Be Cool Penguins - Stampin' Up! Penguin Place - Paper Players 560

  Hello and happy Sunday from fall-like Virginia!  After a few false alarms I think the cooler weather might stick around for at least a week or so!  And today I'm taking the cooler weather one step further and going straight to winter chill for my card for the newest Paper Players challenge.  Joanne gave us a fantastic sketch to work with and I can't wait to see all the awesome ideas you share in the gallery!

  This layout was fun to work with and I thought the Penguin Place set would be a good starting point.  I also pulled my colors from the Color Hues Challenge which has pinks and purples as the colors to work with.  I generally like purples but with pinks I usually pass that combo right on by but I think I made it work this time!

  This one starts with a Basic White thick base and then a narrow strip of the Sale-a-Bration DSP Penguin Playmates in a nice Fresh Freesia snowflake pattern.  I embossed a piece of Basic White with a retired snowflake embossing folder. A bit of Fresh Freesia open weave ribbon hides the seam between the 2 layers.

  I cut some stitched squares in Polished Pink, Fresh Freesia and Highland Heather and then added my embossed and punched penguins whom I dressed up in coordinating fussy cut hats and scarves adhered with dimensionals.

  I cut a snowflake from retired silver Glimmer paper and popped it on dimensionals and added an In Color jewel to the center.  The sentiment was stamped in each of my 3 colors then I trimmed them and popped them with dimensionals.

  Check out the rest of the Design Team blogs and then join us in the challenge!

Jaydee
 LeAnne
Claire
Joanne
Laurie
Anne Marie
Ann
Nancy
Debbie 

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Penguin Place

Ink: Versamark, Mango Melody, Highland Heather, Fresh Freesia, Polished Pink

Paper: Basic White thick, Basic White, Highland Heather, Fresh Freesia, Polished Pink, Penguin Playmates DSP (SAB), Silver Glimmer paper (retired)

Accessories: Penguin builder punch, Fresh Freesia open weave ribbon, Stitched Shapes dies (retired), snowflake embossing folder (retired), dimensionals, In Color Jewels

Silver Tree-O - Stampin' Up! Whimsical Trees

  I hope you'll forgive me for the bad pun for the title of this card but I just couldn't help myself!  Anyhoo, silver tree-o or silver trio it all works!  I used the current challenge over at CAS Colours & Sketches to make this non-traditional colored Christmas card.  I loved this color combo and immediately thought that they would look great as a background to some silver embossed trees.

  This card was a doozy to try and photograph!  The embossing looked either too dark or the shine just washed out the image!  You'll just have to trust me that it looks better in person!

 

   Even after all these years of stamping I still struggle with any kind of watercoloring so the idea in my mind never quite translates to the cardstock and this card is no exception.  I used Shimmery White cardstock and it just kept absorbing the ink so fast I had a hard time getting it to blend like I thought they would.  But I still like the overall look.

  The ribbon is a bit of narrow silver ribbon from years back that I had just enough in my scraps to tie a little bow to highlight the embossed sentiment.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Whimsical Tree, Christmas to Remember

Ink: Granny Apple Green, Coastal Cabana, Misty Moonlight, Versamark

Paper: Basic White thick, Shimmery White, Misty Moonlight

Accessories: Stitched Rectangle dies, dimensionals, silver embossing powder, silver ribbon (retired)

Gorgeous Fall Leaves - Stampin' Up! Gorgeous Leaves

   It's a rainy, gray day here in the Richmond area so it's a perfect time to do some computer 'work' like blogging and editing card photos!  Fingers crossed for some actual stamping time too.

  My card today is one that my stampers made at my last class.  We used the Gorgeous Leaves bundle along with some colors that might not seem very fall-ish but I think come together for a great seasonal card or even a masculine card; just change out the tag sentiment to whatever you need at the moment.

 As I was out of practice designing for classes this card ended up with quite a bit of die cutting; much more than I would normally have in a class setting.  Luckily for my first class back after an 18 month Covid hiatus was a small group so it didn't take too long for each of them to put this card together.

  No fancy techniques or anything just a mix of stamped images and intricate die cuts as a base for an embossed sentiment label.  My stampers had a choice between sentiments in the Biggest Wish or Inspired Thoughts stamp sets so they could pick something that worked for them.  The white embossing stands out well against the Misty Moonlight.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Gorgeous Leaves, Biggest Wish

Ink: Cinnamon Cider, Merry Merlot, Misty Moonlight, Versamark

Paper: Sahara Sand, Merry Merlot, Basic White, Cinnamon Cider, Misty Moonlight

Accessories: Intricate Leaves dies, Tailor Made Tags dies, Stitched Rectangle dies, dimensionals, white embossing powder, adhesive pearls, braided linen trim (retired)

Maple Leaf Beauty - Stampin' Up! Gorgeous Leaves

   I'm deep in my seasonal stamping lately with making fall cards.  There are some colors that really only make it onto my cards during certain seasons so I'm working a lot with fall colors and themes.  I needed some thank you cards and wanted to use the Gorgeous Leaves bundle so I got to work.

 

  And I made another video!  I'm getting better with the video editing too (I think!).  Let me know what you think if you check it out.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Gorgeous Leaves, Inspired Thoughts

Ink: Bumblebee, Pumpkin Pie, Misty Moonlight

Paper: Cinnamon Cider, Basic White, Misty Moonlight, Beauty of the Earth DSP

Accessories: Tasteful Textile embossing folder, Stitched Shapes dies (retired), dimensionals, twill ribbon (retired)

Clean and Simple Fall Leaves - Stampin' Up! Banner Year - Paper Players 559

   How have we gotten to Sunday already!  It was just Wednesday the last time I looked!  But it's time for another Paper Players Challenge.  Claire has us working on a clean and simple card with the theme of fall fun!  A perfect September challenge to get us in the autumn mood!  

  Before we know it here in Central Virginia we will actually have to start raking leaves!  Right now everything is still really green and hot and humid but give it another month and it might feel like fall!  After our first few years living here I realized that I could not get pumpkins when the calendar flipped to September because they would just end up baking and turning to mush on the front porch before I could even think about carving them for Halloween.  September does not equal fall weather here!

  But that doesn't mean we can't start making fall cards right?

  Clean and simple is right!  There isn't much to this card but I had fun messing around with elements and different layouts before landing on this one.

  I was so glad that Banner Year carried over to the new annual catalog this year because I just love all the images and fun mix of sentiments.  

 For more inspiration check out the Design Team blogs and then join us by sharing your Clean and Simple Fall Fun card in our gallery!

Jaydee
 LeAnne
Claire
Joanne
Laurie
Anne Marie
Ann
Nancy
Debbie 

   Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Banner Year

Ink: Bumblebee, Pumpkin Pie, Cherry Cobbler, Versamark

Paper: Basic White thick, Crumb Cake, Basic white, Bumblebee

Accessories: linen thread, dimensionals, Early Espresso embossing powder (retired), Subtle embossing folder (retired)

Harvest Coneflowers - Stampin' Up! Nature's Harvest

   Happy Monday stampers!  My card today is one that my local stampers made in my last class and uses items from the Harvest Meadow suite.  It has a subtle fall feel that I just love.  

  I ended up having some supplies leftover and decided it might be a good time for a new video.  It's been about a year since I made a video and back then I only made two!  So after some re-learning of the video software I now have 3 videos...maybe with more use it will get faster?!  There isn't any complicated technique to show or anything like that, it's just me chatting while putting a card together so I hope you're not disappointed!  Maybe the colors or layout will inspire you in your own stamping! 

 

  And the video:

 Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Nature's Harvest

Ink:  Early Espresso

Blends: Calypso Coral light & dark, Soft Suede light & dark, Soft Succulent light & dark, Daffodil Delight light & dark

Paper: Soft Succulent, Misty Moonlight, Harvest Meadow DSP, Cork Specialty paper, Basic White

Accessories: Seasonal Labels dies, dimensionals, Elegant Faceted Gems

Dahlia Birthday - Stampin' Up! Delicate Dahlia - Paper Players 558

   As always I am starting my week off on the right foot with a card to share for the newest Paper Players Challenge.  Ann has given us a gorgeous set of colors to work with plus the option of adding a 4th color of our choice!  I can't wait to see what you all do with this set of colors!

  I needed to restock my birthday cards so I thought a beautiful big flower using these colors would make for a nice fall birthday card.  The Sale-a-Bration reward stamp set Delicate Dahlias was the perfect big flower!

  Look at that beauty! I was surprised that I got these colors to all play nicely together without too much trouble.  Sometimes I have a tough time when two colors are similar but these came together and I even liked it all on the first design go round!  

  For my 4th color I went with gold by bringing in some gold embossing for the sentiment and Gold Metallic Specialty paper.  It has a nice brushed texture to it and really makes for a pretty layer.  

  Some fussy cutting and dimensionals for the dahlia to make it pop and a few Rich Razzleberry sequins from the Artistry Blooms pack add just a little bit more shine finish this one off.

  Check out the rest of the Paper Players Design Team and then join us by sharing your card in our gallery!

Jaydee
 LeAnne
Claire
Joanne
Laurie
Anne Marie
Ann
Nancy
Debbie 

 Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Delicate Dahlia (SAB), Sweet Ice Cream

Ink: Versamark, Blackberry Bliss, Polished Pink

Paper: Blackberry Bliss, Rich Razzleberry, Basic White, Metallic Gold Specialty paper, 2021-2023 In Color DSP

Accessories: dimensionals, gold embossing powder, Artistry Blooms sequins

Chilly Penguin - Stampin' Up! Penguin Place

   Happy First Day of School to me!  My boys headed off for their first day of in person school in what seems like a very very very long time so I have a much quieter house than usual today!  I thought I would celebrate with a blog post!

  I created this one a few weeks back when I was trying to make at least one card from all of my new mini catalog sets.  Sometimes I end up liking a new set so much I don't even look at the other ones for a while and then I feel guilty so I gave each one a little bit of inky love to start.

  It was fun to create a mini scene on the small rectangle panel and then finish out the background with a bit of stamping and DSP.  The Penguin Place bundle and coordinating Sale-a-Bration reward Penguin Playmates DSP really combine well for cute cards!

  This one starts with a Balmy Blue base.  I stamped the little snowflakes on the top part of the base in Whisper White craft ink then covered the bottom with a piece of the DSP in a nice monochromatic tree pattern with the bottom corners rounded.  I added a crinkled seam binding bow across the top for a more finished look.

  For the scene I started with the little hill stamp and stamped it onto scrap paper and then trimmed it for a mask.  Then I stamped 2 hills in Balmy Blue.  I used the masks above the hill line to then use my Blending Brush to add just a tiny bit of shading for detail.  The trees are stamped in Soft Sea Foam and the snowflakes in stamped off Balmy Blue.

 I felt that I needed a few more trees so I pulled out the Christmas Tree dies from the Whimsy & Wonder suite and used the two little tree dies to cut a few more.  Two in Pear Pizzazz and one in Soft Sea Foam

  The penguin is embossed in black and punched out.  I added the feet and beak stamped in Pumpkin Pie.  The hat and scarf are stamped in Fresh Freesia and fussy cut and then adhered with dimensionals.

  The sentiment from Christmas to Remember is embossed in white on Balmy Blue then trimmed by hand.  I added a few From My Heart faceted gems to highlight the sentiment and give it a bit more weight as well as some sparkle down there at the bottom.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Penguin Place, Christmas to Remember

Ink: Whisper White craft, Versamark, Balmy Blue, Soft Sea Foam, Pumpkin Pie, Fresh Freesia

Paper: Balmy Blue, Basic White, Fresh Freesia, Soft Sea Foam, Pear Pizzazz, Penguin Playmates DSP (SAB)

Accessories: Penguin Builder punch, dimensionals, white embossing powder, crinkled seam binding ribbon, Christmas Trees dies, blending brushes, From My Heart faceted gems

Whimsical Christmas - Stampin' Up! Whimsical Trees - The Paper Players 557

   It's Sunday and you know what Sunday means?  It's a new Paper Players challenge!  No better way to start off a new week than with a new challenge!  LeAnne has a fun theme for us: By the Numbers!  So you need to have a number on your card!  So many ways you can use this one!

  I wanted to get started on some Christmas designs so I combined a new stamp set Whimsical Trees with some die cut numbers.

 I used all sorts of supplies from the July-December mini catalog to create a nice little Christmas collage.  I'm pleased with how this non-traditional color combo looks (I pulled the colors straight from the Whimsy & Wonder DSP) and the bit of foil gives just the right amount of shine!

  My number element for the challenge was made with the new Silver Foil paper and the Playful Alphabet dies and some of the foam dimensional sheets for a nice popped look! 

  Check out the rest of the Design Team and see their fab creations!

Jaydee
 LeAnne
Claire
Joanne
Laurie
Anne Marie
Ann
Nancy
Debbie 

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Whimsical Trees

Ink: Mossy Meadow

Paper: Mint Macaron, Blushing Bride, Mossy Meadow, Basic White, Whimsy & Wonder DSP, silver foil

Accessories: Merry Melody embossing folder, Christmas Trees dies, Wonderful Snowflakes,  Blushing Bride frayed grosgrain ribbon, foam sheets, Playful Alphabet dies

Peaceful Pine Cones - Stampin' Up! Christmas Season

   I've really been away from blogging except for Design Team commitments the last month or so!  With  getting ready for vacation, then actually being on vacation, and then an unplanned trip out of state right after vacation I haven't had much time to stamp at all!  I was sitting down the other day to figure out some projects for my next class and was having a hard time focusing so I decided to start with a challenge just to get the ideas flowing.  Even if the card didn't result in one to use for a class it would be a start!

  I used the sketch over at Inspire. Create. Challenges for a starting place.  The single band across the top portion of the card gave a lot of room for interpretation.

  It was fun to pull together a bunch of new products to create this card!  The DSP is from the Sale-a-Bration Peaceful Prints pack and went well with the pine cones from the Christmas Season set.  The pine cones are topped with a piece of Real Red mini ruffled ribbon.

  The cool shimmery layer is also a Sale-a-Bration reward called Be Dazzling and adds just the right amount of pop.

  After arranging my pine cones I only had so much space for a sentiment so I looked through all my new Christmas sets for something that would fit and ended up with this one from Holly Jolly Wishes.

  It's good to be back sharing again and with school starting next week I hope to return to posting more regularly again.  With Christmas coming there will be so many cards to share...I hope!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Christmas Season, Holly Jolly Wishes

Ink: Crumb Cake, Soft Suede, Garden Green

Paper: Real Red, Peaceful Prints DSP (SAB), Be Dazzling Specialty paper (SAB), Basic White

Accessories: Seasonal Labels dies, dimensionals, Real Red mini ruffled ribbon