Best Blueberry - Stampin' Up! Berry Blessings - Paper Players 526

 The Paper Players are back with a brand new challenge today!  It's Laurie's turn to host and she's given us a tic-tac-toe inspiration board!  So fun! So pick a row down, across or diagonal and use those items for your card.  

  I decided to do the left to right diagonal; Die cut, Embossing and Blue.  Does my title give you any hints??  I took the "blue" to heart and used not only blue inks and papers but also my images are blueberries!

 Starting with the die cut element I used 3 of the Tasteful Label dies to create this layered label.  I just decided which one I wanted to use to cut my sentiment and then added 2 others behind to give it some more weight.

 For the embossing I used the Old World Paper embossing folder to emboss the the Whisper White label for some texture.  I also used heat embossing to emboss the sentiment with white embossing powder.

 Now to the blues!  The card base is Balmy Blue, the blueberries and stems are stamped all over to create a background.  I used Night of Navy for the blueberry outline and Pacific Point ink for the centers.  I also used Balmy Blue and Night of Navy for 2 of the labels.  So 3 different blues on one card!

  I hadn't yet used the blueberry stamps from the Sale-a-Bration set Berry Blessings so this was a great challenge for me to get those images inky.  

  The Paper Players Design Team is top notch and I know you'll get tons of inspiration seeing how they used this tic tac toe challenge!  Check out their creations at The Paper Players blog or on their blogs and then share yours in the gallery!

 Jaydee
 LeAnne
Claire
Joanne
Laurie
Anne Marie
Ann
Nancy
Debbie 

  

Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Berry Blessings (SAB)

Ink: Night of Navy, Pacific Point, Garden Green, Granny Apple Green, Versamark

Paper: Balmy Blue, Night of Navy, Whisper White

Accessories: Tasteful Label dies, Old World embossing folder, white embossing powder, dimensionals, crinkled seam binding ribbon

Sweet Birthday - Stampin' Up! Sweet Ice Cream

   I had some fun with ice cream to create my card today.  I thought the Freshly Made Sketches layout was perfect for a few scoops of ice cream.  Makes me want to get some ice cream for lunch today!

  The card base is Purple Posy and then I created a frame with the Ice Cream Corner DSP and the Stitched Rectangle dies.  The sentiment from Pretty Perennials fit better than the one from Sweet Ice Cream so I stamped that in Blackberry Bliss on Whisper White then embossed it with the Subtle embossing folder.

  The ice cream scoops were watercolored onto watercolor paper using Petal Pink, Terracotta Tile and Purple Posy.  I did 2 layers of ink drying between layers, then used the old marker spritzer tool to add a bit of splatter and then finally some bigger light splatters with the stamp from the set. Doing several layers of colors really adds depth when working with watercolor paper.

  The cones are stamped in Cinnamon Cider with the accent being full strength ink and the bigger cone stamped off once.

  After getting everything punched and adhered to the card front I added a few of the Ice Cream Corner Sprinkles to the tops with very little dots of glues.  The bottom of the card seemed a bit bare and off balance so I added a few Terracotta Tile faceted gems to finish off this design.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Sweet Ice Cream, Pretty Perennials

Ink: Blackberry Bliss, Terracotta Tile, Purple Posy, Petal Pink

Paper: Purple Posy, Whisper White, watercolor paper, Ice Cream Corner DSP

Accessories: Stitched Rectangle dies, Subtle embossing folder, Ice Cream Cone builder punch, dimensionals, Ice Cream Corner Sprinkles, faceted gems

 

Perennial Valentine - Stampin' Up! Pretty Perennials

   Happy Friday stampers!  Did your week fly by or drag slowly on?  Mine went pretty quickly and here we are at a new Fab Friday Challenge!  We have a gorgeous color combo for you to try out.  My card came together so quickly I was worried that maybe I should make another one right away while the ideas were flowing!

  So pretty right?  I can't wait to see what you will create!  For now here's my card for some inspiration!

  I thought these colors would look really nice as a non-traditional Valentine's day card.  I started with the stamped and punched heart then added the sentiment and then the flowers and greenery in the back.  In an effort to use more of my supply stash that I had set aside for classes which are still not happening, I used a square vellum doily to back the heart/flower combo.

  I layered all of that on top of a Whisper White and Blushing Bride Stitched Rectangle panel and adhered with dimensionals.  I added a few stamped Blushing Bride dots and 2 Just Jade enamel dots.

  For more inspiration see what the rest of the Fab Friday Design Team did with these colors!  I always get so many great ideas from their cards!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Banner Year, Heartfelt, Pretty Perennials

Ink: Blushing Bride, Just Jade, Bumblebee

Paper: Just Jade, Blushing Bride, Whisper White

Accessories: Stitched Rectangle dies, Heart punch pack, vellum doily, Perennial Petals dies, dimensionals, enamel dots

Well Suited Envelopes - Stampin' Up! Itty Bitty Birthdays

  With all my floral cards lately it was high time to design something more masculine for a change of pace.  When I first got a look at the Jan.-June Mini catalog I knew the Well Suited DSP would be on my preorder.  I loved the fun patterns and smaller scale and knew I would use them a lot even if I didn't get the stamp/die bundle.  It's nice to have some more masculine paper to mix in with stamp sets I already have to see what I can come up with.

  I used the current and last challenge ever at CAS(E) This Sketch.  I'm sad to see this challenge ending as it's been one of my go to's for a long time.  I thank the design team for all their lovely inspiration over the years.

 

  I had fun putting this design together.  The hardest part was deciding on only 3 papers for use for the envelopes!  Hard choices I tell you!

  This card starts with a Smoky Slate base, then the long skinny strip down the side which is Night of Navy topped with a Basic Gray strip embossed with the Tasteful Textile embossing folder.

  The envelopes and little inserts are cut with the Snail dies.  I used my Night of Navy marker to ink up individual words on the sentiment from Itty Bitty Birthdays.  I did add a bit of adhesive to the inserts just so they wouldn't fall out in the mail or fall down into the envelope.  A bit more Night of Navy ink on another sentiment from Itty Bitty Birthdays for the corner and this card is finished.

  The mini envelopes are a fun way to show off multiple DSP patterns while showing off a cute message.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Itty Bitty Birthdays

Ink: Night of Navy

Paper: Smoky Slate, Night of Navy, Basic Gray, Well Suited DSP, Whisper White

Accessories: Snail dies, Tasteful Textile embossing folder

Birthday Banner - Stampin' Up! Pretty Perennials

   I feel like I've been getting my money's worth from the Pretty Perennial bundle lately!  All of my new stamp sets are front and center on my stamping desk and this bundle has been one of my go to sets for all kinds of cards.  We have a huge amount of family birthdays coming up in February so I've been concentrating on re-stocking my birthday cards so I'm not caught short once the time comes to get things in the mail.  

  The Festive Friday Challenge has been a fun one to participate in lately.  I love their themes along with the Inspiration List of which at least 3 items need to be used when creating your card.  This time the them is Chinese New Year. I really don't have any Asian inspired stamp sets but I didn't let that stop me!  I used red, banners and flowers as my 3 items for my birthday card.

  At first I was having a hard time with the red as it just seemed "too much" but after changing out a piece of red cardstock for the checked pattern it started to come together a bit more.

  The card base is Whisper White, then the fun Sala-a-Bration freebie Berry Delightful DSP.   I pulled out this retired narrow shimmer ribbon from my stash; I think it's Bermuda Bay?? Next is a layer of Coastal Cabana topped with a Whisper White Stitched Rectangle.  I stamped the birthday greeting from Many Messages in black.

  For the banner element I cut them with the Tasteful Label dies and added the stamped and die cut flowers from the Pretty Perennials set.  The flower outlines are all stamped in full strength ink with the fill being stamped off once.  The banners are popped on dimensionals across the card front.  

 Sometimes it can be tricky lining up multiple elements like this and I've found that starting in the middle and working my way out helps me keep the spacing even and the elements lined up.  Just find the center of your card and adhere the first one then go out from there.  I usually have the other banners (or whatever) in roughly the spot they will go just to judge the spacing.  

  The last things I added to this card were to black candy dots to "hold up" the banner ends.

  This was a fun challenge to do and I'm glad I could get another birthday card made!  

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Pretty Perennials

Ink: Coastal Cabana, Bumblebee, Poppy Parade, Memento Black

Paper: Whisper White thick, Whisper White, Coastal Cabana, Berry Delightful DSP (SAB)

Accessories: Stitched Rectangle dies, Tasteful Label dies, Perennial Petals dies, dimensionals, shimmer ribbon (retired), candy dots (retired)

Perennial Sympathy - Stampin' Up! Perennial Petals Dies

   Sympathy cards are never the kind of card that I want to make so I was glad to have a bit of help from a challenge to get one made.  The creative ideas almost always fly right out of the window when I have to make a sympathy card but the Tic Tac Toe Challenge saved the day with their challenge board this week.

  My card used the center-down column which has ribbon/twine, CAS, and tag as the elements to incorporate on the card.

  I started this one with a Soft Sea Foam base then another layer of the same color embossed with the Old World Paper embossing folder.  I added a square vellum doily next.  It doesn't show well in the photo but in real life it's a nice delicate detail in the back.

  I dug through my ribbon scraps to see if anything worked and I came across this strip of what I think is Pear Pizzazz ribbon and some twine left from a years ago banner kit.  Both were just right; I added the ribbon around the middle and the twine was used at the top of the Crumb Cake tag.

  The Perennial Petals dies have this nice sized leaf sprig so I cut 2 of them.  The outline is Pear Pizzazz and then the inside is Soft Sea Foam.  I glued the outline to the tag and then glued the lighter color to the open leaf spaces.

  The sentiment is from the retired Petite Pairs set and is stamped in Pear Pizzazz and then cut out with the Tasteful Label dies and popped up with dimensionals.  The last thing added is a few small adhesive pearls.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Petite Pairs (retired)

Ink: Pear Pizzazz

Paper: Soft Sea Foam, Crumb Cake, Pear Pizzazz, Whisper White

Accessories: Tag punch, Perennial Petals dies, Tasteful Label dies, Old World Paper embossing folder, pearls, dimensionals, ribbon (retired), twine (retired)

Hello Word Bubble - Stampin' Up! Snail Dies

    I had some fun with the current Just Add Ink challenge which is a nice layout by making something that didn't have flowers on it!  I liked the sassy feel of the word bubble pattern from the Snail Mail DSP and wanted to try something that didn't use the snails as the main focus of the card.  The 2 overlapping panels in the sketch were a good base for some smaller images.

  I carried the idea of the word bubbles from the background and made my own with the die cut and a bunch of 'hello' stamps from my current sets.  They are popped with dimensionals. The sets are listed below from top to bottom.

  The rectangle panels are Blushing Bride and Coastal Cabana and cut with the Stitched So Sweetly dies.  I added the stitched details to the centers with the Stitched With Whimsy dies.

  The ink colors are pulled directly from paper.

  Nothing fancy but this one will be sent out soon to say 'hello' to a friend!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

 Stamps: Many Messages, Snailed It, Sweet Strawberry, Many Messages (again), Well Said

Ink: Blushing Bride, Coastal Cabana, Real Red

Paper: Whisper White thick, Whisper White, Blushing Bride, Coastal Cabana

Accessories: Stitched So Sweetly dies, Stitched With Whimsy dies, Snail dies, dimensionals

Blue Bird Birthday - Stampin Up! Birds & More Dies - The Paper Players 525

    Gosh we're already back to Sunday!  This past week went quickly didn't it?  Let's start the week off on the right foot with some stamping!  The Paper Players are back with a fun sketch challenge from Joanne.  This was a fun layout to work with (twice)!

  This card is an example of you never know when or where you'll get some inspiration.  Once I started working on this card I realized that a card I made last week shared some similar characteristics!  I must have been subconsciously using this sketch for this card here because I didn't even realize they were so similar until I took a closer look at the challenge icon and started work on this card!  I think I need to pay more attention.

  Here is the intended design for this challenge!

  This card starts with a Crumb Cake base that you can't see because of the lovely Old Olive pattern of Ice Cream Corner DSP covering the front.

  The only stamping on today's card is the black embossed sentiment at the top.  I love the big, basic birthday greeting from the Sweet Ice Cream stamp set.  And for those eagle eyes out there I did emboss the Whisper White panel with the Subtle folder before the heat embossing!

  While there is little stamping there is a bit of coloring on the die cut branch.  I used some Blends to give this leafy branch color with Old Olive, Rich Razzleberry and Crumb Cake .

  The bird is die cut in Misty Moonlight and then backed with a piece of Balmy Blue which is all trimmed off just leaving the bits you can see.  I at first left the eye Balmy Blue as well but honestly the bird looked a bit deranged so I cut a black eye with the die and glued it in.  Much better.  Finally this little guy was ready to be adhered with dimensionals.

  The final touch is the sheer striped Blackberry Bliss ribbon tied in a fork bow.

  Thanks to Joanne for her lovely layout that inspired 2 cards even if I didn't realize it at first.  I hope you'll play along with the team at The Paper Players and share your card in the gallery.  For more stamping goodness check out their sites!

Jaydee
 LeAnne
Claire
Joanne
Laurie
Anne Marie
Ann
Nancy
Debbie 

Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Sweet Ice Cream

Ink: Versamark

Blends: Crumb Cake light, Old Olive light, Rich Razzleberry dark

Paper: Whisper White, Misty Moonlight, Balmy Blue, Basic Black, Ice Cream Corner DSP

Accessories: Birds & More dies, Subtle embossing folder, black embossing powder, dimensionals, Blackberry Bliss striped ribbon

Perennial View - Stampin' Up! Pretty Perennials

   My card for today is inspired by 2 challenges; the layout is from Inspire Create Challenge and the colors and flowers theme is inspired by the Library Challenge which gives us a book cover for inspiration; Room With a View by E.M. Forester.

 

  I had this one looking different in my head but I think the final result is growing on me.  I took my colors directly from the book cover and used the Pretty Perennials stamp set to create the floral background.  I combined the stamping with a few of the coordinating die cuts.  

  Once the background panel was finished I layered 2 lengths of crinkled seam binding ribbon across before adhering my embossed sentiment panel with dimensionals.  A double layered fork bow (I'm obsessed with these lately it seems!) is added to the sentiment circle with a glue dot.

  I can't decide if the Mossy Meadow stitched circle should have been Soft Sea Foam instead...what do you think?

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Pretty Perennials, So Sentimental

Ink: Blackberry Bliss, Mossy Meadow, Soft Sea Foam, Melon Mambo, Versamark

Blends: Soft Sea Foam light (color in the open leaf sprig)

Paper: Sahara Sand, Whisper White, Mossy Meadow, Daffodil Delight

Accessories: Perennial Petals dies, Stitched Shapes dies, white embossing powder, dimensionals, crinkled seam binding ribbon

Snail Mail - Stampin' Up! Snailed It

 I've been busy making Valentine's to donate to the senior homes in our area but I didn't want to forget to make a few for my family.  I mean I can't just give them a pile of Valentine's candy and call it a day! The Snailed It set is perfect for some boy Valentine's...no froo-froo but still super cute.

  I used the current Freshly Made Sketches challenge to get me started on this card.  The colors are pulled right from the Snail Mail DSP.

  My favorite part of this card is the little snail in the mini envelope!  So cute right?  I colored the snail with Blends and then tucked him in the Bermuda Bay envie.  I added a Real Red heart filled in with the still fabulous but retired Dazzling Details.

  The sentiment is from Many Mates and is the perfect size to fit in to this space and an 'I love you' without being and 'I love you' if you know what I mean.  I added a few retired enamel shapes to keep the open space above the envelope for being too boring and because I am determined to use up some of these odds and ends I've had forever!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Snailed It, Many Mates

Ink: Bermuda Bay, Real Red, Memento Black

Blends: Bermuda Bay dark, Pool Party light, Daffodil Delight light & dark, Real Red dark

Paper: Bermuda Bay, Coastal Cabana, Whisper White, Snail Mail DSP

Accessories: Subtle embossing folder, Snail dies, dimensionals, enamel shapes (retired), Dazzling Details (retired)

Weathered Seashells - Stampin' Up! Friends Are Like Seashells

    The beach is one of my favorite places and I always wish we lived a bit closer to be able to go more often.  I'm an avid beachcomber and look forward to seeing what all I can find every time I step on the sand.  Shells, seaglass, bones, and random human made items are the most common finds.  The Friends Are Like Seashells stamp set is perfect for me and I love all the details on the shell stamps.  They are so lifelike!

  For my card today I went with a bit of a weathered wood and shell combo for a thank you card.  The card base is Gray Granite, with another Gray Granite panel embossed with the Pinewood Planks embossing folder and the edges are lightly sponged.  

  I had a perfect sized scrap of woodgrain from the In Good Taste DSP pack.  I embossed the thank you in gold and then got started on my shells.  The largest shell is stamped in Crumb Cake on Very Vanilla, the sand dollar is also Crumb Cake but stamped off once onto the awesome Pearlescent Specialty paper.  The next shell is stamped in gold in on Very Vanilla.  I cut the shells out and then clustered them to the side with the topmost one popped on dimensionals.  

  I tucked a bit of braided linen trim in and frayed the edges a bit for a weathered look.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Friends Are Like Seashells

Ink: Gray Granite, Crumb Cake, Versamark, Gold

Paper: Gray Granite, Very Vanilla, In Good Taste DSP, Pearlescent Specialty Paper

Accessories: Pinewood Planks embossing folder, gold embossing powder, dimensionals, braided linen trim

Classic Valentine - Stampin' Up! Heartfelt

 Our county social services office recently requested Valentine's day cards be donated so they can be distributed to senior homes and nursing homes for their residents.  Many of these residents haven't been able to have many visitors since the pandemic started and they want to spread some cheer and happiness with the cards.  If a Stampin' Up! demo can't get some Valentine's day cards made for a good cause like this then I don't know what good I am!

  The Tic Tac Toe Challenge has a fun challenge board to get us started with some cards.  My stamping friend LeAnne is hostess for this one and always has lovely samples and of course I wanted to join in!  I ended up with a very basic, classic card using the top row; heart, doily/lace, 'love' sentiment.  I hope my generic sentiment works ok for this.  Since I don't know who will get these cards I wanted to keep it simple and not overly familiar.

 This assortment of supplies really gave me a chance to use some retired items like the Painted with Love DSP from 2018, the doily and ribbon.  And I've always like this combo of colors for Valentine's day.  Add a bit of gold for good measure and it's an easy layout to make multiples.  I got 6 of these out of my scraps without even having to trim the DSP.

  The Heartfelt stamp set is used for the gold embossed heart outline as well as the little Rich Razzleberry stamps on the card base.  The sentiment is from a long retired hostess set that I can't bear to part with; Good Greetings.

  If you're a local RVA stamper and would like to donate cards to this cause I am collecting cards and will deliver a whole batch at once.  If you could drop off the cards to me by Feb. 1 that would be wonderful!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Heartfelt, Good Greetings (retired)

Ink: Rich Razzleberry, Versamark

Paper: Rich Razzleberry, Melon Mambo, Brushed Gold cardstock, Whisper White, Painted with Love DSP (retired)

Accessories: gold embossing powder, Heart punch pack, dimensionals, doily (retired), Rich Razzleberry cotton ribbon (retired)

Baby Girl 'Roo - Stampin' Up! Kangaroo & Company

   I'm joining in the Just Add Ink challenge which has a theme of family this time.  I have a family member who is getting ready to welcome another baby to the family so I wanted to get a head start on having a card ready to celebrate.  This was a perfectly timed challenge for me!

 

  Isn't that little baby 'roo in the mama's pouch just so cute??  This was a fun card to put together to make it a little girlie without being too over the top.

  I started with a Crumb Cake base then a layer of the Sale-a-Bration Paper Blooms DSP.  For a little bit of a different look I offset it to the upper right.  Next I added a strip of Rococo Rose Scalloped ribbon.

  A Night of Navy square anchors the focal panel. For the gingham panel I first used the Stitched with Whimsy dies on it and then trimmed the excess off from around the stitching.

 Next are the kangaroos.  I stamped both in Memento black and then colored them with Crumb Cake Blends.  Both ears are light Rococo Rose and the bellies are Ivory.  After die cutting them I added some little eyelashes to the baby with a Stampin' Write marker as well as a Blushing Bride (close match to the Rococo Rose) baker's twine bow.  They are then popped on dimensionals.

  For the sentiment I stamped off a Rococo Rose flower from Pretty Perennials and then added the sentiment from the Kangaroo & Company set in Night of Navy and die cut it with the Tasteful Labels dies.  It's popped with dimensionals and embellished with a faceted Rococo Rose gem.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Kangaroo & Company, Pretty Perennials 

Ink: Memento Black, Rococo Rose, Night of Navy

Blends: Crumb Cake light & dark, Rococ Rose light, Ivory

Paper: Crumb Cake, Paper Blooms DSP (SAB), 2019-2021 In Color DSP, Night of Navy, Whisper White

Accessories: Kangaroo dies, Stitched with Whimsy dies, Tasteful Label dies, dimensionals, scalloped ribbon, Blushing Bride baker's twine, faceted gem

CAS Floral Birthday - Stampin' Up! Pretty Perennials

   Saturday was a pretty productive day in the stamp room and I was able to play along with a few challenges.  I really liked the sketch at CAS(e) This Sketch and it made me think a bit which is always good.  Of course I wanted to use one of my newer stamp sets and the Pretty Perennials set gave me just what I needed for this challenge.

  

  Isn't this one a beauty?  I think I might be pouting a bit over not having any snow so far this winter and figure if we can't have snow then we might as well jump right to spring.  Enough of these gray and brown days already!  Snow at least looks pretty for a bit right?

  Anyway this one starts with a Pool Party base, then a layer of Basic Black cut with a Stitched Rectangle die.  The flowers are all stamped to fit along with the sketch.  The Bumblebee flowers are stamped off once with the outline detail in full strength ink.  The same treatment goes for the Pool Party leaves.

  After the flowers I stamped the big sentiment in Versamark right over the top of the flowers and embossed in black.  I stamped the smaller 'birthday' sentiment on Basic Black and embossed in white.  After flagging the ends I popped it with mini dimensionals.

  Some Bumblebee enamel dots were added to the flowers as well as few leftover Pool Party sequins which I think came from an old Paper Pumpkin kit.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Pretty Perennials

Ink: Bumblebee, Pool Party, Calypso Coral, Versamark

Paper: Pool Party, Basic Black, Whisper White

Accessories: Stitched Rectangle dies, black embossing powder, white embossing powder, dimensionals, In Color enamel dots, sequins (retired)

Snowflake Shadow - Stampin' Up! Snowflake Wishes - Paper Players 524

   Good morning stampers!  Is it cold where you are or is it hot and you are wishing for some cold weather?  Well I can't help with your weather but I can help with some stamping inspiration!  The Paper Players have a fun new challenge today.  Claire has given us the theme of a Clean and Simple Snow challenge!  So fun!

    Thanks to Claire for making me get off my butt and stamp some thank you cards because I am way behind on Christmas thank yous!!

  This cards starts with a Crumb Cake base, then a layer of Whisper White, then another layer of Crumb Cake which I scored a little border around the edges.

  To make the cool little shadow detail I die cut the snowflake shape that I wanted to stamp and adhered it to the card front with re-positional adhesive and then lightly sponged around it with white craft ink.  After it was covered as much as I wanted I peeled it off leaving a nice open snowflake.

  Next I stamped and embossed in white the coordinating snowflake and die cut it.  I popped it over the shadow and off set the orientation.

  The sentiment from the new Sweet Strawberry set is stamped and embossed under the snowflake.

  Final details are the linen thread bow and faceted gem in Seaside Spray for the center of the snowflake.

  See what the rest of the Paper Players Design Team did with this fun challenge!

Jaydee
 LeAnne
Claire
Joanne
Laurie
Anne Marie
Ann
Nancy
Debbie 

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Snowflake Wishes, Sweet Strawberry

Ink: Versamark, white craft

Paper: Crumb Cake, Whisper White

Accessories: So Many Snowflakes dies, white embossing powder, linen thread, faceted gem

Birthday Berries - Stampin' Up! Berry Blessings

   I haven't shared many cards made with Sale-a-Bration rewards and I really have no excuse!  I only earned a few rewards this time and as much as I would love to order enough to earn one of every item in the brochure the bank account just doesn't support that!  What I did earn; 2 SAB DSPs and a fun berry themed stamped set are just lovely and you'll definitely be seeing more in the next month and a half.

  The color challenge over at Color Throwdown was absolutely perfect to go with the raspberries in the Sale-a-Bration Berry Blessing set!  We're to use pink, blue and green.  I stuck with the bold tones that they show in their challenge logo and went to work!

  The coordinating free Berry Delightful DSP started me off with the fun blue plaid pattern.  I added this piece to a Balmy Blue card base after adding some retired white cotton ribbon across the top.

  I cut a Whisper White Stitched Nested Label die to hold all my berries.  I first stamped the sentiment in black at the bottom so I could see where everything else needed to go.

  The leaves are stamped in 2 different greens; the outline is Garden Green and the fill is Granny Apple Green.  I fussy cut them and set them aside.  The stems are also Garden Green and Granny Apple Green and cut out and set aside.  Then I stamped a few of the plain Garden Green stems under where I was planning to adhere the leaves so they would be peeking out ready for the berries.

  The berries are stamped with the outline in Melon Mambo and the fill also Melon Mambo but stamped off once.  I fussy cut them as well.  Don't worry about the fussy cutting for this set it goes quickly as they are pretty small images.  I also had a Netflix show on at the same time so no fear of it being wasted time!

  I added the stems to the berries and then arranged them amongst the leaves with a few being popped on dimensionals.  A retired Pacific Point enamel dot accents the sentiment for the final touch.

  Thanks to this color challenge for kicking my butt in gear to use this adorable Sale-a-Bration set!  

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Berry Blessings (SAB)

Ink: Memento black, Melon Mambo, Garden Green, Granny Apple Green

Paper: Balmy Blue, Whisper White, Berry Delightful DSP (SAB)

Accessories: Stitched Nested Label dies, white ribbon (retired), dimensionals, enamel dot (retired)

Sweet Snail _ Stampin' Up! Snailed It - Fab Friday 205

   Happy Friday stampers!  The Fab Friday Challenge is back after our holiday break and we've got a great sketch for you to work with this time.  Remember our challenge is 2 weeks long so there's plenty of time to share your creation in our gallery!

  Look at that big main panel!  So many possibilities!!  I kept my top panel very clean and simple but go crazy and get creative!

  I started with a Real Red base then a layer of Snail Mail DSP in a fun pink and red curly-q pattern.

  For the top panel I used Whisper White and then used the Stitched with Whimsy dies to create what I think of as a little bit of a snail trail but way less slimy!

  Next I stamped the sentiment from Many Messages in black.  The sweet snail is also stamped in black then colored in with Blends.  Once it was cut out I added a Blushing Bride baker's twine bow and then popped the snail on dimensionals.

  And lastly a few Real Red resin hearts are added around the sentiment.

  Head on over to the Fab Friday Challenge to see how the rest of the Design Team used this sketch!  

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Snailed It, Many Messages

Ink: Memento black

Blends: Flirty Flamingo light & dark, Pool Party light & dark, Real Red dark

Paper: Real Red, Whisper White, Snail Mail DSP

Accessories: Stitched with Whimsy dies, Snail dies, resin hearts, Blushing Bride baker's twine, dimensionals

Fruity Thanks - Stampin' Up! Cute Fruit

    Today I'm sharing another thank you card.  I made this one a while back and just never got it shared.  But it's a cute card with lots of personality!

  It starts with a Rich Razzleberry base and then a layer of Plaid Tiding DSP.   I was sorry to see this DSP not carry over at least for a little while.  It won't stop me from using it and I think some of the patterns will see a workout for Valentine's day!

  I stamped all the fruit and then fussy cut them and popped the pineapple on dimensionals on a piece of Whisper White die cut with the Stitched So Sweetly dies.

  The Thanks from Well Said is stamped in black and a Whisper White cotton ribbon is used across the center.  And more retired candy dots in Rich Razzleberry and Melon Mambo.  I'm starting to feel like a one trick pony with the Stitched So Sweetly dies and candy dots lol!  I'll try harder to diversify!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Cute Fruit, Well Said

Ink: Memento Black, Bumble Bee, Old Olive, Soft Suede, Daffodil Delight, Melon Mambo, Granny Apple Green

Paper: Rich Rrazzleberry, Plaid Tidings DSP (retired), Whisper White

Accessories: Stitched So Sweetly dies, dimensionals, white cotton ribbon (retired), candy dots (retired)

Sweet Thank You - Stampin' Up! Sweet Ice Cream

   I had a little chuckle when I saw the current Festive Friday challenge which is "Eat Ice Cream for Breakfast Day".  Every year on the last morning of our beach vacation the boys get to have ice cream for breakfast.  It started when they were really little and we had to clean out the fridge and freezer in our rental.  It is heart breaking to throw out perfectly good ice cream so began the tradition of them and their grandfather having a bowl of ice cream for breakfast.  We have numerous photos of them digging into their bowls with huge ice creamy grins.  Even now that they are teens they still get a kick out this silly tradition.

  But this morning it was cereal, bagels or oatmeal for breakfast!  So boring lol!  But I've got a fun ice cream themed card using some of Fest Friday's inspiration list.  We're to use at least 3 and I went with ice cream, pink, brown, patterned paper and dry embossing.

  The whole Ice Cream Corner suite in the new Jan.-June mini catalog is so 'sweet'.  It's a punch bundle which makes it super affordable at $31.50 for the stamp set and punch.  Add in the Ice Cream Corner DSP for $11.50 and you've got a nice little set of products to create with for occasions all year round.

  My card starts with a Petal Pink base that's embossed with the Subtle embossing folder, then a stitched edge detail using the new Stitched with Whimsy dies.  I rounded the corners to go along with the stitched detail.

  Using the Stitched So Sweetly dies and Pool Party cardstock create the next layer.  The sentiment is stamped at the bottom in Bermuda Bay. Then the patterned paper in a cute sprinkle design with the corners also rounded.  I looked in my retired stash of ribbon and used some of this narrow satin ribbon in Whisper White.

  The ice cream cone is stamped in Cinnamon Cider with the base stamped off once and then crosshatch pattern in full strength.  From top to bottom the ice cream is stamped in Petal Pink with stamped off Blackberry Bliss sprinkles, stamped off Bermuda Bay, and stamped off Blackberry Bliss.  The whole stack is popped on dimensionals.

  I added a few 'sprinkles' of my own on my neverending quest to use up my retired candy dots.  

  The Sweet Ice Cream stamp set will get a lot of use especially as we head toward warmer weather.  

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Sweet Ice Cream

Ink: Bermuda Bay, Blackberry Bliss, Petal Pink, Cinnamon Cider

Paper: Petal Pink, Pool Party, Ice Cream Corner DSP, Whisper White

Accessories: Subtle embossing folder, Stitched with Whimsy dies, corner rounder, Stitched So Sweetly dies, Ice Cream Cone builder punch, dimensionals, candy dots (retired), satin ribbon (retired)

Hooray for Perennials - Stampin' Up! Pretty Perennials

    When I placed my Jan.-June mini catalog pre-order in December I was excited to get the Pretty Perennials bundle especially because it coordinates with the Sale-a-Bration reward Paper Blooms DSP.  And it was time for some florals after all the Christmas stuff!  The first time I went to use it on a card I realized the dies didn't ship with the stamp set.  They were supposed to be in the box and were on the packing list so they either slipped out of the box en route or got missed during the picking process.  Either way I had to wait for a new die set to be shipped.  I could have used the stamp set without the dies and challenged myself (or fussy cut) but I was lazy and waited.

  It was worth the wait!  I really love all the combinations you can make with the dies and stamps.  Lots of different sized flowers and leaves for all kinds of cards.

  I started this card for a card sketch challenge but it's a clean and simple challenge and the way this card ended up isn't CAS so I'm not sharing it there but the general layout was definitely inspired by it.  

  The card starts with a Whisper White thick card base.  Then I used the fun paisley print from the Well Suited DSP.  The sentiment from Many Messages is stamped in Basic Gray on a strip of Whisper White and then backed with a larger piece of Melon Mambo.

  For the flowers and leaves I pulled all my colors from the Brights collection and just started stamping.  Once I had a pile of flowers and leaves I set about arranging them to the side of the sentiment.  A few are popped with dimensionals for added interest.

  I added a few iridescent sequins leftover from an old Paper Pumpkin kit as the only embellishment.

  I'm really looking forward to getting lots of cards out of this set!  So many color combinations can be used!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Pretty Perennials, Many Messages

Ink: Basic Gray, Flirty Flamingo, Daffodil Delight, Melon Mambo, Granny Apple Green

Paper: Whisper White thick, Whisper White, Melon Mambo, Granny Apple Green, Flirty Flamingo, Mango Melody, Well Suited DSP

Accessories: Perennial Petals dies, dimensionals, sequins (retired)

Little 'Roo Celebration - Stampin' Up! Kangaroo & Company

   I got a little bit of stamping time in this weekend between starting a small home update project.  We're  working on our laundry room which hasn't been touched in the 14 years we've lived in this house.  We moved in, connected the washer and dryer and it has pretty much stayed the same ever since.  It's time to make it a little bit more user friendly and pleasing to the eye with new shelves, paint, tile and re-configuring how the dryer vents to the outside.  My husband is super handy so after I pick out what I want he does the designing, building and installation and I help hold stuff lol!  It's a good partnership!  The last thing to be decided upon is floor tile...any suggestions?  We went to 3 different tile places and there are so many choices it's a bit overwhelming!

  Anyway on to the card!  I wanted to play along with the Color Throwdown challenge which has brown, rust and cream as their colors.  Not colors I would usually use together but that's the fun of a challenge. The Kangaroo & Company is the perfect stamp set for using browns/rusts! 

  The card starts with a Very Vanilla thick base, then a layer of the In Color 6x6 DSP in Cinnamon Cider.  Next I embossed a piece of Very Vanilla with the Hammered Metal embossing folder and then edged one side with a narrow strip of Cajun Craze.

  The little 'roos are stamped in Memento black and colored in with Blends in Cajun Craze, Soft Suede and Cinnamon Cider.  Once they were die cut I popped them on dimesionals down the Very Vanilla panel.

  For the word bubbles I used the Itty Bitty Birthday stamp set and the open bubble from Snailed It all stamped in black.  The words from the same stamp were colored individually with a black marker so that one word went into each bubble.  Those were then die cut and popped with dimensionals.

  Not having much in the way of brown or rust ribbon or other accessories I just used a piece of linen thread to tie a bow in the lower corner for just a bit of detail.  On the inside I stamped a big happy birthday since I really still need a lot of birthday cards.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Kangaroo & Company, Snailed It, Itty Bitty Birthdays

Ink: Memento Black

Blends: Cajun Craze light & dark, Soft Suede light & dark, Cinnamon Cider light & dark, Calypso Coral light

Paper: Very Vanilla thick, Very Vanilla, Cajun Craze, Cinnamon Cider 6x6 In Color DSP

Accessories: Kangaroo dies, Snail dies, Hammered Metal embossing folder, linen thread, dimensionals

Starred Happy Birthday - Stampin' Up! Sweet Ice Cream - Paper Players 523

 Happy Sunday stampers!  The Paper Players have a new challenge to start the week off right!  Ann has given us a fun set of colors to play with this week.  Blackberry Bliss, Bumblebee and Misty Moonlight and a neutral!

  After flipping my perpetual birthday calendar to January and noting how many cards I needed in the coming weeks and then seeing that my birthday card stash was down to 0 cards I figured I better get to 'work'.  After trying a few different ideas I decided to do a fun striped background for a masculine birthday. And as a bonus it uses up some scraps!

  The card base is Whisper White thick, then I used another layer of Whisper White to line up the stripes.  After getting them all adhered the Tasteful Textile embossing folder gives the panel some interest.

  For the neutral I used Whisper White to cut some Stitched Stars and layered them on the background with the 2 smaller ones popped with dimensionals.

  The sentiment banner is stamped in Versamark with the large sentiment from the new Sweet Ice Cream stamp set and then embossed in white.  It's popped with more dimensionals and has a Bumblebee In Color ribbon knot anchoring one end.  A few In Color enamel dots on the small stars finish off the details.

 I can't wait to see what you all create and share with us in the Paper Players gallery!  For inspiration from the rest of the Design Team check out these links:

Jaydee

 LeAnne 

Claire

Joanne 

Laurie 

Anne Marie 

Ann 

Nancy 

Debbie 

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Sweet Ice Cream

Ink: Versamark

Paper:  Whisper White thick, Whisper White, Blackberry Bliss, Bumblebee, Misty Moonlight

Accessories: Tasteful Textile embossing folder, Stitched Stars dies, white embossing powder, dimensionals, enamel dots, In Color ribbon

Scandinavian Slimline - Stampin' Up! Festive Post

   I made about 70 Christmas cards this past year and I would say that about 50 were one of a kind designs.  I usually don't have enough time each year to make that many individual designs and I usually take some of the designs and make multiples of them.  2020 being what it was I ended up with a lot more stamping time than normal.  It was fun pulling each card out of the storage box and adding my personal message to friends and family and seeing so many different cards.  I don't know what 2021 will bring in the way of available stamping time but I'm hoping to do more Christmas cards throughout the year to have a big variety again come December 2021.  I got a start on that this week with a double challenge card.

  I used the Freshly Made Sketches layout along with The Card Concept inspiration photo for my head start Christmas card which is in the Clean and Layered style.

  I hadn't jumped on the slimline bandwagon yet and the Freshly Made Sketches challenge was as good a time as any to try it out.  I googled to see what the measurements were and there seemed to be quite a bit of variation so I went with a size that fits in a business sized envelope.  This one is 8.5" x 4".  It seems quite massive compared to the regular A2 size I usually make though the photo doesn't really show it well.

  The colors and the classic Scandinavian style of the images from the inspiration photo were the basis for my choices. I started with a Whisper White card base, then a layer of Heartwarming Hugs DSP, then another layer of Whisper White.

  I cut the 3 circles in Real Red with the the Stitched Shapes dies.  For the largest I stamped and embossed the deer from Festive Post.  The other 2 circles have stamped snowflakes and a die cut snowflake using the Snowflake Wishes stamp set and coordinating dies.  The two little snowflakes are popped on dimensionals and the circle with the die cu snowflake t is popped as well.

  I added Whisper White twill ribbon across the front and then stamped the sentiment from Banner Year in Real Red.  A red mini rhinestone on the larger snowflake is the last detail.

  These were fun challenges to put together and I really like the clean look of the 2 colored design.  Not sure how many slimline cards I will make regularly but it's a nice size to have in repertoire if the occasion calls for a larger card.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Festive Post (retired), Snowflake Wishes, Banner Year

Ink: Real Red, Versamark

Paper: Whisper White, Real Red, Heartwarming Hugs DSP

Accessories:  Stitched Shapes dies, white embossing powder, So Many Snowflakes dies, dimensionals, red rhinestones, twill ribbon (retired)

 

Heartfelt Valentine - Stampin' Up! Heartfelt

   My colors today are from the CAS Colours & Sketches challenge.  I have to admit that this card took longer than it should have to come together.  I had these colors, which I love, out on my desk for 2 days and kept pulling stamp sets out and contemplating them and then putting them back and trying another.  I really wanted to use one of my new stamp sets but none of them were speaking to me with these colors. Finally I settled on a straight up Valentine's day card and pulled out last year's Valentine's day set from Stampin' Up! that happens to have been carried over as well as a few stamps from other sets.

  My first attempt at this design was complete and ready to be photographed when I realized I had used Coastal Cabana cardstock instead of Pool Party for the smaller punched center heart.  It was a good thing I hadn't cleaned up all my supplies because the second version came together much quicker!

  I started with a Cherry Cobbler card base and then a layer of Cherry Cobbler DSP from the Classic Christmas 6x6 DSP.  Next I took a piece of Whisper White and embossed it with the Detailed Hearts die.  I always forget that you can emboss with dies and I hadn't done it in a long time and I thought it would be a great background for this CAS card.

  After embossing I looked through my sets to find a small heart stamp to add a few Pool Party hearts to the card front.  The one that worked the best is from the new Kangaroo & Company set.

  Next I used the Heart punch pack and punched the scalloped heart in Bermuda Bay and the smaller one in Pool Party after stamping the heart outline in Bermuda bay ink.  After popping the layered heart on dimensionals I added the sentiment from Posted for You stamped in Cherry Cobbler and the accessories.  A retired Cherry Cobbler candy dot and a Pool Party baker's twine bow finish off the details.

  I'm glad I persevered because I'm pleased with how this one turned out and because of my small oopsie with the wrong color I've now got 2 cards!

   Thanks for looking! Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Heartfelt, Posted for You, Kangaroo & Company

Ink: Pool Party, Bermuda Bay, Cherry Cobbler

Paper: Cherry Cobbler, Whisper White, Pool Party, Bermuda Bay, Classic Christmas DSP (retired)

Accessories: Detailed Hearts die, Heart Punch pack, candy dot (retired), Pool Party baker's twine (retired)

 

Love Notes - Stampin' Up! Banner Year

   Now that we're past the the busy Christmas card season it's time to look ahead to the next busy card season!  Valentine's Day!  I usually send out what cards I have made to extended family and then of course I make a card for my husband and boys.  Some years the Stampin' Up! Valentine's day stamps catch my eye and other times I make due with stamps that I already have.  

  For my card today I'm using one of the Holiday Mini catalog carry over stamp sets.  I used this one a lot all through the fall and winter and I'm happy to be able to use it for Valentine's day as well.  Banner Year is a workhorse with all of the sweet images and sentiments for use with multiple seasons and holidays.

  There are several mail and letter themed stamps in the new Jan.-June Mini catalog so this image from Banner Year is in good company.

  Crumb Cake is used for the card base with a layer of Whisper White up next.  I stamped the sprinkling of hearts from left to right diagonally down the card front in a bright, cheerful assortment of colors (listed below) and then I stamped the 'xoxo' in Crumb Cake before embossing the whole panel with the Subtle embossing folder.

  I used the Layering Square dies to cut the scalloped square out of Flirty Flamingo cardstock and then I added a slightly smaller Whisper White square.  The envelopes are all stamped in Crumb Cake and then the open hearts filled in using the same heart stamp that I used on the large panel.  Each envelope is die cut with the Stitched Shapes dies and then popped up on the large square with dimensionals.

  Sometimes the trick to using smaller images is to group them together and frame them out out with a large diecut or panel.  Simple details like the scallops and stitching keep them from getting lost on the card front.  

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Banner Year

Ink: Flirty Flamingo, Mango Melody, Daffodil Delight, Petal Pink, Crumb Cake

Paper: Crumb Cake, Whisper White, Flirty Flamingo

Accessories: Subtle embossing folder, Layering Square dies, Stitched Shapes dies, dimensionals

Petal Pink Rose Birthday - Stampin' Up! To a Wild Rose

   I was out and about early this morning doing all sorts of errands so I'm just getting to my stamping business now.  Better late than never!

  My card today is inspired by the current Global Design Project challenge.  It's a fun set of colors; Soft Sea Foam, Petal Pink, Night of Navy.  As much as I wanted to use one of my new stamp sets for the focus of the card To a Wild Rose was just calling to be inked up with these colors.  I did use a few new items though can you spot them?

 

  The card starts with a Whisper White thick base and then a layer of the new Well Suited DSP with the corners rounded.  All the prints in this pack are excellent for masculine cards and are meant to be paired with the Well Suited suite but can also work really well with non-suit themed cards.  On my card it makes for a nice background for the lovely Petal Pink rose and Soft Sea Foam leaves.

  Another new item I used is the sentiment which is from the Many Messages stamp set.  I didn't get the big one piece die that coordinates with this set since I have a lot of dies and punch shapes that are sized to fit sentiments of this size and the Tasteful Labels dies are one of them which I used to highlight this sentiment.  I also cut apart all the sentiments in the Many Messages set.  It brought back many memories of trimming the stamp sets with special rubber scissors and adhering them to the wood blocks as we used to have to do in the olden stamping days lol!  Being able to grab one sentiment at a time just fits with my style of creating better than having a whole big background to have to manage.  Never be afraid to trim or cut apart your stamps for your ease of use.  I've found that if stamps don't work as practically as I need them to I just end up not using them at all and that's just a waste.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: To a Wild Rose, Many Messages

Ink: Soft Sea Foam, Petal Pink, Night of Navy

Paper: Whisper White thick, Whisper White, Soft Sea Foam, Well Suited DSP

Accessories: corner rounder, Wild Rose dies, dimensionals, Tasteful Labels dies, Polka Dot tulle ribbon

Happy Mail - Stampin' Up! Snailed It

   Well my family made it through the first back to to 'normal' yesterday.  I think we were all pretty beat by bedtime and it was super hard to get up this morning but the sun shining is helping me.  It's so hard to be motivated when it's gray and cold!

  I have a bright, fun card to share today.  The Snail Mail Suite was the first item I added to my preorder.  I usually don't buy whole suites but this time I did because not only did I like the stamp set and dies but the DSP and resin hearts were calling to me.  And the baker's twine came with and I can always use more baker's twine!  I didn't use the accessories on this card but for sure they will be used soon!

  I started this one with a Whisper White thick base and then used a layer of the Snail Mail DSP with a fun postage stamp pattern.  A narrow scrap of Real Red is stamped with the heart also in Real Red.

  The Snail dies have a postage stamp shaped die but it wasn't quite large enough for what I wanted to do so I used the Stitched So Sweetly dies scalloped rectangle for a similar look.  I stamped the 'happy' from the new Pretty Perennials set in Versamark and embossed it in white.  The 'mail' also from the Pretty Perennials is stamped in Real Red and is trimmed and popped on a dimensional.

  I stamped the snail in Memento black and colored it in with Blends and then cut it out and popped it up.  Next, I stamped the mushroom stamp in Bermuda Bay and then layered some die cut mushrooms on top.  The largest mushroom is Real Red with a Whisper White back, the two smaller ones are cut from Coastal Cabana with a Blushing Bride back and Blushing Bride with a Real Red back.

  I'm really looking forward to making more happy mail with this set and spreading some cheer.  And don't forget that the new January - June mini catalog and Sale-a-Bration start today!  Check out all the fun new products by clicking on the Shop Now button in my sidebar.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Snail Mail, Pretty Perennials

Ink: Real Red, Memento black, Bermuda Bay, Versamark

Blends: Daffodil Delight light & dark, Bermuda Bay light, Real Red light & dark

Paper: Whisper White thick, Whisper White, Real Red, Bermuda Bay, Blushing Bride, Coastal Cabana, Snail Mail DSP

Accessories: Stitched So Sweetly dies, Snail dies, white embossing powder, dimensionals

Soft Seashells - Stampin' Up! Friends Are Like Seashells

   It's back to work or school at our house today.  That alarm clock seemed to go off way too early but we are plowing through the first morning back in a routine.  I think we all might hit the wall at about 2pm today!  Until then I'll keep checking items off my to-do list (it's quite long after not doing very much the last 2 weeks!).

  First up on the stamping to-do list is to share this card that I made with the beautiful new stamp set Friends Are Like Seashells.  This set will be available for customers to order starting tomorrow.  You can find the whole Sand & Sea suite in the new Jan.-June Mini catalog.  

  It's quite a change from all the winter and Christmas colors I had been using.  I kept to the Subtles color collection for this card.  The card base is Soft Sea Foam with another slightly smaller Soft Sea Foam layer embossed with the Subtle embossing folder.

  Next I die cut the large seashell/seaweed panel out of the beautiful new Pearlescent Specialty Paper.  It's got a lovely pearly sheen and is much lighter weight than the metallic papers.  I used an aquapainter and colored it with a bit of Soft Sea Foam ink for a little tone on tone detail. 

  Next I stamped the different shells in stamped off Sahara Sand, Blushing Bride, and Balmy Blue.  The largest shell at the bottom is full strength Sahara Sand.  I cut out the shells then adhered them to the background piece and then popped the whole panel up with dimensionals onto the card front.

  The sentiment is stamped in Sahara Sand on Very Vanilla cardstock then I used the Tasteful Label dies to cut it out.  A bit of new Fine Art ribbon accents the edge.  A few mini adhesive pearls are the final touch for this thinking of you card.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Friends Are Like Seashells

Ink: Soft Sea Foam, Sahara Sand, Blushing Bride, Balmy Blue

Paper: Soft Sea Foam, Very Vanilla, Pearlescent Specialty Paper

Accessories: Seaside Seashells dies, Subtle embossing folder, Tasteful Labels dies, dimensionals, Fine Art ribbon, adhesive pearls

Kangaroo Thank You - Stampin' Up! Kangaroo & Company - The Paper Players 522

   Happy New Year stampers!  I took a bit of an unplanned break over Christmas.  Not to worry nothing was amiss, I just ended up lazing about with my family most days.  Not having anything resembling a schedule for nearly 2 weeks I just went with it and didn't spend much time in the stamp room.  But now that we are in the new year it's time to get back to the fun.

  The top item on the agenda is the very first 2021 Paper Players Challenge that I'm guest designing for!  How exciting and also nerve wracking!  The theme is to use something new on your project.  Well that was certainly easy for me as I had a whole box of Stampin' Up! preorder products to choose from.  And now that I think of it that also made it hard...hard to choose what I should use first!

  I ended up using 2 new stamp sets and new Designer Series Paper.  I think that covers a lot of 'new' doesn't it?

 The card starts with a Seaside Spray base, then another layer of Seaside Spray embossed with the Old World Paper embossing folder.  Next is a layer of the new Sale-a-Bration DSP Paper Blooms.  I edged the one side with a little bit of Night of Navy scalloped trim taken from an edge of a Stitched So Sweetly die cut.  A bit of Night of Navy baker's twine is tied across the top.

  My first new stamp set used is Many Messages; I stamped the thank you sentiment in Night of navy and then cut it out with the Tasteful Labels banner die.  It's then popped on dimensionals over the baker's twine.

  The second new stamp set is Kangaroo and Company.  It's a super sweet stamp set with lots fun stamps to create for many occasions.  I chose to use the bunch of flowers as they coordinated nicely with the DSP. The flowers and kangaroo are colored with Stampin' Blends (listed below) and popped with dimensionals after cutting them with the coordinating Kangaroo dies.

  The final touch comes not from something new but something quite old; retired Night of Navy candy dots in the 2 left hand corners.  But the stars of the card are definitely the new stamp sets and DSP.

   Please join us at The Paper Players and share your Something New card in the gallery!

  Thanks for looking! Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Many Messages, Kangaroo & Company

Ink: Memento Black, Night of Navy

Blends: Rococo Rose light & dark, Seaside Spray dark, Night of Navy dark, Cinnamon Cider light & dark, Petal Pink dark, Ivory

Paper: Seaside Spray, Night of Navy, Whisper White, Paper Blooms DSP (SAB)

Accessories: Old World Paper embossing folder, Stitched So Sweetly dies, Tasteful Label dies, Kangaroo dies, baker's twine, dimensionals, candy dots (retired)