Frosty and Fresh {FMS3}

Have you heard the news?  There's a fun, fresh and fabulous new challenge blog in town.  Yes, I'm talking about Freshly Made Sketches and today I am honored and delighted to be their Featured Designer!!  My fellow Paper Player and blog queen extraordinaire, Lesley Croghan lined up an all-star "Clean Team" to bring you a fresh and clean sketch every week.  What is "clean" you say?  Well, it's clean lines--no sponging, distressing or tearing but not simple style either--embellishments and layers are encouraged!  All the gals at FMS rock, hi girls(!), and I am tickled pink to be with them this week.    Here is this week's Freshly Made Sketch #3:

Fabulous, isn't it?  I wanted to get a head start on my holiday cards and had a "fresh" stack of Frostwood Lodge designer paper just calling my name:

Since I really bought this paper for the gorgeous woodgrain patterns (right, Rita?!), I surprised myself by actually using plaid!  I am not really a plaid girl--must be my catholic school girl roots--but paired with the birch background paper and the woodgrain background stamp (yes I used it again!), the Cherry Cobbler plaid just worked!  Here's few close-ups of the fun bits:

Love that birch patterned paper--another woodgrain, yay!  The trees from Plant Hope were stamped in Garden Green and outlined with dazzling diamonds....because who says you can't wear diamonds with plaid?  :) 

Even the inside got the fresh and clean treatment with this beautiful sentiment from Comfort & Joy.

So, what do you think....are you inspired?  Check out Freshly Made Sketches for even more inspiration--you won't be disappointed!  I hope you'll play along with the team!  Just make sure to link up your clean creation over at Freshly Made Sketches by Monday, September 26th at midnight (PST).   The Clean Team will be delighted to come visit you and offer an encouraging comment or two!  Thanks so much to Lesley and the Clean Team for inviting me on board this week...and thanks to you for stopping by! 

supplies:

stamps: plant hope; woodgrain; you're a gem; comfort & joy

ink: garden green, cherry cobbler

paper: cherry cobbler, early espresso, whisper white CS; frostwood lodge DSP

xtras: paper crimper; designer buttons (regals); dazzling diamonds; early espresso baker's twine

Perfectly Surprised {CCMC}

Perfectly surprised…that describes this week over at Create with Connie and Mary Summer Edition where they are full of surprises and I am SOOOO excited to announce that I am the SURPRISE GUEST DESIGNER for Week #5.  That’s right, ME!   Surprise GUEST DESIGNER!  If you are a subscriber to Create with Connie and Mary Summer Edition, I will be sharing with you a FABULOUS 3D project and tutorial using one of that week's featured products in the Summer Mini.  But WHICH product is a SURPRISE, too!  

 Now remember...the only way to see my SURPRISE GUEST DESIGNER project is to be a subscriber to Create with Connie and Mary Summer Edition and sign up now while you can save $5 off the subscription price.  The early bird special of $24.95 ends Saturday, May 14th at 11:55 pm.  Don't delay!

And speaking of summer, I am in love with Fabulous Florets from the Summer Mini catalog!   Today’s card features all of the stamps in the set:

Along with some bright and happy colors: Pumpkin Pie, Rose Red, Daffodil Delight and Old Olive—don’t they look smashing together?!  I used the embedded embossing technique to create my polka dot background: 

To a piece of Pumpkin Pie cardstock, I adhered numerous 1 ¼” Whisper White circles and ran the whole thing through the Big Shot with the Square Lattice embossing folder.  I also stamped the smaller flower in Pumpkin Pie on my cardbase in opposite corners.

The big Daffodil Delight flower was created by stamping the big solid flower from Fabulous Floretsthree times in DD on Whisper White cardstock .  Yes, each one was hand-cut but because they are all layered together and the edges appear as part of the flower—the cutting doesn’t have to be perfect!  There are 2 flowers glued together as the base and one popped up on top with a dimensional.  I also stamped the leaf image onto Old Olive CS in OO ink, cut out and crumpled for a realistic look layering one leaf under the top flower for extra dimension.  Some Rose Red seam binding ribbon added a pop of contrasting color—love how it looks with Pumpkin Pie!

The inside of the card received a touch of the Square Lattice embossing folder—just ran it through the Big Shot with just the bottom quarter of the cardstock actually in the folder.  The sentiment from On Your Birthday was stamped in more Old Olive ink and more flowers added in Daffodil Delight and Rose Red

So, were you perfectly surprised?  I sure was…and delighted to be the SURPRISE GUEST DESIGNER #5!  Remember...the only way to see my Surprise Guest Designer project is to be a subscriber to Create with Connie and Mary Summer Edition and sign up now while you can save $5 off the subscription price.  The early bird special of $24.95 ends Saturday, May 14th at 11:55 pm.  Thanks for stopping by and sharing in my big surprise!

stamps: fabulous florets, on your birthday

ink: daffodil delight, rose red, old olive

paper: pumpkin pie, whisper white, old olive CS

xtras: square lattice embossing folder; rose red seam binding ribbon; top note die

Thankful for YOU {PPA83}

My big surprise today...are you ready?  OMG, I am so excited to tell you...this week I am the Featured Artist at Pals Paper Arts!!!  Did you hear my squeal?!  Words cannot express how excited, honored and THRILLED I am to join this super talented group of stampers.  And not only are they talented but the whole team is kind, supportive and so generous with their comments.  Here's the lovely color combo we're working with this week:

Baja Breeze, Soft Suede and Crumb Cake--beautiful aren't they?  I loved working with them to make this for you:

So when you're designing for the Pals, where to start?  Oh my gosh, talk about pressure! :-)  So, I looked in the PPA archives and found a fantastic sketch, PPA77, which was the perfect starting point.

 The single leaf stamp from Bold Blossom was inked in Soft Suede and stamped repeatedly onto Crumb Cake patterned paper following inspiration from a favorite handbag designer of mine, Orla Kiely--famous for her stem leaf prints.  Another patterned paper from the Neutrals Patterns designer paper stack, this time in Soft Suede polka dot provided the background on top of my Woodgrain stamped Baja Breeze card base.  The single Baja Breeze flower works well on its own with the coordinating sentiment also from Bold Blossom.  I wrapped the card base with Crumb Cake seam binding ribbon and secured the ends under the main panel.  A simple little bow was made with a loop of more seam binding ribbon tied in the middle with linen thread and secured with a glue dot.

I thought I was all finished but...well...it just needed a little something else and like the perfect pearl necklace, a scattering of small Basic Pearls on the leaf stems and the flower center was just the thing!

I hope you enjoy my PPA card as much as I enjoyed making it and savoring the moment when I received the invite to join this talented team.   A HUGE thank you to the whole team but especially Ann, Linda, Mary, Margaret and Debbie for their support and encouragement.  Please stop by Pals Paper Arts to enjoy the rest of the design team inspiration and play along this week--I can't wait to see what you make with these beautiful colors!  Enjoy the rest of your week, my friends.  :-)

the goodies:

stamps: bold blossom, woodgrain

ink: soft suede, baja breeze, crumb cake

paper: baja breeze, very vanilla, soft suede CS; neutrals patterns designer paper stack

xtras: crumb cake seam binding ribbon; linen thread; basic pearls; large oval, 3/3" circle and 1" circle punches

Valentine Guest Designer

I squealed with delight when I discovered that this card won me the honor of a Guest Designer spot on the Card Patterns weekly sketch blog--what a thrill!  I couldn't wait to see what their fabby sketch would be and sketch #99 for this week did not disappoint:

I just love those big scallops and circles are probably one of my favorite shapes to use on cards.  I knew I would use the Tasteful Trims XL die for a yummy scallop border and that I would incorporate a Valentine theme.

The single stamp Be My Valentine is the star here--inked first in Versamark, then Cherry Cobbler ink, stamped onto Very Vanilla CS and heat embossed with clear stampin' emboss powder.  Love this technique for embossing any color you like!  I cut out the heart and adhered it to a Very Vanilla circle cut with Nesties and stamped with Crumb Cake ink and the Woodgrain background stamp.  I stamped just the sentiment a second time, cut it out and popped it up on dimensionals.

I also highlighted the flower around the sentiment with some adhesive basic pearls.  You can see them better here:

Love Letter DSP provided the black and very Vanilla patterned paper--one of my favorites from this stack.  The Cherry Cobbler polka dot paper is actually left over from my Jolly Holiday DSP--love using holiday paper for a different holiday!

The Tasteful Trims XL die made this lovely extra wide scallop border in a quick pass through the Big Shot with basic black CS.  I wrapped the card with some yummy Cherry Cobbler seam binding ribbon laid flat.  Then I came back with a separate bow which I attached with glue dots.  I find it so much easier to make a pretty bow this way!  Before I tied the bow, I tucked in a piece of Chantilly Crochet trim which picks up nicely on the pattern in the black DSP and adds some fun texture.  This card ended up much for vintage/shabby than I intended but sometimes I just have to take a back seat and let the supplies do the talking!  And I've done enough here...would love to have you join the gals over at the Card Patterns blog this week.  It's a great sketch and each week they pick 6 winners!  How cool is that?  A big shout-out to Tracy and the rest of the design team for inviting me on board this week.  Thanks so much!  And thanks to you, dear reader, for stopping by today.  I'll be back tomorrow with another challenge for the Paper Players.  Enjoy your Saturday!  

supplies:
stamps: be my valentine, woodgrain
ink: versamark, cherry cobbler, crumb cake
paper: crumb cake, very vanilla, basic black CS; love letter & jolly holiday DSP
xtras: cherry cobbler seam binding ribbon; basic pearls; circle nestabilities; chantilly crochet trim; tasteful trims xl die