Polka Dot Parade {PP96}

Hey there, friends, happy Paper Players Sunday! Sweet Anne Marie is our hostess this week for a fun Clean-and-Simple challenge featuring....Polka Dots!  

Happy and fun, large or small, polka dots are the perfect pattern.  Today, I used these fabulous colors from Arielle and the DT over at the ColourQ:

I love, love these colors together--anything with Basic Gray is a winner in my book.  I liked them so much that I made two cards!  For the first one, I took a very clean-and-simple approach letting the designer paper do the work:

Not much 'splaining needed here--just some circle punches, dry embossing and Lucky Limeade Baker's Twine!  The sentiment is peeking through the negative space of the circle although it is difficult to see in the photo.  I wasn't totally in love with this card so I made a second one:

This one I like a little bit better although I wouldn't call it clean-and-simple!  The Flower Fest flowers were all embossed with white embossing powder three times each on Wisteria Wonder and Tempting Turquoise cardstock then fussy-cut.  I'm going to keep this one short today....but I would love to know what you think of today's cards.  Which one do you prefer?  For even more inspiration, check out my amazing teammates on the Design Team.  I know they will inspire you to play along with Anne Marie's Polka Dot Parade challenge!  Just make sure to do so before Friday, May 25th at Noon (PST) when the challenge closes.  I hope to see you in the gallery!

The Paper Players Design Team

Ann Schach

Anne Marie Hile

LeAnne Pugliese

Lesley Croghan

Nance Leedy
Jenn Picard
Heidi Boos

Narelle Farrugia (May GD)

 

Supplies Card #1

Stamps: You're a Gem

Ink: Basic Gray

Paper: Basic Gray, Whisper White, Designer Series Patterns Stack (In Colors), Island Floral DSP (retired)

Xtras: Luck Limeade Baker's Twine, Basic Rhinestones

Supplies Card #1

Stamps: Flower Fest; Petite Pairs; Build a Blossom

Ink: Lucky Limeade; Versamark

Paper: Basic Gray, Whisper White, Tempting Turquoise, Wisteria Wonder CS; Designer Series Patterns Stack (neutrals)

Xtras: Scalloped Oval Punch; Large Oval Punch; Basic Rhinestones; Ruffled Ribbon in color; Stampin Emboss Powder (white)

You're a Gem {CCMC198}

Happy Thursday friends! You know what Thursdays mean around here...yep, it's another week over at Create with Connie & Mary! This week the gals have a terrific sketch for you. Take a looksee:

Isn't it a great one?  I just had to play with some new sneak peek goodies.  There's a whole suite of products that Stampin' Up is previewing for us this month.  The line is called Summer Smooches and it will appear in the new catalog in June.  Don't you just love new stuff!!  This month demonstrators and customers are able to purchase a few of the products I've used on today's card.

 New stamps, new designer paper and new ribbon--woohoo!  My color palette is taken directly from the Summer Smooches DSP featuring Island Indigo, Lucky Limeade, Daffodil Delight, Real Red and Tangerine Tango.  So bright and happy!  I colored the Bright Blossoms vase and flowers with Stampin' Write markers and stamped onto a Whisper White oval cut with the Ovals die.  I layered it onto Tangerine Tango cut with the Framelit Labels collection.  A trio of Basic Rhinestones were added to the label in order to balance the bow and compliment the sentiment from You're a Gem.  By the way, this great little sentiment set is just one of the many sets scheduled to retire at the end of May. :-( Gonna miss that one!

Here's a little peek at the flower.  I stamped the red tulip once directly onto the Whisper White.  I stamped it a second time on some scrap, fussy-cut just the tulip and popped it up on a "riser" AKA Stampin' Dimensional.  Adds a little but of whimsy don'tcha think?

 Lastly, I stamped it again on the inside...let's pretend that it was actually stamped straight, 'kay?!  Geesh.  See that big strip of DSP at the top....I'm using that to distract you from the crooked stamping, lol!

I would love to know what you think of today's card (apart from the crooked stamp!) and hope that I've inspired you to play along with this sketch.  I know you'll want to check out the rest of the Design Team over at Connie & Mary for even more inspiration.  Maybe enough inspiration for you to play along with us...just make sure to link up your crafty goodness by Wednesday, April 25th at Noon (EST).  Thanks for stopping by today...have a good one!

 

Supply List 

Stamps: Bright Blossoms; You're a Gem

Paper: Island Indigo, Whisper White CS; Summer Smooches DSP 

Ink: Early Espresso, Real Red classic ink

Extras: Framelits Labels Collection; Ovals die; 3/16 Corner Rounder punch; Basic Rhinestones; Stampin' Write Markers; Daffodil Delight Seam Binding Ribbon

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

Breezy Cajun Sails {CCMC149}

Hiya friends!  Today's card started with this great sketch over at Create with Connie & Mary--those gals always have the best challenges!

I'm not sure I stuck with the sketch exactly.  :-)  It's still in there and hopefully you can recognize it although it's been flipped up and simplified a bit.  I wanted to pair with with my favorite stamp of the moment...Sail Away.  I can't put it down!  I love the line art and the movement of it--can't you just feel the Baja Breezes filling those sails?

I sure can!  The sailboat was inked first in Versamark, then Crumb Cake, stamped onto watercolor paper, sprinkled with clear stampin' emboss powder and heat set.  I lightly colored the sea and sky with my Aqua Painter and Marina Mist ink and a touch of Cajun Craze for the flag.  

The Marina Mist turned out so light that it looked better paired with Baja Breeze so I crumpled and distressed a piece of Elegant Soiree DSP, edged it with the Spiral border punch and sponged all the edges with Crumb Cake. 

Since the Sanded background stamp was sitting on my craft table from Sunday's card (yes, I hadn't cleaned up yet--shame on me!) I inked it up in Crumb Cake and stamped it on an angle on the card base.  I usually stamp it straight all over the front of the card but this card was turning out all wonky and distressed so angled seemed to fit!  My mom is laughing at this one (hi, Mom!) because she always angles everything and I always straighten out her angles!  So, this card broke all kinds of rules for me!

For the Crumb Cake trim down the side, I used the double scallop from the Tasteful Trims die.  See how both ends of the trim piece are rounded?  This die cuts a long piece of trim--about 12" actually.  So a short piece like this would have one end that was cut off.  That just wasn't acceptable!  So, I cut the cardstock a little bit longer than I actually wanted and ran it through the Big Shot to finish one edge.  Then I picked it up, turned it around so one scallop hung over the edge of the die and ran it through the Big Shot again.

 Which gave me a finished edge on both ends!  Pretty cool, huh?  

And here's the finished trim again.  I sponged the edges with Crumb Cake ink and finished it with a Vintage brad and some Early Espresso/Whisper White Baker's Twine.  You can also see that the sailboat image is matted on some colored Newsprint DSP.  It was actually a scrap, sponged with Baja Breeze, I had laying on my table from a previous effort that got put to good use here!

I made quick work of the inside with a piece of Very Vanilla cardstock, Sail Away stamped in Baja Breeze and another fabulous sentiment from Word Play overstamped in Crumb Cake ink.  You can't see it in this picture but I also stamped the Sanded background inside on the Cajun Craze base.  I can't put that one down either! :-)

So, I hope you've enjoyed the Baja Breezes of my Cajun sailboat today.  Please let me know if you have any questions and, as always, I would love to hear from you!  Have a great day, friends!

the goodies:

stamps: sail away, sanded, word play, you're a gem [retired]

paper: cajun craze, very vanilla, crumb cake CS; watercolor paper; elegant soiree & newsprint DSP

ink: baja breeze, crumb cake, early espresso classic ink; versamark

xtras: clear stampin emboss powder; early espresso baker's twine; vintage brad; tasteful trims die.

A Sketch for the Paper Players {PP35}

Happy Sunday everyone!  Hope you're having a good weekend. Welcome to Paper Player Sundays!  Lesley is our hostess this week and she has designed this versatile sketch for us:

It's a good one, eh?  I went with a traditional A2 size as it fit the focal image that I had in mind...

When I pulled the Build-a-Cupcake punch out of my Sale-a-Bration order box and looked at all the parts it punches, I couldn't wait to use the top part of the cupcake--that is, the frosting--as clouds!  Believe it or not, this card started with the clouds!  I knew I wanted to use the clouds where the flowers are in the sketch.  Once I had the clouds, a tree seemed the next logical choice and it just snowballed from there!  My three colorful and fun panels are taken from the Play Date designer paper.

This tree from Valentine Defined is one of my favorites in the set and it fit perfectly inside a 3" circle mat cut from Chocolate Chip cardstock with my new 3" Circle die.  Of course, I used the same Pony Party grass I used in this card and added a red glimmer heart with the smallest heart from the Heart-to-Heart punch.

The clouds were punched from Whisper White cardstock with the Build-a-Cupcake punch:

and the edges were sponged with Tempting Turquoise ink so they would stand out against the other white cardstock.

The sentiment from You're a Gem seemed to fit the mood of this card and I matched the Old Olive ink and Chocolate Chip mat to the main image.  For a little more texture, a strip of Chocolate Chip cardstock was edged with the Scallop Border punch and run through the Polka Dot impressions folder.

So there you have it--what do you think?  I hope you like it!  Be sure to hop on over to the rest of The Paper Players design team for some fabulous inspiration.  If all that inspiration gets you crafting, come back to our blog and link up your creation by midnight Friday February 25th for a chance to be our "Headliner" or "A Cut Above"!  Hope you'll join us!

the goodies:

stamps: valentine defined, you're a gem, pony party

ink: old olive, tempting turquoise

paper: so saffron, chocolate chip, whisper white CS; play date DSP

xtras: build-a-cupcake, scallop border, 1" circle, 1 1/4" circle, heart-to-heart punches; 3" circle originals die; nestabilities; stampin' write markers; red glimmer paper