Nacho Average Friend

Happy Thursday, peeps! I recently got some cool strip dies and was playing around with some retired colors, so I decided to use them on a card---that's what they're for, right?  It's not for any challenge, but I did need a couple more birthday cards for my August friends!  Here we go...you might want to put on your shades:

I used strips of Magenta Madness, Parakeet Party and Tahitian Tide, layering them on a piece of scrap paper before trimming them to create a mat.  I stamped images from Taco Fiesta and colored them with Blends, then did some fussy-cutting and diecutting on the pieced mat:

I combined a couple of sets for the inside sentiments, and added a taco!

This set never ceases to crack me up!  

Here are a few more birthday cards:  This beauty is from down under, created by my Paper Players teammate Jan...it's gorgeous!

I think the technique that Bonnie used on this card is amazing...and one I want to try too!  Aren't those papers stunning?

And I love the bokeh background on this pretty butterfly card from my friend Debbie...PLUS it had a coupon for ICE CREAM on the inside!  Yum!

Thanks, ladies! You bless my life! Enjoy your day and be blessed as well!

Project Details—All Products SU! Unless Otherwise Specified
Stamps	Taco Fiesta (ret), Everyday Expressions (Paper Studio)
Card stock & Papers	Basic White, Parakeet Party (ret), Tahitian Tide (ret), Magenta Madness (ret)
Ink	Memento Black, Parakeet Party (ret), Tahitian Tide (ret), Pink Passion (ret)
Accessories	Dimensionals, Thick Baker's Twine (Ret)
Tools	Cut & Emboss Machine, Stitched Shapes Dies (ret), Tailor Made Tags Dies (ret), 1/2" Easy Strips Dies (Taylored Expressions), Blends

HSS469 Freesia Birthday

Happy Wednesday, all! I saw a cute fold technique on FB recently but unfortunately, didn't write down the creative person who posted it, so if you know who it was, let me know! I have a couple of birthdays coming up that need cards, so I took the unusual color palette at Hand Stamped Sentiments and went to work!  Here's the palette:

My Sunflower EF has been neglected, so I thought I'd use it; I know there aren't freesia-colored sunflowers in real life (or maybe there are), but in my world, I can make a sunflower any color I want! So here we go:

I cut a panel of Fresh Freesia to 5" x 3 3/4", then ran it through the embossing machine with the embossing folder.  I sponged on Fresh Freesia ink, then diecut the panel with a Textured Notes dies.  I added a mat of Pool Party, then re-attached it to the Fresh Freesia panel.  That all went on a Blackberry Bliss mat and a white card base.

I stamped a birthday sentiment from Year of Flowers and die cut it, again with the Textured Notes dies, and added a wish of Fresh Freesiz ribbon:

And here's the fun fold inside:

It's really easy--cut cardstock or DSP to 10 1/2" x 4".  Score at 4 1/4", 5 1/4" and 6 1/4".  Fold along the score lines to make the little box, then adhere ONLY the larger pieces to the inside of the card.  You can make the pop-up embellishment anything you want!  I have lots of ideas!.  For this card, I pieced together two pieces of Fresh Freesia DSP, using Sticky Strip to make sure the edges were secure, then stamped my sentiment directly on it.  It folds nicely and fits into a regular size envelope!

I promised to show off some of the gorgeous cards I received for my birthday--it will take a while!  Here are the first few!  This stunner is from my Paper Players teammate, Stef!  The image is debossed...and it's gorgeous!

I love orange, so this card really made me smile!  It's from my sweet friend Beth; she always has an encouraging word!

This beauty is from another teammate, Ann! Unfortunately, the mail person was not careful and it sustained some damage (and came in one of those lame apologetic envelopes) but I guess I should just be glad I got it at all!  So pretty!

Thanks, ladies! I have more to share!  Thanks for visiting today! Enjoy it and be blessed!

Project Details—All Products SU! Unless Otherwise Specified
Stamps	Year of Flowers
Card stock & Papers	Basic White, Blackberry Bliss, Fresh Freesia, Pool Party, Fresh Freesia DSP (ret)
Ink	Fresh Freesia, Blackberry Bliss
Accessories	Dimensionals, Fresh Freesia Seam Binding
Tools	Cut & Emboss Machine, Sunflower 3D Embossing Folder, Textured Notes Dies, Blending Brush

CAS Sparkly Wreath

Happy Tuesday, all! I have a real quick Christmas card today, it uses the CAS Colours & Sentiments sketch as well as the Christmas Kickstart challenge to use a wreath:

I pulled out some goodies and went to work:

My paper is from Unity, called Watercolor Tidings, and the Avery Elle diecuts were made with some retired glimmer paper from SU.  This wreath is just so pretty:

The sentiments are from Simon Says Stamp, called Tiny Words Christmas, and they were stamped in Emerald Envy ink.  I did add a few more little glimmer stars on the inside since the sentiment words are so small!

Thanks for popping in today!  Enjoy it and be blessed!

Project Details—All Products SU! Unless Otherwise Specified
Stamps	Tiny Words Christmas (Simon Says Stamp)
Card stock & Papers	Very Vanilla, Green Glimmer Paper (ret), Watercolor Tidings (Unity)
Ink	Emerald Envy (ret)
Accessories	Dimensionals
Tools	Cut & Emboss Machine, Star Wreath Dies (Avery Elle)

AHSC641 You're So Kind

 Happy Monday, everyone! Wow, what a gorgeous weekend we had weather-wise! A fun time on our boat, but now it's time for a new Atlantic Hearts sketch:

 What a fun sketch! I have so many pretty floral papers, I found one that really spoke to me, got out my snips and went to work!  I don't mind cutting out wee little pieces when they're all so sweet! Here we go:                                  

My papers are from the Florals in Bloom DSP, and I used layers of Berry Burst and Bubble Bath cardstock as accents. The sentiment is from The Right Words.  I did add a couple of silver metallic pearls for "prettiness"!  This is a cute layout...you could even make this a gatefold card, although for this card, I didn't.  Be sure to check out what the DT created over at the Atlantic Hearts blog on Wednesday, but you can play along anytime!  Thanks for visiting today!  Enjoy it and be blessed!

The Phillies won on Friday!!  Big smiles all around:

Project Details—All Products SU! Unless Otherwise Specified
Stamps	The Right Words
Card stock & Papers	Basic White, Berry Burst, Bubble Bath, Florals in Bloom DSP
Ink	Berry Burst
Accessories	Dimensionals, Silver Metallic Pearls
Tools

PP749 A Theme From Stef

 Happy Sunday, all! Stef is our Paper Players hostess this week with a fun, seasonal theme:

Lots of great possibilities for this theme! I pulled out a really old silhouette stamp; I believe it is from 100 Proof Press, and made one of the easiest cards I think I ever made:

I found a piece of the Thoughtful Journey DSP that looked "watery" and simply stamped my image on top using Blackberry Bliss ink.  The sentiment, from Peaceful Moments, was stamped at the top using Misty Moonlight ink.  I added some sequins from my stash and it was almost done!

I took the piece of DSP left after cutting the front panel and stamped a birthday greeting on it and adhered it to the inside!

So easy!  I hope you'll play along with our theme challenge this week at the Players! Be sure to stop by the blog to see what the Design Team has created as well!   

Thanks for visiting today!  Enjoy it and be blessed!

Project Details—All Products SU! Unless Otherwise Specified
Stamps	Children Fishing (100 Proof Press), Peaceful Moments (ret)
Card stock & Papers	Misty Moonlight, Thoughtful Journey DSP
Ink	Misty Moonlight, Night of Navy, Blackberry Bliss
Accessories	Sequins from my stash
Tools

Happy Little Jar of Joy

 Happy Friday, all! Hope you have some fun weekend plans! We plan to go out on the boat tomorrow with some family!  

I have a cute little card today using the new set called Jar of Joy along with its matching punch! I was experimenting with a fun bookbinding fold I recently saw (I believe it was on the Inque Spot's blog), and so had a card already made but had never finished.  I used some retired Parakeet Party papers for the base, but needed a focal point.  I was looking at the images in the Jar of Joy set and thought how cute that little snowman would look in some non-traditional Christmas colors! So here we go:

I stamped the snowman in Versafine Black and his hat & scarf in Strawberry Slush.  I added some Balmy Blue snowflakes and some Wink of Stella for snow!  The jar was stamped in Lemon Lime Twist and the lid was also created using Strawberry Slush, shaded with a blender pen:

It went on a Every Day Arches diecut, using the Toadstool Gardens DSP.  I stamped a sentiment from Tractor & Co, then another Jar of Joy sentiment on the inside:

There are more cute little images to put inside the jar, so I know I'll be using this again!  I am going to enter this at the Krafty Chicks challenge, where "Anything Goes"!

Thanks for popping in today!  Enjoy it and be blessed!

Project Details—All Products SU! Unless Otherwise Specified
Stamps	Jar of Joy, Tractor & Co
Card stock & Papers	Basic White, Strawberry Slush, Parakeet Party (ret), Parakeet Party DSP (ret), Toadstool Gardens DSP (ret)
Ink	Versafine Black, Parakeet Party, Balmy Blue
Accessories	Glitter Ribbon (ret), Dimensionals
Tools	Cut & Emboss Machine, Every Day Arches Dies, Jar Punch, Wink of Stella

FMS697 Happy We Are Friends

Happy Thursday, everyone! My card today uses the sketch from my fun friend Linda at FMS:

I saw a very pretty card made by Wendy Weixler (you can see it HERE) and she used the Spring Corners bundle in a way I wouldn't have thought to! I don't have any of the yellow papers she used, so I opted to use a different color palette with Linda's sketch and used some florals and patterns from Floral Charm:

I diecut a panel of the DSP with the floral die, then sponged some Blackberry Bliss and Pecan Pie underneath.  After adding the sentiment, I really liked the grungy look Wendy achieved, so I stamped some speckles (and got a little carried away), then added my layers of DSP and cardstock.  THEN I decided to get really creative and try a new product called Metallic Textures Rub Ons.  These are very easy to use; they rub on just with your fingernail!  I may have gotten carried away with these gold speckles as well, LOL!  I will just consider this card an experiment!  Hopefully you can see a wee bit of the gold, it really does shine!

My final embellishment was a little Linen Thread bow, oh, and I did do some faux stitching along the bottom Basic Beige panel!  I can't wait to play some more with these rub-ons!

Thanks so much for popping in today!  We have company coming this weekend, but next week I want to share some of the pretty cards I got for my birthday!  Enjoy your day and be blessed!

Project Details—All Products SU! Unless Otherwise Specified
Stamps	Spring Corners, Itty Bitty Backgrounds (ret)
Card stock & Papers	Basic White, Basic Beige, Petunia Pop, Floral Charm DSP
Ink	Blackberry Bliss, Petunia Pop, Pecan Pie
Accessories	Linen Thread, Metallic Textures Rub Ons
Tools	Cut & Emboss Machine, Sping Corners Dies, Kristina's Finishing Touches Dies (Kristina Werner), Be Mine Stitched Dies (ret)

RRCB260 You're Too Wonderful

 Happy Wednesday, peeps! The gals over at RetroRubber have a fun sketch this week:

I needed a thank you card for one of my knitting friends from church, so I pulled out Zany Zoo (2023) and Hand Knit (2010) to make her card:

I stamped, diecut and colored my knitting llama with some Blends, then mounted her on a "knitted" panel from Mintay, which is also the background panel.  A little ribbon trim created the diagonal element of the sketch, and three skeins of yarn were stamped, colored and fussy-cut for the other elements:

A sentiment from the same set was stamped on Pecan Pie cardstock and diecut with a Pink & Main banner die:

It was fun to color this fun little image; I hope she appreciates it as much as I appreciated her gift!  Thanks for visiting today!  Enjoy it and be blessed!

Project Details—All Products SU! Unless Otherwise Specified
Stamps	Zany Zoo (2023), Hand Knit (2010) (both retired)
Card stock & Papers	Very Vanilla, Basic White, Pecan Pie, Christmas Blessings (Mintay)
Ink	Memento Black
Accessories	White Ribbon (ret), Dimensionals
Tools	Cut & Emboss Machine, Zany Zoo Dies (ret), Blends, 3/4" Banner Dies (Pink & Main)

Country Rooster Birthday

Happy Tuesday, everyone!  No challenges today, just a fun card for my niece, who has a mini-farm and raises chickens, among other things!  Now I know my card features roosters but I am hoping she'll enjoy it just the same. I got these fun papers from Unity recentlly and paired them with a  Stamp Simply sentiment:

This is a large card, 5" square, but I wanted to get as much of the 6x6 paper on there as I could! I cut the panel diagonally and added some faux stitching down the middle, then added my birthday sentiment and a few enamel dots::

I added a sentiment from The Right Words on the inside:

Thanks for visiting today! Enjoy it and be blessed!

Project Details—All Products SU! Unless Otherwise Specified
Stamps	The Right Words, Farmhouse All Occasion Greetings (Stamp Simply)
Card stock & Papers	Basic Beige, Chicks & Red Gingham (Unity)
Ink	Cherry Cobbler
Accessories	Dimensionals, Enamel Dots (W+9)
Tools	Cut & Emboss Machine, Banner Dies (Pink & Main), Kristina's Finishing Touches Dies (Kristina Werner)

AHSC640 Blue Florals

 Happy Monday, all!  I hope you had a good weekend!  We had sun, rain and HOT temps, LOL!  We have a new Atlantic Hearts sketch this week and I enjoyed this one a lot:

Dana gave me some GORGEOUS papers for my birthday and I just had to use some of them on my card today:

I used two of the patterns from the same sheet and I was hoping to be able to NOT cover up that little bird on the floral one, LOL!  I barely got him in there!  The flowers were stamped in Misty Moonlight; the sentiments were done in Night of Navy and Craft White.  I embossed the background with the Exposed Brick EF and added some Honey Bee navy sequins:

I have a couple of thank you cards to send out and this will be one of them!  I hope you'll play along with our interesting sketch this week....can't wait to see what you create!  Wednesday we will reveal what all the DT members created, so be sure to check back at the Atlantic Hearts blog then!

Cassidy asked me to help her cut down one of Wayne's shirts he wasn't wearing any more so she could wear it; we got out the ironing board and sewing machine and we learned about seam allowances, how to thread a bobbin and how to thread the machine. 

Here's the final product:

It's not perfect, but she learned a lot!  Thanks for popping in today!  Enjoy it and be blessed!

Project Details—All Products SU! Unless Otherwise Specified
Stamps	Hand-penned Petals (ret), Everyday Greetings (ret)
Card stock & Papers	Basic White, Night of Navy, Navy Flowers (Viviquen)
Ink	Night of Navy, Misty Moonlight, Craft White
Accessories	Mini Dimensionals, White Embossing Powder, Sequins (Honey Bee)
Tools	Cut & Emboss Machine, Exposed Brick EF, Penned Flowers Dies (ret), Banner Dies (Pink & Main)

PP748 Hello Summer

Happy Sunday, everyone!  Time for a new Paper Players challenge, and this week, Jan has an awesome sketch for us! I REALLY enjoyed playing with this one:

I decided to veer off from doing my Christmas cards and chose to create something decidedly summer-ish!  Here we go:

Oh, I just love all these pastel "flavors"!!  I had gotten a paper pad called On the Sunny Side from Not 2 Shabby last year and found these beautiful prints and summer elements to mix and match!  I started with a Pretty in Pink card and added layers of Lemon Lolly, Soft Sky and Pink Pirouette, diecutting and embossing some of them for interest.  The little sentiment was diecut with the Stitched Rectangle die and I fussy-cut the treats:

I stamped a sentiment from Peaceful Moments on the inside using Strawberry Slush ink:

Since this features summertime treats, I am also entering it at Handstamped Sentiments for their "Summer Vibe" challenge, as well as the Little Red Wagon, who is featuring "F" for food!

There are just so many fun possibilities with this sketch because of all the elements!  I hope you'll have as much fun with it as I did!  Share yours with us at the Paper Players--can't wait to see what you create!

Project Details—All Products SU! Unless Otherwise Specified
Stamps	Peaceful Moments (ret)
Card stock & Papers	Pretty in Pink, Lemon Lolly, Pink Pirouette (ret), Soft Sky (ret), On the Sunny Side (Not 2 Shabby)
Ink	Strawberry Slush
Accessories	Dimensionals
Tools	Cut & Emboss Machine, Spotlight on Nature Dies, Textured Notes Dies, Stitched Rectangle Dies (ret), Mini Corrugated EF, Polka Dot EF (ret)