Penguin Wishes - Stampin' Up! Penguin Place - Paper Players 569

   Ann Marie has a fun sketch for us this week at The Paper Players.  Let's see all your creativity with these panels!

  I let the Penguin Playmates DSP from Sale-a-Bration do all the hard work for the panels.  I like the smaller patterns and colors as a nice background for my chilly penguin. 

  Using some retired Snowfall Accents Puff Paint that I was surprised still puffed I made a snowbank on a circle cut from Fresh Freesia for my embossed penguin to sit upon.  I gave him a scarf and hat and a little tree to the side.

  The sentiment from Banner Year is cut apart and then popped on dimensionals and then I accented the sides with some retired snowflake accents and Elegant Faceted gems.

  I'm definitely going to be using this layout again as it's a great way to show off a few different DSP patterns and it has lots of options for the 'any shape' in the center.

  The rest of the Paper Players Design Team has wonderful ideas for this challenge so definitely check them out and then play along!

Jaydee
 LeAnne
Claire
Joanne
Laurie
Anne Marie
Ann
Nancy
Debbie 

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Penguin Place, Banner Year

Ink: Versamark, Mango Melody,  Soft Sea Foam, Misty Moonlight, Fresh Freesia

Paper: Misty Moonlight, Basic White, Penguin Playmates DSP (SAB), Fresh Freesia

Accessories: Penguin builder punch, Stitched Shapes dies (retired), Snowfall Accents Puff Paint (retired), Elegant Faceted gems, snowflake accents (retired), dimensionals, black embossing powder

Quadruplet Reindeer - Stampin' Up! Knit Together

 I'm playing along with the Alphabet Challenge today!  They are on the letter Q and the challenge is Quadruple so we need to have 4 of something on our card.  I went with 4 reindeer (and I guess 4 squares as well) from the Knit Sweater dies.

  I used a classic Christmas color combo of Crumb Cake, Basic White, Soft Suede, Evening Evergreen, Cherry Cobbler and Soft Succulent.  

  The Crumb Cake card base is stamped in Crumb Cake ink with the Knit Together background stamp.

 Since the deer are small I added quite a few layers behind them so they wouldn't get lost on the card front. One of the layers is a nice neutral plaid from the Sale-a-Bration DSP Peaceful Prints.  The stitched squares give a little bit of detail and the deer are popped on dimensionals.  The Soft Suede deer has a From My Heart faceted gem for a nose making him a Rudolph I guess.

  The sentiment from Holly Jolly Wishes is embossed in white on a piece of Evening Evergreen and a Cherry Cobbler bakers twine bow is added to the side before being popped on dimensionals.

  This was a fun and creative challenge as getting something with a 'Q' on a card is not something you do everyday.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Knit Together, Holly Jolly Christmas

Ink: Crumb Cake, Versamark

Paper: Crumb Cake, Basic White, Soft Suede, Evening Evergreen, Cherry Cobbler, Soft Succulent, Peaceful Prints DSP (SAB)

Accessories: Knit Sweater dies, Stitched Shapes dies (retired), white embossing powder, dimensionals, Cherry Cobbler baker's twine (retired), From My Heart Faceted Gems

Happy Mail - Stampin' Up! Stamping Your Way to the Top

   So are you paging through the Stampin' Up! catalogs trying to find this stamp set?  Well it's not one that's available to customers.  The only way to get this one is by being a demonstrator and ordering it as a supply item.  Yes there are even more perks to being a demonstrator than the discount on orders, pre-ordering opportunities and exclusive demonstrator events!  I got this one a bit ago as it had some great sentiments to use for my monthly team cards that I send out to my downline.

  It was a cloudy gray day when I put ink to card stock and the rainbow theme was definitely needed to brighten the day!  It was fun pulling colors from the Pattern Party Host DSP to stamp each envelope and then layer them across some fluffy white clouds cut with the Basic Borders dies. I added a few rhinestones to the flourishes for a bit of sparkle.

  I hope these brightened the days of my team as it did mine as I was making them!

  The Start With Savings joining special is going on for a few more days if you'd like to get in on the demonstrator fun!  Get $125 worth of Stampin' Up! products for only $75 until November 30th.  You get to pick every single thing in the Starter Kit.  Believe me it's a great deal.  You can Click Here to get started joining my team.  Or contact me with any questions!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Stamping Your Way to the Top (demonstrator exclusive stamp set)

Ink: Memento black

Paper: Flirty Flamingo, Petal Pink, Pale Papaya, Mango Melody, Granny Apple Green, Pool Party, Misty Moonlight, Basic White, Pattern Party DSP

Accessories: dimensionals, Basic Borders dies, rhinestones

Sweet Gnome Christmas - Stampin' Up! Whimsical Trees - Paper Players 568

   The team at The Paper Players is back today with a brand new challenge.  Laurie has given us the challenge of doing a CAS card with gnomes or fairies. 

   Having boys there aren't many fairies in my life stamping or otherwise though I wouldn't complain if a cleaning fairy showed up occasionally! Also definitely no current gnome stamps in my supplies but I did remember I had a Stampin' Up! gnome stamp from way back when circa 2012(??) and I was hoping it didn't sell in my last BOGO sale. I found the stamp set and then got to work!  

 

 

Colors are straight up classic Christmas and I used a bit of the Heartwarming Hugs DSP to paper piece the shirt and apron for some subtle pattern. A little coloring and fussy cutting and some dimensionals have this sweet duo enjoying some decorating.

  The Mossy Meadow tree is stamped over some light Pear Pizzazz ink blending and decorated with some Red Velvet paper ornaments.  I pulled in a little gold with the Brushed Gold star.

  I can't wait to see how you take on this challenge!  Be sure to share your project in the gallery and also check out the rest of the Design Team ideas:

Jaydee
 LeAnne
Claire
Joanne
Laurie
Anne Marie
Ann
Nancy
Debbie 

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Whimsical Trees, Christmas to Remember, Gnome Sweet Gnome (retired)

Ink: Mossy Meadow, Pear Pizzazz, Memento black

Blends: Old Olive light & dark, Real Red light & dark, Bronze, Soft Suede light, Basic Black light & dark, Daffodil Delight dark, Petal Pink light & dark

Paper: Mossy Meadow, Basic White, Heartwarming Hugs DSP, Red Velvet paper, Gold & Rose Gold paper 

Accessories: dimensionals, Christmas Trees dies (ornaments), Stitched Stars dies

 

Birthday Fishes - Stampin' Up! Party Puffins

   My card today is playing along with 2 challenges which worked perfectly together to make a birthday card for my dad.  I love the sketch over at Freshly Made Sketches and the theme at Cardz 4 Guyz is gingham, checks or plaid so I incorporated that into my design.

  My dad loves fishing but I don't have any straight up fish sets right now so I used the next best thing with the adorable puffin holding a little fishy gift!

  

My colors were pulled directly from the retired Plaid Tiding DSP strip that I used for one of the sketch elements.  I also used a narrow strip of Mango Melody and embossed it with Checks embossing folder for the other strip. So I ended up with 2 of the 3 elements for the Cardz 4 Guyz challenge.

  Pretty Peacock was a favorite of mine and I was sorry to see it go when that set of In Colors retired but of course I held onto to a few supplies just in case so I used it for the card base and the stitched circle the puffin is on.

  The puffin and fish are embossed in black then colored and fussy cut.  I stamped some candles on the circle and then popped it all up on the card front.

  I used a few retired gems, enamel shapes and sequins along with 2 Classic Matte Dots that will be available in the upcoming Jan.-June catalog to finish off the details on this masculine birthday card.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Party Puffins, Itty Bitty Greetings (retired)

Ink: Versamark, Memento black, Pretty Peacock (retired)

Blends: Pumpkin Pie dark, Mango Melody dark (retired), Pretty Peacock light (retired)

Paper: Basic White, Mango Melody, Pretty Peacock (retired), Plaid Tidings DSP (retired)

Accessories: Stitched Rectangle dies, black embossing powder, dimensionals, Stitched Shapes dies (retired), Subtle embossing folder (retired), sequins/gems/enamel shapes (retired), Classic Matte Dots*

*Product from the upcoming Jan.-June catalog 

Birthday Blessings - Stampin' Up! Blessings of Home

   After attending the Stampin' Up! demonstrator event On Stage @Home this past weekend and getting to play some more with upcoming new products I'm even more excited for the next mini and getting to show off fun new projects.  

  My share today is one I made before the Stampin' Up! event and it's similar in feel to this card but there are so many possibilities with the Blessings of Home stamp set and the Heart & Home DSP.  I love the fall feel of the brown/orange color combination on both cards.

  The little die cut sprigs and embossed back panel really give some interest and a bit of a vintage feel.  And I thought that this copper washi tape from a long time ago added a bit of fun shine.

  What do you hope to see in the next Stampin' Up! mini catalog?  Want to get a peek at it right now?  If you join my team this month you'll get all the perks like seeing new catalogs early and even early ordering with a discount!  Not to mention the opportunity of making a bit of money on the side!  Let me know if you're interested in joining!  You'll get $125 worth of products you get to pick for just $75.  Call it an early Christmas present if you want but definitely consider it. It's easy to join HERE on my Stampin' Up! website.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Blessings of Home*

Ink: Smoky Slate, Cinnamon Cider

Blends: Pale Papaya light & dark, Cinnamon Cider light & dark, Pumpkin Pie light, Smoky Slate light

Paper: Cinnamon Cider, Pale Papaya, Basic White, Heart & Home DSP*

Accessories: Flowers of Home dies*, Parisan Flourish embossing folder, Stitched Shapes dies (retired), Elegant Faceted gems, dimensionals, copper washi tape (retired), Cinnamon Cider twill ribbon (retired)

*New products in the upcoming Jan.-June 2022 catalog. Available starting January 4, 2022

Christmas Magic - Stampin' Up! Whimsical Tree - Paper Players 567

   We're hitting the ground running today!  The Paper Players are back with a fantastic new challenge.  Joanne has us working with fun neutral colors!  Grey, Black, White & Silver.  I can't wait to see what you all do with this color palette!

  Since Christmas cards are my most needed card right now I didn't even contemplate another kind of card and got right to work with the Whimsical Trees bundle and pulled out all of my fun sparkly, shiny papers and embossing powders.

 

  This is a card that is definitely nicer in person!  There just isn't any way to capture the sparkle and shine with a photograph...at least not with my poor photography skills!

  I had a lot of fun mixing and matching the different trees with different paper and embossing powders to create this snowy scene.

  You'll find a lot more inspiration with these colors on the Paper Players Design Team blogs.  Check them out, give them some love and then join in with your own creation!

Jaydee
 LeAnne
Claire
Joanne
Laurie
Anne Marie
Ann
Nancy
Debbie 

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Whimsical Trees, Christmas to Remember

Ink: Versamark

Paper: Smoky Slate, Basic White, Black Glitter Paper, Silver Foil, Basic Black

Accessories: Christmas Trees dies, silver embossing powder, Shimmer black & white embossing powders (retired), Stitched Stars dies, silver baker's twine (retired), dimensionals, silver sequins (retired), Elegant Faceted gems, Classic Matte dots, Winter Snow embossing folder (retired)

Leafy Masculine Birthday - Stampin' Up! Gorgeous Leaves

   I had a quick break in my afternoon so I thought I would post a card while I had a moment.  I saw the challenge over at Cardz 4 Guys which is to use leaves on a masculine card and I as my birthday card stash is down to 2 cards I figured I better join in!

  I had saved this color palette a while back on Pinterest before some of these colors were even released by Stampin' Up! so clearly I had a need for some of them!  I thought they were perfect for the leaf theme as well as for a guy card.  

  This one is very straightforward with the cork paper being the star of the show I think.  It's just such a lovely background and really sets off the colors so well.  I hope you've been able to get your hands on some.  I'm down to scraps and hope that this is a product that finds it way into the next annual catalog as I love it so much and want to continue to be able to order it!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Gorgeous Leaves, All Squared Away

Ink: Soft Succulent, Misty Moonlight, Bumblebee, Evening Evergreen

Paper: Evening Evergreen, Basic White, Cork Specialty paper, Bumblebee, Soft Succulent, Misty Moonlight

Accessories: Intricate Leaves dies, dimensionals, linen thread, Stitched Shapes dies (retired)

Mini Paper Pumpkin Box Gift Card Holder - How To VIDEO

 The holidays are fast approaching as is the time for having your gift giving plans in place.  I usually have 6-10 people that I end up getting gift cards for but I always want to present the gift cards in something better than that little sleeve that comes with it.  Most of the time a hand stamped card is perfect and other times you want something just a little more substantial.  Today's tutorial and video give you just the thing to make a gift card a bit more of a 'wow' gift.

  Using a mini Paper Pumpkin box you can create this easy gift card holder!  You can find the mini Paper Pumpkin boxes in the annual catalog on page 137.  You get 10 boxes for $7.50 which I think is a bargain.

   All the credit for the inside of the box scoring measurements goes to Ruth's Stamping Spot.  When I decided to do a project like this I knew that someone much smarter than me had already figured out the scoring and I was right so I used Ruth's scoring measurement and expanded the project to include the belly band and other embellishments using the Gingerbread & Peppermint Suite.

 

 Watch the video to see the gift card holder come together step by step.  I've listed the measurements throughout the video but see below for all the cutting and scoring measurements as well as a list of all the supplies used to make this project.

  Cardstock -

    Box Insert - 8 1/2" x 5 1/2"

    Belly Band - 11" x 1 3/4" 

    Long Sides - 5 3/8" x 3/4"

    Plus various pieces for die cutting and stamping to decorate the box

  Designer Series Paper -

    Inside - 5 1/2" x 1 3/4"

    Box Top - 5 1/4" x 3 1/2"

    Short Sides - 3 1/2" x 3/4"

   Ribbon - 

     12" inches

  Watching the video will help show how the scoring and small cut for the gift card are done but here are the measurements.  Use a gift card to pencil in a mark where you want the slit to be cut.

 Box Insert Scoring - score on the 8 1/2" side at  3 1/4" , 4 1/4" and 5 1/4" 

 Belly Band Scoring - score on the 11" side at 2 5/8", 3 3/4", 7 5/8" and 8 3/4"

  Leave a comment and let me know what you think or if you have any questions!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Frosted Gingerbread

Ink: Real Red, Old Olive

Paper: Real Red, Old Olive, Basic White, Gingerbread & Peppermint 6x6 DSP

Accessories: Mini Paper Pumpkin box, scoreboard, Gingerbread dies, Stitched So Sweetly dies, dimensionals, Elegant Faceted gems, tear tape, Real Red mini ruffled ribbon

Celebration Blooms - Stampin' Up! Blessings of Home

   My card today uses some products from the upcoming Stampin' Up! Jan.-June 2022 catalog.  Yes you read that right, I have sneak peek products 2 months early!  One of the many perks of being a demo is not only early catalog pre-orders but also some even earlier ordering opportunities associated with Stampin' Up! demonstrator events.  We've got just such an event coming up next week called On Stage @ Home that I'm attending and the Blessings of Home product suite is what we were able to order early this time.  If you're interested in joining Stampin' Up! now is a great time with a discounted price on the Starter Kit.  During the month of November for just $75 you get to choose $125 worth of products to customize your Starter Kit.  Click here to join my team! Interested but have some questions?  Contact me here

  Onto to the new stuff!  I used the current Color Hues Challenge for my color palette.  Orange and Brown just have a great fall feeling! And the Heart & Home DSP has a lovely pattern in just these colors that I used as part of my inspiration.

  The base is Cinnamon Cider and then I used a piece of the lovely Heart & Home DSP along one edge.  Before adhering the DSP to the card front I added a length of Pale Papaya Open Weave ribbon for a subtle bit of shine down the front.

  The image is stamped in Smoky Slate and then colored in with Stampin' Blends (colors listed below).  Once the image was colored and cut out I highlighted a few areas with Wink of Stella but try as I might I could not capture it in a photo.  I also stamped, colored and fussy cut 2 of the smaller blooms and then popped them up for some added dimension.

  I cut a few Pale Papaya sprigs with the Flowers of Home dies and tucked them behind the main floral image and then adhered the whole thing with dimensionals.  

  The sentiment is from All Squared Away and is embossed in copper embossing powder and is flagged and popped.  A cute fork bow (tutorial here) and a sprinkling of pearls finishes off this beauty.

  I hope you enjoyed getting this sneak peek because I certainly enjoyed showing you!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Blessings of Home*, All Squared Away

Ink: Smoky Slate, Versamark

Blends: Pale Papaya light & dark, Cinnamon Cider light & dark, Pumpkin Pie light & dark, Smoky Slate light

Paper: Cinnamon Cider, Basic White, Pale Papaya,  Hearth & Home DSP*

Accessories: Flowers of Home dies*, dimensionals, open weave ribbon, adhesive pearls, copper embossing powder

*Products coming out in the Stampin' Up! Jan.-June 2022 catalog

 

Gorgeous Thanksgiving - Stampin' Up! Gorgeous Leaves

 Are you counting down the days until Thanksgiving?  The Paper Players will help you pass some time with our new challenge this week.  Claire has given us the theme of "Give Thanks" so use the inspiration photos or the phrase to get your card started and show us what give thanks means to you.

  I'm giving thanks that I was able to get ahead for this week and used this challenge to design for my last class as well as my design team commitment; two birds, one card.  I was inspired by the beautiful fall leaves to make a Happy Thanksgiving card to send out to relatives we won't be seeing this time around.

   The base is Very Vanilla thick with a piece of Early Espresso embossed with the Bark embossing folder. A narrow strip of the fabulous Gold & Rose Gold metallic paper adds some subtle elegance.  The splatter stamp from Gorgeous Leaves is stamped along the seam in Early Espresso ink stamped off once.

  The little branch is cut from Early Espresso.  One leaf is stamped in Cinnamon Cider and the other is inked in Bumble Bee with Pumpkin Pie ink sponged on the edges with a dauber before stamping.

  The sentiment is from Banner Year and is stamped in Early Espresso and popped on dimensionals.  The final touch is a linen thread bow.

  For more 'Give Thanks' inspiration check out 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?

Stamps: Gorgeous Leave, Banner Year

Ink: Early Espresso, Cinnamon Cider, Bumblebee, Pumpkin Pie

Paper: Very Vanilla thick, Early Espresso, Gold & Rose Gold Metallic Specialty paper 

Accessories: Bark embossing folder, Intricate Leaves dies, dimensionals, linen thread

Checked Autumn Petals - Stampin' Up! Hand-Penned Petals

 Better late than never with my card for today!  I had a lot of fun combining the Freshly Made Sketches layout and The Card Concept inspiration of which I used the colors and the checks to make my clean and layered card. 

  I liked the fall colors I used on this other card made with the Hand-Penned Petals set so I thought The Card Concept colors would look great also.  I made 20 of this design so I didn't get overly complicated with a lot of extras.

  The base is Basic White thick, then a layer of Soft Succulent embossed with the Tasteful Textile embossing folder.  I pulled in the checks from the inspiration photo with a piece of the Pattern Party Host DSP.

  The flower outline is stamped in Memento black and then filled in with Cajun Craze, Pumpkin Pie and Soft Succulent.  I cut it out and adhered it to a Basic Black stitched circle with dimensionals.

  The 'thanks' sentiment is embossed in white on Basic Black and then I fussy cut and popped it on dimensionals.  And as always, still trying to use up the retired candy dots so I added either a Pumpkin Pie or Cajun Craze one to each card.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Hand-Penned Petals

Ink: Cajun Craze, Pumpkin Pie, Soft Succulent, Versamark

Paper: Basic White thick, Basic White, Soft Succulent, Pattern Play DSP, Basic Black

Accessories: Tasteful Textile embossing folder, Penned Flowers dies, Stitched Shapes dies (retired), white embossing powder, dimensionals, candy dots (retired)

Leaves on the Wind - Stampin' Up! Intricate Leaves Dies

   The cooler weather we've been having lately has really gotten the trees to start showing some fall color.  It fun taking our walk in the woods every morning and seeing which trees are changing and to what colors!  The card I'm sharing today was made back in September when everything was still green but I was anticipating the autumn colors and had some fun with my Blends markers with a fun alcohol inking technique.

  I taught this alcohol ink technique in September with this card so check that out to get the details on how to it.  It's so easy!  For today's card instead of using the Blends to make stripes of color on the vellum panel I used them to make spots of color in a random pattern filling in all the spaces.  I used Daffodil Delight, Pumpkin Pie, Real Red and Cherry Cobbler.

  Once the rubbing alcohol was dry I adhered the vellum to a piece of Basic White cardstock and then used the Intricate Leaves dies to cut out the leaf shapes.

  The card base is Balmy Blue with a piece of Basic White cut with the Basic Borders dies to make the clouds.  I embossed it with the retired Subtle embossing folder for a bit more texture.  The sentiment from the Through it Together stamp set and is stamped in Memento black.  I highlighted the smaller sentiment with a narrow scrap of Balmy Blue.

  Finally I added my leaves to the card front with dimensionals and the center leaf got a small baker's twine bow.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Through it Together

Ink: Memento Black

Blends: Daffodil Delight, Pumpkin Pie, Real Red, Cherry Cobbler

Paper: Balmy Blue, Basic White, Vellum

Accessories: Intricate Leaves dies, Basic Borders dies, Subtle embossing folder (retired), dimensionals, baker's twine