Blue Dino Birthday - Stampin' Up! Dino Days - Paper Players 530

   The team at The Paper Players is back with a brand new challenge.  Ann has given us a wonderful sketch to work with this time.  Lots of possibilities with the shape and the bigger background panel.  What are you going to make???

 I decided to do a kids birthday card using my neglected Dino Days stamp set.  I don't have much need for kid birthday cards these days but it's nice to have some on hand just in case.  The Dinoroar DSP was perfect for the background!  

  So fun right?  The sketch does say 'any shape' and a T Rex is a shape right?  All the stamping is pretty basic and straightforward.  I did die cut the circle details in a piece of Whisper White and then backed it with some Old Olive for a fun detail.  

  And I did a pink version as well!  I used the triangle detail die and backed those with Pool Party.

  Check out all the fabulous ideas from the rest of the Paper Players Design Team:

 Jaydee
 LeAnne
Claire
Joanne
Laurie
Anne Marie
Ann
Nancy
Debbie 

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Blue version-

Stamps: Dino Days, Itty Bitty Birthdays

Ink: Mango Melody, Pretty Peacock

Paper: Whisper White, Old Olive, Pool Party, Dinoroar DSP (retired)

Accessories: Stitched Rectangle dies, Old Olive baker's twine (retired), dimensionals, Dino dies

Pink version-

Stamps: Dino Days, Itty Bitty Birthdays

Ink: Lovely Lipstick (retired), Old Olive

Paper: Whisper White, Flirty Flamingo, Pool Party, Dinoroar DSP (retired)

Accessories: Stitched Rectangle dies, Old Olive ribbon(retired), dimensionals, Dino dies

100th Birthday Wreath - Stampin' Up! Arrange a Wreath

   Sometimes being a bit of a procrastinator works out when it comes to participating in stamping challenges.  I had been meaning to make a birthday card for a lady from our church who is turning 100 soon and figured if I didn't get around to making a personalized one I could just send a card from my stash.  But then I saw the Inspired By... challenge which is to use a number on your card.  So the timing worked out for me.

  I also used the Color Throwdown challenge for the colors of turquoise, pink, rust and magenta.  I found these colors to be a true challenge but I think I like the overall finished product.  I always have to remind myself that I don't have to use equal amounts of each color; sometimes all you need is just a little bit of one especially if it's one that you don't think plays nicely with the others.

  The card starts with a a Whisper White thick base and then a layer of Magenta Madness topped with a piece of Whisper White embossed with the Old World Paper embossing folder.

  The wreath is die cut twice in Coastal Cabana and layered on the card front.  The happy birthday from Itty Bitty Birthdays is embossed in white on black and then trimmed.  The numbers are cut out of black glimmer paper and foam sheets using the Playful Alphabet dies.  The 'th' from the Make a Difference set is stamped in black and adhered under the edge of the second zero.

  Little flowers are die cut in Magenta Madness with enamel dots of the same color in the center.  I stamped flower centers in Terracotta Tile onto Blushing Bride and then cut them out with slightly larger flowers.  I arranged them all around the sentiment and added a bow which I made with white crinkled seam binding ribbon and my dark Magenta Madness Blends marker.

  Here's hoping that the birthday girl doesn't have to blow out 100 candles but maybe she'll get 100 cards instead!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Arrange a Wreath, Itty Bitty Birthdays, Make a Difference

Ink: Versamark, Terracotta Tile

Blends: Magenta Madness dark

Paper: Whisper White thick, Whisper White, Magenta Madness, Coastal Cabana, Blushing Bride, Basic Black, black glimmer paper (retired)

Accessories: Wreath Builder dies, dimensionals, white embossing powder, enamel dots, crinkled seam binding ribbon, foam adhesive sheets, Old World Paper embossing folder,

 

Purple Perennial Sympathy - Stampin' Up! Pretty Perennials

   We've made it through another week stampers!  It's Friday and the Fab Friday Challenge is celebrating with a new color challenge.

  Unfortunately I needed a few sympathy cards this past week so I used these pretty colors to make a clean and simple design.  I think the Pretty Perennials set has been my go to for color challenges lately!  With so many images and die cuts it just works so well for multiple colors.

 

  Going into this design I wanted it very clean and open so I stuck with a Whisper White thick card base and then layered an embossed Whisper White panel on top.  The Dainty Diamonds embossing folder is nice and subtle and I liked the mix of geometric with the floral.

  The sentiment from Many Messages is stamped in Mossy Meadow onto a narrow strip of Mint Macaron.

  I used a bit of Mossy Meadow cardstock for the Calypso Coral berry/buds? stems.  I layered 2 Mint Macaron leaves behind the Highland Heather flower that has multiple layers.  The whole cluster is popped on dimensionals.

  Check out how the rest of the Fab Friday Design Team used these colors and then make your own to share in our gallery!

  Thanks for looking! Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Pretty Perennials, Many Messages

Ink: Mossy Meadow, Mint Macaron, Calypso Coral, Highland Heather

Paper: Whisper White thick, Whisper White, Mint Macaron, Mossy Meadow

Accessories: Dainty Diamonds embossing folder, Perennial Petals dies, dimensionals

New Mailman Welcome - Stampin' Up! Snail Dies

   Our mail delivery has always been a bit haphazard since we've lived in this house.  It seemed that there were maybe 2 different routes going through the neighborhood as you would see a truck and then go check the mailbox and there would be nothing and then 4 hours later a different truck would come through and then our mail would be delivered.  And a lot of different mail carriers as well.  Some you would recognize but each day it seemed to be a different person with no rhyme or reason.  The other day we got a little postcard in our box stating that we were getting a new carrier and his name is John.  Huh!  Well if John took the time to put these cards in all the mailboxes introducing himself I figure the least he deserved was a warm welcome to our neighborhood route with a card!

 

  The little envelope die and the USPS colors of Real Red, Night of Navy and Whisper White are a great combo for a little mail themed card.  I used a piece of Well Suited DSP for the background pattern, added a welcome sentiment in Night of Navy and used up some retired candy dots for some masculine embellishment.

  I wanted to stamp something on the background and I thought at first maybe the envelopes from either Snailed It or Kangaroo & Company but the little hearts just didn't seem right; we don't know John yet so hearts seem a little over the top lol!  Maybe once I know he's reliable and won't shove a too large package in my mailbox he'll get some hearts!  So no other stamping.

  Anyway don't forget about your mail carriers; they're the ones taking all those gorgeous handstamped cards and getting them to loved ones.  Maybe they deserve a card too!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Well Said 

Ink: Night of Navy

Paper: Night of Navy, Whisper White, Real Red, Well Suited DSP

Accessories: Snail dies, candy dots (retired), dimensionals

Blushing Rose Thank You - Stampin' Up! To a Wild Rose

   I have not been very productive stamping-wise this past week!  I certainly had enough time and reason to stay in with all the snow and ice days but I was really lazy and didn't create hardly at all.  I did read 3 books so maybe I was just in that zone instead?  So with all that said I'm a bit light on cards to share but I did get one made yesterday with colors I pulled out last week for a now closed challenge.  The Color Throwdown had sage, pink and gold for their colors last week.  I decided to go ahead with the idea that had been brewing and while it didn't quite come out the way I had envisioned I like the end result nonetheless.

  After focusing so much on restocking the birthday card stash I've now run low on thank you cards.  The one or 2 I do have are very much seasonal and don't really work for right now.  I thought pairing some large roses and the Ornate Thanks set would work for going into spring...hopefully.

  The card starts with a Pear Pizzazz card base then a layer of watercolor paper with the corners rounded.  I stamped the To a Wild Rose in the corners and embossed it in gold.  Then I did some water coloring with Blushing Bride and an aquapainter.  

  Next I embossed the sentiments in gold on vellum and a little strip of Pear Pizzazz.  The Pear Pizzazz strip is popped on dimensionals.

  The final touch is a few adhesive pearls.  

    Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: To a Wild Rose, Ornate Thanks

Ink: Versamark, Blushing Bride 

Paper: Pear Pizzazz, vellum, watercolor paper

Accessories: gold embossing powder, adhesive pearls, corner rounder punch

Furry Friend Sympathy - Stampin' Up! Cat Punch - The Paper Players 529

   Is everyone thawed out?  If yes, then it's probably too muddy to go out so you should stay in and stamp.  If you're still snowed/iced in then you should definitely stay in and stamp!  Either way it's a win for stamping!

  We have a new challenge at The Paper Players today.  LeAnne has challenged us to do a Clean and Simple (CAS) Feline card!  It doesn't just have to be a cat you can do a lion, tiger etc!  Get creative but remember to keep it clean and simple!

  I only have one retired cat stamp set and not a single lion, tiger, puma or mountain lion in sight so my options were a bit limited but I got there in the end letting the cat punch do the work!

  You can't get much more simple than this design!  Hardly any stamping and just a few little details to keep it from being clean and boring!  It's always sad to hear when friends or family have to say good bye to a beloved pet so it's nice to have a card on hand to send out to them. 

  It starts with a Whisper White thick base topped with a piece of retired black and white Golden Honey DSP.  Next I cut a Stitched Rectangle in Whisper White, punched out the cat and then embossed it with the Tasteful Textile embossing folder.

  The sentiment from Happy Tails is stamped in black and then cut out with the Tasteful Label dies.  For a pop of color I used a piece of Magenta Madness twill ribbon across the top and then popped the whole panel on dimensional. 

  The final touch is the Rainbow Glimmer Paper heart on the cat.  The pink in the gradient color of this Glimmer paper is a great match for Magenta Madness. 

  For more inspiration from the The Paper Players team check out the challenge blog or their personal blogs:

 Jaydee
 LeAnne
Claire
Joanne
Laurie
Anne Marie
Ann
Nancy
Debbie 

 Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Happy Tails (retired)

Ink: Memento Black

Paper: Whisper White thick, Whisper White, Rainbow Glimmer Paper, Golden Honey DSP (retired)

Accessories: cat punch, Stitched Rectangle dies, Tasteful Label dies, Tasteful Textile embossing folder, heart die, dimensionals, Magenta Madness twill ribbon

Baby Love - Stampin' Up! Kangaroo & Company

   It's not hard creating a cute card with the Kangaroo & Company stamp set.  I keep reaching for it lately and I hope you aren't tired of seeing it!  Today I used it for the The Card Concept challenge.  I really liked the colors in their inspiration photo and a baby card seemed like a good reason to stamp!  I went for a clean and layered look this time.

  This one starts off with a Coastal Cabana base and I stamped the polka dots in Whisper White craft ink.  The circle stamp is actually from the extra rubber in the Snailed It stamp set.  Inside the word bubble is cut out and I saved it just for this purpose.  

  Next I embossed a strip of Pumpkin Pie with the Subtle embossing folder.  On top of that is a vellum square and then a Bermuda Bay scallop square.  The whole square panel is popped on dimensionals.

  Both kangaroos are stamped in Memento black and then colored in with Stampin' Blends.  I used Ivory for the ears and dark Cinnamon Cider for the larger on and light Cinnamon Cider for the little guy.  

  The sentiment is stamped in Pumpkin Pie and die cut with the Stitched Shapes dies.  I added a few Coastal Cabana hearts to fill in some of the open space and bring some of the Coastal Cabana color up front.  The circle is popped on dimensionals.

  A Bermuda Bay enamel heart and Whisper White baker's twine are the final touches for this sweet baby card.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Kangaroo & Company

Ink: Whisper White craft, Memento Black, Coastal Cabana, Pumpkin Pie

Blends: Ivory, Cinnamon Cider light & dark

Paper: Coastal Cabana, vellum, Bermuda Bay, Whisper White, Pumpkin Pie

Accessories: Subtle embossing folder, Layering Square dies, Stitched Shapes dies, dimensionals, Kangaroo dies, baker's twine, enamel heart (retired)

Masculine Mosaic - Stampin' Up! Today's Tiles

   Another icy morning here in central Virginia.  It's perfect for staying in and stamping and blogging.  Dinner is already in the crock pot so I should have hours and hours right?  Probably not but it's nice to dream.  I was able to get a card made yesterday afternoon after seeing the Freshly Made Sketches challenge which actually took a bit of work for some reason.  I pulled out several different sets and nothing was really clicking.  I finally decided that I needed to get a masculine birthday card made for a family member and pulled out the Well Suited DSP for some more inspiration.  Finally I hit on the Today's Tiles set which I hadn't used in a bit and paired it with colors inspired by the Well Suited DSP.

  I mixed and matched Night of Navy, Smoky Slate and Cajun Craze for a variety of combinations for the tiles.  As I've said in the past I actually have 2 copies of this set.  After using it the first time I was happy with the results but not happy with the kind of limited use of having the tile pattern all connected in one larger stamp.  It made it really hard to stamp the inside of the cards as well as envelopes and I found that if I goofed on the alignment of the fill color it was quite a bit of wasted cardstock.  So I ordered a second set and cut it apart and now can use each tile individually.  And I've found using the cut apart stamps that I can use my one inch wide scraps of Whisper White as they are the perfect size for the tiles.

  I mounted the trimmed squares on a strip of Whisper White so I could align them and then mounted them across the card front.

  The sentiment is from Itty Bitty Greetings and is stamped in Night of Navy on the popped up panel.

  And for full disclosure if this card inspires you to make your own version, the 4 tiles across are not quite big enough for a full A2 size card (5.5" x 4.25") so I trimmed the card base down so I wouldn't have any partial tiles so the card is slightly smaller than my usual size.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Today's Tiles, Itty Bitty Greetings

Ink: Night of Navy, Smoky Slate, Cajun Craze

Paper: Whisper White thick, Whisper White, Night of Navy 

Accessories: dimensionals

Flirty Flowers - Stampin' Up! Pretty Perennials

   After what seemed like several weeks it was finally sunny when I had a card finished and ready to be photographed.  The cloudy weather has been testing my photography and editing skills lately.    I always feel like my blog posts should have a disclaimer like *projects shown here are much nicer in person.  

  I was on hold for a customer service issue for quite a while yesterday so I took that time and used it wisely by making this card to play along with the CAS Colours & Sketches challenge which is to use Flirty Flamingo, Misty Moonlight and Gray Granite.  These colors are so pretty together!

 

  I started out with a Whisper White card base and then a layer of Gray Granite that was embossed with the Tasteful Textile embossing folder and then stitched with the Stitched with Whimsy dies.

  I stamped, cut and layered various images and die cuts from the Pretty Perennial set and tucked them all together in the corner over a length of polka dot tulle ribbon.  I liked the sheer look but the dots gave it a bit of interested without being bold; the flowers are the loud ones here. 

  The sentiment is from Many Messages and is stamped in Misty Moonlight on a long length of Whisper White scrap and is then popped on dimensionals.

  For the last few touches I added some white enamel dots, iridescent sequins and a Misty Moonlight dot to the smaller Flirty Flamingo flower.  

  I had a bit of an oops just when I was finishing this card and stamping the inside sentiment.  I dropped the Misty Moonlight ink pad face down--yikes!  There was no saving the card base by layering some Whisper White over the top as some of the ink got on the front edge of the card.  Luckily I hadn't burnished the Gray Granite layer enough the the textured helped so I was able to pull that whole panel off and attached it to a new base.  Stamping is fraught with ink accidents lol!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Pretty Perennials, Many Messages

Ink: Flirty Flamingo, Misty Moonlight

Paper: Whisper White thick, Whisper White, Gray Granite, Misty Moonlight

Accessories: Tasteful Textiles embossing folder, Perennial Petals dies, Stitched with Whimsy dies, polka dot tulle ribbon, dimensionals, enamel dots, sequins

 

Uh-Oh Turtle Get Well - Stampin' Up! Back On Your Feet

   So does anyone need a "sorry you slipped on ice and hurt yourself" card?  With the widespread ice storm this past weekend chances are you know someone who took a digger and needs a pick me up!  I've got the card for you lol!  

  I used the Global Design Project challenge with the theme of animals and I paired it up with the sketch from TGIF Challenges.  

  I started by going through my DSP to find one that had complimentary colors for a turtle and that were also maybe a bit on the masculine side as when I looked through my get well card stash there was an overwhelming amount of flowers so I wanted something a bit different.  I thought this watercolor splotch pattern in the Ice Cream Corner DSP had a nice feel to it and with the Old Olive it was a nice match for turtle colors.  I mounted the DSP onto a Bermuda Bay base.

  The turtle is stamped in Memento black and then colored with Blends (colors listed below).  I fussy cut him and then popped him up on a Whisper White panel that was embossed with Hammered Metal embossing folder.  I also jazzed this panel up with some silver brads in the corners!  Remember back in the day you couldn't make a card without at least one brad on it somewhere!  I still have some lying around and I thought they might be nice here.  I also used a narrow length of retired Old Olive ribbon to kind of ground the turtle so it didn't look like he was floating.

  The sentiment is from Many Messages and is stamped in Memento Black and then die cut with the Tasteful Label dies.

  On the inside I stamped the 'I hope things get better soon' stamp from the Back on Your Feet set.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Back on Your Feet, Many Messages

Ink: Memento Black

Blends: Old Olive light & dark, Soft Sea Foam light & dark, Bermuda Bay light

Paper: Bermuda Bay, Whisper White, Ice Cream Corner DSP

Accessories: Tasteful Label dies, Hammered Metal embossing folder, dimensionals, silver brads (retired), Old Olive ribbon (retired) 

Sweet Snail Thank You - Stampin' Up! Snailed It

   After a very frozen weekend I find myself a bit behind in my daily tasks and chores!  Must have been too much reading by the fire, shoveling and general cold weather malaise lol!  So just a quick post today to share the customer thank yous I sent out for January orders.

  Really nothing over the top or complicated.  I had fun doing all the snail coloring with Blends while watching shows on Netflix.  It was like a little invasion of snails on my stamping desk once I was finished!

  It was fun to mix the Paper Blooms DSP and Pretty Perennials flowers with the Snailed It snail and the sentiment from Sweet Ice Cream.  You'll get more mileage out of your sets if you mix them with others and not just stick to what's in a single stamp case when designing.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Snailed It, Pretty Perennials, Sweet Ice Cream

Ink: Seaside Spray, Night of Navy

Blends: Rococo Rose light & dark, Seaside Spray light & dark, Night of Navy light

Paper: Rococo Rose, Seaside Spray, Whisper White, Paper Blooms DSP (SAB)

Accessories: Stitched So Sweetly dies, Snail dies, dimensionals, In Color scalloped linen ribbon (retired)

Popsicles in Pink - Stampin' Up! Sweet Ice Cream - Paper Players 528

   Happy Valentine's Day!  The theme for my weekend turns out to be 'frozen' instead of chocolate!  We had a snowstorm Friday night into Saturday morning.  Then Saturday overnight the weather decided to top the snow and all the shoveled surfaces with a nice 1/2" layer of ice.  The next few days are also looking wet and cold.  So it's only fitting that my card for today has a frozen treat in the way of popsicles!

  Jaydee has a fun color challenge for us at The Paper Players that has a few different combos so it should be fun to see what the gallery looks like.

  You can choose red or pink and gold or silver to go with black and white.  Seems simple right?  Well it was a challenge for me as I had ideas that could go in all the colors.  I'm not a huge pink fan so I challenged myself to use that color and I think I may have gone overboard with three different pinks!

  I used blending brushes and Melon Mambo, Flirty Flamingo and Blushing Bride ink for the background panel and then I used the speckled stamp from Sweet Ice Cream in the corners with Melon Mambo.  The popsicles are a combination of the same colors and are attached to silver embossed sticks.

  To bring in the black and white elements besides just the card layers I embossed the happy birthday in black on Whisper White and then fussy cut and popped across the popsicles with dimensionals.  The smaller 'hope it's sweet' sentiment is embossed in silver on black and trimmed to fit.

  I added a bit of bling with a silver baker's twine bow, enamel dots, sequins and rhinestones.

  I hope to see you card in the gallery!  To see inspiration from the Paper Players Design Team check out their blogs and/or head to the challenge!

 Jaydee
 LeAnne
Claire
Joanne
Laurie
Anne Marie
Ann
Nancy
Debbie 

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Sweet Ice Cream

Ink: Melon Mambo, Flirty Flamingo, Blushing Bride, Versamark

Paper: Whisper White thick, Whisper White, Basic Black, Galvanized Metallic (retired)

Accessories: blending brushes, silver embossing powder, black embossing powder, silver baker's twine, sequins, enamel dots, rhinestones, dimensionals

Kangaroo Birthday - Stampin' Up! Kangaroo & Comapny - Fab Friday 207

   Whew!  Well we made through another week stampers!  It's Friday and time for a new Fab Friday challenge.  It's perfect if you'll be stuck inside this weekend due to bad weather and let's face it, there aren't that many places to go anymore these days!  Might as well stamp along with us at Fab Friday with a fun sketch challenge!

  What are you going to do with that lovely, open panel?  Here's what I came up with!

  I decided to focus a bit on some smaller images from the Kangaroo & Company.  It's easy to use the big kangaroo but I didn't want the little guy and the butterfly to get lost and figured they would look good together.  He's so cute looking up at the butterflies in the sky!

  The card base is Whisper White thick covered in a piece of Ice Cream Corner DSP in a cute Terracotta Tile scallop pattern.

  I added a bit more scallops in the way of a Stitched So Sweetly rectangle for the base of my images and backed it with a Gray Granite panel.  

 The kangaroo and butterflies are stamped in Memento Black and then colored.  For the kangaroo I used Gray Granite light, Ivory and Calypso Coral light Blends.  The butterflies are colored with regular Stampin' Write markers in Terracotta Tile, Gray Granite, Blushing Bride and Bumblebee.  Once they were all cut out I arranged the kangaroo on top of the sentiment flags and popped him with dimensionals.  The butterflies are popped on dimensionals around some stamped hearts.

  For embellishments I added a tiny Blushing Bride baker's twine bow to the 'roo and then scattered little dots/gems around the sentiment.  After looking at it for a while I'm thinking I've got just too many little bits of things and it's a bit busy. Oh well, it is what it is!

  Check out the Fab Friday Design Team inspiration and then join in!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Kangaroo & Company, Itty Bitty Birthdays

Ink: Memento Black, Blushing Bride, Bumblebee, Gray Granite, Terracotta Tile 

Blends: Gray Granite light, Ivory, Calypso Coral light

Paper: Whisper White thick, Whisper White, Blushing Bride, Gray Granite, Ice Cream Corner DSP

Accessories: Stitched So Sweetly dies, Kangaroo dies, dimensionals, Blushing Bride baker's twine, In Color enamel dots, faceted gems (retired), candy dots (retired) 

Celebrate with Ice Cream - Stampin' Up! Sweet Ice Cream

   I think I've finally caught up with my birthday cards and have re-stocked my stash so that I'm not scrambling to get a card made and in the mailbox just before the mailman gets to our street.  I used the Global Design Project sketch challenge for this 'sweet' birthday card.

  The Ice Cream Corner DSP was the start of this card. I wanted some fun prints for the narrow strips across the card front so I pulled out that pack and cut a few 1/2 inch strips for that element.  Once I had the DSP I decided to keep the base on the lighter side by using Soft Sea Foam.  The Whisper White panel that the strips are attached to has been embossed with the Subtle embossing folder.

  The open circle is also Soft Sea Foam cut with the Stitched Shapes dies.  The ice cream cone is stamped with Purple Posy, Blackberry Bliss sprinkles and Cinnamon Cider for the cone.  I punched the pieces out and then popped it to the side with dimensionals.

   The sentiment from Itty Bitty Birthdays is stamped in Old Olive ink on a piece of Soft Sea Foam.  I wanted to added a bit of ribbon but everything I had in colors that would work with the card were way to wide for the little banner.  To solve the problem I ended up trimming a narrow bit off of the Blackberry Bliss sheer striped ribbon.  I used about half the full width and then knotted it and attached it with a glue dot.  A few Ice Cream Corner sprinkles are glued to opposite corners to complete the card.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Sweet Ice Cream, Itty Bitty Birthdays

Ink: Purple Posy (retired), Blackberry Bliss, Old Olive, Cinnamon Cider

Paper: Soft Sea Foam, Whisper White, Ice Cream Corner DSP

Accessories: Subtle embossing folder, Stitched Shapes dies, Ice Cream Builder punch, dimensionals, Blackberry Bliss striped ribbon, Ice Cream Corner sprinkles

Vintage Shells - Stampin' Up! Friends Are Like Seashells

   It is certainly not beach weather these days but we can still enjoy our beachy themed stamp sets.  I used the Friends Are Like Seashells stamp set to play along with the Daring Cardmakers challenge.  They have a lovely inspiration photo (at the bottom of my post) of which you're to choose at least 3 elements for your card. 

   I used a lot from the inspiration photo for my card.  Everything just seemed to work so well; the vintage print, purple, shells, twine, pearls and lace doily.

  I wasn't sure about the Gorgeous Grape at first but I ended up really liking the rich, bold color against the neutrals of the Crumb Cake and Very Vanilla.

  The card starts with a Crumb Cake base where I lightly stamped the speckled detail stamp along the one side in stamped off Crumb Cake ink.  Then I dug in my scraps for this retired vintage print paper called Typeset.  

  To create the grouping with all the elements I used a paper doily and distressed it a bit with Crumb Cake ink and a sponge.  I die cut a Stitched Shape circle in Gorgeous Grape and then gave it a lovely vintage texture with the Tin Tile embossing folder. 

  For the shells I stamped them all in Crumb Cake and then added Gorgeous Grape accents with a stamped off stamp for the large shell and then a bit of light watercoloring on the sand dollar with ink and a Blender pen. 

  The thank you sentiment from Sweet Ice Cream is stamped in Gorgeous Grape and sponged on the edges with Crumb Cake ink.  This is a card where you can easily switch out the sentiment to something else so I would say it's a great all occasion design.  I popped it up with dimensionals over a length of twine.  A few small adhesive pearls are added around the grouping for extra detail.

  I really had fun putting this card together and trying out the vintage look which I don't do very often.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Friends Are Like Seashells, Sweet Ice Cream

Ink: Gorgeous Grape, Crumb Cake

Paper: Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla, Gorgeous Grape, Typeset DSP (retired), paper doily (retired)

Accessories: Stitched Shapes dies, Tin Tile embossing folder, pearls, twine, dimensionals

 

More Snow! - Stampin' Up! Snowflake Wishes

   Just when you thought we were clear of Christmas cards I show up and just have to talk about snow!  Living in central Virginia is a bit of a rollercoaster when it comes to weather.  It can be rainy, snowy and then sunny and in the 60s all in the space of one day!  Last year we didn't have any snow and so far this year we've had flurries and then 2 measurable events.  Our forecast looks like we will have more snow this week so I thought I should get in on the action with some snow on a card.  

  The Festive Friday Challenge is a really fun one with a great list of inspiration items of which you have to have at least 3 on your card.  I so badly wanted to do a polar bear card for Polar Bear day but alas that is one image I don't have in my collection...yet!  I went with blue, silver, snowflakes and vellum instead.

  A few of the elements on my card were leftover from the Christmas card frenzy and just never made it onto a card.  The stitched circle and large stamped off Pacific Point snowflake were already made and just needed to be paired up a few other elements for a pretty snow card!

  I started with a Balmy Blue base and then layered a piece of Snowflake Splendor DSP on top.  While I love the colors and pattern of this particular piece it was a bit bold for what I had in mind so I layered a piece of vellum over the top to tone it down a bit and fulfill one of the inspiration items.  The silver trimmed ribbon brings in a bit more sparkle to the center of the card.

  Using the stitched circle I stamped the sentiment in Night of Navy and then layered my snowflakes on the sides.  Like I said I already had the larger snowflake cut and just pulled out some retired Silver Glimmer paper to cut a few more.  To tie in the Night of Navy ink I used a few Night of Navy candy dots for the snowflake centers.  The whole grouping is popped on dimensionals.

  It's nice to get a Christmas card made every now and again to slowly restock the cards for Christmas 2021.  And since this stamp set and die set are still available I want to make the most out of them while I still can!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Snowflake Wishes

Ink: Night of Navy, Pacific Point

Paper: Balmy Blue, Snowflake Splendor DSP, Whisper White, vellum, Silver Glimmer paper (retired)

Accessories: So Many Snowflakes dies, Stitched Shapes dies, dimensionals, silver trimmed ribbon, candy dots (retired)

Sweet Strawberry Birthday - Stampin' Up! Sweet Strawberry

   After what seems like a morning of one 'business-y' thing after another and each seems like it takes longer than the last I'm finally to the 'more fun' part of my day with sharing a card.  I was inspired by the layout at Freshly Made Sketches and will get this one shared over there just under the wire.

  This one looks better in person as my poor photography skills plus a cloudy day did nothing to help the colors come through but I hope you get the idea!

  This is a CAS design starting with a Whisper White thick base.  I cut a circle to use as a mask then used one of the new blending brushes and some Balmy Blue ink to blend some ink softly around the mask leaving a nice open circle in the center.

  I stamped the big sentiment from Pretty Perennials in black right across the circle and then embossed the little one in white onto Basic Black cardstock and popped it with mini dimensionals.

  The strawberries, stems and flower are all stamped and punched out and layered to the side of the circle to follow the sketch.

  The flower has some glitter in the center by way of Dazzling Details and is popped on a dimensional.  A baker's twine bow highlights the side of the birthday.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Sweet Strawberry, Pretty Perennials

Ink: Memento Black, Versamark, Real Red, Garden Green, Granny Apple Green, Daffodil Delight, Balmy Blue

Paper: Whisper White thick, Whisper White, Basic Black

Accessories: Circle die, blending brushes, Strawberry Builder punch, Small Bloom punch, dimensionals, Dazzling details

Hearts Galore - Stampin' Up! Snail Dies - Paper Players 527

   Happy Sunday stampers!  Is it snowing where you are?  If it is I hope you have lots of reasons to stay home and stamp!  The Paper Players have a fun new challenge for you.  Anne Marie has us working with Hearts and/or Stars for this one.

  

 Sounds pretty straightforward doesn't it?  So I really don't know why it took me a good bit of effort to get to a final project that was share worthy!  I was trying to combine hearts and stars and it just wasn't coming together.  I was trying not to do a Valentine's Day card since I don't really need any more but that's exactly where I ended up!  Can't fight what the stamps want to do right?

  All out hearts for this one!  I don't have a lot of heart stamps but I think I made up for it with die cut quantity! 

  This one starts out with a Whisper White thick base, then a layer of the fun squiggle pattern from Snail Mail DSP.  On top of that I layered a Whisper White Detailed Hearts die cut.

 The postage stamp shape is cut and then I colored in the center with my light Pool Party Blends marker.  It makes a nice little base for the Real Red envelope with the Blushing Bride heart peeking out.  A real Red baker's twine bow is tied to the side for some extra detail.  The whole piece is popped on the card front with dimensionals.

  The sentiment is the retired Good Greetings and is stamped in Basic Gray - I chose gray because black just seemed too harsh against the other colors.  I backed the sentiment strip with a bit of Real Red and popped it on dimensionals.

  The last onslaught of hearts comes in the form of the little resin Real Red hearts from the Snail Mail suite which I added to the Detailed Hearts die cut and then one on the sentiment.

  I can't wait to see what you choose; heart, stars or both!  Be sure to check out the fabulous ideas from the Paper Players design team on their blogs or at The Paper Players challenge site:

 Jaydee
 LeAnne
Claire
Joanne
Laurie
Anne Marie
Ann
Nancy
Debbie 

 

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Snailed It, Good Greetings (retired)

Ink: Basic Gray, Blushing Bride

Blends: Pool Party light

Paper: Whisper White thick, Whisper White, Real Red, Blushing Bride, Snail Mail DSP

Accessories: Detailed Hearts die, Snail dies, dimensionals, Real Red baker's twine, resin hearts

Seashell Birthday - Stampin' Up! Friends Are Like Seashells

 I had a few minutes yesterday to get a card made before heading out of the house to run some errands so I used the color challenge at Just Add Ink to get me started.  It's a very pretty group of colors and my first thought was to go with flowers but then I thought some shells might work also and I hadn't used Friends Are Like Seashells lately so I got busy and this is what I came up with.

  This card starts with a Seaside Spray base with a panel of 2019-2021 In Color DSP topping it.  Seaside Spray is a fittingly names color for the them of this card isn't it? Next I used Just Jade to cut the large seaweed panel. 

  I then stamped all of my shells with various combos of the challenge colors plus Crumb Cake as a neutral. I cut them out and added them to the seaweed panel with dimensionals.  Before adding the large Crumb Cake shell I added a piece of In Color ribbon along the bottom to help anchor the sentiment panel.

  The sentiment was originally stamped right onto the shell but once I added the shell to the card front I realized that I stamped it very crooked so I had to do a quick fix.  The best solution short of ripping off the crooked shell and re-stamping the whole thing was to just stamp the sentiment again in Misty Moonlight with some Seaside Spray sand dollars for detail and cut it out and layer it over the oops.  Not too bad right?

  A few retired white sequins dot the card front and I kind of thought of them as bubbles.

  I have some beach loving friends and family who might end up with this card so into the stash it goes!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Friends Are Like Seashells, Many Messages

Ink: Blushing Bride, Just Jade, Misty Moonlight, Seaside Spray, Crumb Cake

Paper: Seaside Spray, In Color DSP, Just Jade, Whisper White

Accessories: Seaside Seashells dies, Tasteful Label dies, Linen ribbon, sequins, dimensionals

 

Love Punches - Stampin' Up! Festive Post

   It's always a shame when a stamp set from the Holiday Mini catalog has some images that are meant for Valentine's Day.  I feel that those images get shorted when it comes to being used since all the focus is on fall and winter themes and then the new mini comes out and all the attention is on the newer products.  I know I don't start thinking about 'love' and 'hearts' until about mid-January and by then the stamp set is no longer available (usually).  That's the case with the Festive Post set.  I hadn't used the 'love' stamp until this card.

  This card ended up being a mix of older current, retired, and new products.  The base is Blushing Bride with a panel of fun little heart print from the Snail Mail DSP.  

  The Heartfelt heart is stamped in Blushing Bride on Blushing Bride cardstock then punched with the scalloped heart punch.

  Next I punched a Rectangular Postage Stamp out of the Old Olive dotted pattern in the Ice Cream Corner DSP and layered that under the heart.  A sweet little baker's twine bow anchors the punch grouping.

  And finally the main image from Festive Post from the Holiday mini that ended last month.  I used markers in Flirty Flamingo, Blushing Bride, Pear Pizzazz and Old Olive to color in the 2 stamps that make up this detailed image.  The love and floral bits are separate and when you 2 step stamp them makes for a pretty postage stamp.  I popped this last punch up with dimensionals and then added a white enamel dot to the heart for the final detail.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Festive Post (retired), Heartfelt

Ink: Blushing Bride, Flirty Flamingo

Markers: Blushing Bride, Flirty Flamingo, Pear Pizzazz, Old Olive

Paper: Blushing Bride, Whisper White, Snail Mail DSP, Ice Cream Corner DSP

Accessories: scalloped heart punch, Rectangular Postage Stamp punch, baker's twine, enamel dot (retired), dimensionals

Pocket Full of Love - Stampin' Up! Kangaroo & Company

  I keep making Valentine's Day cards and I think I have more than I need!  At the rate I'm going my boys and husband will be getting 3 cards each lol!  I guess I could send them out to other family members if I can get them in the mail in time!

  I made this cutie over the weekend as I hadn't used the little pile of hearts yet and I was feeling like doing a bit of coloring.  

  

 I saw a challenge somewhere to use plaids on a card but now I can't find which challenge it was so maybe I was dreaming it!  If you know which one it was let me know so I can give credit!  I was pleased to be able to use this strip of Plaid Tidings DSP from the Holiday mini catalog.  It has perfect colors for Valentine's day.  Rich Razzleberry, Melon Mambo, and Balmy Blue.

  I edged the DSP with a Rich Razzleberry scalloped edge cut with the largest rectangle from Stitched So Sweetly dies.

  The big kangaroo is stamped in Memento black and colored with Ivory and Crumb Cake light Stampin' Blends.  It's cut out and popped with dimensionals and then I added the pile of hearts which I colored in with Melon Mambo light and dark and Rich Razzleberry light and dark Blends.

  To fill in the open space at the top I stamped a few open hearts in Balmy Blue and then added the sentiment from Many Messages.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Kangaroo & Company, Many Messages

Ink: Memento Black, Balmy Blue

Blends: Ivory, Crumb Cake light, Rich Razzleberry light & dark, Melon Mambo light & dark

Paper: Balmy Blue, Rich Razzleberry, Plaid Tidings DSP, Whisper White

Accessories: Stitched So Sweetly dies, Kangaroo dies, dimensionals

Sweet Blossom Birthday - Stampin' Up! Sweet Strawberry

   Mondays always seem to be a slow start for me!  After a morning of doing odds and ends around the house I found myself at lunchtime already and I hadn't even gotten a card shared yet!  Maybe it's the cold gray weather that's making me slow??  We have snow on the ground but it's still a bit dreary without the sunshine.  My card today is definitely not winter-like!  It has a pastel spring time feel to it!

 

  I made this one a week or 2 ago for a sketch challenge and then realized once I had the card all finished that it didn't end up following the sketch at all!  Oh well!  Sometimes having a screen up in front of me when stamping is a distraction and other times it seems necessary to stay on track!

  I started this card with a Whisper White thick card base, then a layer of Soft Sea Foam embossed with the Old World Paper embossing folder.

  On the main Whisper White panel I stamped the flower cluster from Sweet Strawberry and colored it in with Blends (colors listed below).  Then I stamped this pretty sentiment from Friends Are Like Seashells in Versamark and embossed it in black.  I edged 2 sides with stripes of the 2019-2021 In Color DSP in Purple Posy and then popped the whole panel up on the card front with dimensionals.

  To bring in a bit more of the Purple Posy I added faceted gems to the four corners.  I also had a leftover crinkled seam binding bow that I didn't use on another project so that went on the stem for the final embellishment. 

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Sweet Strawberry, Friends Are Like Seashells

Ink: Versamark, Memento Black

Blends: Purple Posy light & dark, Mango Melody dark, Granny Apple Green light & dark

Paper: Whisper White thick, Whisper White, Soft Sea Foam, In Color DSP - Purple Posy

Accessories: Old World Paper embossing folder, dimensionals, faceted gems, black embossing powder, crinkled seam binding ribbon