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

Paper Players Blog Hop

Happy Saturday, friends!  Welcome to the The Paper Players Blog Hop where we are celebrating Fall today!  If you're following the hop in order, you've arrived here from Lovely Lesley's blog. 

Here are all the "Hoppers"...click the names to visit each blog.  Some of us have blog candy too so be sure follow the whole hop!

Ann Schach

Anne Marie Hile
Cindy Hall

Jaydee

Julie Marshall

LeAnne Pugliese

Lesley Croghan

Nance Leedy (you are here)

Rita Wright
Tara Bilbao

I know you will be shocked to know that to me, Fall means TREES and WOODGRAIN, lol.  For my hop card, I paired the Leaves of a Tree stamp with the gorgeous colors in the Spice Cake DSP:

The technique to ink the tree is apparently tried-and-true but totally new to me!  I'm not sure what it's called but Linda Heller demonstrated it at Stampcation last month.  Basically, I created my own ink pad by pooling drops of re-inker onto a square piece of felt.  Then I just inked the tree stamp with my felt ink pad and stamped directly onto some Very Vanilla cardstock. edit: I found this great tutorial from SU demo Tonya Ball--thanks Tonya!

The result is beautiful blend of colors just perfect for this autumnal tree.  Here I used Pool Party, More Mustard, Pear Pizzazz and Soft Suede and of course just a little touch of Dazzling Diamonds! 

**BLOG CANDY ALERT**

And just to keep the sparkle going, I'm giving away a tub of Mica Flakes!

All you have to do is just leave me a comment about my Fall Blog Hop card!  I will draw a random winner from all comments and post the winner on  Saturday November 5th.  Please be sure to leave your email address in your comment so I can contact you if you're my winner!  How easy is that?!

I hope you visit us at The Paper Players tomorrow when Ann brings us a seasonal challenge  What will it be?  Be sure to visit the Paper Players blog tomorrow morning to play along.  For now, please click HERE to visit {Sassy} Rita's Blog.  She is next on our blog hop! Thanks for stopping by!

supplies:

stamps: leaves of a tree; hand-penned holidays; woodgrain

paper: soft suede, very vanilla, more mustard CS; spice cake DSP

ink: soft suede

xtras: soft suede, more mustard, pool party, pear pizzazz reinkers; in color ruffled ribbon; linen thread; distressing kit; dazzling diamonds; craft felt

Rich Comfort {CCMC173}

Happy Thursday, friends! Welcome to another week at Create with Connie & Mary. This week, the gals are bringing us a beautiful color challenge:

 

My favorite holiday cards usually use a non-traditional color palette so I was itchin' to try my hand at a Christmas card with these colors.  I think I succeeded...what do you think?

The Island Indigo card base was layered with two different patterns--one in Baja Breeze and the other in Rich Razzleberry--from the Pocketful of Posies designer paper.  I love using non-holiday paper for a holiday card!  I chose these two patterns not only for their color but because the shapes reminded me of snowflakes.

This dove from Comfort & Joy is so pretty!  Here, I inked it first in Versamark then Island Indigo ink, stamped and heat embossed with clear embossing powder.  I sponged the edges with Baja Breeze for a little definition and lightly colored the dove with Baja Breeze ink and a Blender pen.  Of course I had to add some Dazzling Diamonds to the wings...you know it's not a holiday card without Dazzling Diamonds!

The sentiment oval got the same sponging treatment as the main image and I also stamped the background with the swirly part of the main image that had been inked in Baja Breeze and stamped off once.  A little silver glimmer border and some Whisper White Organza Ribbon finished off the front...while some more designer paper and a little stamping, finished off the inside.

So what do you think...do these colors inspire you?  Check out the rest of the Design Team even more inspiration and then think about what you  might do with this week's color palette.  We would love to see!  If you can play along, please link up your crafty goodness at Create with Connie & Mary by Wednesday, November 2nd at noon (EST).  I can't wait to see what you make!

supplies:

stamps: comfort & joy; petite pairs

ink: baja breeze, rich razzleberry, island indigo; versamark

paper: baja breeze, rich razzleberry, island indigo, whisper white CS; pocketful of posies DSP

xtras: ovals die; silver glimmer paper; scallop border punch; whisper white organza ribbon; basic rhinestones

Gratitude for the Paper Players {PP69}

Happy Paper Players Sunday, friends!  Today I am the hostess over at The Paper Players and delighted to bring you a sketch I designed:

I hope you'll play along with us!  For today's card, I featured the "B" sides of the beautiful Spice Cake designer paper and went with a palette of soft greens:

click to enlarge

My base is Soft Suede cardstock, layered with River Rock onto which I stamped a Pear Pizzazz flourish from Creative Elements in place of the sentiment:

My sentiment took center stage on the flagged banner with an embossed oval made with the Designer Frames embossing folders:

I sponged the edges with homemade Champagne Shimmer mist and popped out the sentiment from Day of Gratitude with the Extra Large Oval punch, adding a Linen Thread and Chantilly crochet trim bow.

The real stars are the leaves I made out of Pear Pizazz and Soft Suede cardstock with the Leaves #2 die.  They were embossed with the Finial Press and Square Lattice embossing folders, sponged in Soft Suede and spritzed with Shimmer Mist.  It's amazing that they're still standing after all that "distressing"!

Lastly, I finished the inside with one of my favorite [retired] stamp sets Seasonal Sentiments adding another Creative Elements flourish behind and sponging the edges.

So, I would love to hear what you think of today's card!  Has it inspired you to play along with my sketch?  Be sure to check out the rest of the Paper Players Design Team for some amazing inspiration:

The Paper Players Design Team

Ann Schach

Anne Marie Hile

Jaydee

Julie Marshall

LeAnne Pugliese

Lesley Croghan

Nance Leedy

Tara Bilbao
Cindy Hall (October GD)

I hope you'll play along with us...if you do, please link up your creation to The Paper Players by Friday, October 28th at midnight (PST).  I can't wait to visit you!

supplies:

stamps: day of gratitude,  creative elements, seasonal sentiments [retired]

ink: soft suede, pear pizzazz

paper: soft suede, pear pizzazz, river rock, very vanilla CS; spice cake DSP

xtras: linen thread; chantilly crochet trim; extra large oval punch; designer frames embossing folders; leaves #2 die; shimmer mist; scalloped ribbon border punch

Snow Much Fun {CCMC172}

Hiya friends! Welcome to another week at Create with Connie & Mary where the gals have provided a great sketch to work with:

Now, if you're a follower of my blog you probably know that titled panels always throw me for a loop!  But I wasn't going to let this one get the best of me...when I first looked at it, I saw...SNOW...and the perfect excuse to use my new stamp set, Snow Much Fun:

Isn't he cute?!  The snowman was stamped on a Whisper White oval in Jet Black Stazon and colored with a blender pen and Pool Party, Cherry Cobbler, Crumb Cake and a little Pumpkin Pie classic ink:

Of course, I had to add some Dazzling Diamonds to the ground, his hat, the Northern Flurry embossed background...and...

the drifts of snow.  I tied the whole thing with some Cherry Cobbler baker's twine and attached a sweet mini jingle bell...so cute!

Here's another stamp from the same set on the inside paired with A Christmas Greeting and some snowflakes from the Short & Sweet set.

I hope you liked my card today.  I don't often make cute or even whimsical cards but this little snowman was too adorable to pass up!  Be sure to stop by the rest of the Design Team over at Create with Connie & Mary.  I'm sure they will have some fabulous eye candy for you!  If you would like to play along, please link up your creation to CCMC by Wednesday, October 26th at noon (EST).  Thanks for stopping by!

supplies:

stamps: snow much fun, a christmas greeting, short & sweet (snowflake)

ink: pool party, cherry cobbler, pumpkin pie, crumb cake classic ink; jet black stazon; whisper white craft ink

paper: crumb cake, whisper white, pool party CS

xtras: cherry cobbler baker's twine; mini jingle bells; northern flurry embossing folder; ovals die; dazzling diamonds