A Dashing Sketch {PP74}

Hiya friends! I hope my US friends had a wonderful Thanksgiving and that everyone is enjoying the weekend. It's another week at The Paper Players and the lovely and talented Lesley is bringing us a sketch:

Lesley always comes up with the best sketches--ya know she's the creator of Freshly Made Sketches--and this week is no exception!  One look at that tilted panel and I knew what I wanted to do:

Since titled panels are a challenge for me, I like to tilt the paper but stamp the image straight.  It's a sneaky way to embrace the tilt!  For this card, I paired some Mocha Morning DSP with some Brushed Gold cardstock cut with the Two Tags die.  I did cut it down a little to better fit my image.  Dasher was inked in Versamark, then Early Espresso, stamped onto the Brushed Gold and heat set with clear stampin' emboss powder.

The background was stamped in Early Espresso with the En Francias stamp and I added a little fussy ribbon treatment with vanilla seam binding, linen thread and a glimmer brad.  You might notice that the tiny tag was sponged with Champagne Shimmer paint to dull the brightness of the vanilla a bit.

I did the same with the Northern Frost snowflakes--the vanilla just seemed too bright next to the gold.  A little bit of shimmer paint sponged right on gives it instant sparkle with an aged look.

I went to town with the shimmer paint using it to ink up Dasher again on the inside.  Applied directly to the stamp gives it a shimmery watermark appearance.

And there you have it!  I hope you like today's card...please let me know if you have any questions.  Be sure to check out the rest of the Design Team at The Paper Players:

The Paper Players Design Team

Ann Schach

Anne Marie Hile

Jaydee

Julie Marshall

LeAnne Pugliese

Lesley Croghan

Nance Leedy

Tara Bilbao
  Susan Joyce (November GD)

If you decide to play along with Lesley's fabulous sketch, please link up your creation to The Paper Players by Friday, December 2nd at midnight (PST).  I can't wait to come visit you!

supplies:

stamps: dasher, seasonal sentiments [retired], en francais, tiny tags

paper: early espresso, very vanilla, brushed gold CS; mocha morning DSP

ink: early espresso, versamark, soft suede

xtras: northern frost die; two tags die; very vanilla seam binding ribbon; linen thread; glimmer brad; basic pearls; champagne shimmer paint

Happy Thanksgiving! {CCMC177}

Greetings everyone and to my friends in the United States, Happy Thanksgiving!  I have much to be thankful for today--family, friends and the ability to share with you all, a craft that I love!  I am so thankful for your continued visits to the Canopy, your supportive comments and the friends that I have made through blog-land!  So for today's Create with Connie & Mary challenge, I had to make a Thanksgiving card even though today's colors are a bit non-traditional for this holiday:

Lovely aren't they?  Greens and blues are some of my favorite colors and paired with River Rock they just sing!  Take a look:

I've been wanting to try sponge daubers with the medallion from Day of Gratitude so I did just that starting with the lightest color, River Rock in the center and proceeding with Lucky Limeade and finally Night of Navy on the edges.  I stamped onto Very Vanilla cardstock and then did some fussy cutting.

I inked and stamped another one, punching out the center with a 1 3/8" circle punch and decorating the center with pearls!  I carried the medallion into the inside:

stamping in River Rock and although the Night of Navy sentiment stamp I used is retired, it is available as a digital file in My Digital Studio.  Remember you don't need MDS to use a digital file--just download and use in any word processing or graphics program!

I chose this sentiment because it perfectly sums up my thoughts for you today...thank you!  Please be sure to stop by Create with Connie & Mary to see all the wonderful creations from the rest of the design team.  Thanks for stopping by today, friends!

supplies:

stamps: day of gratitude; hand-penned holidays; seasonal sentiments (MDS)

ink: river rock, lucky limeade, night of navy

paper: river rock, night of navy, very vanilla

xtras: filial press embossing folder; chantilly lace crochet trim; basic pearls; 1 3/8" circle punch; sponge daubers

Online Extravaganza

(Click here if you're looking for my Paper Players card.) 

 

Stampin' Up! is kicking off the holiday season with an Online Extravaganza!   Special items will be available through my Stampin Up website  starting November 21, 2011 at 12:01am (Mountain Time) and running through Wednesday, November 30th.  Even I don't know what they are yet--you'll have to stop by to find out!

In addition there will be two items that will be available for 24 hours only.  Starting at 12:01am (MT) until 11:59pm (MT) November 21, 2011.

To check out the special items and place an order, Click here to visit my online store. (sale items will be revealed when they become available). Items will only be available for the duration of this sale.

Special sale items are available for all types of orders so if you don't want to order online, just email me (nleedy@cox.net) and I can place the order for you!  Thank you!

Festival of Lights {PP73} {FMS11}

Yay, it's Paper Players Sunday!  Hiya friends, welcome to another week with the PP Team!  This week our reigning Queen of Clean-and-Simple, Jaydee, is our hostess with a fabulous CAS Color Challenge...

to use Night of Navy, Whisper White and Silver which I combined with my friend Linda's clean and fabulous sketch over at Freshly Made Sketches:

I had another yet-to-be-used stamp from the Holiday Mini, Hanukkah, that was the perfect companion to Jaydee's blue and white palette:

Please ignore the dribble marks--it was just starting to rain as I snapped these photos!  You can see that I kept this one VERY clean and simple but upped the glitz factor with a lot of sparkle and shine.  I embossed the image onto Night of Navy cardstock with silver Stampin' Emboss powder...

and popped out all three Star of David with the tiny circle from the Itty Bitty Punch pack.  The whole thing was matted onto a large piece of Silver Glimmer Paper and wrapped with some Whisper White taffeta ribbon.

I inked just the bottom half of the stamp with silver ink and stamped them, almost like ornaments, across the inside.  Even though this sentiment is from a "Christmas" stamp set, I think the phrase is fitting for the Festival of Lights celebration as well, don't you?

Please be sure to check out this week's fantastic creations from the rest of the Design Team:

The Paper Players Design Team

Ann Schach

Anne Marie Hile

Jaydee

Julie Marshall

LeAnne Pugliese

Lesley Croghan

Nance Leedy

Tara Bilbao
  Susan Joyce (November GD)

I hope you will be inspired to play along with us this week.  If you do, please make sure to load your crafty goodness over at The Paper Players by Friday, November 25th at midnight (PST).  I look forward to visiting you!  

supplies:

stamps: Hanukkah, beautiful season

ink: night of navy, versamark, silver encore [retired]

paper: night of navy, whisper white CS; silver glimmer paper; pattern designer paper stack [regals]

xtras: whisper white taffeta ribbon; silver stampin' emboss powder; itty bitty punch pack

All Buttoned Up {CCMC176}

Happy Thursday, friends, and welcome to another week with the Create with Connie & Mary Thursday Design team! We alternate between sketch and color challenges and this week it's...Sketch Time!

Cool isn't it?  I wanted to do something a little different than a flower for the focal point so I dusted off the yet-to-be-used package of Shaker Frames from the Holiday Mini catalog and came up with this:

This one was personalized for a friend and co-worker who just happens to have the maiden name of....Buttons!  Of course, she loves them so I filled the shaker frame with designer buttons in Certainly Celery, Rich Razzleberry, Tempting Turquiose and...

a little bit of Mica Flakes for some added sparkle.  As if the scalloped circle of silver Glimmer Paper wasn't enough, right?!  There's never enough sparkle in my book!  I filled the back of the Shaker Frame with a 1 3/4" circle of Whisper White and cut a 2" circle from a clear window sheet with the Circles #2 die.  To cover the edges, the Glimmer Paper was punched with the 1 3/4" circle punch and the 2 3/8" scalloped circle.  You might also notice that the theme of circles runs through each element of the card in the polka dotted designer paper, the polka dot impression folder, the circle frame and, of course, the buttons themselves!  

The layout of the rectangles took a little bit of measuring so I thought I would share the dimensions I used:

• Standard A2 card base
• Whisper White panel: 5 1/4" x 4"
• Rich Razzleberry rectangle: 1.5" x 3"
• Certainly Celery rectangle: 2.5" x 2"
• Tempting Turquoise rectangle: 2.5" x 1"

I'm going to keep this one short, friends.  It's been one heckuva busy week around here!  Be sure to stop on by Create with Connie & Mary to check out even more inspiration from the fantastic design team!  If you decide to play along with us, please link up your creation by Wednesday, November 23rd at Noon (EST).  I can't wait to come visit you!  Thanks for stopping by today!

supplies:

stamps: happiest birthday wishes

ink: tempting turquoise

paper: tempting turquoise, whisper white CS; silver glimmer paper; brights & subtles pattern designer paper stacks

xtras: shaker frames; white baker's twine; clear window sheets;designer buttons (subtles & brights); polka dot impressions fold; 1 3/4" circle & 2 3/8" scallop circle punches; circles #2 die

Little Red Riding Hood {PP72}

Hiya friends...happy Sunday! Welcome to another week with The Paper Players.  This week LeAnne has a fabulous holiday color challenge for us:

These colors gave me a holiday vibe but you could go in many directions with them depending on which color is most prominent in your design.  I paired them with Rita's fantastic sketch from Freshly Made Sketches:

 I had not used the Greeting Card Kids set in awhile and I just love the little girl image:

A blender pen with Riding Hood Red, River Rock and Always Artichoke classic inks made quick work of coloring the image.  I also added a little Dazzling Diamonds to her coat, hat and the snowy ground.

You know I have just about every color of the wide striped grosgrain ribbon...even some retired colors like the Riding Hood Red piece I used here.

I tied it off with some linen thread and two mini jingle bells--they make the sweetest little sound when the card is opened!

One other little detail is the stamped border from Creative Elements that I used to frame the center panel. 

And there you have it!  I hope I've inspired you to play along with us at The Paper Players.  Be sure to check out the rest of the design team for some fabulous inspiration:

The Paper Players Design Team

Ann Schach

Anne Marie Hile

Jaydee

Julie Marshall

LeAnne Pugliese

Lesley Croghan

Nance Leedy

Tara Bilbao
  Susan Joyce (November GD)

 

If you do play along, please link up your creation to The Paper Players by Friday, November 18th at midnight (PST).  Thanks for stopping by today!
 

 supplies:

stamps: greeting card kids, sincere salutations, creative elements; seasonal sentiments [retired but available in MDS]

ink: river rock, riding hood red, always artichoke; jet black stazon

paper: very vanilla, always artichoke CS; timeless portrait DSP

xtras: riding hood red wide striped grosgrain ribbon [retired]; linen thread; mini jingle bells; dazzling diamonds; blender pen

Ode to Cherry Cobbler {CCMC175}

Hiya friends! It's Thursday and you know what that means....welcome to another week at the Create with Connie & Mary challenge!  This week those crafty gals have a lovely color combination for you; check it out:

Pretty, yes?  These colors seem very sophisticated and elegant to me--I pictured an elegant LBD (that's little black dress, dont'cha know) with a camel hair coat and a deep red flower brooch.  Can you see it?  I did!  So with that in mind, I created this:

Pretty clean and simple really but the wow comes from the flower and the lattice background.  I used the Lattice die to cut some More Mustard cardstock and laid it at the top of a 3.5" x 5" piece of Very Vanilla.  I ran little bits of snail tape at all of the intersecting loops.  I got a little bit outside the lattice edges but when you emboss it, you can't see it at all.

Then I ran just the top two thirds of the whole thing through the Big Shot with the Square Lattice embossing folder.  The result is a really cool inlaid embossing technique  with enough space at the bottom for a sentiment. The whole panel was matted in Cherry Cobbler to pull in the color of the flower.  And speaking of the flower:

It's made with two Cherry Cobbler flowers cut from the Fun Flowers die.  I ran both of them through the paper crimper many, many times to break down the fibers and peeled the larger one apart.  I flipped one side over for a sueded look.  Each petal was turned upward by a few passes with the bone folder.  For the center I used a black flower punched with the Blossom Bouquet Triple Layer Punch and a More Mustard designer button.  A little flourish of Basic Black wide striped grosgrain ribbon was tucked behind the flower to mimic leaves and add a little flair.

Pretty simple but the color combination packs a punch doesn't it?  Be sure to check out the rest of the design team where they are sure to have some gorgeous creations!  I hope you'll think about joining us this week at Create with Connie & Mary...I can't wait to see what you make of these colors.  If you do join us, please link up your crafty goodness by Wednesday, November 16th at Noon (EST) to be considered for the Top 3 picks!  Thanks for stopping by today!

supplies:

stamps: sincere salutations

paper: basic black, very vanilla, cherry cobbler, more mustard CS; patterns designer series paper stack (regals)

ink: jet black stazon

xtras: lattice die; fun flowers die; designer buttons (regals); blossom bouquet triple layer punch; basic black wide striped grosgrain ribbon; square lattice embossing folder

Let's Get Cooking! {PP71}

Lordy bees, have I got a challenge heavy project for you today! Happy Sunday, friends and welcome to another week with The Paper Players!  Anne Marie is our hostess with the most-est this week and she has cooked up a Texas-sized recipe for Theme Challenge #71!  Take a look:

Wowzers!  But I had a day off of work and was feeling fresh and ready for the challenge.  I put on my crafting apron and browsed some favorite challenges sites for additional inspiration.  Bingo!  Check out these amazing fall colors over at the Colour Q:

I also remembered this amazing sketch from Create with Connie & Mary that was perfect for Anne Marie's "3 different patterned papers" (there's still time to play at CCMC):

So, I mixed all of that in my crafting stew pot and came out with a birthday card for a friend and co-worker:

The stamp set, Forever Young, has just been itching for ink so I obliged in Soft Suede, stamped onto a 3" circle of Very Vanilla and sponged a setting sun with Pumpkin Pie ink.  You can see 3 different patterned papers in Island Indigo, Pumpkin Pie and Cherry Cobbler--all from Designer Patterns Paper Stacks in the Brights, Regals, and In Color family of colors. 

For the two different ribbons, I wrapped the scalloped panel in Soft Suede taffeta ribbon and tucked in a small piece of Chantilly crochet trim ribbon.  This is such a great way to bring in another color and some texture without using a lot of specialty ribbon!  Since this is Anne Marie's challenge, I had to give it more than just a sprinkling of glitter!  LOL!  So, I [liberally] spritzed the main image with Vanilla Smooch Spritz for some real sparkle and glitz!

Lastly, using Stampin' Write markers, I finished off the inside with all the challenge colors and a bright and happy sentiment from the hostess set Happiest Birthday Wishes.  All together, I used 3 different patterned papers, 2 different ribbons, one punch, one die, 4 color families and 5 stamp sets to complete this card!  Whew, you should see my craft room--it exploded!  Well, I hope you will go make a mess in your craft space and join us over at The Paper Players with your handcrafted creations!  Be sure to check out the rest of the Design Team inspiration and give a big welcome to our November Guest Designer, Susan Joyce--hi Susan!

The Paper Players Design Team

Ann Schach

Anne Marie Hile

Jaydee

Julie Marshall

LeAnne Pugliese

Lesley Croghan

Nance Leedy

Tara Bilbao
  Susan Joyce (November GD)

If you can join us, please load your creation to The Paper Players by Friday, November 11th at midnight (PST).  I can't wait to visit you!  Thanks for stopping by, friends!

supplies:

stamps: forever young, woodgrain, short & sweet, happiest birthday wishes, pony party (grass)

ink: soft suede, pumpkin pie

paper: soft suede, very vanilla; designer pattern paper stacks (brights, regals, in color)

xtras: soft suede taffeta ribbon; chantilly crochet trim; 3" circle die; scallop border punch; vanilla smooch spritz

Sneak Peek & a Winner!

Happy Saturday, friends!  What an amazing response we had to the Paper Players {Fall Themed} Blog Hop!  Thank you so much to all who stopped by and left some comment love.  I truly appreciate your words of encouragement, they mean a great deal to me.  Oh, what was that...Blog Candy you say?  Did I have Blog Candy?  ;-)  Why, yes I did!  Let's see who random.org selected as our winner:

  #44...The Stamping Lady who left this lovely comment:

Thank you so much, Stamping Lady!  I've got an email out to you and as soon as I have your mailing address, your Mica Flakes will be on their way to you! Now, I can't let you go today without a little sneak peek at tomorrow's card for The Paper Players:

Hmmm, what could it be?  Is that Woodgrain?  Nah, couldn't be!  ;-) You'll have to check back tomorrow when Anne Marie reveals her recipe for one amazing challenge at The Paper Players!  See ya tomorrow, stampers!

It's a Beautiful Season {CCMC174}

Happy Thursday, friends!  First, I need to take a minute and thank so many new followers and readers for all the comment love on my blog hop card, here.  Your support and comments mean so much--they lift my spirits every time I read them--yes I do read them several times each, LOL!  

Today is Thursday and that means it's another week with a new challenge at Create with Connie & Mary!  This week it's a sketch challenge...check it out:

Cool, right?  I'm in full on Christmas card-making here under the Canopy so I turned to the Beautiful Season stamp set for a more traditional look:

The lovely chickadee was embossed in gold onto a 3" circle of Very Vanilla and colored with a blender pen and Always Artichoke, Cherry Cobbler and Early Espresso. 

The edges were sponged with Champagne Shimmer paint for an aged look.

I added a little dimension to the background with tone-on-tone stamping of the holly leaves behind the focal image.

My paper crimper added some texture to the Always Artichoke banner and a little button embellishment carried the sentiment from Tiny Tags.

Lastly, I inked the chickadee again in Early Espresso but stamped off once before adding it to the inside.  A little more champagne shimmer edging frames the Cherry Cobbler sentiment.  So...what do you think?  I would love to hear from you!  I hope I've inspired you to play along with Connie & Mary's great sketch!  Be sure to check out the rest of the design team for even more inspiration!  I hope you'll join us by Wednesday, November 9th at noon (EST).  I can't wait to see what you make of this sketch!  Thanks for your visit today!

supplies:

stamps: beautiful season; tiny tags

ink: early espresso, cherry cobbler, always artichoke, versamark

paper: early espresso, cherry cobbler, always artichoke, very vanilla CS; regals pattern stack

xtras: 3" circle die; jewelry punch; linen thread; champagne shimmer paint; designer butons (regals); gold stampin' emboss powder; blender pen