Just a Little Note {PP88}

Hiya friends! It's Sunday and you know what that means....yep, it's another week at The Paper Players!  The always amazing Ann has a sketch for us this week:

So versatile--that center shape can be anything you want and I love the sideways sentiment.  Me, I stayed pretty true to the sketch and dug out a much-loved but collecting-too-much-dust favorite set--Aviary.

I used a fresh spring color combination of Night of Navy, Daffodil Delight, Old Olive and Crumb Cake.  I've been experimenting with background stamping and used the birds and birdcages to stamp tone-on-tone images to the card base:

You can also see the little flowers I added with the Itty Bitty Punch pack and some leaves snipped from the Bird Punch.  And because I had the birds in their cages on the front...

I had to release them on the inside!  See how they rocked open the cage--they look a little tipsy in their excitement don't they?!  Tee hee.  I hope that you're excited to play along with us at The Paper Players this week.  Ann's sketch challenge runs through Friday March 30th at Noon (PST).  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

Sherry Eckblad (March GD)

Supplies

Stamps: Aviary; Just My Type 

Ink: Crumb Cake, Night of Navy, Daffodil Delight, & Old Olive classic inks

Paper: Crumb Cake, Night of Navy, Daffodil Delight, Whisper White & Old Olive CS

Xtras: Old Olive Scalloped Dot Ribbon; Scallop Border Punch; Itty Bitty Punch Pack; Bird Punch; Decorative Label punch; Basic Rhinestones

Wild Melon Delight {PP51}

Happy Paper Players Sunday everyone!  I say that every week don't I?  Well, it is a happy day because I get to share my latest Paper Players card with you, dear readers.  Ann Schach is our gracious hostess for a color challenge this week and she has chosen some bright and happy colors:

Bright, right?  Wild Wasabi, Melon Mambo and Daffodil Delight...love 'em!  Right away I knew I wanted to use my  very neglected Avaiary stamp set.

You can see that I made my own patterned paper with the challenge colors and all the birdcages from the set.  Boy, my stamp-a-ma-jig got a work out here!  I layered my "paper" with some Wild Wasabi polka dots from the Woodland Walk DSP and some [retired :-(] Melon Mambo pom-pom trim:

Love that stuff!  The "Celebrate!" sentiment is from the Something to Celebrate set retired from the Spring Mini catalog.  Stamped in Melon Mambo is stands out nicely on the Daffodil Delight card base.  I also used my Two-Step Bird punch with two different Daffodil Delight designer papers and a Wild Wasabi branch:

The really cool trick is hard to see but is called Faux Diamond Dust and comes courtesy of fellow DT member and friend, LeAnne Pugliese.  Can you see the shimmer behind the bird?  Using the Faux Diamond Dust technique, I made my own Glimmer Paper!  I swiped a Versamark pad over plain Whisper White cardstock, sprinkled Iridescent Ice Stampin' Emboss powder and heat set.  The result is a shimmery paper that is just gorgeous IRL! You can do this with any color or even after stamping as LeAnne did on a card I was lucky enough to receive from her (I'll share my birthday cards  in a few days--check back).

I don't know what I will be using this card for so I left off a sentiment on the inside.  Just added some more of the WW polka dot paper, a Melon Mambo scalloped ribbon border and some more sweet little birds.  No wonder they're celebrating, they escaped!

I hope you will escape to your craft space and come play with us this week at The Paper Players.  Check out the rest of the DT inspiration and then get busy!  You have until Friday, June 17th at midnight (PST) to load up your creation at The Paper Players.  You just might win our choice for A Cut Above or Headliner!  Hope to see you there!

supplies:

stamps: aviary, something to celebrate [retired]

ink: melon mambo, daffodil delight, wild wasabi, versamark

paper: daffodil delight, melon mambo, whisper white CS; woodland walk, greenhouse gala DSP; patterns designer series paper stack-brights

xtras: scallop ribbon border punch; 1 3/8" circle punch; scallop circle punch; two-step bird punch; melon mambo pom-pom trim [retired]; iridescent ice emboss powder; basic rhinestones

Paper Players {16}: a sketch

Hi everyone and happy Sunday!  You're going to love the sketch Lesley has given The Paper Players to work with this week.  So versatile--for the right-hand boxes you can use any shape you want--leaves, butterflies, birds, circles, whatever strikes your fancy.  The important thing is to have fun!  

I choose to take an abstract route and use the sweet birdcages from the Aviary stamp set as my "shapes".

 

Cute?!  I was inspired by the colors in the Greenhouse Gala designer paper and chose to combine them for a fresh and slightly off-beat card: Pumpkin Pie, Pear Pizzazz, Baja Breeze, Crumb Cake and Whisper White.  The Stamp-a-ma-jig was a must for lining up the birdcages exactly...if a little wonky!  The birdcages are stamped in Crumb Cake and 3 little Basic Pearls decorate each one to mimic the dots of the Polka Dots impression folder.  I punched a spiral border on the Crumb Cake cardstock and used my aqua painter to wet the paper and distress it a little.  I wanted it to look like it had been torn out of a notebook.

The Pumpkin Pie base was run through the Big Shot with the Polka Dot impressions folder (aren't you glad I put down the Elegant Lines folder?).  The polka dots always look fresh and happy to me and fit the whimsical nature of Aviary to a tee.

Since it inspired my color palette, I used a bit of Greenhouse Gala paper for a Pear Pizzazz punch and wrapped the whole card front with some {retired} Baja Breeze grosgrain ribbon.  I adhered a piece of sticky strip to my ribbon, wrapped it around the card and just cut the end for a simple look.

The sentiment from Teeny Tiny Wishes was stamped in Early Espresso on Whisper White and popped out with the Modern Label punch.  I like the look of a watermarked image behind the sentiment so I inked a flower from Friends Never Fade in Pear Pizzazz, stamped off once and stamped onto the label.  I think it fills the area nicely and pulls in the 3rd color to this corner.

Be sure to head over to The Paper Players blog and check out all the lovely work of the other designers...and then link up your creation.  We would love for you to join us.

supplies:

stamps: aviary; teeny tiny wishes; friends never fade

ink: pear pizzazz, pumpkin pie, baja breeze, crumb cake & early espresso

paper: pumpkin pie, crumb cake & whisper white CS; greenhouse gala DSP

xtras: polka dot impressions folder; baja breeze grosgrain ribbon; modern label & spiral border punches; basic pearls; aqua painter; SAMJ

Mojo Aviary Pals: {PPA55} {MOJO151}

I {heart} the colors at this week's PPA challenge: Tempting Turquoise, Melon Mambo and Daffodil Delight. The funny thing is, I've had these whimsical birdies from the Aviary set stamped in this exact color trio sitting on my desk for awhile now. So, I was delighted to see them featured at my favorite weekly challenge over at Pals Paper Arts.

With the main panel already stamped, I just needed some sketch inspiration to figure out what to do with it. This unique sketch from the Mojo Monday blog provided something to work with. It turned out to be a bit of a challenge for me--couldn't figure out that sentiment panel--but in the end I like the results.
I remembered my promise to show you more sneak peeks...can you find it? Notice that scallop border in Melon Mambo? WOW--it's from a new XL die for the Big Shot called Tasteful Trims. What until you see it--all these trims that are great for cards and sewing projects! Scallops, rick racks, zig zags and a bubble trim--you're going to love it!

Here's a little close-up for you of the cage I cut out and popped up on dimensionals. A sweet little Daffodil Delight 1/8" taffeta bow and some Basic Rhinestones dressed it up just the right amount. The 1/8" taffeta ribbon has quickly become a favorite in my ribbon stash. Couldn't let those scraps go un-loved so they were re-purposed on the inside for a finishing "Canopy" touch.

Thanks so much for stopping by...I truly appreciate your visits and the comments you leave when you're here. I love hearing from you. Cheers!

supplies:
stamps: aviary, just believe (sentiment)
ink: melon mambo, daffodil delight, tempting turquoise, crumb cake
paper: whisper white, daffodil delight, melon mambo CS; island oasis & greenhouse gala DSP
xtras: 1/8" taffeta ribbon daffodil delight; basic rhinestones; tasteful trims XL die; hugs notes (retired)

Happy Bird Day: TSSC {133} & DCBD {188}

Hi all! This is another new catalog item that was a must-have. Aviary. I just love it. I love birds and the birdcages are so much fun and versatile too. They can be elegant or whimsical as is the case here for a couple of new-to-me challenges. I am loving all these challenges. So good for getting the mojo goin'. The colors came from Diva Coffee Break Designs: Daffodil Delight, Cherry Cobbler, Marina Mist & Early Espresso. All 4 are among SU's newest core colors and a welcome addition to the color family--so rich and saturated and they look great together too. I love this sketch from Mary Jo, the Techno Stamper, I think I'm going to use it over and over. In fact, I already have some cards with this sketch swimming in my head right now! My sneak peek goodies from the Holiday Mini catalog arrive Monday so I should have some fun stuff to show you!

Some Canopy Tips:

Make your own paper: I didn't have designer paper in any of these colors--can you believe it?! So I made my own with the Newsprint DSP. Ink a brayer with your color of choice, here I used Marina Mist, and roll it right over a neutral piece of patterned paper. Here the sheet music from Newsprint turns into Marina Mist designer paper!

Designer Buttons: These are a steal! Sold in bundles of 72 for each color family. 4 each of 3 different designs in 6 colors...wow! That's a lot of coordinated button happiness for just $8.95. And look, the new 1/8" Taffeta Ribbon (here in Early Espresso) threads through the button perfectly.

The Insider: I just love finishing the inside of my cards. I often use dark colors for the card base which means that I need a neutral writing surface inside. But the fun comes in carrying over design elements from the front and playing with the details.

Notice how the insider birds have rocked their cage and hightailed it outta there?! It's just a little extra attention to the details that make it special for the recipient.

Thanks for looking and don't forget to check back for some sneak peeks in the next few days. Before you go...wonder what this little guy is about? Since my owl anniversary card yesterday, we've been cuckoo for owls around the Canopy. My 6YO daughter has posted some darling owl projects to her blog, Arden's Garden of Crafts. Please take a look. She would soooo love a comment from you! I can hear her in the morning..."mama how many comments do I have?"!

Thank you for your visit(s)...enjoy the rest of your weekend!

8/9/10 edit: Thank you Mary Jo! This card made it to the Top 3 at The Techno Stamper. Thank you so much for sharing this awesome sketch with us, Mary Jo! I'm so glad you liked my card!

supplies:
stamps: aviary, picture this (retired)
ink: daffodil delight, cherry cobbler, marina mist, early espresso
paper: newsprint dsp; early espresso, whisper white, cherry cobbler, daffodil delight CS
xtras: elegant lines TIF; scallop edge punch; basic rhinestones; designer buttons (brights); 1/8" taffeta ribbon (early espresso); modern label punch