Happy New Year!

Hi friends! We're taking a bit of a break at The Paper Players and with the holidays my blog posts have been infrequent...at best.  :-)  However, I wanted to take a minute to wish all my blogging friends a Happy New Year with a card I made recently:

The single Happy New Year stamp made this card easy-peasy with some silver glimmer paper and the Itty Bitty Banner Framelit.  

I used a very dusty Circle Circus set to decorate the inside.  I thought all the circle elements looked like bubbly champagne...a glass of which I will enjoy tonight and I hope you will too!  We're visiting family in the northwoods of Wisconsin this week--much different than what this Florida family is used to!

 

 

Happy New Year, everyone!

 

Happy Holidays to you...

{PP126} CAS Snowflakes

Hiya everyone!  It's our last challenge of 2012 over at The Paper Players.  It's also our last with the current crew of Guest Designers.  It's been a pleasure working with Dawn, Helen, Amy and Jen.  I would like to wish them well and thank them for all their hard work these last 6 months--thank you ladies!  It's also an exciting time because we welcome our new group of designers...what fun!  Be sure to stop by and hear the news!  In the meantime, you're here for a card!   It's Clean-and-Simple week and Ann asked us to use Snowflakes on our projects.

And here's what I created:

This card is so simple to make--the hardest part was figuring out what colors I wanted to use!  I rarely use Elegant Eggplant but I love it for a holiday card.  It pairs so nicely with Wisteria Wonder which was run through the Big Shot with the Northern Flurry embossing folder--still a favorite!

You might notice that I sponged some Frost White Shimmer Paint over the embossed areas and edges to give it a shiny lustre.  Shimmer paint elevates it from ho-hum to YUM in no time!

You might also be wondering about the smaller snowflake and why it looks darker?  Well, that's because I used a sponge dauber and colored the Silver Glimmer paper with Elegant Eggplant ink.  I think the color would be stronger if I used a re-inker bottle but the subtle difference is lovely too.  Both the idea for coloring Glimmer paper as well as the layout for this card were seen in Stampin' Success--our magazine for demonstrators.  It's always full of great ideas!

Be sure to check out the rest of the Paper Players Design Team for some fabulous inspiration.  Because of the holidays, we're leaving this challenge open for two weeks!  It will close on Friday, December 28th at Noon (PST).  

Finally, a big shout-out and welcome to our new team of Guest Designers!  Amy, Brian, Justin, Jen & Sandy, I am delighted to welcome you to the team and look forward to working with you!

The Paper Players Design Team
Ann Schach
Anne Marie Hile
Jaydee
LeAnne Pugliese
Nance Leedy
Amy White
Dawn Easton
Helen Heil
Jen Arkfeld

 

Just in Time Sketch {CCMC229}

This week's sketch over at Create with Connie & Mary was just in time for a card I needed to create for my nephew's birthday!  It had been forever-and-a-day since I played along so I decided to dig in.  Here's their fun sketch:

Normally, that skewed panel would have me running for the hills, lol.  But I wanted to use the Extreme Skateboard digital stamp in My Digital Studio and the tilted panel seemed like a perfect ramp to me!

Would you believe that there is no traditional stamping on this card?  There's hardly any layers or embellishments either!  I designed it completely in My Digital Studio to fit on a 4.25" x 5.5" card base. Once it was finished in MDS, I printed in onto Whisper White cardstock, matted it with some Crumb Cake and popped it up on a Midnight Muse card base.  The only thing I added were some Mini Silver Brads to the wheels.  I have to say I was pretty pleased with how it turned out and I [hope] think my nephew will too!

Since I wanted to use the same image on the inside and it was a digital "stamp", I designed the inside with MDS too.  Just copy and pasted the chevron borders from the front, colored them in the same "inks" (Basic Gray, Midnight Muse & Summer Starfruit) and then staggered them.  I also played around with the coloring tool in MDS2 that allows you to color sections of a digi stamp just as we would if we used markers to color a rubber stamp.  How cool is that?!  I used Basic Gray, Baja Breeze and Summer Starfruit to color the sentiment from the Word Play digital set.  I also got a little digi crazy with the paint splatter tool--also a new feature of MDS2.   

Well, thanks for checking in on me today...lots to do as we get ready for my daughter's birthday tomorrow!  Have a great night!

 

Cool Pool Snowflakes {PP125}

Hi everyone, glad you could join me for another week at The Paper Players!  I am delighted to host this week's color challenge with one of my favorite color combinations:

I really like the contrast of a cool blue shade, such as Pool Party, mixed with the deep rich red of Cherry Cobbler.  Paired with any neutral such as Crumb Cake or Basic Gray and it's heaven on cardstock!  My mojo seems to have taken an early holiday, so I took inspiration from a card I designed previously to create this for you:

Pretty simple really, using the Triple Stamping Technique.  The graduated sizes of Whisper White cardstock, largest to smallest, are 4" x 5.25", 3" x 4.25" and 2" x 3.25".  I held each layer together with removable adhesive and then stamped, stamped and stamped!  The Snowflake Soiree set really is so lovely and makes for elegant snowflakes. 

I inked the smallest snowflake and the More Merry Messages sentiment in Versamark and heat embossed them all with Pewter embossing powder.  It's a little darker than silver and, in my opinion, shows up better on the white cardstock.  On the third matted layer, I wanted to mix it up a little and instead of using another layer of Pool Party I added some glitz with Silver Glimmer Paper.  Love the stuff!

I do hope you'll find a little time this week to join in our color challenge.  Be sure to pop over to The Paper Players to see all the lovely inspiration from my gal pals on the design team.  They outdid themselves this week!  Our challenge ends Friday, December 14th at Noon (PST).  Thanks for stopping by!

The Paper Players Design Team

Ann Schach

Anne Marie Hile

Jaydee

LeAnne Pugliese

Nance Leedy
Amy White

Dawn Easton

Helen Heil
Jen Arkfeld

 
Supplies 
Stamps: Snowflake Soiree; More Merry Messages
Ink: Pool Party, Cherry Cobbler, Basic Gray Classic Inks; Versamark
Paper: Pool Party, Whisper White CS; Silver Glimmer Paper
Xtras: Pewter embossing powder; Basic Rhinestones
 

Snow Many Snowmen {PP124}

Hello friends! Can you believe it's December already? Wow, where did this year go? Wherever it went, it sure went fast didn't it?!  Well, anyway....it's Sunday and that means time for another week at The Paper Players.  Our dear friend Ann is the hostess for a just-in-time holiday appropriate theme challenge:

Not having stamped much this week, I needed a little help with the mojo.  I went looking around my favorite blogs and found some fabulous holiday colors at colourQ as well as a great layout from Rita at Freshly Made Sketches.

Armed with my inspiration and the only snowman stamp set I have, Snow Much Fun, here's what I made:

It seems this might also be the favorite snowman stamp set of the design team!  You'll see quite a few of us used it. :-)  But really, who can resist this jolly guy even if you have lots of snowman?!  I stamped him in Jet Black Stazon onto a  Whisper White oval cut with a retired oval die.  I used a blender pen and the challenge colors to fill in his hat, scarf and boots.  I also substituted Pool Party and Gumball Green for the two colors I didn't have. 

I drew a faint trace of Pool Party with the blender pen around his body and face.  It's quite faint but it helps give him slight definition and an icy snowy look.  I also drew in some snowy hills with a Pool Party marker and added some Dazzling Diamonds to the snow...and to the trim of his hat!

To the inside, I added some scraps as well as this whimsical sentiment from More Merry Messages and the little birdie also from Snow Much Fun. 
I just know you'll have snow much fun with this challenge too!  LOL.  Check out the rest of the design team for some fun inspiration and then join us over at The Paper Players...we'd love to see your creations!  Just be sure to join in before Friday, December 7th at Noon (PT).  Have a great week, friends!

The Paper Players Design Team

Ann Schach

Anne Marie Hile

Jaydee

LeAnne Pugliese

Nance Leedy
Amy White

Dawn Easton

Helen Heil
Jen Arkfeld

Supplies 
Stamps: Snow Much Fun, More Merry Messages; Distressed Dots
Ink: Pool Party, Gumball Green, Real Red, Regal Rose, Jet Black Stazon
Paper: Pool Party, Gumball Green, Whisper White CS; Be of Good Cheer DSP; Summer Smooches DSP; DSP Patterns Pack Brights
Xtras: Ovals die [ret.]; Oval Nestabilities; 1 1/4" square punch; Blender Pens; Dazzling Diamonds

Pearls by the Sea {PP123}

Hello friends and Paper Players fans! For my friends in the US, I hope you are enjoying the Thanksgiving weekend.  I've had 6 days off from work and it's been wonderful!  My Mom has been visiting us this week and it's been great to have her here for my stamp club, Thankgiving dinner, shopping and more stampin!  But enough about me, you're here for a card!  This week the lovely and talented Jaydee is hostess for a sketch challenge and she's designed a fabulous one:

So versatile!  So many things to do with that center panel--stamp it, use pretty patterned paper, whatever you would like!  I chose to use it for a friend's birthday card using a new-to-me stamp set, By the Seashore:

My friend loves the beach as well as blues and greens so I used that as the inspiration for my color palette of Midnight Muse, Pool Party, Lucky Limeade and River Rock.  Each seashell was stamped in one of those 4 colors in a random pattern.  And by random, I mean it took me 5 attempts to achieve "random", lol!  The background was stamped with a long-retired stamp (Aida) for a natural wicker/tropical feel. 

I took a liberal approach to the sentiment panel in Jaydee's sketch but I think the flagged ends of the Itty Bitty Banner and my ribbon ends mimic the sentiment banner in the sketch.  The sentiment I used was a bit small so I backed it with a Decorative Label that had been stamped with the Four Frames set on Pool Party cardstock.  I added just a few okay A LOT of pearls to frame it out--it needed a little somethin' ya know? I think you would agree a special friend deserves A LOT of pearls, right?

And speaking of pearls, I just had to show you what our sweet dog, Sadie, was sportin' after Stamp Club last week.  Those darn pearls end up everywhere...and I guess Sadie thought this one looked like a tasty morsel!  Or maybe she was just taking after a certain pair of Boxer Twins...

Lastly, I peek at the inside with a spray of seashells across an all-time favorite birthday sentiment from the retired set, On Your Birthday.  I'll never tired of this stamp!

I hope I've inspired you to play along with us at The Paper Players this week.  The hardest part about getting started, I think, is the layout of the card and Jaydee's sketch is a fantastic place to begin your design.  Be sure to visit the rest of the design team and check out their interpretations of Jaydee's sketch.   Our challenge ends on Friday, November 30th at Noon and don't forget, our Guest Designer call too!  Have a great day, friends! 

The Paper Players Design Team

Ann Schach

Anne Marie Hile

Jaydee

LeAnne Pugliese

Nance Leedy
Amy White

Dawn Easton

Helen Heil
Jen Arkfeld

 
Supplies 
Stamps: By the Seashore; Itty Bitty Banners; Aida Cloth (ret.); On Your Birthday (ret.) 
Ink: River Rock, Midnight Muse, Pool Party, Lucky Limeade
Paper: River Rock, Midnight Muse, Pool Party, Whisper White CS
Xtras: Scallop Ribbon Border punch; Decorative Label punch; Itty Bitty Banner Framelits; Basic Pearls; Midnight Muse stitched satin ribbon

A Single Christmas Tree {PP122}

Happy Sunday, friends!  It's another week at The Paper Players and LeAnne is our hostess-with-the-mostest-toastest and a fabulous Clean-and-Simple challenge for us:

Clean and Simple featuring Silver or Gold...how pretty and festive is that?!  When I saw this challenge, I knew that I would use my brand-new Christmas Lodge Tree stamp.  I love that Stampin' Up is offering single images from select stamp sets!  I've always loved the tree from Christmas Lodge--who am I kidding, I love all trees(!)--so I was delighted when SU offered it as a single stamp.  I kept the design very clean-and-simple:

I told you it was CAS!  ;-)  I think the whole card took me about 10 minutes!  Both the tree and the sentiment were stamped in Versamark and heat embossed with Gold EP on Very Vanilla cardstock.  To really amp up the glitz, the Very Vanilla panel is mounted on a card base of Brushed Gold cardstock.  I also adorned the tree with a few basic pearls because what goes better with gold than pearls?!

Inside, I stamped the tree in Crumb Cake ink and heat embossed the sentiment, from Delightful Dozen, with more Gold EP.  You can't have enough gold right?!  You also can't have enough sparkle:

So, I sponged some Champagne Mist oops, I realized I used Frost White Shimmer paint directly over the embossed tree working outward.  Gives the tree a lovely glow, doesn't it?  Of course, it's difficult to capture in the photo but it's quite lovely in person.  And, I am confident that the rest of The Paper Players Design Team has created some lovely projects to inspire you:

The Paper Players Design Team

Ann Schach

Anne Marie Hile

Jaydee

LeAnne Pugliese

Nance Leedy
Amy White

Dawn Easton

Helen Heil
Jen Arkfeld

 

Be sure to pop over to The Paper Players for all the gorgeous DT projects as well as a surprise announcement!  We hope you can play along--Just remember, our challenge closes on Friday, November 23rd at Noon (PT).  For those in the US, you'll have plenty of time after eating all that turkey to come craft with us! :-)  And speaking of Thanksgiving, let me take the time now to express my thanks and gratitude to all of you for following me on this crafting journey.  If you celebrate Thanksgiving this week or not, may your blessings be many!
  
Supplies 
Stamps: Christmas Lodge Tree; Delightful Dozen; Greetings of the Season
Paper: Very Vanilla & Brushed Gold CS
Ink: Versamark, Crumb Cake
Xtras: Gold Stampin' Emboss Powder; Basic Pearls; Champagne Mist Frost White Shimmer Paint; stampin' sponges

Wheel of Thanksgiving {PP121}

Happy Sunday, friends! Wow, it's been a long time since I posted but I'm back and happy to be with my gal pals at The Paper Players.  This week, the always-amazing-Anne-Marie has a beautiful fall color combination for us:

So rich and lovely, I couldn't wait to use them for a festive Thanksgiving decoration.  I've been on the fence about the Designer Rosette Bigz die but when I saw this week's colors I knew I "needed" it to make this:

Can you believe there is no stamping on this beauty?  None!  Just dies, sponging and MDS!  My Big Shot really got a workout!  I cut 4 sections of More Mustard cardstock with the rosette die and glued them together to make one big rosette that measures 9" in diameter.  I wish I would have stamped the cardstock before I folded but instead I spritzed it with Champagne shimmer mist and a More Mustard marker.  It's pretty in person but almost too subtle. 

Next, I used various designer papers in the challenge colors to make smaller rosettes--these are about 4" across.  I used a retired leaf die to cut the leaves and embossed them all with a selection of folders and sponged each one to bring out the texture.  The champagne glimmer paper really goes well with these colors doesn't it?

Each rosette was topped with a Naturals Designer Buttons and some Linen Thread.  There's also a little bundle of Crumb Cake Scalloped Tulle Ribbon tucked under each rosette. 

Lastly, I didn't have any sentiments large enough for the rosette so I used My Digital Studio to type my own then colored it Bravo Burgundy and printed it on Very Vanilla paper.  Love MDS for customized sentiments and colors!  Of course, this isn't an all-weather decoration so it will adorn the inside of our front door and brighten our foyer!

I hope I have inspired you to make a little Thanksgiving decoration of your own and don't you think Anne Marie's colors are perfect for it?  I know the rest of the Design Team made some beautiful projects so be sure to pop over to The Paper Players and take a look.  Then, come back and join us in the gallery...just be sure to do so before Friday, November 16th at Noon (PT) when our challenge closes.  Until then...happy crafting!

The Paper Players Design Team

Amy White

Ann Schach

Anne Marie Hile

Dawn Easton

Helen Heil

Jaydee

Jen Arkfeld

LeAnne Pugliese

Nance Leedy

Supplies
Ink: Old Olive, More Mustard, Bravo Burgandy
Paper: Old Olive, More Mustard, Bravo Burgandy, Very Vanilla CS; Howlstooth & Scaringbone DSP; Orchard Harvest DSP; Designer Patterns Paper Stack (Regals); Champagne Glimmer Paper
Extras: Crumb Cake Scalloped Tulle Ribbon; Designer Naturals Buttons; Linen Thread; MDS; 2" square punch; Houndstooth & Woodgrain embossing folders; Color Spritzer tool; More Mustard stampin write marker; Leaves #2 die; Designer Rosette Bigz die

A Paper Players Sketch {PP119}

Happy Sunday, friends, and welcome to another week with The Paper Players!  I am delighted to be your hostess this week for our monthly sketch challenge.  I love sketches--sometimes they are just a starting point and get the mojo flowing and sometimes I follow them exactly.  Either way as the foundation of the design, it's a great way to get started!

Even though it's late for a Halloween card, I just had to show you a card we made at my monthly stamp clubs:

You'll notice that I followed the sketch almost exactly--except where I used the Apothecary Accents Framelits instead of the banner.  You might also notice that it's a little bit longer than normal.  I just cut it in the middle and extended it beyond the focal image to make it a bit taller.  The label framelit covers the edges so no one would ever know that it's cut in half!  For the focal image, I heat embossed an image from Toxic Treats and using a 3/4" circle as a mask, sponged More Mustard ink around the circle.  Remove the circle and you have a perfect, spooky full moon!

I amped up the spook factor with a single eyeball accent and some champagne shimmer paint brushed over the spider web embossed background.  Gives a subtle sparkle to the background.

I used the same full moon masking technique on the inside along with two more of the images from Toxic Treats.  Stamping the images in Tangerine Tango and the masked moon in More Mustard.

And just because it goes so well with the colors and the full moon of today's card, I thought I would share a picture from our recent trip to Savannah, Georgia.  The historic district is brimming with gorgeousness around every corner and this historic square is no exception.  It was a perfect Southern night for strolling and snapping a pic or two!

I hope you'll find this week's challenge a perfect excuse to get busy in your craft room.  Go check out all the fabulous creations from the rest of the Design Team and  then link up your creations with us at The Paper Players!  Just be sure to get in on the action before Friday, November 2nd at Noon (PT) when this challenge turns into a pumpkin!  Happy Halloween!

The Paper Players Design Team

Jen Arkfeld
Dawn Easton
Helen Heil  

Anne Marie Hile

Jaydee

Nance Leedy

LeAnne Pugliese

Ann Schach

Amy White

Supplies 
Stamps: Toxic Treats
Ink: More Mustard, Tangerine Tango, Jet Black Stazon
Paper: More Mustard, Tangerine Tango, Very Vanilla, Basic Black CS; Houndstooth & Scaringbone DSP; Champagne Glimmer Paper
Xtras: Apothecary Accents & Labels Collection Framelits; Spider Web embossing folder; Basic Gray striped satin ribbon; 3/4" circle punch; googly eyes from my stash; Finishing Touches Edgelit die; Champagne Shimmer paint