A Mixed Bunch of Happy {PP182}

Happy Sunday everyone!  I am thrilled to be the hostess this week at The Paper Players for a color challenge!

Color challenges are my favorite.  I am so inspired by color everywhere I go and this week's challenge is no exception.  I snapped the photo during a recent day of shopping with my Mom and daughter.  We had so much fun looking at all the jewelry, scarves and clothes that we were there for TWO hours!  OMG, like kids in a candy store we were!  Anywhooo....I love the colors and patterns in these necklaces and couldn't wait to turn them into a card:

These colors really made me happy!  Of course gold is the in "color" this season so I was happy to incorporate that too.  Do you notice the striped effect given by the hanging necklaces in the photo?  That inspired my background panel which consists of layered strips of Crisp Cantaloupe and Midnight Muse cardstock attached to a piece of Whisper White cardstock.  I wanted to add a little more dimension so I clear embossed the Positively Chevron background over the whole piece.

Layering the cardstock first makes it as easy as a single piece to stamp the background.  It was a last minute decision to clear emboss the stamping when the Versamark alone wasn't deep enough.  I really like the shine it provides.

This is my favorite stamp from Mixed Bunch and I think the clean lines are a good companion to the stripes and chevrons.  I started to embellish the flower centers and once I started with the Very Vintage Designer Button, I couldn't stop!  LOL.  I punched two of the largest Boho Blossoms flower from Midnight Muse and Champagne Glimmer paper--layering them for just a peek of color.  With an accent of Gold Baker's Twine at the bottom of the card, it seemed fitting to add some more to the flowers!  ;-)  I just made a small loop and attached it to the back with glue dots. 

Leaves don't have to be green!  Champagne Glimmer makes a lovely accent to the tones of Crisp Cantaloupe and Midnight Muse.  The Secret Garden Framelits cut through the glimmer paper like a hot knife in butter!  So easy that a little bit was needed to back the Perfect Pennants banner.  I trimmed the sentiment banner down to the stamped image so the glimmer paper would peek around it.

There you have it!  I hope I've inspired you to play along with these beautiful colors before the challenge closes on Friday, February 14th at Noon (PST).  If you need even more encouragement, take a peek at the rest of the Design Team for some lovely inspiration!  Thanks for stopping by, friends!

The Paper Players Design Team

Ann Schach

Anne Marie Hile

Jaydee

LeAnne Pugliese

Nance Leedy

Sandy Mathis

Supplies
Stamps: Mixed Bunch, Perfect Pennants, Positively Chevron
Ink: Crisp Cantaloupe, Midnight Muse, Versamark
Paper:  Crisp Cantaloupe, Midnight Muse, Very Vanilla, Naturals Ivory, Whisper White CS; Champagne Glimmer Paper
Xtras: Secret Garden & Banner Framelits; Gold Baker's Twine; Very Vintage Designer Buttons; Clear embossing powder; Boho Blossoms punch; Blossom punch

A Simple Stems Chalkboard {PP177}

Hi all...and welcome to the first Paper Players challenge of 2014!  I am delighted to be this week's hostess for a fun Theme Challenge:

My family and I enjoyed a much-needed stay-cation over the holidays and we did a lot of weeding, purging and cleaning (thanks for the push, Mom!).  Boy, does it feel great!  My craft room is a peaceful place now with a place for everything and everything in it's place.  Starting the new year with a "clean slate" was certainly the theme of our winter break!  So, you want to see what I made in my clean slate craft room?  Here it is:

This card features more products from the new Occasions Catalog as well as more sneak peak Sale-a-Bration designer paper.  Today's card uses two more patterns from the Sweet Sorbet DSP I used on this card.  The color palette is the same and makes me swoon!  Sahara Sand, Crisp Cantaloupe, Pool Party, Summer Starfruit and Pistachio Pudding--yum!  I love the little pops of black in the pattern which really help make my chalkboard sentiment stand out!  I added a little faux stitching with the Stampin' Chalk Marker--the perfect tool for this look!  If you're not sure how to create the chalkboard look, check out this simple step-by-step Chalkboard Tutorial--it's easier than you think!

The real star are these gorgeous flowers from the Simple Stems stamp set--new in the Occasions catalog.  The great part is that two of the flowers in this set coordinate with the Secret Garden Framelits which made cutting them out a breeze!  I did, however, hand-cut the Crisp Cantaloupe flower, stamping it twice so I could pop the middle. 

Isn't this embossing folder fun?!  Scallops Textured Impressions Embossing folder is another Occasions catalog newbie.  I love how the embossed scallops repeat the pattern of the DSP but in a different way.  A little Pistachio Pudding Ruffle Stretch Trim secured to the back of the DSP adds yet another layer of scalloped and frilled detail.

I know that you will find some beautiful inspiration from the rest of The Paper Players design team.  Check them out and leave them some comment love!  I hope we inspire you to play along with the Chalkboard Technique and share it with us at The Paper Players before the challenge closes on Friday, January 10th at Noon (PDT).  Thanks for stopping by today!

The Paper Players Design Team

Ann Schach

Anne Marie Hile

Jaydee

LeAnne Pugliese

Nance Leedy

Sandy Mathis

Supplies
Stamps: Simple Stems, Oh Hello, Secret Garden, Remembering Your Birthday, Petal Parade*
Ink: Crisp Cantaloupe, Pistachio Pudding, Pool Party, Summer Starfruit, Sahara Sand, Versamark, Whisper White craft ink
Paper:  Crisp Cantaloupe, Pistachio Pudding, Pool Party, Summer Starfruit, Sahara Sand, Basic Black & Whisper White CS
Framelits: Secret Garden; Ovals Collection; Labels Collection
Xtras: Hexagon Punch; Stampin' Chalk Marker; White embossing powder; Basic Pearls; Pistachio Pudding Stretch Ruffle Trim; Scallops embossing folder
*Available 1/28/14 during Sale-a-Bration

A Flower Shop Sketch {PP151}

Happy Sunday, everyone! It's another week with my friends over at The Paper Players where I am hosting a sketch challenge:

I haven't had much time in my craft room this week so I was delighted for an excuse to break into some more new goodies.  This time I used a different flower from the Flower Shop stamp set and the coordinating Pansy Punch as well as some new DSP, Birthday Basics.

The colors in this DSP are so pretty--soft and muted but still fresh and happy.  I took my color inspiration from this polka dot pattern pulling out Crisp Cantaloupe, Raspberry Ripple, Bermuda Bay, Gumball Green and a touch of Summer Starfruit.  Wow, that's a lot!  You can see that I embossed a Bermuda Bay panel with the Tulip Framed embossing folder then layered some DSP and my sentiment label.  

It was simple to incorporate the coordinating shades of Crisp Cantaloupe and Raspberry Ripple by inking the flowers in the darker shade (raspberry) and stamping onto lighter cardstock (cantaloupe).  The technique adds extra dimension to the flower by giving it a two-step look.  More so than if I had stamped on white cardstock.

I liked these colors so much that I made a second card but changed the accent color and the flower color to Raspberry Ripple.  I think this one might be more suited to an autumn birthday with the deeper colors.  What do you think?  Which do you like better?

I left off a sentiment on the inside so I can stamp just the right one when I need it.  But, I did have fun adding some more colorful flowers.

And I hope that you will have fun with my sketch this week over at The Paper Players!  Be sure to stop by and check out the lovely work of my fellow Design Team members.  If you can join the fun, just make sure to do so before the challenge closes on Friday, June 28th at Noon (PDT).  Thanks for stopping by!
 

The Paper Players Design Team

Ann Schach

Anne Marie Hile

Jaydee

LeAnne Pugliese

Nance Leedy

Amy O'Neill

Brian King

Justin Krieger

Sandy Mathis

 Supplies
Stamps: Flower Shop; Secret Garden; A Dozen Thoughts
Ink: Bermuda Bay, Raspberry Ripple, Crisp Cantaloupe, Gumball Green, Summer Starfruit
Paper: Bermuda Bay, Raspberry Ripple, Crisp Cantaloupe, Gumball Green, Summer Starfruit, Very Vanilla; Birthday Basics DSP
Xtras: Boho Blossoms punch; Pansy punch; Itty Bitty Shapes punch pack; Basic Pearls; Labels Framelits; Summer Starfruit stitched satin ribbon; Secret Garden Framelits

Eleanor's Garden {PP142}

Happy Sunday, friends!  We've had a great weekend so far....visiting with family from out-of-town and watching our daughter play [and win] her volleyball game today!  I hope you've enjoyed your weekend too!  Today, Jaydee is our hostess over at The Paper Players with a [very] challenge Clean-and-Simple challenge:

Wowza, that's right...a one-layer card.  When I thought about what to do with this one, I couldn't get the fabulous label shape from the Everything Eleanor set out of my mind.  So I decided to use the masking technique and build my card around the label.  Here's what I came up with:

I realize now that I should have stamped the sentiment a little higher...aargh!  Anyway, the base is Naturals White and I used the colors of Pool Party, Daffodil Delight, Calypso Coral, Pear Pizzazz and Soft Suede.  I think you can figure out what's where, lol!  To the label I added floral images and the leaves from Secret Garden.

I stamped the label in Pool Party first, then the small Calypso Coral flower and used a mask to stamp around it with the Daffodil Delight flower and Pear Pizzazz leaves (who else is delighted to see Pear Pizzazz return? OMG!)  You can also see that I added a little Silver Dazzling Details to the flower centers.

Keeping it clean and simple, I added another Pool Party label to the inside framing the sentiment I stamped in Soft Suede.

Be sure to check out my teammates over at The Paper Players--they really hit it out of the park this week!  I hope you'll consider joining us before our challenge closes on Friday, April 26th at Noon (PDT).  Enjoy the rest of your weekend and...thanks for stopping by today!

The Paper Players Design Team

Ann Schach

Anne Marie Hile

Jaydee

LeAnne Pugliese

Nance Leedy

Amy O'Neill

Brian King

Jen Nelson

Justin Krieger

Sandy Mathis

 
Supplies 
Stamps: Everything Eleanor, Secret Garden, On Your Birthday [retired] 
Ink: Pool Party, Calypso Coral, Daffodil Delight, Pear Pizzazz, Soft Suede
Paper: Naturals White
Xtras: Silver Dazzling Details

A Secret Garden, Recycled {PP140}

Hiya friends! Wow, where did last week go? Was it just me or did Easter really sneak up on us this year? I was totally unprepared and have spent the last week trying to play catch up. It's time to catch up with my friends over at The Paper Players where I am hosting this week's Theme Challenge!

Since April is National Earth Month, I thought it would be fun to use recycled items on our projects.  I save all kinds of things (probably more than I should) and am always finding inspiration in colors and patterns everywhere but especially packaging items.  The inspiration for today's card came from of all things, a tissue box!

 

Love the colors, the patterns...all of it!  In need of an idea for a sketch, I went looking at some challenges and found this week's fun Mojo Monday sketch:

I knew I was going to use one side of the tissue box as my focal point, so I cut it apart, cut one piece down to size and used it just as I would use any other pattered paper.  The colors were a great match to Gumball Green, Marina Mist, Early Espresso with just a pop of Summer Starfruit.

The images on the box reminded me of the florals from the Secret Garden stamp set so I stamped a few of them in the corners on the card base.  I love adding some stamping to the background--especially in a matching color and with coordinating images.  It adds a lot of interest and helps ground the whole design. 

I liked how the stamps coordinated with the tissue box images so I added some more to the inside in Gumball Green, Marina Mist, Bashful Blue and Summer Starfruit.   

So, I'll be you've got some pretty tissue boxes of your own around the house!  You won't look at one the same again, will you?  I hope you'll reconsider some of the items in your home and look at their potential use on a craft project.  If you do, we would love for you to join us over at The Paper Players before the challenge closes on Friday, April 12th at Noon (PDT).  Be sure to check out the rest of my mates on the Design Team for their amazing recycled, re-purposed and re-imagined projects!

The Paper Players Design Team

Ann Schach

Anne Marie Hile

Jaydee

LeAnne Pugliese

Nance Leedy

Amy O'Neill

Brian King

Jen Nelson

Justin Krieger

Sandy Mathis (off this week)

Supplies 
Stamps: Secret Garden, Petite Pairs; Blooming with Kindness
Paper: Gumball Green, Whisper White, Early Espresso CS; Designer Patterns Stack (subtles)
Ink: Early Espresso, Gumball Green, Marina Mist, Bashful Blue, Summer Starfruit
Xtras: Scallop Oval punch; Large Oval Punch; Oval Framelits; Occasions Paper-Piercing Pack; Linen Thread; Summer Starfruit stitched satin ribbon

Blue Sky & Daffodils {PP128}

Hi there friends! It's another Paper Players Sunday and the always-effervescent-Anne-Marie is our hostess this week for a color challenge!

I love color challenges.  I love the opportunity to mix colors and how the combinations sometimes push me outside my comfort zone.  I have to admit, anything using Pacific Point does just that, lol!  That said, I adore this combination that Anne-Marie has given us.  Pacific Point is really pretty with gray & yellow.  I knew that I wanted to incorporate flowers:

And that is exactly what I did!  I was itching to use the Secret Garden stamp set and coordinating Framelits and they did not disappoint.  I started with a Basic Gray base and layered a piece of Pacific Point run through with the Tulip Frame embossing folder and trimmed down to size.  I found the perfect patterned Pacific Point paper (say that 5 times fast!) in the International Bazaar DSP. 

Then the fun began!  I stamped the flowers with Versamark ink onto Daffodil Delight and heat set them with white embossing powder.  I stamped each flower twice and fussy-cut the center part to layer.  I wanted to highlight the beautiful line art of the flowers so I added a little shading with a blender pen and Daffodil Delight ink.   I must say I am really pleased with the results!

I do hope you'll join us this week for Ann-Marie's fabulous color combination.  As you read this I am traveling back from SU's Leadership Conference--my very first!  I am sure that I will have lots of ideas to share with you as I try to absorb and create with all that I've learned from the experience.  In the meantime, be sure to check out the rest of the Design Team who are sure to have some stellar projects to share with you.  This week's Paper Players challenge closes on Friday, January 18th at Noon (PST).  Thanks for stopping by today!

The Paper Players Design Team

Ann Schach

Anne Marie Hile

Jaydee

LeAnne Pugliese

Nance Leedy

Amy O'Neill

Brian King

Jen Nelson

Justin Krieger

Sandy Mathis

Stamps: Secret Garden; Blooming with Kindness
Ink: Pacific Point, Daffodil Delight, Basic Gray, Versamark
Paper: Pacific Point, Daffodil Delight, Basic Gray,Whisper White CS; International Bazaar DSP
Xtras: Secret Garden Framelits; Basic Gray taffeta ribbon; Labels Framelits; Festive Paper Piercing Pack; Tulip Frame embossing folder; blender pen