All is Calm for The Paper Players {PP211}

Hi all!  I'm hosting a fun Tic-Tac-Toe challenge over at The Paper Players where we get to make something using any three (or more) of the choices across, down or diagonally from our challenge board:

So, I know last week I said it seemed to early for a Christmas card and...well...umm...it's really hard to resist when I have a big 'ole box of Holiday Catalog supplies just begging to be used.  So...umm...I made a Christmas card and it's not even September!  Ack!

You see, I saw this great sketch over at Freshly Made Sketches {love} and an idea for this card took shape in my mind's eye.  I knew that I could cover a piece of scrap Whisper White cardstock with the gorgeous All is Calm Designer Washi Tape and use it to fill the negative space cut with the Tree punch.  I think I might be a little addicted to using the negative space of punches and dies but I love the dimension it gives to the design.  I also knew that the All is Calm DSP would provide my color scheme and the On Point embossing folder would provide some fun texture and mimic the simple shape of my tree.  Yes?  

I am so happy that SU brought back these handwritten font Framelits (found in the Wonderful Wreath Framelits) but this time, they're even better.  They are a litle bit wider which makes for a larger surface to attach adhesive to and they pop out of the Framelit with ease!  To attach mine, I used a Two-Way Glue Pen and a couple rolled up glue dots.  Just catch the edge of one and roll it gently with your finger--you'll get a tube-shaped glue dot that's perfect for the skinny letters!

Hardly any stamping on the front so I had to do a little to the inside.  This tree is from the Festival of Trees stamp set and it coordinates with the Tree punch--love that!  It's also photopolymer (completely clear) so it makes lining up the dots on the tree easy-peasy.  So, did you figure out which elements of the Tc-Tac-Toe board I used?  Yep, straight down the middle: green, embossing and ribbon and I even got the bottom left coner too: patterned paper!

So, let's see what you can pick out of the board!  Won't you play along with us at The Paper Players?  We would love to see your work in the gallery before our challenge closes on Friday, September 5th at Noon (PST).  Check out the rest of the design team to see their Tc-Tac-Toe projects too!

The Paper Players Design Team

Ann Schach

Anne Marie Hile

Jaydee

LeAnne Pugliese

Nance Leedy

Sandy Mathis

Andrea Whisman

Claire Broadwater

Joanne James

Laurie Schmidt

Mike Funke

Yapha Mason

And here's the fabulous sketch I used from Freshly Made Sketches:

Table built using Product Table Builder by The Crafty Owl - Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator.

Sneak Peek: Fun with Fall Fest

I couldn't wait to show you this!  I just finished it and normally I would wait until daylight tomorrow to take a good/better picture and post it later.  You know, spread out the posts...but instead two in one day?!  That's crazy talk.  But...I just couldn't wait. You'll know why when I show you what I made following this fabulous tutorial from my friend Ginger:

EEK!  Isn't that cute?!  Ginger's tutorial shows you how to use any framelit to make a die-cut border.  It's super easy and once you make one, you won't look at your framelits the same way again.  I know I'm looking to see what other shapes I can turn into a border...

I showed this technique at stamp club this past week and it was a big hit!  After I used Ginger's tutorial to cut my ghosts with the Fun Fall Framelits, I stamped them with the matching ghost from the Fall Fest stamp set and heat embossed with white embossing powder.  The grinning faces are from the same set and stamped in Tangerine Tango. 

I didn't like the unfinished look to the inside where I could see the back edge of the black cardstock.  I covered it up with two more die cut ghosts, secured them in place and then gave them a sinister grin with the same faces from Fall Fest.  Isn't that paper adorable too?  It's called Motely Monsters DSP and you'll find it with the Fall Fest stamp set and coordinating Fun Fall Framelits all available in the Holiday Catalog going live on Thursday, August 28th.  If you haven't already received a Holiday Catalog from a demonstrator, I would love to send you one!  Just leave your name and email in a comment and I will contact you for an address.  You're not going to believe all the wonderful products in this Holiday Catalog--it's all fabulous, truly!  

Thanks for stopping by!
edited to add: here's the original video tutorial for this technique from Danielle Flanders

Table built using Product Table Builder by The Crafty Owl - Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator.

Hello, Fall (not!) {PP210}

I wish I could say it was fall or even close to being fall around these parts but here in North Florida it is still full-on summer.  Ugh.  But with a slew of pre-order items from the upcoming Holiday Catalog, it can be fall in my craft studio!  Today at The Paper Players Jaydee is host for a wonderful sketch challenge:

I couldn't wait to use some sneak peek items and settled on using some of the fall themed products because I couldn't bring myself to make a Christmas card just yet.  :-)

 My demonstrator friends will recognize that today's card is inspired by one shown in Stampin' Success, our monthly demonstrator magazine.  I changed the layout and added designer paper to brighten it up a bit.  I love stamping in the negative space--the space left behind when you punch or cut out a shape--so with the Circles Framelits I cut a circle into the mat of DSP and stamped the cardstock behind. 

You need to see a close up of these stamps to appreciate the detail.  Look closely at the watercolor swatch in the background.  It actually has a texture to the stamp that makes it look a bit like cheesecloth--so cool!  This is a sneak peek of the stamp set For All Things.  They showed it to us at convention and I couldn't wait to get my hands on it!  And, did you see that big brushed gold button?!  Yep, it's another sneak peek from he Holiday Catalog.  They're flat and the brushed finish gives a nice subtle finish to the gold.  They are just like the Silver Basic Buttons we have in the big catalog.  Love!

Just a little finish to the inside--nothing fancy--but I love how you can use just a scoche of washi tape when you need a touch of color.  Here it's--you guessed it--another sneak peek Color Me Autumn Designer Washi Tape.  Come on say it again with me--LOVE!  This and all the other sneak peek items I've used are listed in the table below.  You're going to LOVE all of them and nearly everything else in the Holiday Catalog.  I do think it's the best one yet--SWOON!

I hope you'll play along with Jaydee's fabulous sketch at The Paper Players before our challenge closes on Friday, August 29th at Noon (PST).  Be sure to check out the rest of the design team for even more spectacular sneak peeks on display!

The Paper Players Design Team

Ann Schach

Anne Marie Hile

Jaydee

LeAnne Pugliese

Nance Leedy

Sandy Mathis

Andrea Whisman

Claire Broadwater

Joanne James

Laurie Schmidt

Mike Funke

Yapha Mason

Table built using Product Table Builder by The Crafty Owl - Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator.