Happy Birthday LeAnne!

Thursday is my friend, and fellow Paper Players DT member, LeAnne's birthday...Happy Birthday LeAnne!  LeAnne is such a sweet person with immense crafting talent and a wicked sense of humor!  Her emails and comments always brighten my day so I created this card to send some happiness her way!

Pinwheels are all the rage in the paper crafting world and I was inspired by the pinwheels on this card over at my friend Rita's blog, Cards by Rita.  The pinwheel is super simple to make--this one is a 3" square of Just Add Cake designer paper, scored corner to corner to form an "X" and cut in from each corner almost to the center but not all the way.  I made it more difficult by punching holes for the brad but it would be much easier to secure the ends with a glue dot in the center!  Live and learn.... :-)

The French Filigree background stamp was inked in So Saffron and stamped directly on another piece of Just Add Cake designer paper to mimic swirling wind!  That swirling wind is waving a sentiment flag cut from Whisper White cardstock and punched at the end with a 1 1/4" square punch on an angle and wrapped around a lollipop stick.  Lollipop sticks can be bought in bulk wherever candy making supplies are sold. 

Of course, wherever there is wind there are clouds...cupcake clouds that is!  On this card, these were punched with the Build-a-Cupcake XL punch and sponged with Baja Breeze.

And because I can't stop making cupcake clouds, I added a few more to the inside with some matching DSP and another sentiment from Happiest Birthday Wishes (sorry the pic is so dark).  I hope you'll ride a few of those cupcake clouds over to LeAnne's blog and wish her a Happy Birthday...have a good one friends!

supplies:

stamps: french filigree; happiest birthday wishes

ink: so saffron, wild wasabi, baja breeze

paper: wild wasabi, peach parfait; baja breeze, whisper white CS; just add cake DSP

xtras: polka dot impressions folder; build-a-cupcake punch; glimmer brads (subtles); 3/4" circle punch; lollipop stick; 1 1/4" square punch;

Spring has Sprung {PP37}

Happy Sunday, friends, and welcome to another week with The Paper Players where our Theme Challenge welcomes Spring!

I recognize that it might not be Spring yet in your part of the world but we're hoping that our collective projects will make it happen that much sooner!  Today's card features the Awash with Flowers stamp set and a springtime color combination of Old Olive, Pretty in Pink and Daffodil Delight:

The flowers are stamped onto Whisper White in Daffodil Delight and Pretty in Pink while the stems and leaves are inked in Old Olive.  Awash with Flowers is a great stamp for achieving a watercolor look without any water--perfect for my watercoloring challenged self!  The Old Olive card base was stamped in the same ink with the French Filigree background stamp and layered with some designer paper from the Subtles pattern pack.

The sentiment from Easter Blossoms was the perfect thought for this Springtime card and punched with the Large oval punch it mats nicely with a Pretty in Pink scallop oval.  I punched the sentiment slightly left of center so I could add a little Daffodil Delight flower, popped out with the Boho Blossoms punch, and centered with a basic pearl.

And speaking of pearls, I just had to add a few to the top of each Daffodil Delight flower for a little shimmer and shine!

Have I mentioned how much I {heart} our wide striped grosgrain ribbon?  Maybe just a few times!  Here I wrapped a piece around the whole card front and tied it off with some Linen Thread and a Daffodil Delight designer button.

In the interest of time, I've been neglecting the inside of my cards lately (shame on me!) so I had to pick up my slack on this one!  I stamped the French Filigree background in Old Olive again on the inside for a different look and topped it with Whisper White and some more designer paper to trim it out.  I've not stamped a background stamp on the inside before but I kind of like it!

Spring has definitely sprung in our neck of the woods so I thought I would share a few lovelies from our yard with you.  Not to tease you but to remind you that spring will come to your corner eventually!  :-)

Be sure to check out all the lovely design team spring creations at The Paper Players--featuring our new Guest Designer, Marian Garcia!  We would love for you to join us this week.  If you do, post your creation to The Paper Players blog before midnight (PST) Friday March 11th to be considered for A Cut Above or Headliner.  Have a great day my friends!

the goods:

stamps: awash with flowers, easter blossoms, french filigree

ink: old olive, pretty in pink, daffodil delight

paper: old olive, whisper white, daffodil delight CS; patterns dsp stack subtles

xtras: daffodil delight wide striped grosgrain ribbon; large oval, scallop oval, boho blossoms and scalloped ribbon border punches; basic pearls; linen thread, brights designer buttons.

Vintage Cameo {PPA80} & {MFW}

Happy Saturday, everyone!  I hope it's a good one so far.  Have you seen the vintage challenge over at Pals Paper Arts this week?!  Oh my word, the photo is absolutely gorgeous! 

Stunning, right?  Oh the colors, the yards and yards of fabric, the black satin--yum!  I really think I was born in the wrong era, lol!  Anyway, I know this challenge isn't a photo inspiration one but it's the photo that hooked me.  I thought the PPA vintage theme was a perfect partner with The Appearance of Cameos Challenge in the Moxie Fab World to create something that's been kicking around in my head for awhile:

I used the Easter Blossoms set to create a cameo from the little girl silhouette.  Isn't she sweet?!  I inked her first in River Rock, then Versamark, stamped onto Very Vanilla and heat set with clear embossing powder.  The Large Oval punch was used to crop out just the top portion and the Scallop Oval punch made a lovely mat in Brushed Gold cardstock.

 

I always admire the mat stacks my friend Christina creates so I tried my hand at it here.  I made another mat from Basic Black cardstock with the Decorative Label punch and decorated the ends with a few Basic Pearls.

I wanted to emulate the gorgeous fabric of the skirt and the closest color I found is Rose Red.  The Rose Red designer paper is from Springtime Vintage DSP which I overstamped with the French Filigree background stamp in River Rock.  I matted it in Rose Red and placed atop a River Rock card base.  I like how the flourishes mimic the voluminous fabric of the skirt.

I love the play of black against the rose and decided to give the wide striped grosgrain ribbon an aged look by snipping the bottom and pulling loose some threads.  Looks a bit like a Victorian area rug!  I just received Fabulous Phrases in a recent order and I love all the sentiments to mix and match!  In the end "happiness" best seemed to describe the feeling I get from the little girl cameo and the soothing colors.

A bit of leftover Rose Red DSP on Very Vanilla adds some interest to the inside and one French Filigree flourish inked with my River Rock marker pulls it all together.  I'm not sure if it's possible to create clean-and-simple vintage card but I think that's what I ended up with!  I would love to hear what you think of today's creation!  Thanks for stopping by and be sure to check back tomorrow for the next challenge from The Paper Players!

supplies:

stamps: fabulous phrases, french filigree, easter blossoms

ink: river rock, versamark, jet black stazon

paper: river rock, rose red, very vanilla & brushed gold CS; springtime vintage DSP

xtras: large oval, scallop oval & decorative label punches; basic pearls; black 1 1/4" wide striped grosgrain ribbon; clear stampin' emboss powder