RRCB282 Best Wishes

Hello everyone and happy Wednesday!  The Retro Rubber challenge this week is "Feels Like Fall"!  Coming right up!

And here's their prompt:

I had some digital papers printed out, so I mounted them on a Baked Brown Sugar card base, added a Very Vanilla Tailor Made Tag and some watercolored leaves:

The sentiment is actually from a Close to My Heart Christmas set called Wonderland (2022 approx), and the speckles are from Itty Bitty Backgrounds (2001?). I spritzed some ink in fall colors on a piece of wet watercolor paper, mooshed it around, dried it, then diecut some HoneyBee leaves to add around my tag.  The inside sentiment is from Sunny Sentiments (2022):

It is definitely beginning to feel like fall around here, and the leaves are beginning to turn!  But I heard temps back in the 80s next week, so I'm not getting out my winter clothes just yet!  Thanks for visiting today!  Enjoy it and be blessed!

Project Details—All Products SU! Unless Otherwise Specified
Stamps	Sunny Sentiments (2022), Wonderland (CTMH, 2022), Itty Bitty Backgrounds (2001)
Card stock & Papers	Very Vanilla, Watercolor, Baked Brown Sugar (ret), Fall Pumpkin Digital (MyPorchPrints Fall Pumpkin Scrappy Papers - Etsy)
Ink	Pecan Pie, Cajun Craze, Pumpkin Pie, Crushed Curry
Accessories	Crushed Curry Twine (ret), Dimensionals
Tools	Big Shot, Tailor Made Tags Dies (ret), Fall Bounty Dies (Honey Bee), Aquapainter, Sponge Dauber

A Note of Thanks

 Happy Thursday, peeps!  Today I get my other cataract done---I am really looking forward to having this procedure over with, LOL!  Meanwhile, I have a card to share for two challenges:  Hand Stamped Sentiments has a sketch, and Retro Rubber has a Tic-Tac-Toe board.  Here we go:

I chose the middle row across of splatter/leaves/kraft!  So here we go:

I was going through some of my DSPs and came across this splatter pattern, and I thought it would make an interesting fall card since the colors are not traditionally used for fall!  I diecut a circle and stitched leaves from Pool Party, Basic Beige and Pecan Pie, piecing everything together, then added a sentiment from the Thank You Kindly set (2008), diecut with a banner die.  A wee bit of Coastal Cabana twine was separated, then made into a bow for a little accent:

I think this is a fun, non-traditional way to use these leaves!  

I wanted to give a shout out to my friends Kathy and Michele for sending me these cute cards as I was "recovering" from my cataract surgery:

First, Kathy's:

I love the colors and the glasses!  And here's Michele's, in her own inimitable style:

I think I could probably see this one WITHOUT glasses or surgery!  Fun colors and I love all the fonts against that cute embossing!  Thanks, ladies!  I appreciate the thoughts!

And I appreciate all of your visits! Thanks for popping in today!  Enjoy it and be blessed!

Project Details—All Products SU! Unless Otherwise Specified
Stamps	Thank You Kindly (2008, ret)
Card stock & Papers	Basic Beige, Crumb Cake, Pecan Pie, Pool Party, Hobby Haven DSP
Ink	Pecan Pie
Accessories	Cool Caribbean Twine (ret), Dimensionals
Tools	Big Shot, Stitched Shapes Dies (ret), Stitched Leaves Dies (ret)

RRCB280 Happy Fall

 Happy Wednesday, peeps! I pulled out a real oldie for today's card, which is for the Retro Rubber sketch:

I came across this set from 1999 called Fall For All, which features those sweet little line art images I loved so much when I first started stamping:

I stamped my little sweetie in Stazon ink on watercolor paper and colored her in with an aquapainter and reinkers:

I added a few punched out leaves from the Beautiful Autumn stamp set (2020) to scatter around the outside of my image.  The papers are retired Crushed Curry and Garden Green DSPs, and I diecut around the outer edge of my Very Vanilla card with the Stitched With Whimsy die!  The sentiment on the banner is from Close to My Heart's Autumn Blessings, which I know I have had for several years!

I left the inside blank but I'll probably make this a birthday card!  I just love her little face!  Thanks for popping in today!  Enjoy it and be blessed!

Project Details—All Products SU! Unless Otherwise Specified
Stamps	Fall for You (1999), Beautiful Autumn (2020), Autumn Blessings (Close to My Heart 2022?)
Card stock & Papers	Watercolor, Very Vanilla, Real Red, Crushed Curry, Pumpkin Pie,  Garden Green DSP (ret), Crushed Curry DSP (ret)
Ink	Stazon Black, Crisp Cantaloupe, Pecan Pie, Crushed Curry, Cajun Craze, Old Olive, Gray Granite
Accessories	Painted Patch Dots, Dimensionals
Tools	Big Shot, Stylish Shapes Dies (ret), Stitched With Whimsy Dies (ret), Leaf Punch (ret), Banner Punch (Pink & Main)

JUGS 838 & RRCB279 Happy Fall Stenciled Pumpkins

Happy Tuesday, all!  Happy September!  The JUGS stencil challenge this week is "anything goes"!  

I got this pumpkin stencil last year and couldn't wait to play with it again!  It's from Spellbinders, and it's an easy peasy one! Here we go:

I stenciled the pumpkins on a panel of Golden Glow cardstock in Timid Tiger, Golden Glow, Cajun Craze and a combination of Granny Apple Green and Balmy Blue; stems were in Pecan Pie.  I embossed it with the Subtle embossing folder and gave it a whirl with the Stitched with Whimsy die to give it a little oomph.  A Honey Bee sentiment was stamped and diecut, mounted on a couple of oval dies and embellished with a wee bit of Cajun Craze Linen Thread.  

A simple birthday sentiment went on the inside!  I am nudging myself into my fall stamping! And since this stamp and stencil are both a year old, I am entering my card into the Retro Rubber challenge, which is "anything goes" as well!

And speaking of fall, I finished this little cross stitch project yesterday too:

Stitched on linen and mounted on two felt scallops, sewn together with French knots! 

Thanks for visiting today!  Enjoy your day and be blessed!

Project Details—All Products SU! Unless Otherwise Specified
Stamps	Blessings of Fall (2025 Honey Bee)
Card stock & Papers	Very Vanilla, Cajun Craze, Golden Glow
Ink	Golden Glow, Cajun Craze, Pecan Pie, Timid Tiger, Granny Apple Green, Balmy Blue
Accessories	Cajun Craze Linen Thread (ret), Dimensionals, Colorful Pumpkin Stencil (Spellbinders)
Tools	Big Shot, Blessings of Fall Dies (Honey Bee), Subtle Embossing Folder (ret), Stitched With Whimsy Die (ret), Small Tags Dies (Impression Obsession) Scalloped Oval Punch (ret), Blending Brushes

RRCB276 Love the Beach

Happy Wednesday, peeps!  Halfway through the week!  I keep alternating between summer cards and Christmas cards---both are fun to do!  Today it's a summer card, and I am using the sketch from Retro Rubber:

Of course, since there are three panels, I had to play along!  Only a wee bit of stamping on this one, it's mostly ink, paper and dies:

I have an old Cuttlebug die (2006) that I used with some Basic Beige cardstock, then colored the cutouts with SU blends.  I added some Itty Bitty Backgrounds (1997) to the square pieces and mounted them all on a piece of Vitamin Sea from Honey Bee:

I also tried my hand at "speckling" the diecuts with some white craft ink....I definitely need practice on that!  The sentiments are from Unity's All Smiles (2011) and The Paper Studio's Every Day Expressions (2009):

I stamped a sentiment from Charming Sentiments (2022) on the inside and added the little bonus diecuts that cut at the same time as the larger ones!

Everything was Wink of Stella-ed too, but of course, that never shows up!  Anyway, it was a fun card to make and it will go in my birthday stash!  And I didn't realize that my card is very similar to Jane's! Great minds think alike!  Thanks for visiting today!  Enjoy it and be blessed!

"The ocean depths raise their voice, O Lord; they raise their voice and roar.  The Lord rules supreme in heaven, greater than the roar of the ocean, more powerful than the waves of the sea."  Psalm 93:3-4

Project Details—All Products SU! Unless Otherwise Specified
Stamps	Charming Sentiments (ret, 2022), All Smiles (Unity, 2011), Every Day Expressions (Paper Studio, 2009)
Card stock & Papers	Basic White, Basic Beige, Vitamin Sea (Honey Bee)
Ink	Soft Sky (ret), Smoky Slate (ret), Crumb Cake (for sponging), Craft White
Accessories	Dimensionals, Paint Brush
Tools	Big Shot, From the Sea Dies (Cuttlebug), Blends, Sponge Daubers, Wink of Stella, Stitched Banner Die (Nelly Snellen)

RRCB274 A Taste of Summer

Happy Wednesday, peeps!  I have a fruity conconction for you today, just in time for the Retro Rubber challenge this week:

I realized I don't have a lot of fruity stamps in my "retro" collection, but I did remember the Perfectly Preserved set from 2012.  So I pulled it out and got it inky:

There are dies to go with this set, too, for all the elements except the cherries--I had to stamp and fussy-cut them separately!  I mounted everything on a Scalloped Contours die and an embossed Azure Afternoon panel.  The sentiment is from Poppy Stamps, not sure of the year but I know I have had it for a couple of years!

It was fun to pull this set out and use these fun fruity images!  Thanks for popping in today!  Enjoy it and be blessed!

Project Details—All Products SU! Unless Otherwise Specified
Stamps	Perfectly Preserved (ret 2012), Whittle Sayings (Poppy Stamps, 2024?)
Card stock & Papers	Basic White, Azure Afternoon
Ink	Azure Afternoon, Craft White, Poppy Parade, Real Red, Garden Green, Lemon Lime Twist, Balmy Blue
Accessories	Sequins from my stash, Dimensionals, Mini Dimensionals
Tools	Big Shot, All In a Row Embossing Folder (ret), Stitched Scallops Dies (ret), Cannery Dies (ret), Blending Brush

PP789 Masculine Challenge from Stef

Happy Sunday, all!  Time for a new Paper Players challenge, with Stef as our hostess.  She has a timely theme challenge as Father's Day is coming up! But don't limit yourself to just that holiday!   Here we go:

I chose to go with a masculine birthay card rather than Father's Day, and I used the Retro Rubber Tic-Tac-Toe grid as my guide:

I chose the middle column of stripes, squares and twine, using the retired Out West (2010) stamp set:

I stamped my cowboy on a stitched square of Basic Beige using Catherine Pooler's Macciato ink.  I also overstamped it with the Linen (2006) background stamp using Crumb Cake ink.  I mounted it on a square of Early Espresso cardstock, distressing the edges for a rustic look:

My sentiment is from Poppy Stamps Whittle Sayings - not sure the age, but I have had it a couple of years - and it all went on some barbed wire paper from Authentique's Frontier collection.  You can just barely see it; I didn't even see it until I photographed my card, behind the barbed wire is a very faint vintage newsprint pattern.  Very cool!  I used the other side of the barbed wire paper as the horizontal panel, then added a "lasso" of some twine I had in my stash.  I know of a few rootin-tootin cowboy types in the family who might enjoy this card!

I hope this challenge will prompt you to make a masculine card! We know they're not as fun to make as feminine ones but we're sure you'll rise to the challenge!  Share your creations with us at the Players!  We can't wait to see them!  Thanks for popping in today!  Enjoy it and be blessed!

Project Details—All Products SU! Unless Otherwise Specified
Stamps	Out West (2010), Linen (2006), Whittle Sayings (Poppy Stamps)
Card stock & Papers	Basic Beige, Early Espresso, Frontier (Authentique)
Ink	Crumb Cake, Macchiato (Catherine Pooler)
Accessories	Dimensionals, Twine from my stash
Tools	Big Shot, Stitched Square Dies (Lil'Inker)

Today Blooms Just For You

 Happy Friday, everyone! I had some stamping time yesterday but try as I might, I just couldn't make things work quite the way I wanted!  Ever have days like that? I really wanted to use the challenging colors at CAS Colours & Sketches as well as squeak something in for the Retro Rubber sketch:

I don't have any "bubbly"-looking stamps, so I opted for some diecut flowers---an old set from My Favorite Things.  I diecut a bunch of them from Balmy Blue cardstock, added some Night of Navy centers and put them all on a floral-embossed panel and a Gray Granite card.  And I confess that Gray Granite is not one of my go-to colors, so it was definitely a challenge for me to use it!   So here we go:

Even though it didn't take much time to make, I am not sure I would consider it "Clean and Simple", so I may not qualify for that challenge, LOL!  The sentiments are from Perennial Birthday (2018), stamped in Night of Navy:

I did add a couple of sequins for some extra "bubbly-ness"!  Thanks for popping in today!  Enjoy it and be blessed!

Project Details—All Products SU! Unless Otherwise Specified
Stamps	Perennial Birthday (2018, ret)
Card stock & Papers	Basic White, Gray Granite, Balmy Blue, Night of Navy
Ink	Night of Navy
Accessories	Dimensionals, Sequins (from my stash)
Tools	Big Shot, Lazy Daisy Embossing Folder, Stitched FLower Dies (My Favorite Things), Banner Dies (Pink & Main), various circle punches (ret)

Another Christmas Card

 Happy Wednesday, peeps! Can you handle another Christmas card?  The sketch from 52 Christmas Card Throwdown was a fun one, and I combined it with the RetroRubber Tic-Tac-Toe grid:

I chose the middle column down:  Pines, Snow and My Choice, which was embossing!  Here we go:

(Sorry for the glare in the corner--not sure how that happened!)  My pines are from Rooted in Nature (2018) and the sentiment is from Itty Bitty Christmas (2019).  I embossed my banner with the Softly Falling embossing folder and made some "snowy" hills with the Stitched Hillside dies from Lawn Fawn.  I added a border of Cherry Cobbler and a faux bow and ribbon, embellished with a sequin:

Sentiment on the inside was from the same set, and I stamped a couple of trees inside as well.  The DSP is the retired Classic Christmas!

Thanks for visiting today!  Enjoy it and be blessed!

Project Details—All Products SU! Unless Otherwise Specified
Stamps	Rooted in Nature (2018), Itty Bitty Christmas (2019)
Card stock & Papers	Basic White, Cherry Cobbler, Classic Christmas DSP (ret)
Ink	Cherry Cobbler, Shaded Spruce
Accessories	Dimensionals, Sequin from my Stash
Tools	Big SHot, Banner Dies (Pink & Main), Pretty Bows 2 Dies (Simon Says Stamp), Softly Falling EF (ret), Stitched Hillside Dies (Lawn Fawn)

RR268 Easter Blessings

Happy Wednesday, peeps! I needed a couple more Easter cards, and when I saw the sketch at Retro Rubber, I knew I had an older, much-loved set that would be perfect for it!  Here's the sketch:

So here we go:

The images are from a 2006 set called Hello Spring; the images were stamped and watercolored, then diecut with a Stylish Shapes dies.  The sentiment (Graceful Words, also 2006) was stamped and fussy-cut, then mounted on top of three diecut strips.

The inside sentiment (Easter Blessings, 2011) was stamped in Coastal Cabana:

Since I love things in threes, I really loved this sketch!  And I love these little images too! Thanks for popping in today! Enjoy it and be blessed!

Project Details—All Products SU! Unless Otherwise Specified
Stamps	Hello Spring (2006), Graceful Words (2006), Easter Blessings (2011)
Card stock & Papers	Basic White, Retired DSPs in Coastal Cabana, Granny Apple Green and Highland Heather
Ink	Stazon Black, Versafine Black, Coastal Cabana, Highland Heather, Daffodil Delight, Flirty Flamingo, Granny APple Green, Fresh Freesia, Peach Pie, Crumb Cake, Pecan Pie,Smoky Slate
Accessories	Dimensionals
Tools	Cut & Emboss Machine, Stylish Shapes Dies, Stitched Rectangle Dies (ret), Aquapainter

PP777 CAS Challenge from Jaydee

Happy Sunday, all!  Jaydee is our Paper Players hostess this week with a timely, fun Clean-and-Simple challenge: 

There are always lots of options for florals, right?!  For my card, I also chose to use the color challenge from Retro Rubber as well:

So here we go:

I am really trying to use some of my older stamps; these florals happen to come from a Paper Pumpkin kit; I would say it's at least five or six years old, perhaps older, because I haven't done Paper Pumpkin for a while!  I stamped the flowers and leaves on a piece of Basic White cardstock and watercolored them with Bubble Bank, Strawberry Slush, Granny Apple Green and Mossy Meadow inks.  I then fussy-cut them out and mounted them on a Bubble Bath frame on top of a Basic White card base.

 I also diecut a little cross-stitch pattern around the edge of the card--still keeps it clean and simple, but adds some interest!  Finally my sentiment is from Suite Sayings (2016), stamped in Strawberry Slush.  It is always fun to use some older stuff!  

I hope you'll play with our challenge this week!  Remember to keep it CLEAN and SIMPLE--minimal stamps, layers and embellishments!  Share it with us over at the blog!  Thanks for popping in today!  Enjoy it and be blessed!

Project Details—All Products SU! Unless Otherwise Specified
Stamps	Suite Sayings (2016), Paper Pumpkin
Card stock & Papers	Basic White, Bubble Bath
Ink	Versafine Black, Bubble Bath, Strawberry Slush, Granny Apple Green, Mossy Meadow
Accessories	Dimensionals
Tools	Cut & Emboss Machine, Stitched Rectangle Dies (ret), Stitched Shapes Dies (ret), Cross Stitch Rectangle Dies (Taylored Expressions), Aquapainter

PP775 Theme Challenge from Christy

Hello, stamping friends! Happy March!  Christy is our Paper Players hostess this week with a theme challenge I don't think we've ever had before:

I realized I do NOT have any "mythical creature" stamps, but I did have one leprechaun stamp from an older SU set called Gift Givers (2011), so I decided to get him inky.  Later on, I thought about the fact that I have some gnome stamps, and they would probably be okay too, in case you share the same dilemma as I do!  So here we go:

I inked up this little guy and did some coloring with Prismacolor pencils and gamsol....still practicing that technique!  I diecut him with a Stylish Shapes die and added a scalloped mat of Lemon Lime Twist and mounted that all on a couple of panels diecut with the Everyday Arches dies.  I stamped a few random little clovers from Itty Bitties (2013) and that all went on a piece of green madras plaid DSP from Memory Box:

My sentiment is from a REALLY old Purple Onion set (probably 2010 or so) and the diecut shamrocks are from Impression Obsession.  On the inside, I added another strip of the same plaid paper, a sentiment from Our Daily Bread Designs and a few more stamped and diecut shamrocks!

And since I am using several older sets, I am entering this in the RetroRubber challenge, where they're looking for the Luck of the Irish:

as well as the Card Concept, where they're looking for shades of green:

I would say that my card concept is "clean and layered", and I was inspired by the green plaid and the lovely colors!

I hope you'll be able to play along with us at the Players this week, it's such a fun challenge!  We can't wait to see what you come up with!  Thanks so much for visiting today! Enjoy it and be blessed!

Project Details—All Products SU! Unless Otherwise Specified
Stamps	Gift Givers (ret), Itty Bitties (ret), Seasonal Sayings (Purple Onion), Mini Tag Sentiments (Our Daily Bread Designs)
Card stock & Papers	Basic White, Lemon Lime Twist, Granny APple Green, Garden Green, Madras Plaid (Memory Box)
Ink	Garden Green, Lemon Lime Twist, Versafine Black
Accessories	Dimensionals
Tools	Cut & Emboss Machine, Stylish Shapes Dies, Everyday Arches Dies, Be Mine Dies (ret), Petite Scalloped Circle Dies (Nestabilities), Sharmock Die (Impression Obsession), Prismacolor Pencils, Gamsol