Butterfly Birthday - Stampin' Up Butterfly Brilliance - Paper Players 534

   Happy Sunday stampers!  The team at The Paper Players is back with a fun new challenge.  Anne Marie has given us this great sketch to work with!  I loved having the narrow strips to play around with!

  Since I've only had time to make one card with the Butterfly Brilliance stamp set since I got it it was high time to get another one made!  

  I wanted my butterfly to stand out so I kept the background clean and just jazzed it up with a panel of Whisper White embossed with the Parisian Flourish embossing folder and rounded the corners.  I wanted ribbon but I didn't have any wide white ribbon to use for the strip across the middle so I doubled up with 2 strips of silver edged satin ribbon.  It gives the added bonus of a little sparkle!

  Next I layered 2 strips of the Butterfly Bijou DSP for the 2 vertical elements.  And not wanting to cover up the pattern too much I added a vellum Stitched Circle to attach my other elements to.  The 'for you' is from the So Sentiment set and is stamped in black onto a scrap and then trimmed to fit.  I added a Purple Posy faceted gem for some detail.

  The butterfly is stamped in Memento, colored with Blends and the cut out.  Some spots of the butterfly are highlighted with Wink of Stella for some more light sparkle.  And you can't really see it in this photo but there is a Highland Heather detailed butterfly diecut underneath with a layer of dimensionals along the body so that the top butterfly is popped up.  It's a nice detail when you see the card in person.

  A few more faceted gems above the butterfly finish off this card.

  I can't wait to see what you all design using this sketch!  For more inspiration from the design team see their blogs!

 Jaydee
 LeAnne
Claire
Joanne
Laurie
Anne Marie
Ann
Nancy
Debbie 

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Butterfly Brilliance, So Sentimental

Ink: Memento black

Blends: Purple Posy light & dark, Highland Heather light & dark

Paper: Just Jade, Whisper White, vellum, Butterfly Bijou DSP, Highland Heather

Accessories: Parisian Flourish embossing folder, corner rounder, Stitched Shapes dies, metallic edged ribbon, dimensionals, faceted gems, dimensionals

Perennials for the Guys - Stampin' Up! Pretty Perennials

   The team at Fab Friday is back with a new challenge!  Are you all ready to stamp this weekend or do you have yard work to do now that the weather is nicer?  We weeded, mulched and my husband even mowed last weekend so I've got time to stamp this weekend.  Since getting the new puppy a week ago I haven't spent much time in the stamp room so I'm looking forward to getting inky.

  Check out the colors we are working with for this challenge:

 

 I have to admit that while I do like these colors they were a bit of a challenge for me.  With my limited stamping time I couldn't dawdle and play around with too many ideas.  I ended up using some of the smaller accent stamps from Pretty Perennials (which is still on my desk from my custom cards) to make a guy birthday card.  

  Nothing ground breaking here but it gets the job done!  I can't wait to see what you come up with for these colors so I can get some inspiration and try again!  Check out the fabulous ideas from the rest of the Fab Friday Design Team!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Pretty Perennials

Ink: Misty Moonlight, Pear Pizzazz, Smoky Slate

Paper: Whisper White, Misty Moonlight, Pear Pizzazz, Smoky Slate

Accessories: Stitched with Whimsy dies, Misty Moonlight twill ribbon, baker's twine, dimensionals

Personalized Feminine Notecards - Stampin' Up! Pretty Perennials

   As I shared in my last post we got a puppy on Friday and he has been keeping us on our toes so I haven't had much extra time to post or stamp.  He's super sweet and actually very good but our normal routines are a bit out of whack at the moment.  As my husband says, "everything takes 4 times as long to do when there's a new baby in the house".  That's pretty accurate whether it's a human baby or a puppy!

  Here is the little guy:

 

  But I do have the feminine counterpoint to the last card I shared to show off today.  I'm almost finished with the 18 cards for the ladies.  

  Not the best photo with the terrible gray weather we're having but you can get the gist of it!

  I used the SAB Paper Blooms DSP as my starting point for colors and from there just cut the letters and layered the name banner the same as in the masculine version.  

  I have the same number of flowers on each card but have them arranged differently depending on how long the name is.  I'm trying to keep them all balanced and spaced regardless of the number of letters so it takes a bit of time to put each one together.

  The Pretty Perennial stamp set and dies are really perfect for this sort of card as they are simple to stamp and die cut but have some nice layered details.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Pretty Perennials

Ink: Rococo Rose, Night of Navy, Seaside Spray

Paper: Whisper White thick, Whisper White, Night of Navy, Paper Blooms DSP (SAB), Rococo Rose, Seaside Spray, Old Olive

Accessories: Perennial Petals dies, Playful Alphabet dies, adhesive sheets, Subtle embossing folder, dimensionals, faceted gems

 

Personailzed Masculine Notecards - Stampin' Up! Forever Fern

   I've been working on a set of personalized cards for a family member to use for the staff at her offices.  She wanted a masculine and a feminine design with the employees names so the Big Shot and Playful Alphabet dies have been getting a workout.  I have all the masculine ones finished and am part way through with the feminine ones which I hope to share tomorrow.  22 is a lot of cards!

  I really liked the crisp green and blue for the masculine card.  The Forever Greenery DSP was just the ticket and luckily I had enough of the striped pattern for all the cards I needed.  I layered a piece of the DSP onto a Whisper White thick card base to start this one.

  The name panel is a piece of Whisper White embossed with the Subtle embossing folder.  Then I backed it with a piece of Pretty Peacock.  I sure will be sorry when Pretty Peacock retires as I've used it a ton the last 2 years.  I used Pretty Peacock to cut out the letters as well.  

  I made things easy on myself and used the adhesive sheets to make each letter a sticker so I wouldn't have to mess with glue for 22 different names. If you do a lot of die cutting and want to make it easier to adhere little pieces (or big pieces, there's no size limit!) definitely check out the adhesive sheets.  All you do is peel off one side of the backing, press your cardstock to the sticky side and then die cut the cardstock as usual, then peel off the backing when you're ready to adhere.  I don't use it much when I'm making one-off cards but for multiple it sure makes the process less messy!

  The fern sprigs are stamped in Pretty Peacock and Just Jade and then the one in the background is just cut out of Soft Sea Foam cardstock to round out the sprig.  I layered them and then attached them to the side of the name with dimensionals and then added a braided linen trim knot to the stems.

  I hope to be back tomorrow to share the feminine version but I'm not making any promises.  On Friday we unexpectedly got a new puppy so things are a bit busy and out of sorts but in a good way so stamping business might not happen as it usually does!  

  Isn't he cute??  His name is Herk and Aggie loves him already!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Forever Fern

Ink: Pretty Peacock, Just Jade

Paper: Whisper White thick, Whisper White, Pretty Peacock, Soft Sea Foam, Forever Greenery DSP

Accessories: Subtle embossing folder, Playful Alphabet dies, dimensionals, adhesive sheets, braided linen trim

 

Thanks a Ton - Stampin' Up! Whale Done - Paper Players 533

 Happy Sunday stampers!  The Paper Players are back with a brand new challenge for you to start your stamping week!  Ann has given us the really fun theme of CAS Animals.  So get out your animal stamps and show us what you've got while keeping it clean and simple!

 

  I blew through all of the thank you cards I had made over the last few weeks and found myself needing one more so I thought the Whale Done set would be just the ticket for my clean and simple animal card.

  I started with a Pool Party base, then a layer of Whisper White with the little bubbles stamped off in Pool Party ink.  I topped that with a piece of Pool Party that I embossed with the Seabed embossing folder.  I cut the one corner off with a Layering Circle die so the stamped piece of Whisper White is showing.  I also used my blending brushes to brush on a bit of white craft ink to help show off the design a little bit better.

  The whale is stamped in Pretty Peacock ink and punched out along with his silver glimmer paper splash using the Whale builder punch.  All of those pieces are popped on dimensionals.

  The sentiment was stamped and embossed in white onto Basic Black cardstock.  It's then cut out with a Stitched So Sweetly die and popped over a length of silver baker's twine.

  So while this card has some texture and dimension I think it stayed CAS with the limited color palette and the open space on most of the card.  And of course the whale for the animal element.

  To check out what the rest of the Paper Players Design Team did with this challenge visit the challenge site or their blogs:

 Jaydee
 LeAnne
Claire
Joanne
Laurie
Anne Marie
Ann
Nancy
Debbie 

Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Whale Done

Ink: Pretty Peacock, Pool Party, Versamark, white craft

Paper: Pool Party, Whisper White, Basic Black, Silver Glimmer paper (retired)

Accessories: Whale punch, Layering Circle dies, Stitched So Sweetly dies, white embossing powder, Seabed embossing folder, silver baker's twine (retired), dimensionals

Birthday Heart and Star - Stampin' Up! Itty Bitty Birthdays

   I have been busy working on a set of 24 custom cards and haven't had time to stamp anything else so I'm sharing a card I made a month ago for my brother's birthday.  His birthday falls on Valentine's day so I tried to mix a heart onto the card without it turning into a Valentine's day card! 

  I mixed and matched hearts and stars and used 3 different patterns from the Well Suited DSP.

  The little heart and star stamps are from the Many Messages set and could easily get overlooked but are just the right size a bit of add-on stamping.  Not much else as this card is pretty straightforward and the shapes do all the work here!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Itty Bitty Birthdays, Many Messages

Ink: Night of Navy, Real Red, Smoky Slate

Paper: Whisper White thick, Well Suited DSP

Accessories: heart punch, Stitched Stars dies, Curvy dies, Night of Navy baker's twine, dimensionals, candy dot (retired)

Rainbow Envelopes - Stampin' Up! Snail Dies

   I think a rainbow is in order for this gray, dreary day!  After beautiful weather last week and over the weekend it got overcast yesterday afternoon and then we even had a bit of icy pellets come down last night. My morning walk was cold and damp so I think something cheerful necessary for my share today!

  This card has hardly any stamping but the mini envelope die in the Snail dies certainly got a work out!

 I pulled out my best rainbow colors to put this card together.  It starts with a Whisper White thick base then a layer of Whisper White embossed with the Old World Paper embossing folder.  It's hard to see in the photo but it's there.

  After the envelopes were cut and folded up I arranged them on the card front leaving the center open for the little note.  I stamped the 'smile' from the Cute Fruit set in Memento and then cut it out.  I added a die cut heart out of the Rainbow Glimmer paper.  

  I'm adding this one to my pile to send to Bearly Arts for their card drive for kids in foster care.  To read more about that cause and to join in check it out here: Bearly Arts Cards for Cubs.  If you're local to me and want to help I am collecting cards from my stampers to mail out a big package and you're welcome to join in!  Just get in touch!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Cute Fruit

Ink: Memento Black

Paper: Whisper White thick, Whisper White, Poppy Parade, Mango Melody, Daffodil Delight, Granny Apple Green, Coastal Cabana, Pacific Point, Gorgeous Grape, Melon Mambo, Rainbow Glimmer paper

Accessories: Old World Paper embossing folder, Snail dies, dimensionals

Butterfly Thank You - Stampin' Up! Butterfly Brilliance

   My butterfly envy is over!  My Butterfly Brilliance bundle arrived on Thursday so I was able to play a bit and see what this set is all about.  I'm still not too sure about all the butterflies connected as one large stamp instead of individually but I can always cut them apart if it's too cumbersome in the long run.  But the images are gorgeous and I enjoyed a bit of easy coloring for this card.  I used the CAS Colours & Sketches layout which is a perfect open design for a nice single butterfly as the focal image.

  This one starts with a Mint Macaron base, then a layer of Whisper White cut with the Stitched Rectangle dies.  Next up is a beautiful piece of Butterfly Bijou DSP.  I love the soft watercolor look!  I used the Stitched With Whimsy dies to add a little border around the edge. The whole panel is popped with dimensionals.

  To follow the sketch I cut some leaves with the Poppy Moments dies.  I used Mint Macaron for the bottom layer and Just Jade for the top.  

  I inked up just the one butterfly with Memento black and then cut it out.  I colored it in with Blends (colors listed below) and then popped it on dimensional on top of the leaves.

  The sentiment from Free as a Bird is embossed in white on Basic Black and I added a Blushing Bride flag behind it so it wouldn't look so stubby.  I also popped the sentiment on dimensionals.

  I added a few retired white sequins just because and the fact that I need to use up some embellishments before my drawer overflows!

  I can't wait to create some more with the bundle.  It was perfect timing to get a new stamp set for spring just when the weather is warming up.  Soon enough I'll be seeing my own butterflies in the yard.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Butterfly Brilliance, Free as a Bird

Ink: Memento black, Versamark

Blends: Calypso Coral light & dark, Daffodil Delight light, So Saffron light & dark, Basic Black light

Paper: Mint Macaron, Just Jade, Whisper White, Butterfly Bijou DSP, Basic Black, Blushing Bride

Accessories: Stitched Rectangle dies, Stitched with Whimsy dies, Brilliant Wings dies, Poppy Moments dies, dimensionals, white embossing powder, sequins (retired)

Soft Spring Ferns - Stampin' Up! Forever Fern - The Paper Players 532

  All of this warmer weather lately has me in my spring feels with pastels, flowers and sprouting plants and I put it to use when designing my card today.   The Paper Players   newest challenge has some great colors to get you started on your next card.  Joanne has given us Highland Heather, Seaside Spray and Old Olive to use this time. 

  Aren't they pretty together?  I was excited to see Seaside Spray since we have a limited time left with this color as a current In Color I want to get the most out of it!

  I went with the favorite Forever Fern stamp set for my card.  It works so well with many different colors and tones.

  The card starts with a Seaside Spray base.  I stamped my images along the bottom of a piece of Whisper White and then embossed it with the Tasteful Textile embossing folder.  I added a distressed strip of Seaside Spray along the bottom before adhering the panel to the card front.

  I stamped a few more of my ferns/sprigs and cut them out and mounted them in a little cluster on a Stitched So Sweetly die cut.  A little green baker's twine bow ties up the stems.  The label is popped on dimensionals over a strip of Seaside Spray scalloped linen trim.

  I need to send out  a few thank you card this week so I decided a nice thank you sentiment was in order.  I used Ornate Thanks and Seaside Spray and Highland Heather ink for a 2 strip sentiment.

  Check out what the Paper Players Design Team has done with these colors!  You're sure to be inspired!

 Jaydee
 LeAnne
Claire
Joanne
Laurie
Anne Marie
Ann
Nancy
Debbie 

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Forever Fern, Ornate Thanks

Ink: Highland Heather, Seaside Spray, Old Olive

Paper: Seaside Spray, Whisper White, Highland Heather

Accessories: Forever Flourishing dies, Stitched So Sweetly dies, Tasteful Textile embossing folder, dimensionals, baker's twine, scalloped linen thread

Teen Boy Birthday - Stampin' Up! The Right Triangle

   Teen boy cards can be a bit hard especially if you don't have a stamp set that goes along with some of their interests.  Or you have that stamp set but have used for more than one card for them already!  Sometimes I just go with bright colors and some fun shapes and a bold sentiment.

  For my teen boy birthday card today I used the Global Design Project sketch for inspiration on the layout.  

  The card starts with a Whisper White thick base, then has a narrow strip of Whisper White embossed with the Subtle embossing folder for a little detail for the sketch element.

  I cut various sized triangles with the Stitched Triangle dies in Granny Apple Green, Pumpkin Pie and Bermuda Bay and then stamped some with The Right Triangle stamp set.  I layered them in a cluster for a nice grouping to put the big sentiment onto following along with the sketch.

  I used some retired Black Glimmer paper, adhesive foam sheets and the Playful Alphabet dies to make a nice sparkly happy birthday hashtag.  Hashtags are probably not cool anymore but I've never claimed to be 'in' so I'm staying on brand!

  For the celebrate flag I used Basic Black cardstock and the Many Mates set.  It looks a bit of a hot mess but it's embossed with white shimmer embossing powder so the parts that look funny are the bits of the glitter which don't photograph well.  I promise it looks cooler in person.  I popped the flag on dimensionals and then added a retired Bermuda Bay enamel star along with 2 more in the triangles.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: The Right Triangle, Many Mates

Ink: Granny Apple Green, Bermuda Bay, Pumpkin Pie, Versamark

Paper: Whisper White thick, Whisper White, Granny Apple Green, Bermuda Bay, Pumpkin Pie, Black Glimmer (retired), Basic Black

Accessories: Stitched Triangle dies, Playful Alphabet dies, foam adhesive sheets, Subtle embossing folder, white shimmer embossing powder, dimensionals, enamel shapes (retired)

Berry Thank You - Stampin' Up! Berry Blessings - Fab Friday 209

   The team at Fab Friday is back with another fantastic challenge!  We have a great sketch this time and can't wait to see how you interpret it!

  Fun right?  I decided to flip my card because I couldn't get a sentiment to look right with the portrait layout so landscape it is!

  I saw this color combination on a bedding set in a catalog and tore it out to remember to try on a card.  I like the neutral background using the same stamps as I did for the focal image grouping.

  Once I got the background stamped I used the Layering Square dies to cut the Whisper White panel and then accented it with the Stitched with Whimsy dies.  I backed that with a piece of Misty Moonlight.

  The berry sprigs are stamped in Misty Moonlight and Bumblebee and then fussy cut.  It really doesn't take much time at all so don't be intimidated to try!  I layered them on the square panel to mimic the little flags in the sketch and then popped the whole thing on dimensionals.  

  The sentiment from Sweet Strawberry was the perfect size to stamp to the right of the berries.  I used my dark Gray Granite Blends marker to color a length of crinkled seam binding ribbon to tie into a bow to adhere to the stems.

  Check out what the Fab Friday Design Team has for you for inspiration and then play along!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Berry Blessings (SAB), Sweet Strawberry

Ink: Gray Granite, Misty Moonlight, Bumblebee

Blends: Gray Granite dark

Paper: Misty Moonlight, Whisper White

Accessories: Layering Squares dies, Stitched with Whimsy dies, dimensionals, crinkled seam binding ribbon

Vintage Bird - Stampin' Up! Free As A Bird

   I'm stepping a bit out of my comfort zone with today's card.  I saw the lovely inspiration photo over at Daring Cardmakers and thought I would give it a go.  I pulled the colors, the newsprint, the birds, the branch with blossoms and the touch of gold to use on my card.  There was so much to look at in this inspiration photo that there are many directions one could take it.

  I started with a Pool Party base, then a layer of retired Typeset Specialty DSP which I crumbled up and flattened out and then sponged some Crumb Cake ink on the edges.  Next I used a piece of Pool Party and lightly stamped several different images over it in stamped off Pool Party and stamped off Crumb Cake.  I also distressed the edges of this panel and sponged more Crumb Cake ink.  I added gold brads to the corners and a strip of Very Vanilla lace trim along the bottom.

  Using the Posted for You set I stamped the birds in stamped off Crumb Cake onto Crumb Cake cardstock and then lightly colored in the image with colored pencils and a blender pen.  Then I 'cancelled' the image with the 'special delivery' stamp.  After punching it out with the Rectangular postage punch I distressed the edges again with Crumb Cake.

  For the flowers and branch I used the Birds & More dies and thick Very Vanilla cardstock to cut out the shapes and then colored them in using Blends markers for a nice vibrant look.  I also sponged Crumb Cake ink over the colored images for a more worn look.

  The bird is stamped in Crumb Cake and colored in with colored pencils and a blender pen. After fussy cutting the bird I popped it up with dimensionals on the edge of the branch.

  I'm not sure I truly pulled off the vintage collage look and my desk was a hot mess afterwards but it was fun playing around with so many different sets and supplies.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

 Stamps: Free as a Bird, Posted for You, All Wired Up

Ink: Crumb Cake, Pool Party

Blends: Granny Apple Green light & dark, Crumb Cake dark, Melon Mambo light & dark, Flirty Flamingo dark

Paper: Pool Party, Very Vanilla thick, Very Vanilla, Crumb Cake, Typeset Specialty DSP (retired)

Accessories: colored pencils, gold brads, scalloped lace trim, Birds & More dies, Rectangular postage punch, dimensionals

A Tree for Him - Stampin' Up! Rooted in Nature

 It seems that every month I have need of one or two masculine birthday cards and I just never have any in my stash.  I need one, I make one, I mail it out.  Repeat over and over.  This month is no different but the team over at As You See It Challenge has made the process a bit easier with their challenge of making a masculine card with various elements like embossing folder, twine, die cut and earth tones.  It really helps me to have a bit of a focus with supplies and I really like how this one ended up with lots if interest coming in the form of texture.

  I started this card with a Crumb Cake base then topped it with a layer of In Good Taste DSP in a fun burlap-y/fabric texture.  I cut a piece of Cinnamon Cider with the Nested Label dies and then embossed it with on of the Greenery embossing folders.

  I stamped the tall tree from Rooted in Nature in Early Espresso onto Very Vanilla cardstock and then die cut it.  It's popped on dimensionals to one side.  

  On the other side of the label I adhered a bit of twine and then layered my copper embossed sentiment strips over it also popped on dimensionals.  A change in sentiment could make this a masculine card for other occasions as well.

  Finally I added a few Cinnamon Cider enamel dots around the grouping.

  That wasn't so bad getting a masculine card made with a lot of help from the challenge.  Now how to get some masculine cards in the stash??

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Rooted in Nature, Itty Bitty Birthdays

Ink: Early Espresso, Versamark

Paper: Crumb Cake, Cinnamon Cider, Early Espresso, Very Vanilla, In Good Taste DSP

Accessories: Nested Label dies, Nature's Roots dies, Greenery embossing folder, copper embossing powder (retired), twine, dimensionals, In Color enamel dots

Big Celebration - Stampin' Up! Whale Done

  Some of my annual catalog stamps have been a bit neglected since the Jan.-June mini catalog came out so I decided to try to give them some love.  I grabbed Whale Done and coordinating Whale of a Time DSP to participate in the TGIF Challenge.  The challenge is to use Just Jade, Gorgeous Grape and Daffodil Delight on a card.

  I thought these were fun colors to use for an ocean scene.  And how could you not love a big purple whale?

  The card starts with a Just Jade card base then a layer of Whale of a Time DSP in a Just Jade wave pattern.  I edged the one side with a strip of Gorgeous Grape cardstock that I distressed for a bit of interest.

  Next I used two different Stitched Shapes circles.  The largest is stamped with the the seaweed in stamped off Just Jade ink and the smaller one has a pretty Daffodil Delight piece of coral.  I tucked the sentiment flag between the circles when adhering.

  The whale is punched with Gorgeous Grape and Just Jade and a little Basic Black eye.  I added some speckles along his back in Gorgeous Grape.  Once it was assembled I popped it up on dimensionals.

  A retired Crushed Curry baker's twine bow and some white enamel dots are added as embellishments to finish off this underwater celebration card.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Whale Done, Itty Bitty Birthdays

Ink: Gorgeous Grape, Just Jade, Daffodil Delight

Paper: Just Jade, Gorgeous Grape, Whale of a Time DSP, Whisper White, Basic Black

Accessories: Stitched Shapes dies, Whale builder punch, dimensionals, enamel dots (retired), Crushed Curry baker's twine (retired)

Easter Bouquet - Stampin' Up! Jar of Flowers

   Spring must be on it's way as I weeded part of my yard this weekend and did some general cleaning up in my flower beds.  A few crocus are blooming and the daffodils are budded out and ready to go.  Definitely time to break out all the flower stamp sets and get busy.

  I used the neglected Jar of Flowers set to play along with The Card Concept challenge.  They've got a fun Luck of the Irish inspired flower arrangement as the inspiration photo.  I decided to do a clean and layered card using the colors.  I don't send out St. Patrick's Day cards so I added an Easter sentiment instead.

  The card base is Soft Sea Foam and then a layer of the same embossed with the Tin Tile embossing folder.  I had a piece of In Good Taste DSP in the wood grain pattern that was just the right size for the card front.  I added a bit of Garden Green to the edges for some definition.

  The jar is punched out of Berry Delightful DSP in a nice green plaid pattern.  The flowers are stamped in Memento and then lightly colored with Blends.  I left them mostly white with a bit of yellow and then the stems and leaves in greens.  I popped the jar and flowers on dimensionals after adding a narrow black ribbon and bow around the middle.

  The sentiment from Arrange a Wreath is stamped in Garden Green and then die cut with the Tasteful Label dies and is also popped on dimensionals.

  Thanks for looking! Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Jar of Flowers, Arrange a Wreath

Ink: Memento black, Garden Green

Blends: So Saffron light & dark, Daffodil Delight light & dark, Soft Sea Foam light & dark, Granny Apple Green light & dark

Paper: Soft Sea Foam, Garden Green, Whisper White, In Good Taste DSP, Berry Delightful DSP

Accessories: Tin Tile embossing folder, jar punch, dimensionals, Tasteful Labels dies, black ribbon (retired)

Signs of Spring - Stampin' Up! Butterfly Gala - Paper Players 531

 The team at The Paper Players is back today with a fun new challenge.  Claire has given us the theme of "Spring is in the Air" this time.  So bust out those florals, bunnies, chicks and whatever else you consider spring and get stamping!

  When things start to green up in my yard I know spring has arrived.  The trees and shrubs get little buds, the grass gets lush and bulbs start flowering.  My card has lots of green and leaves and flowers with a sweet butterfly to top it off.  All signs of spring in my mind!

  The card starts with a Whisper White thick base and then a layer of Paper Blooms DSP in a nice leafy green pattern.  Next is a layer of Whisper White embossed with the Tasteful Textile embossing folder and then cut with the Curvy dies for a bit of interest across the center.

  I stamped 2 of the flower/vine images from Quite Curvy and colored them with Blends, cut them out and then adhered them following along the curve on the piece of Whisper White.

  A stitched circle is cut from Soft Sea Foam and then stamped with the All Wired Up background.  The 'hello' also from Quite Curvy is stamped in black.  The circle is popped up with dimensionals just to the left of center.

  I think I have a bit of butterfly envy seeing all the wonderful creations with the new Stampin' Up! Butterfly Bouquet suite that was just released.  I didn't get it during the demo pre-order but just ordered it earlier this week so I'll have to wait a bit to play.  But I do have the Butterfly Gala set so used that to stamp and color in a pretty pink butterfly.  After it was punched out I added a piece of crinkled seam binding ribbon to look like a bit of a tail and then popped the butterfly up on dimensionals.  An adhesive pearl near the sentiment is the final touch.

  I hope to see your spring themed card in our gallery this week.  For more inspiration from the Paper Players Design Team check out their websites!

 Jaydee
 LeAnne
Claire
Joanne
Laurie
Anne Marie
Ann
Nancy
Debbie 

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Quite Curvy, Butterfly Gala, All Wired Up

Ink: Memento black, Soft Sea Foam

Blends: Old Olive light & dark, Rococo Rose light & dark

Paper: Whisper White thick, Whisper White, Paper Blooms DSP (retired SAB), Soft Sea Foam

Accessories: Tasteful Textile embossing folder, Stitched Shapes dies, Curvy dies, Butterfly Duet punch, dimensionals, adhesive pearl, crinkled seam binding ribbon

Bright Smile - Stampin' Up! Pretty Perennials

   Flower stamp sets are always pretty versatile and get used a lot on my projects but I'm finding the Pretty Perennials set especially handy lately for all types of cards.  And now that warmer weather seems to be on its way I'll be even more in the mood to stamp with flowers!

  My card today uses 2 challenges that just seemed to be a perfect match for a bright, fresh design just in time for spring.  Color Throwdown has yellow, salmon/orange, and green as the trio of colors to work with.  Freshly Made Sketches has a great 3 panel layout.

 

  I don't often pull out retired colors but I just felt that Grapefruit Grove and Lemon Lime Twist were needed in this case.  And the fact that I still had some of the Gingham Gala DSP tucked away in my closet was more proof it was meant to be.

  I started with a Whisper White thick card base, then a layer of Daffodil Delight topped with a panel of Whisper White that was embossed with the Subtle embossing folder.

  Next, using the Stitched Rectangle dies I cut the 3 panels of Gingham Gala DSP.  I stamped the flowers and leaves and cut them out with the Perennial Petals dies.  They are then popped up on dimensionals across the card front.  

  The sentiment from Many Messages is stamped in black and trimmed and also popped on dimensionals.

  Hopefully this card will brighten someone's day!  Have a great Friday!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Pretty Perennials, Many Messages

Ink: Memento Black, Daffodil Delight, Grapefruite Grove (retired), Lemon Lime Twist (retired)

Paper: Whisper White thick, Whisper White, Daffodil Delight, Gingham Gala DSP (retired), Lemon Lime Twist (retired)

Accessories: Subtle embossing folder, Stitched Rectangle dies, Perennial Petals dies, dimensionals

Toadstool Hello - Stampin' Up! Snailed It!

   Just a quick post today to share the card I made yesterday afternoon for the CAS Colours & Sketches challenge.  The colors aren't ones I would have put together on my own but I think they look great and after a bit of dithering around I went with the toadstools (or are they mushrooms?  What's the difference??) from the Snailed It set.  Since it is a clean and simple challenge I kept the card front pretty open and embellishments to a minimum.

  This layout is always a great one to use with smaller images.  Fill the bottom of the card front with some DSP (or a stamped panel) and then mount the image on a few layers just above the top of the DSP.

  I started with a Whisper White thick base and then added the green plaid from the SAB Berry Delightful DSP.  Now that the weather is warming a bit I feel that I'll be reaching for this pack more than I did during Sale-a-Bration. 

  The narrow piece of Terracotta Tile cardstock is stamped with the hello from Snailed It.  The postage stamp shape die was used to cut a piece of Calypso Coral for the image base.  The Terracotta Tile and Calypso Coral are very close in terms of color with the CC being brighter but they seem to photograph as almost the same. Next is a square of Whisper White with the Stitched With Whimsy die detail.

  The toadstools are stamped in Memento black and then colored with Stampin' Blends.  We don't have  Terracotta Tile Blends so I substituted Cajun Craze light which works in my opinion. The spots on the largest toadstool are also colored with clear Wink of Stella.  After it was colored I cut it out and popped it with dimensionals.  And then the whole stack is popped on dimensionals on the card front.

  Final detail is the Calypso Coral baker's twine bow for a little added sweetness.  

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Snailed It

Ink: Memento Black

Blends: Calypso Coral light & dark, Granny Apple Green light & dark, Cajun Craze light, Crumb Cake light

Paper: Whisper White thick, Whisper White, Calypso Coral, Terracotta Tile, Berry Delightful DSP (retired)

Accessories: Stitched With Whimsy dies, Snail dies, dimensionals, Wink of Stella, dimensionals, Calypso Coral baker's twine (retired)

 

Spring Birds - Stampin' Up! Birds & Branches

   In honor of the bluebirds who have moved into our nesting box and are being quite industrious in building their nest I decided I needed to make a card with a bird theme!  We get bluebirds every year in the box and have a camera streaming to a tv in the house in it so we can see all the secret nest building and chick hatching stuff.  It's fascinating!  Each new pair of residents gets named so we don't just keep calling them "the birds".  This pair is named William and Anna after President William Henry Harrison and his wife Anna.  We started with John and Abigail for President Adams and his wife as they were the first residents of the white house (birdhouse) and have moved down the list of Presidents over the years.  

  On to the card!  I need to start on my Easter card stockpile so this was a nice springlike set of colors with the birds.  I'm also playing along with 2 challenges: Stampin' Up! Only Challenges has the theme of "anything that flies" and the Library Challenge has a beautiful book cover with all sorts of birds on it.  I also kind of used the book cover as inspiration for the open circle in the center of my card (challenge graphic below).

   I still have more than half a pack left of the SAB Paper Blooms DSP and it's got perfect colors for spring cards so I wanted to make sure to use some of it on my card.  I used a sheet in the background on top of the Seaside Spray card base.

  Another panel of Seaside Spray cut with the Stitched Rectangle dies is up next.  I stamped the leaves and branches in Seaside Spray in the two corners and then stamped the sentiment from Itty Bitty Greetings in Night of Navy.

  For the circle panel I cut the leaf detail in Soft Sea Foam and then cut it out with circle die and then cut another Whisper White circle to back it.  It's hard to see in the photo but the white circle is embossed with the Subtle embossing folder.

  I stamped the birds in Seaside Spray and Night of Navy and then die cut them.  I added a bit of Rococo Rose ink to the breast of the bottom bird.  I popped the birds on dimensionals and then added a few Rococo Rose flowers with adhesive pearl centers.

  It'll only be a few more days and then I can make another bird themed card with eggs in a nest!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Birds & Branches, Itty Bitty Greetings

Ink: Seaside Spray, Night of Navy, Rococo Rose

Paper: Seaside Spray, Paper Blooms DSP (SAB), Whisper White, Soft Sea Foam

Accessories: Birds & More dies, Stitched Rectangle dies, Subtle embossing folder, adhesive pearls, dimensionals

Beachy Thank You - Stampin' Up! Friends Are Like Seashells

   After a very wet and dreary few days I was needing something bright and beachy to focus on so I decided to make a thank you card with the Friends Are Like Seashells set and pulled colors straight from the coordinating DSP in some fun colors.

  After not getting the Seashells embossing folder when I first ordered the stamp set I finally decided that I needed it after seeing it used more and more.  Isn't that the way with so much crafting stuff?  You see the many possibilities and then just have to have it!  I used it here on a piece of vellum for a fun detail that is also a subtle background to my shell cluster.  

  The shells are all stamped and then cut out and adhered around the thank you which is from the Sweet Strawberry set.  I added a few stamped off speckles in Sahara Sand .  The 2 smallest shells are popped on dimensionals and the center of the sand dollar is highlighted with Wink of Stella to add a bit more shine to go with the strip of gold flecked Fine Art ribbon.

  Here's hoping to see the sun soon!

  Thanks for looking! Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Friends Are Like Seashells, Sweet Strawberry

Ink: Sahara Sand, Balmy Blue, So Saffron, Flirty Flamingo

Paper: Sahara Sand, vellum, Very Vanilla

Accessories: Seashells embossing folder, Fine Art ribbon, Tasteful Labels dies, dimensionals, Wink of Stella