Christmas in Gold - Stampin' Up! Whimsical Trees - Paper Players 571

   I just can't get enough of designing with the Whimsical Trees bundle and I'm so sorry this is one set that isn't carrying over!  But I'm getting as much use out of it as I can before it retires in January so I'm using it yet again for a Paper Players challenge!  The newest challenge is from LeAnne and she has given some fab colors to work with for this last challenge of 2021!  We are using Merry Merlot, Shaded Spruce, Vanilla and Gold!  So gorgeous!

  I used the layout from the TGIF Challenges as that tag element worked perfectly for my tall Christmas tree.

  There is a lot of gold on this card and I hope it's not too much lol!  I've got gold embossing along the edge of the Shaded Spruce DSP as well as on the tree and the sentiment.  Gold edged ribbon and some gold star sequins on the sentiment are some nice shiny accessories.  And I lightly sponged gold ink onto the raised pattern on the Merry Melody embossed panel.  The tree topper star and backing layer on the tree are made with the gold from the Gold & Rose Gold specialty paper from the annual catalog.

  Check out what the awesome Paper Players design team did with these colors and then play along with us!

Jaydee
 LeAnne
Claire
Joanne
Laurie
Anne Marie
Ann
Nancy
Debbie 

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Whimsical Trees, Frosted Gingerbread

Ink: Versamark, Gold ink

Paper: Merry Merlot, Shaded Spruce, Very Vanilla, Gold & Rose Gold Specialty Paper, 'Tis the Season DSP (retired)

Accessories: Merry Melody embossing folder, Stitched Stars die, Tasteful Labels dies, Christmas Tree dies, gold embossing powder, Gold Metallic Edged ribbon (retired), dimensionals, star sequins (retired)

Whimsical Wonderland - Stampin' Up! Whimsical Trees - Paper Players 570

   It was a busy week and I'm glad to be starting fresh today!  I worked smarter, not harder (I hope!) last week and was able to design this card to work for my stamp club as well as for the newest Paper Players challenge which opens today.  Jaydee has given us the fun theme of 'Winter Wonderland' to work with.  It's the perfect inspiration if you still have some more Christmas cards to make.  

  My card is definitely winter and it's certainly a whimsical wonderland with these fun non-traditional Christmas colors.  

  The 3 trees in the center of the cluster were all embossed with clear embossing powder and then using the emboss resist technique the 3 ink colors were blended on with blending brushes letting the embossing just pop against the colors.

  I added 2 skinny trees for balance; one in Granny Apple Green and the other cut from Whimsy & Wonder DSP.  All the trees are mounted on a Basic White panel with a stitched border from the Stitched with Whimsy dies.  Some Coastal Cabana ink is lightly blended in the middle to give the trees an area to be grounded upon.

  The sentiment banner is stamped in Coastal Cabana and then popped.  A Polished Pink ribbon and some sequins and gem finish off the details.

  The Paper Players Design Team always has wonderful ideas so definitely check them out and then come play along with us.

Jaydee
 LeAnne
Claire
Joanne
Laurie
Anne Marie
Ann
Nancy
Debbie 

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Whimsical Trees

Ink: Versamark, Coastal Cabana, Granny Apple Green, Polished Pink

Paper: Basic White thick, Basic White, Coastal Cabana, Granny Apple Green, Whimsy & Wonder DSP

Accessories: Christmas Trees dies, Stitched with Whimsy dies, clean embossing powder, blending brushes, dimensionals, sequins, In Color gems, Polish Pink ribbon

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

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

 

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)

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

Merry Little Trees - Stampin' Up! Christmas Trees Dies

   The Paper Players Challenge is back with a new challenge today! Ann has given us a fun Tic-Tac-Toe board for our inspiration.  Pick a row or column down, across or diagonal and use those 3 elements to create your card.

  I chose the middle row down; Circles, Patterned Paper & Embossing to make my card.  I need to get going on Christmas cards so that was my focus for this card.  

  Apologies for the poor photo!  I was losing my natural light to photograph so I promise this card looks better in person!

  I used circles for the trees, the embossed patterned and the little gems at the tops of the trees.  Embossing is the embossed polka dots as well as the silver embossed sentiment.  And of course the patterned paper for the trees which I layered behind the circles with the trees cut out of them.  The Christmas Tree dies and Whimsy & Wonder DSP are definitely the stars of this card.

  Check out the rest of the Design Team and then share your creation in the gallery so we can oooh and aaah over it!

Jaydee
 LeAnne
Claire
Joanne
Laurie
Anne Marie
Ann
Nancy
Debbie 

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Christmas to Remember

Ink: Versamark

Paper: Basic White thick, Basic White, Whimsy & Wonder DSP

Accessories: circle punches, Christmas Trees Dies, Checks & Dots embossing folders, Metallic Edges ribbon (retired), silver embossing powder, dimensionals, Elegant Faceted gems

Moonlight Coneflowers - Stampin Up! Nature's Harvest - Paper Players 564

   I always say the best way to start the week off is to do some stamping!  Lucky for you The Paper Players Challenge is back with a great new challenge to help you get started!  LeAnne has us working on a great sketch this time!  So many possibilities with those rectangle panels!  Can't wait to see what you all create.

 This is the card design that I sent out to my team for their October monthly hello card.  If you're ever interested in learning more about being a demonstrator feel free to reach out to me.  I'd love to answer any questions.

  I went full on Misty Moonlight with just a touch of cork for my card.  I love this color and couldn't resist using 3 different DSP sheets for my card!  The Harvest Meadow DSP has two of the patterns and the third (the stripes) comes from the Sale-A-Bration freebie Penguin Playmates DSP.  I layered the DSP over a piece of Cork Specialty paper and a Basic White layer.

  The stitched circle is embossed with the Tasteful Textile folder and makes for a nice texture for the coneflowers from the Nature's Harvest set.  I stamped them in Misty Moonlight and then used my blender pen to lightly blend some of the ink for a very light color.  I didn't add any extra ink but just pulled it from the stamped image to fill in some of the white spaces. You want to be careful you don't over work the cardstock with the blender pen as the cardstock will start to pill and get muddy looking but it's a great technique for a very subtle color.  Once the flowers were cut out I adhered them to the circle and then the whole thing to the card front.

  The sentiment from the Many Happenings set is stamped in what else; Misty Moonlight! I used the long label from the Harvest dies to cut it out.  I have had this white twill ribbon forever and it's long since retired but I thought it was just right for adding to the underside of the sentiment.  The whole strip is popped on dimensionals.  The final touch is two retired white sequins and a retired enamel dot in Misty Moonlight.  No matter how much I use these retired dots and sequins I always seem to have just as many left!  I think they have babies in the drawer!

  The Paper Players Design Team always knocks these challenges out of the park so head on over and give them some love before playing along!

Jaydee
 LeAnne
Claire
Joanne
Laurie
Anne Marie
Ann
Nancy
Debbie 

   Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Nature's Harvest, Many Happenings

Ink: Misty Moonlight

Paper: Misty Moonlight, Basic White, Cork Specialty, Harvest Meadow DSP, Penguin Playmates DSP (SAB)

Accessories: Stitched Circle die (retired), Harvest dies, dimensionals, blender pen, sequins (retired), enamel dot (retired)

Big Birthday Wish - Stampin' Up! Party Puffins - Paper Players 563

   It just so happened that my specific card needs coincided with the newest Paper Players Challenge this week!  Jaydee has given us the fun challenge of a Clean and Simple birthday card!  I hope you'll be inspired by this new challenge this week and come play along with us!

 

  I needed a special birthday card for one of my childhood soccer coaches who was having a milestone birthday.  He was an enthusiastic coach who always believed in us and who showed up season after season in all sorts of weather to continue to teach 20 girls not only the fundamentals of the game but also how to be a team.  Happy birthday Mr. G!

   I do have some layers and bit of texture but I think the open space and limited color palette (our team always wore blue so I had to stick with the theme!) definitely put this card in the clean and simple category.  Nothing crazy here, no fancy techniques just some mixing and matching of stamp sets and a tiny bit of ink blending behind the sentiment.

  Check out the Paper Players Design Team for more inspiration!

Jaydee
 LeAnne
Claire
Joanne
Laurie
Anne Marie
Ann
Nancy
Debbie 

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Party Puffins, Biggest Wish, For the Win (retired)

Ink: Versamark, Memento Black, Misty Moonlight, Balmy Blue

Blends: Daffodil Delight dark, Pumpkin Pie dark

Paper: Basic White, Misty Moonlight

Accessories: black embossing powder, dimensionals, Stitched Rectangle dies, Subtle embossing folder (retired), black bakers twine, rhinestones, candy dots (retired), enamel dots (retired)

Gorgeous Wreath - Stampin' Up! Gorgeous Leaves - Paper Players 562

   It's Sunday again and you know what that means?  It's a new Paper Players challenge!  Ann Marie has given us a color palette to work with this week.  We've got Pumpkin Pie, Pale Papaya, Early Espresso and a 4th color of your choice!

  I have to confess I struggled a bit to get this one started.  I liked the colors but none of my stamps sets seemed to be calling out to be used!  After a few stops and starts I ended up combining some elements from the Gorgeous Leaves stamp set and the Sparkle of the Season bundle.

  I added Crumb Cake as my 4th colors and embossed it with the Brick & Mortar embossing folder.  I brushed a bit of Crumb Cake ink onto the panel for a little detail.

  The two wreaths are cut out of Early Espresso and layered.  The leaves are inked in Pale Papaya with some Pumpkin Pie sponged on with a sponge dauber.  After cutting them out the leaves are layered around the wreath and then the whole wreath is popped on dimensionals.

  The sentiment is stamped on a strip of Crumb Cake and then I added a few retired candy dots for some extra detail.  For another detail I added a knot of twine and retired Early Espresso seam binding ribbon.  It's hard to see but I covered each little leaf on the wreath with a light layer of Wink of Stella for a bit of shine.

  I figure that this will be a good Thanksgiving card with these pretty fall colors.

  I can't wait to see the wonderful ideas you come up with for these colors.  Be sure to share them in the challenge gallery.  Also take a look at the Design Team projects and give them some love!

Jaydee
 LeAnne
Claire
Joanne
Laurie
Anne Marie
Ann
Nancy
Debbie 

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

 Stamps: Gorgeous Leaves, Sparkle of the Season

Ink: Pumpkin Pie, Pale Papaya, Early Espresso, Crumb Cake

Paper: Early Espresso, Crumb Cake, Basic White

Accessories: Brick & Mortar embossing folder, Seasonal Swirls dies, Intricate Leaves dies, dimensionals, twine, Wink of Stella, Early Espresso seam binding ribbon (retired), candy dots (retired)

Spooky Night Sky - Stampin' Up! Seasonal Swirl Dies - Paper Players 561

  The Paper Players challenge is back today with a great new challenge.  I know I say that every week but it's true!  I'm so inspired with each new challenge and getting to see the Design Team projects as well as the lovely gallery.  This week is no exception!  Laurie has given us the theme of 'Spooky' this time.  

  I've got to admit that I don't usually go in for Halloween stamp sets or papers as I have found over these many years of stamping that I just don't send many cards for this one day.  It's all well and good with me if one of my fall sets has a pumpkin or a bat so if I need to make a card I can usually come up with something.  And that something is my card today since about the only thing I had that might be spooky is bats.  

  I decided that it would be pretty spooky to have a full moon with a bold sky and some bats flying over head.  Add in a few trees and we've got the start of a haunted hay ride through the woods of New England right?

  I used basic masking to make the moon and then reversed the mask to blend in the night sky while keeping the moon nice and bright.  The trees are embossed in black and have a nice shine in real life.  The background layer and the bats are Black Glitter paper.  The bat die is in the Seasonal Swirls die set and are popped on dimensionals.

  Check out the Design Team's spooky cards and then play along with us and share your card to our gallery!

Jaydee
 LeAnne
Claire
Joanne
Laurie
Anne Marie
Ann
Nancy
Debbie 

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Beauty of Friendship

Ink: So Saffron, Bermuda Bay, Pacific Point, Night of Navy, Blackberry Bliss, Versamark

Paper: Basic Black, Black Glitter paper, Basic White

Accessories: Seasonal Swirl dies, black embossing powder dimensionals

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

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)

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

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

Fall Season Wreath - Stampin' Up! Season Swirl Dies - Paper Players 555

  The Paper Players are back at it today!  Laurie has given a us fun sketch to try out!  I have to admit the tilted layer gave me some pause but several ideas later I got it done!

   I went with a fall theme as before we know it we'll be full on Christmas card making and I wanted to get a few autumn cards made and added to the stash before it was too late!

  This one starts with a Crumb Cake base that has been lightly sponged around the edges with Crumb Cake ink.  Next is a layer of Harvest Meadow DSP.

  I made the tilted frame with the Stitched Rectangle dies and then backed it with a piece of Basic White that is embossed with the Bark embossing folder.  I lightly brushed some Crumb Cake ink on the ridges to tone down the brightness.  Then I popped it up with dimensionals.

  The wreath is cut out of Crumb Cake cardstock using the new Season Swirls dies. One of the dies cuts extra leaves so I used that for the Bumblebee leaves and then cut a second wreath from Calypso Coral and snipped the leaves off and adhered them to the Crumb Cake wreath to fill it out a bit.

  Using the carryover set, Banner Year I stamped the sentiment in Misty Moonlight onto Calypso Coral cardstock then flagged the end.  I added a few extra leaves to one end and then popped it with dimensionals.

  The final touch is a little linen thread bow.

  Check out all the great inspiration from the Paper Players Design Team and then add your creation to the gallery!

Jaydee
 LeAnne
Claire
Joanne
Laurie
Anne Marie
Ann
Nancy
Debbie 

 Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Banner Year

Ink: Misty Moonlight, Crumb Cake (for sponging)

Paper: Crumb Cake, Misty Moonlight, Basic White, Calypso Coral, Bumblebee, Harvest Meadow DSP 

Accessories: Stitched Rectangle dies, Seasonal Swirls dies, dimensionals, Bark embossing folder, linen thread

Birthday Leaf - Stampin' Up! Gorgeous Leaves - Paper Players 554

   I hope everyone is having a fun weekend!  Hopefully the fun can continue with you stamping along with the newest Paper Players challenge!  Anne Marie has given us the true challenge of doing a Clean and Simple Masculine card!  Sometimes those two kinds of card are hard enough on their own for me but for some reason putting them together I was able to make a card I was pretty pleased about without too many tears! :)

  Isn't that the cutest graphic?  Maybe that will be some inspiration for your project?  I went with an understated masculine color combo with a classic leaf.

 To bring in a bit of detail without adding busyness I stacked the main panel up on several other layers as well as used the Stitched Rectangle dies to cut the top panel.

  The Gorgeous Leaves set has a really cool wood grain stamp which I used with Gray Granite ink to anchor my leaf against.

  And to keep the card from being too dark and broody I added a Bumblebee twill knot to the leaf stem. 

  The Design Team always has some great inspiration for you!

Jaydee
 LeAnne
Claire
Joanne
Laurie
Anne Marie
Ann
Nancy
Debbie 

   Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Gorgeous Leaves, Itty Bitty Greetings (retired)

Ink: Gray Granite, Evening Evergreen

Paper: Evening Evergreen, Basic White, Soft Succulent, 

Accessories: Intricate Leaves dies, Stitched Rectangle dies, dimensionals, Bumblebee twill ribbon (retired)

The Stockings Were Hung - Stampin' Up! Sweet Little Stockings - Paper Players 553

The Paper Players challenge is back with a fun color combination for you this week.  Claire has given us 3 classic colors to work with; Real Red, Old Olive and Daffodil Delight.  My first thought was bright summer flowers but then I took a 180 degree turn and went with Christmas!  I can't wait to see how you use these colors so play along and share your creation in our gallery!

  The Sweet Little Stockings bundle wasn't on my preorder list the first time I went through the catalog as I wasn't really into the little animals but then I took a closer look at the rest of the stamps and coordinating dies and realized it was so much more than a cute animal set.  The stockings were so cute and the line images are perfect for a bit of coloring; big enough not to get lost on a card front but small enough that it didn't feel like it took forever to color! And coloring is what I did!

  Just a few details to point out as it's really a very simple card for the most part!  The stockings are colored in the challenge colors using Stampin' Blends markers and then die cut and strung up on baker's twine.  I used an itty bitty hole punch to make the holes in the loops.

  The sentiment is stamped in Old Olive and then the Basic White panel is embossed with the Subtle embossing folder for just a bit of extra texture.

  The card base is stamped with the Knit Together background stamp which is a really fun way to immediately make a card for colder weather.

  I used a few of the smaller dies to decorate around the stockings; bows, stars and the little holly sprig on the smallest stocking.

  Check out the Design Team inspiration and then join the fun!

Jaydee
 LeAnne
Claire
Joanne
Laurie
Anne Marie
Ann
Nancy
Debbie 

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Sweet Little Stockings, Knit Together

Ink: Memento black, Old Olive

Blends: Real Red light & dark, Old Olive light & dark, Daffodil Delight light & dark

Paper: Old Olive, Real Red, Basic White, Daffodil Delight

Accessories: Stockings dies, dimensionals, Subtle embossing folder (retired), baker's twine, adhesive rhinestones

Seashells by the Seaside - Stampin' Up! Friends are Like Seashells - Paper Players 552

   The past week has just flown by and here we are back again on a Sunday!  Let's start this week off on the right foot by stamping along with the newest Paper Players challenge.  Joanne has us working with a great theme this week; Beside the Seaside.

  

  Of course my go to stamp set for a challenge like this is Friends are like Seashells!  And I did a little bit of ink blending to create a background that kind of looks like the surf meeting the sandy shore.

  For the blended background all I did was tear the edge off a piece of scrap paper to mask off part of the Basic White panel and then blended Balmy Blue and Misty Moonlight inks for the water.  Then I flipped the scrap leaving just a little bit of a space for the foamy surf and then blended Crumb Cake ink for the sand.  Using the little speckle stamp in the FALS set I added a bit of texture.

  Next was just stamping and embossing a few of the shells as well as a sand dollar and creating a cluster with a bit of Fine Art ribbon.

  I pulled out the retired Itty Bitty Birthdays set for the sentiment as none of my current sets had one that fit my vision and stamped it in Night of Navy on a narrow scrap of Basic White.  The whole cluster is popped on dimensionals.

  Check out what the fabulous Paper Players Design Team is creating and then play along with us!

Jaydee
 LeAnne
Claire
Joanne
Laurie
Anne Marie
Ann
Nancy
Debbie 

   Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Friends Are Like Seashells, Itty Bitty Birthdays (retired)

Ink: Misty Moonlight, Balmy Blue, Crumb Cake, Night of Navy, Sahara Sand, Mint Macaron

Paper: Night of Navy, Basic White, Sahara Sand, Very Vanilla

Accessories: blending brushes, Seashells embossing folder, Fine Art ribbon

Whimsical Christmas - Stampin' Up! Whimsical Trees - Paper Players 551

   Happy Sunday stampers!  I hope you've been having a good weekend so far.  The Paper Players are back with a fun new sketch challenge.  I hope you'll play along and share your card in the gallery so we can all ooohhh and aaahhh over it.

 Ann has given us this fantastic layout this week and I know I'll be using this one again.

  I decided to go straight to Christmas with this layout and use a few more new products from the upcoming July-December mini catalog.

  The new Whimsical Trees bundle and coordinating paper, Whimsy & Wonder were perfect for this challenge.  The tall trees were just right for the rectangle and the DSP for the narrow strips.  I added in a bit of Gold Specialty paper for the stars, tree trimming and rectangle backing.

  See the wonderful inspiration from the Design Team and play along!

Jaydee
 LeAnne
Claire
Joanne
Laurie
Anne Marie
Ann
Nancy
Debbie 

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Whimsical Trees 

Ink: Mint Macaron, Misty Moonlight, Versamark

Paper: Basic White thick, Whimsy & Wonder DSP, Basic White, Polished Pink, Mossy Meadow, Mint Macaron, Rose & Gold Specialty paper

Accessories: Bark embossing folder, Christmas Trees dies, dimensionals, baker's twine, gold embossing powder