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Sunday, July 31, 2016

A Blog Break

Thanks for checking in on me today, friends.  Just a quick note to let you know that I will take a short break from blogging to recharge my creative batteries.  I'll be back with my Paper Players Design Team friends on August 28th.  Until then...


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Sunday, July 24, 2016

Tip Top Vintage Leaves PP305

It's another week at The Paper Players and the lovely LeAnne has an awesome sketch challenge for us.  Sketch challenges are my favorite as I always find the layout of the card the most difficult part of the design process.  With a sketch challenge, it's already done for you!  Here's LeAnne's sketch:
It's a fun one, right?!  Lots of different options for it.  I've been feeling a little mojo-less so despite the great sketch I was struggling.  I think it's because I [still] haven't ordered any new SU goodies--I know gasp--and am feeling less than inspired.  I went looking for some inspiration and found these pretty colors at Create with Connie & Mary:
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I also saw a prety card in the SU catalog that used the Vintage Leaves set (still a favorite) and suddenly I had an idea!  So this card was born:
I will never tire of this stamp set.  First, because the leaves are gorgeously detailed but secondly, because it is photopolymer (totally clear) and I love those!  I also like experiementing with the leaves in unexpected colors like these. 
 
The Dapper Denim base was stamped with two different leaves from the set in the same color ink.  I love this kind of tone-on-tone stamping.  It adds so much interest to the background without the bulk of  layers or embossing.  There's some added speckles in Tip Top Taupe from the Timeless Textures stamp set--a must for great backgrounds and accents!
 The biggest leaf (I think it's a maple?) was stamped in Tip Top Taupe ink onto Mint Macaron cardstock and cut with the coordinating Leaflets dies.  I scored the leaf and folded it in mountain/valley for added dimension.  I wanted to pull in the Dapper Denim from the card base but didn't have any ribbon in that color.  So.....I dyed a piece of Linen Thread using a cotton ball and my Dapper Denim ink pad!  Just held the thread on the ink pad with a cotton ball and pulled it across the ink.  Do that a few times, let it sit while you make the rest of the card and voila!  Dyed-to-match Linen Thread!
The inside is color coordinated with more Tip Top Taupe leaves and Mint Macaron leaves.  See how gorgeous the lines of these leaves are?  If you don't already have this set and coordinating Leaflets, you really must get it!

And...you really must go check out the rest of the inspiration from our Paper Players Design Team.  Always so much eye candy on display!  We hope you'll play along with us before the challenge closes on Friday, July 29 at Noon (PST).  Thanks for stopping by today!

The Paper Players Design Team
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Sunday, July 17, 2016

Watercolor of Greetings PP304

Hi all and welcome to Clean-and-Simple week at The Paper Players!  The lovely Jaydee is our hostess this week and she's challenged us to create a CAS design with watercolor:
I knew right away what I wanted to do so I got out my Aqua Painter and an assortment of inks and went to work:
This is my favorite kind of watercoloring--just swishes of color across a page.  I'm not very good at intricate, detailed watercoloring so I love this technique.  I always start out with a base layer of colors that are lighter than the colors I use as the final layer.  Here So Saffron, Blushing Bride and Pool Party made my first layer of color.  When that was dry (or after I dried it with the heat tool!) I added the second layer of deeper colors: Crushed Curry, Sweet Sugarplum and Bermuda Bay.
I die-cut the sentiment from my watercolor panel with the Greetings Thinlits.  Next, I cut several more sentiments from thick Whisper White cardstock.  I think I cut about 5 more.  Each one was glued to the next with the Fine Tip Glue Pen and lastly topped with my watercolored piece.  Once I fit the stacked sentiment in place, secured with more Fine Tip Glue, I had a dimensional sentiment that looks like it's floating on the surface.
I had so much fun, that I made another one with the same colors but oriented a diferent way.  This is the fun part about watercolor--no two are alike!
Stacked another sentiment in the same fashion...
...and finished off the inside of both using a swoosh fom the Number of Years set (coz it was laying on my desk!) and a sentiment from One Big Meaning.

I hope you enjoyed my cards today.  Be sure to check out my friends on the Design Team for some fabulous inspiration.  Thanks for stopping by!

The Paper Players Design Team

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Sunday, July 10, 2016

It's Definately Dahlia Time of Year: PP303

Hi all--it's my turn to host our color challenge at The Paper Players this week and I think it's a pretty one:
We just returned from a week away visitng family and I made today's card before I left.  Looking at it now, I'm not sure I love it but I was in a hurry and couldn't fuss with it.  Take a look:
I had the idea to stamp the gorgeous bloom from Definately Dahlia in Mint Macaron and fussy cut them for a dramatic look.  I layered them over a Swet Sugarplum print from the Playful Palette DSP stack.
I pulled in some Island Indigo with the large sentiment from the hostess-only set, Time of Year, and coordinated it with a strip of Island Indigo DSP.  I fussy cut the sentiment banners from the Time of Year set and added a little bit of retired crochet trim.
This flower is so pretty and was the perfect accent for the inside of my card.  The Island Indigo sentiment is from an oldie-but-goodie PTI set called Signature Greetings.  Love the handwritten font on this one.

I hope you enjoyed my card today...do check out the rest of the inspiration from our fabulous Design Team at The Paper Players.  I hope you will have a chance to play along with us before the challenge closes on Friday, July 15th at Noon (PST).  Thanks for stopping by!

The Paper Players Design Team
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Sunday, July 3, 2016

A Wonderful Wreath for July PP302

Hiya friends!  It's another week at The Paper Players and I'm writing to you from Door County, Wisconsin where we are visiting family.  Lovely weather up here and so nice to get out of the steamy South!  This week our fabulous friend, Sandy has a theme challenge for us:

Just right for the cooler weather I'm experiencing right now.  I'd like to pretend that this will give me a jump on starting Christmas cards early but....who am I kidding?  I've only just moved onto summer, lol!
The Wonderful Wreath stamp set and coordinating framelits didn't see nearly enough love in my stamp room last year so I decided to fix that with today's card.  I was also inspired by the card layout on page 33 of the new SU catalog. 
I started with a Crumb Cake base on which I stamped a sentiment from the set in the same color ink.  Looking at it, I think next time I would choose a slightly darker ink just to make the pattern of the repeated sentiment show up more. 
For the main panel, I embossed a piece of Whisper White cardstock with the Woodgrain folder.  Lovely on it's own but if you look close, you will see that I brushed Wink of Stella all over.  Oh what sparkle and shine...just like new fallen snow!
The wreath was heat embossed twice--the first stamp with white embossing powder and the second time with silver embossing powder.  I love the look of the white & silver emossing on Crumb Cake.  I cut two layers of the Christmas Greetings Thinlits from thick Whisper White cardstock and Silver Foil paper.  I layered the two for a drop shadow effect and adhered them together with the fine tip glue pen. 

I hope you like my card today....be sure to pop over to The Paper Players and check out the rest of the Design Team inspiration.  We're delighted to announce today that all three of our Guest Designers have agreed to stay on for the rest of the year!  YAY, thank you ladies--you and your work are fabulous.  Thanks for stopping by! 

The Paper Players Design Team

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