Embossed & Dashing for the Paper Players {26}

Happy Sunday everyone!  I hope all my US friends enjoyed the holiday weekend, I sure did!  It was nice to have a leisurely time making my card for this week's Paper Players {26} challenge.  Usually it's a mad rush to the deadline!  This week is Jaydee's Paper Players Plus challenge and she's calling for wet embossing.  Such fun--I love how embossing creates a sharp and glossy image.  For this one, I turned to a much-neglected holiday favorite from 2009.  Sweet Dasher has yet to see ink this holiday season so I thought he was due for a turn at my craft table.

Isn't he handsome?  He looks wonderful emobssed in Night of Navy.  First, I cut a 3" circle with my Nestabilities and stamped the long row of bare trees from Lovely as a Tree in Bashful Blue.  

 

Next, I overstamped Dasher by inking him first in Versamark, then Night of Navy and sprinkled with clear embossing powder and heat set.  I love this technique which allows me to emboss in any ink color.  Versamark + classic ink of choice + clear embossing powder and heat set = FAB results!  I also added a little Dazzling Diamonds to the snowy hills with a glue pen. 

Bashful Blue cardstock was embossed with the Northern Flurry impressions folder and sponged over with Frost White Shimmer Paint.  I applied the Shimmer Paint directly to the cardstock with a sponge and added a few basic rhinestones for even more sparkle!

 

 Whisper White organza ribbon is my go-to ribbon for holiday cards--it's elegant and shimmery all at once.  Of course, my other go-to this season is the Silver Tinsel trim I tied onto the knot.  A little bit of tinsel goes a long way but adds such a fun element!

 

On the inside, I stamped Lovely as a Tree again in Bashful Blue and overstamped a sentiment from Occasional Quotes (hostess level 2) in Night of Navy.  I just love this sentiment, it's the perfect match for the serene, frosty mood I was going for.  Of course, the inside needed a bit of "frost" too so a few more strokes of the glue pen and a sprinkling of Dazzling Diamonds was in order.

Won't you join us for a embossing challenge?  Head on over to The Paper Players this week to check out the rest of the Design Team's creations--you're sure to find a lot of inspiration when you do!  To play along just link up your creation by midnight (PST) Friday, December 3rd to be in the running for "A Cut Above" and "Headliner".  The winners will be featured on The Paper Players blog Saturday, December 4th.  Come join us, we can't wait to see what you'll create!
 

supplies:
stamps: dasher; lovely as a tree; contempo christmas; occasional quotes

ink: bashful blue, night of navy, versamark

paper: night of navy, bashful blue, whisper white CS

xtras: northern flurry impressions folder; whisper white organza ribbon; silver tinsel trim; dazzling diamonds; frost white shimmer paint; basic rhinestones, clear embossing powder

Gratitude and Thanksgiving wishes for you! {CD86}

 

Hi all, can you believe it's the day before Thanksgiving?  Where has this year gone?  Well, it's Wednesday and that means another challenge at the Color Dare {86}: Pumpkin Pie, Cajun Craze, Wild Wasabi and Baja Breeze.  Wow, at first glance, I thought "what am I going to do with that?!"  Then, I saw this fabulous wreath over on my friend LeAnne's blog and I knew I wanted to try my hand at it too.  Using the lid of a small storage jar, I lightly traced a circle in pencil onto my Naturals White cardstock.  The storage jar lid was handy but you could also use a punched circle as a template.  The circle is about 1 3/4".  The circle helped me line up the leaves, branches and twigs of my wreath to create an [almost] uniform circle instead of the ellipse I got the first time I tried it without tracing a circle! :-)

I stamped the small leaf from Autumn Days in Wild Wasabi leaving a little space between each one.  Next, I stamped the same leaf in Pumpkin Pie and followed up with Baja Breeze leaves.  I really like how the BB looks next to the PP & WW!  Lastly, the twig branch was stamped in Cajun Craze randomly around the circle.  A little Pumpkin Pie 1/4" grosgrain ribbon, secured with a glue dot, added a little dimension to the wreath.  As always, the hardest part was figuring out the pattern of leaves and colors--there were a few samples in the trash before I settled on "the one".

 

The color combination was looking so pretty (thanks Riley!) that I wanted to dress up the inside too.  I tried acrylic block stamping in Baja Breeze and I love the effect.  Just put your acrylic block directly on the ink pad and then stamp on your paper.  It gives a great background element.  Here, I used SU's block "D" and stamped off once before stamping the Baja Breeze onto the Naturals White cardstock.  I have tried this was some non-SU acrylic blocks (while I was waiting for the UPS man to bring my order with the blocks!) and I have to say that the SU blocks are better for this technique because the edges are rounded and give a soft stamped edge.  Other blocks have a right angle edge which gives a sharp hard edge to your stamped image.  Anyway....the wonderful Thanksgiving sentiment from Seasonal Sentiments, was overstamped in Cajun Craze with the other colors, Pumpkin Pie & Wild Wasabi, coming in on the leaf and branch from Autumn Days.

I wish I could send this card to all of you, dear blog readers and friends.  Your comments and well wishes keep me going and push me to be more creative with each post.  Since I can't mail one to all of you, this post is dedicated to you--thank you!  Whether you are celebrating Thanksgiving tomorrow or not, here's to you and a wonderful weekend ahead with friends and family...cheers!

supplies:
stamps: autumn days; seasonal sentiments, woodgrain bg, thankful for

ink: cajun craze, wild wasabi, pumpkin pie, baja breeze

paper: cajun craze, wild wasabi, naturals white CS

xtras: dotted scallop ribbon border punch; pumpkin pie 1/4" grosgrain ribbon; acrylic block D

PPA yeah!!

It's been way too long since I played at the PPA.  It's always been one of my favorite challenges but I just haven't been able to make the time.  I'll bet you can relate, right?!  Would you believe that I dreamed up this card on a 4 hour drive home Sunday and made it in about 30 minutes?  That's what I call clean-and-simple!

PPA69 calls for a clean-and-simple project featuring fabric and/or ribbon.  How fun!  I knew I wanted to use these gor-juss Joel Dewberry and Amy Butler fabrics I've been hoarding.  I love these colors and River Rock, Always Artichoke and Baja Breeze were a delightful match!  I ran 4 different patterned fabrics through my Big Shot on the Tasteful Trims die. Then I played around with the mix of patterns--this part took the longest!  A bit of sticky strip on the top of each scallop held it in place and I simply wrapped the ends around my Naturals Ivory cardstock.  Using the sticky strip at the top let each piece ruffle out a little bit.

Doesn't that look pretty?!  I inked one of the flowers from Pocket Silhouettes in Baja Breeze and stamped off once before stamping on the Naturals Ivory.  It made a lovely background image for an Always Artichoke Signature Greeting from PTI.  Then I wrapped the whole panel in Always Artichoke seam binding ribbon.  I had some scallop strips left over so I used a little bit on the inside...

and repeated the Pocket Silhouettes in Baja Breeze & Always Artichoke.  A little more seam binding ribbon and an Always Artichoke sentiment from On Your Birthday completes my project.  I hope you have as much fun looking at this one as I did creating it!  I can't wait to use more fabric on other projects--so many ideas in my head, wish I didn't have to sleep!  :-)  Have a good one friends!

supplies:

stamps: pocket silhouettes; on your birthday; signature greetings (PTI)

ink: baja breezem always artichoke

paper: river rock, naturals ivory cardstock

xtras: always artichoke seam binding ribbon; tasteful trims xl die

A Sketch for the Paper Players {25}

Happy Sunday everyone!  I am feeling rested and rejuvenated after some quality time with my Mom.  Everyone needs a little mama time now and then, right?!  Of course, our weekend included quality craft time so I am ready for a new challenge at The Paper Players.  I was honored when Lesley asked me to design a sketch for you :

I know, I didn't follow my own sketch quite exactly but it's just a starting point, LOL!  You can take liberties too!  I took my colors from the Candy Lane designer series paper: Baja Breeze, Garden Green and Blushing Bride.  Love these colors together!  The Blushing Bride and Baja Breeze Contempo Christmas ornaments were inked first in Versamark, then Classic ink, sprinkled with Iridescent Ice embossing powder and heat set.  The results are oh-so-sparkly but with the addition of a Basic Rhinestone trio at the top, they are downright festive!

Once I get into a design--the colors, shapes and mood of it--I can't stop at just the front!  So, the inside got a little Canopy treatment as well:

Just love the little sentiment and fab tree in the Contempo Christmas set.  Here I stamped the tree in Baja Breeze and overstamped, just a little, with the Garden Green sentiment.  A scrap of Candy Lane DSP and a Garden Green scallop ribbon border pulled it all together.

I will be so happy if you find inspiration in this week's Paper Players sketch. With a deadline of midnight (EST) Friday November 26th, our US friends should have enough time to recover from Thanksgiving and still get in on the challenge.  And those of you outside the United States will have a head start on us!  Thanks for stopping by and I hope to see your creation over at The Paper Players!

supplies:

stamps: contempo christmas; berry christmas (bows) [retired]

ink: baja breeze, garden green, versamark

paper: baja breeze, garden green, whisper white CS; candy lane dsp

xtras: scallop ribbon border punch; ornament punch; scallop trim border punch; iridescent ice stampin' emboss powder; basic rhinestones; polka dot impressions folder

A little R & R

'Evening everyone!  Sorry no card for you today...just a quick little note to let you know that I am taking a short break from blogging.  In the meantime, please check out the challenge over at The Paper Players for a wonderful holiday color combination and the talented crew at the Color Dare for a bright and cheerful color trio.  I'll be back on Sunday with my DT card for The Paper Players and it will be my turn as hostess again, yippee skippy!  Enjoy the rest of your week, see you on Sunday my friends!

 

A Color Challenge for Paper Players: {PP24}

Hi there friends!  I hope you're having a great weekend.  The Paper Players have a lovely holiday color combo for you this week.  Feel free to use any neutral--these colors are so rich and lush that they look beautiful with almost anything!  I kept my card pretty simple and just let the colors and paper do the work for me:

I used the emerging color technique to achieve this effect.  I stamped the Medallion onto my designer paper with Versamark ink and heat set with clear stampin' emboss powder.  It can be difficult to see the clear image on the patterned paper but if you tilt it toward the light you can see it all.  Next, I brayered Cherry Cobbler ink all over the paper repeating many times to achieve a deep saturated color.  The last step is the fun part when the color underneath emerges through the stamp!  With a baby wipe, rub off the brayered ink from your embossed image to reveal the beautiful pattern of your paper in the shape of the medallion. 

Here's a close-up so you can see the rich color created by the brayer and the clear embossed image.  Pretty isn't it?   I created a little dimension with a second layer of the embossed image in the center.  

I repeated the process on a small piece of designer paper just big enough for the center of the Medallion.  I punched it out with the 1 3/4" circle punch and popped it up on dimensionals.  Or as my stamp gals call them, "risers"!!  Of course, I had to add a little somethin' to the center so a medley of various sized basic pearls made an elegant centerpiece.  I thought the front was pretty enough without a sentiment so I let the inside do the talking:

I can't seem to put down the Seasonal Sentiments stamp!  I love the mixed font, the message and the dramatic size.  A strip of the matching designer paper used on the front plus a Cherry Cobbler scallop trim border finished it off nicely.  These colors are perfect for holiday cards and with Christmas only 39 days away, you need a holiday card!  ;-)  I hope you will join us at The Paper Players this week.  We can't wait to visit you!

supplies:

stamps: medallion; seasonal sentiments

ink: versamark, always artichoke, cherry cobbler

paper: always artichoke, cherry cobbler, very vanilla CS; bella bleu DSP [retired]

xtras: always artichoke seam binding ribbon; scallop trim border & 1 3/4" circle punches; clear stampin' emboss powder; basic pearls; brayer.

Button, button, whose got a button?

Hi everyone!  I hope you had a great day.  Today's card is one that I made for a friend and colleague with the maiden name of Button--she adores them and rightfully so!  I was so excited to feature some of our fabulous buttons on her birthday card.  The layout was inspired by a card on the cover of the Idea Book & Catalog and I couldn't wait to make it for her!  Just look at these beauties:

 
OK, technically one is a brad but it could be a button, right?  My favorites are the biggest ones in Old Olive, Rich Razzleberry, Crumb Cake and Tempting Turquoise.  Look at all those pretty swirls!  They almost look glass don't they?  This is a pretty simple layout and design--the better to let the buttons speak for themselves!  So, I will make this a quick post tonight.  Supplies are listed below--sorry I've neglected that lately, too pooped!  LOL.  Please let me know if you have any questions and thanks for stopping by...cheers!

supplies:

stamps: medallion; sincere salutations

ink: crumb cake, early espresso

paper: crumb cake CS; bella bleu DSP (retired); taste of textiles specialty paper (retired)

xtras: old olive striped grosgrain ribbon; scallop oval & large oval punches; antique brads; designer button collection (brights & neutrals); retired whisper white flower button (don't remember the name!) 

Dream Garden for The Color Dare {84}

Hello Color Dare fans!  It's time for another color challenge and here's what Riley has for us:

Color Dare 83

Soft Suede

Pear Pizzazz

Night of Navy

And here is what I've created for you:

The stamp-a-ma-jig made easy work of the center panel.  I started with a piece of Naturals Ivory cardstock (it's okay to add a neutral) and stamped the beautiful panel from Dream Garden in all 3 challenge colors.  I left a little bit of ivory cardstock at the bottom so I could wrap it with the scrunchy ribbon technique in Night of Navy taffeta ribbon.  

I made a flower embellishment from Night of Navy cardstock and layered two flowers from the Flower Fusion sizzlit.  The card base looked too plain to me so I chose another Asian-themed stamp set, Eastern Blossoms,  and stamped the cherry blossoms in Soft Suede as a frame.    

When I was finished, I realized that I wasn't finished--there was no sentiment!  I stamped it on the side to see what it would look like and I really like the effect.  What do you think?

And I couldn't ignore the inside....so the crane was inked up again in Pear Pizzazz and a sentiment from Sincere Salutations stamped in Night of Navy.

Sorry to make this a quick post tonight...please let me know if you have any questions or comments--love to hear from you.  Please be sure to check out the rest of the Design Team.  I'm sure you will find some fabulous inspiration on their blogs:

• Riley - our leader
• Glenda - Papers, Scissors & Rocks
• Heather - Princess Scrapper Stamper
• Joan - JJ Creations
• Marisa - Rosemary Reflections
• Melissa - My Paper Obsession

Merry Snowman for the Paper Players {23}

Happy Sunday everyone!  It's Paper Players day and Lesley has chosen a theme for our challenge this week...can you guess it?  That's right, it's snowmen!  Or snowpeople or snowperson--take your pick--anything with a snow"person".  I knew right away that I was going to make a shaker card with Dazzling Diamonds and SU's sweet treat cups.

Isn't he just the cutest?  So round and jolly!  I stamped the merry snowman from Jolly Old Saint Nick onto Whisper White with jet black Stazon and colored his scarf, mittens and cheeks with Real Red, Garden Green and Blushing Bride markers, respectively.  I used my Basic Gray ink pad and a blender pen to shade his hat.  The snowflakes from the same set where stamped behind him in Baja Breeze and I added some Dazzling Diamonds to the treat cup before sealing it up.  When my 6YO daughter saw this she couldn't stop shaking and playing with it!  I added some torn pieces of Whisper White for some snowy hills (trimmed in more Dazzling Diamonds!) and paired them with a greeting from one of my favorite (retired) sets for sentiments: Warm Words.

Some 1/8" taffeta ribbon wrapped up the side with a Real Red button and some silver tinsel trim from the Holiday mini catalog.  It's just not Christmas without tinsel!!

More coordinating papers and colors on the inside...love that cute polka dot paper from the Candy Lane specialty designer paper!  Another snowman, this time in Baja Breeze, and the sweet little sentiment from the same stamp set.  Love it when it all comes together!

So, what do you think?  Will you share a snowman or two with us this week?  If you don't have a snowman stamp, punch some circles or use buttons--so  many possibilities!  Whatever you do, come back to The Paper Players blog to link up your creation before midnight (PST) Friday November 12th.  We hope you'll join us for another week of crafty goodness...take care!  

Medallion Damask: Color Dare {83}

Hi crafty friends!  Welcome to another challenge week at The Color Dare where Riley is testing us once again with this beauty:

Color Dare 83

Garden Green

Blushing Bride

Perfect Plum

Very Vanilla

 I really liked the layout of this previous card and I was inspired by the Damask challenge over Moxie Fab World.  So, combined with this week's CD colors, here is what I created for you:

I adore the Medallion stamp and I really like it stamped off the Blushing Bride panel here.  I drew over a few areas of the Medallion with my glue pen and sprinkled on some Dazzling Diamonds.  This beautiful sentiment is from the level 2 hostess set, Peaceful Season, which I stamped in Garden Green on vellum cardstock and cut out with the (retired) Scalloped Oval frame die.  I used the largest of the Basic Rhinestones and snipped off a piece of stampin' dimensionals to tuck under each one.  This popped the oval up enough but allowed the dimensionals to hide under the rhinestones!  The other side of the oval is held up by another dimensional hiding under the beautiful dove.

I stamped the dove from the same set in Versamark ink onto Very Vanilla, sprinkled with Heat & Stick powder until it turns to liquid.  Then I sprinkled it with Dazzling Diamonds and heat until set.  The Heat & Stick powder is just sticky enough to hold onto the DD and the result is one sparkly dove!  A little bit of Very Vanilla seam binding ribbon was scrunched up on the edge for a soft and gentle ribbon treatment.

This medallion is so pretty that I stamped it again on the inside, this time in Blushing Bride and again embellished it with some Dazzling Diamonds.  The Seasonal Sentiments set provided the perfect greeting when stamped in Garden Green.  Head on over to the other designer's blogs to see what they've crafted for you.  You're sure to find lots of inspiration there:

• Riley - our leader
• Glenda - Papers, Scissors & Rocks
• Heather - Princess Scrapper Stamper
• Joan - JJ Creations
• Marisa - Rosemary Reflections
• Melissa - My Paper Obsession

What will YOU make with these colors?  We can't wait to see.  Be sure to visit us at The Color Dare and link up your creation.  Thanks for visiting!

supplies:

stamps: medallion; peaceful wishes; seasonal sentiments

ink: garden green, blushing bride, perfect plum, versamark

paper: garden green, blushing bride, very vanilla, vellum CS

xtras: scallop oval die (retired); basic rhinestones; glue pen; dazzling diamonds; very vanilla seam binding ribbon; heat & stick powder

Honoring our Ancestors

Hi everyone!  I hope you had a wonderful and magical Halloween.  I have no card to share with you today but hope you will indulge me for a moment....I would like to share our family's newest tradition...celebrating Day of the Dead.  I've always been fascinated by Dia de los Muertos and we thought it would be a wonderful idea to make a special day where we honor our ancestors and celebrate their lives.  Our daughter learned about Dia de los Muertos in her Spanish class and talked non-stop about it.  She brought home coloring pages and skull masks she made in school.  So yesterday, we gathered photos and memorabilia of our family and beloved pets and created our own Dia de los Muertos la ofrenda that you see above.  In this way we honor our family and let them know that they are with us in thought and spirit.   (click on the picture for a bigger view)

Our daughter, Arden, was so excited by this holiday that she asked to go to a local import boutique that offered Day of the Dead crafts for children.  She remembered that we happened upon it last year and asked to go again--much to the delight of the shopkeeper!  This weekend, she made the sugar skull you see in the front of the picture.  They have authentic sugar skulls, imported from Mexico, and all kinds of trims and decorations to embellish to her heart's content.  In fact, she is so excited about it that she is sharing it with you over on her blog, Arden's Garden of Crafts.  I know she would love to hear from you!

Whether your family is near or far, take a moment to send them good thoughts today and light a candle for them.  You will be glad that you did.  Thanks for stopping by and for  listening!