ovals nesties

Sweet & Lucky Decorations {CCMC179} {SSSC146}

2011-12-08T03:00:00.000-05:00

Happy Thursday, friends! Can you believe it's December 8th--yikes! So much left to do before Christmas. But you didn't come here to hear me whine...you came here for some eye candy, didn't you?! It's color challenge week at Create with Connie & Mary...take a look:

Isn't this a fun take on the traditional red and green? I love Basic Grey with anything! I also used this fabulous sketch from this week's Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge:

and was inspired to ink up an old favorite Christmas set, Delightful Decorations:

I flipped the sketch to the left-hand side, somehow it just worked better for me that way. The Basic Grey base was layered with some Lucky Limeade designer paper from the In Color patterns stack as well as a fun Poppy Parade pattern that looks like snowflakes. I wrapped the panel with some yummy Basic Grey satin ribbon and added a big bow with a a glue dot.

The ornaments were clear embossed in the challenge colors on Whisper White and layered atop a big beautiful Silver Glimmer circle--isn't it lovely?

Here's a close-up of a little background stamping I did with the Creative Elements set--doesn't it coordinate nicely with the limeade pattern? I hesitated to buy this set but I really like how versatile each piece is--they really do add a little bit of a creative element to any project. Sorry, couldn't help myself!

So there you have it, folks! I hope you like today's card and that it inspires you to play along with these fun colors. Be sure to check out all the rest of the inspiring creations from the Create with Connie & Mary Design Team. If you decide to play along, please link up your crafty goodness by Wednesday, December 14th at noon (EST). I hope you'll play along with us! Thanks for visiting today!

supplies:

stamps: delightful decorations, creative elements,tags til christmas

ink: poppy parade, lucky limeade, basic grey; versamark

paper: basic grey, whisper white, silver glimmer; pocketful of posies DSP; in color patterns stack

xtras: basic grey satin ribbon; basic rhinestones; white baker's twine

Peace & Palms {PP75}

2011-12-04T01:00:00.001-05:00

Hiya friends and welcome to another week with The Paper Players! I am excited to be the hostess this week for a Holiday Hoopla theme challenge...only it's Holiday with a twist. The challenge is to Create something Holiday with non-holiday stamps or colors...how fun is that?!

My card isn't quite what I had in my mind's eye but I really wanted to show you what Christmas looks like in my part of the world:

We really do have palm trees in our yard and while it's too tall to hang ornaments on it, it does get decked out with Christmas lights every year! Let's take a closer look:

I needed something small to decorate my tree so I used a standard-issue office supply paper punch to punch a hole and saved the circle it made. I added a drop of Crystal Effects to each one and while it was wet, sprinkled Dazzling Diamonds on. Faux glimmer brads...in any size you want! I sponged some Bashful Blue clouds in the background and colored the tree with Stampin' Write markers in Certainly Celery and Lucky Limeade. The rest is pretty obvious so I will just encourage you to pop on over to The Paper Players and check out the amazing work by my fellow Design Team members--rumor has it there's another palm tree on the DT:

The Paper Players Design Team

Tara Bilbao
Rita Wright (December GD)

I hope you'll consider playing along with our Holiday Hoopla! If you do, please link up your crafty goodness to The Paper Players by Friday December 9th at midnight (PST). I can't wait to see what you do with this theme! Thanks for visiting!

supplies:

stamps: plant hope, comfort & joy, creative elements, sanded [retired]

ink: bashful blue, early espresso, crumb cake

paper: crumb cake, whisper white, early espresso; brights & subtles pattern designer paper stacks

xtras: ovals die; stampin write markers (certainly celery, crumb cake & lucky limeade); dazzling diamonds; crystal effects; daffodil delight pom-pom trim [retired]; office supply hole punch

Mod, Mod Holiday {CCMC178}

2011-12-01T03:00:00.001-05:00

Hiya friends and welcome to another week at Create with Connie & Mary! This week the gals have a sketch challenge for you:

I wasn't sure at first quite what to do with it--there's a lot of parts and pieces--but I just received a pack of the Christmas Lane Simply Scrappin' Kit and was inspired by all the paper and colors:

I just love the happy colors and modern prints in this kit! It's a pretty straight-forward card with clean lines and clean stamping--not a distressed edge or spritz anywhere! This is more the style of stamping I did when I first started before I was lured to the "dark side" with sponges and spritzers, files and blades, oh my! LOL! It is interesting how our styles evolve and it's fun to go back to the roots now and then, right? My little tree is stamped in Lucky Limeade with the Pennant Parade set and rests on a Whisper White oval made with the Ovals die.

I kept the fun going on the inside with another tree and a sentiment from Petite Pairs. It can be tricky to line up the tree stamp exactly with the little pot, so for this one I stamped the pot but used a punched piece (with the Petite Pennant punch) for the tree. That way I could put it exactly where I wanted it!

It's been a long day so that's it for me folks! I hope you enjoy today's card, please let me know if you have any questions. I do hope you'll check out the rest of the Create with Connie & Mary design team and consider playing along with us. Thanks for visiting!

supplies:

stamps: pennant parade, contempo christmas, petite pairs

paper: soft suede, lucky limeade, cherry cobbler, whisper white; christmas lane simply scrappin kit

xtras: ovals die; cherry cobbler baker's twine; basic rhinestones; petite pennants builder punch

A Dashing Sketch {PP74}

2011-11-27T03:00:00.003-05:00

Hiya friends! I hope my US friends had a wonderful Thanksgiving and that everyone is enjoying the weekend. It's another week at The Paper Players and the lovely and talented Lesley is bringing us a sketch:

Lesley always comes up with the best sketches--ya know she's the creator of Freshly Made Sketches--and this week is no exception! One look at that tilted panel and I knew what I wanted to do:

Since titled panels are a challenge for me, I like to tilt the paper but stamp the image straight. It's a sneaky way to embrace the tilt! For this card, I paired some Mocha Morning DSP with some Brushed Gold cardstock cut with the Two Tags die. I did cut it down a little to better fit my image. Dasher was inked in Versamark, then Early Espresso, stamped onto the Brushed Gold and heat set with clear stampin' emboss powder.

The background was stamped in Early Espresso with the En Francias stamp and I added a little fussy ribbon treatment with vanilla seam binding, linen thread and a glimmer brad. You might notice that the tiny tag was sponged with Champagne Shimmer paint to dull the brightness of the vanilla a bit.

I did the same with the Northern Frost snowflakes--the vanilla just seemed too bright next to the gold. A little bit of shimmer paint sponged right on gives it instant sparkle with an aged look.

I went to town with the shimmer paint using it to ink up Dasher again on the inside. Applied directly to the stamp gives it a shimmery watermark appearance.

And there you have it! I hope you like today's card...please let me know if you have any questions. Be sure to check out the rest of the Design Team at The Paper Players:

The Paper Players Design Team

Tara Bilbao
Susan Joyce (November GD)

If you decide to play along with Lesley's fabulous sketch, please link up your creation to The Paper Players by Friday, December 2nd at midnight (PST). I can't wait to come visit you!

supplies:

stamps: dasher, seasonal sentiments [retired], en francais, tiny tags

paper: early espresso, very vanilla, brushed gold CS; mocha morning DSP

ink: early espresso, versamark, soft suede

xtras: northern frost die; two tags die; very vanilla seam binding ribbon; linen thread; glimmer brad; basic pearls; champagne shimmer paint

Happy Thanksgiving! {CCMC177}

2011-11-24T03:00:00.000-05:00

Greetings everyone and to my friends in the United States, Happy Thanksgiving! I have much to be thankful for today--family, friends and the ability to share with you all, a craft that I love! I am so thankful for your continued visits to the Canopy, your supportive comments and the friends that I have made through blog-land! So for today's Create with Connie & Mary challenge, I had to make a Thanksgiving card even though today's colors are a bit non-traditional for this holiday:

Lovely aren't they? Greens and blues are some of my favorite colors and paired with River Rock they just sing! Take a look:

I've been wanting to try sponge daubers with the medallion from Day of Gratitude so I did just that starting with the lightest color, River Rock in the center and proceeding with Lucky Limeade and finally Night of Navy on the edges. I stamped onto Very Vanilla cardstock and then did some fussy cutting.

I inked and stamped another one, punching out the center with a 1 3/8" circle punch and decorating the center with pearls! I carried the medallion into the inside:

stamping in River Rock and although the Night of Navy sentiment stamp I used is retired, it is available as a digital file in My Digital Studio. Remember you don't need MDS to use a digital file--just download and use in any word processing or graphics program!

I chose this sentiment because it perfectly sums up my thoughts for you today...thank you! Please be sure to stop by Create with Connie & Mary to see all the wonderful creations from the rest of the design team. Thanks for stopping by today, friends!

supplies:

stamps: day of gratitude; hand-penned holidays; seasonal sentiments (MDS)

ink: river rock, lucky limeade, night of navy

paper: river rock, night of navy, very vanilla

xtras: filial press embossing folder; chantilly lace crochet trim; basic pearls; 1 3/8" circle punch; sponge daubers

Online Extravaganza

2011-11-21T03:00:00.007-05:00

(Click here if you're looking for my Paper Players card.)

Stampin' Up! is kicking off the holiday season with an Online Extravaganza! Special items will be available through my Stampin Up website starting November 21, 2011 at 12:01am (Mountain Time) and running through Wednesday, November 30th. Even I don't know what they are yet--you'll have to stop by to find out!

In addition there will be two items that will be available for 24 hours only. Starting at 12:01am (MT) until 11:59pm (MT) November 21, 2011.

To check out the special items and place an order, Click here to visit my online store. (sale items will be revealed when they become available). Items will only be available for the duration of this sale.

Special sale items are available for all types of orders so if you don't want to order online, just email me (nleedy@cox.net) and I can place the order for you! Thank you!

Festival of Lights {PP73} {FMS11}

2011-11-20T03:00:00.001-05:00

Yay, it's Paper Players Sunday! Hiya friends, welcome to another week with the PP Team! This week our reigning Queen of Clean-and-Simple, Jaydee, is our hostess with a fabulous CAS Color Challenge...

to use Night of Navy, Whisper White and Silver which I combined with my friend Linda's clean and fabulous sketch over at Freshly Made Sketches:

I had another yet-to-be-used stamp from the Holiday Mini, Hanukkah, that was the perfect companion to Jaydee's blue and white palette:

Please ignore the dribble marks--it was just starting to rain as I snapped these photos! You can see that I kept this one VERY clean and simple but upped the glitz factor with a lot of sparkle and shine. I embossed the image onto Night of Navy cardstock with silver Stampin' Emboss powder...

and popped out all three Star of David with the tiny circle from the Itty Bitty Punch pack. The whole thing was matted onto a large piece of Silver Glimmer Paper and wrapped with some Whisper White taffeta ribbon.

I inked just the bottom half of the stamp with silver ink and stamped them, almost like ornaments, across the inside. Even though this sentiment is from a "Christmas" stamp set, I think the phrase is fitting for the Festival of Lights celebration as well, don't you?

Please be sure to check out this week's fantastic creations from the rest of the Design Team:

The Paper Players Design Team

Tara Bilbao
Susan Joyce (November GD)

I hope you will be inspired to play along with us this week. If you do, please make sure to load your crafty goodness over at The Paper Players by Friday, November 25th at midnight (PST). I look forward to visiting you!

supplies:

stamps: Hanukkah, beautiful season

ink: night of navy, versamark, silver encore [retired]

paper: night of navy, whisper white CS; silver glimmer paper; pattern designer paper stack [regals]

xtras: whisper white taffeta ribbon; silver stampin' emboss powder; itty bitty punch pack

All Buttoned Up {CCMC176}

2011-11-17T03:00:00.001-05:00

Happy Thursday, friends, and welcome to another week with the Create with Connie & Mary Thursday Design team! We alternate between sketch and color challenges and this week it's...Sketch Time!

Cool isn't it? I wanted to do something a little different than a flower for the focal point so I dusted off the yet-to-be-used package of Shaker Frames from the Holiday Mini catalog and came up with this:

This one was personalized for a friend and co-worker who just happens to have the maiden name of....Buttons! Of course, she loves them so I filled the shaker frame with designer buttons in Certainly Celery, Rich Razzleberry, Tempting Turquiose and...

a little bit of Mica Flakes for some added sparkle. As if the scalloped circle of silver Glimmer Paper wasn't enough, right?! There's never enough sparkle in my book! I filled the back of the Shaker Frame with a 1 3/4" circle of Whisper White and cut a 2" circle from a clear window sheet with the Circles #2 die. To cover the edges, the Glimmer Paper was punched with the 1 3/4" circle punch and the 2 3/8" scalloped circle. You might also notice that the theme of circles runs through each element of the card in the polka dotted designer paper, the polka dot impression folder, the circle frame and, of course, the buttons themselves!

The layout of the rectangles took a little bit of measuring so I thought I would share the dimensions I used:

Standard A2 card base
Whisper White panel: 5 1/4" x 4"
Rich Razzleberry rectangle: 1.5" x 3"
Certainly Celery rectangle: 2.5" x 2"
Tempting Turquoise rectangle: 2.5" x 1"

I'm going to keep this one short, friends. It's been one heckuva busy week around here! Be sure to stop on by Create with Connie & Mary to check out even more inspiration from the fantastic design team! If you decide to play along with us, please link up your creation by Wednesday, November 23rd at Noon (EST). I can't wait to come visit you! Thanks for stopping by today!

supplies:

stamps: happiest birthday wishes

ink: tempting turquoise

paper: tempting turquoise, whisper white CS; silver glimmer paper; brights & subtles pattern designer paper stacks

xtras: shaker frames; white baker's twine; clear window sheets;designer buttons (subtles & brights); polka dot impressions fold; 1 3/4" circle & 2 3/8" scallop circle punches; circles #2 die