Paper Players 160

Happy Sunday, peeps!  Nance is our Paper Players hostess this week and she has an intriguing sketch for us all:

Wow,  I had a lot of ideas tumbling around in my head….ever get that way?  It’s hard to narrow your choices down!  I finally settled on a very subtle pattern from Sweater Weather and paired it with some elements from Wonderfall:

For my diagonal stripes, I used two different designs of  Washi tape and a triple line of linen thread, accented with some chevrons of canvas:

I love all the diagonal movement going on here, not only in the sketch, but also in the washi, the DP and the chevrons!!  My mat is Chocolate Chip and I used Smoky Slate and Crumb Cake for my diecuts.  I think this would make a great sympathy card or maybe a masculine birthday card….I’ll leave the sentiment open on the inside until I decide how I’ll be using it!

I hope that this sketch inspires you to create something wonderful!  Share it with us at the Paper Players blog and be sure to check out what the others created as well!

Grampy and Cassidy returning from a little walk to the neighbor’s pond:

I wonder what they were talking about?!!

Enjoy your day!  I will be taking a little blogging vacation for the next week or so, so I’ll see you when I return!

Wee Project Details
Stamps	Wonderfall, A Dozen Thoughts
Card stock & Papers	Naturals White, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White, Sweater Weather DP
Ink	Chocolate Chip, Smoky Slate, Crumb Cake, Soft Sky (for shading)
Accessories	Linen Thread, Canvas, Epic Day This & That and Season of Style Washi Tape
Tools	Big Shot, Autumn Accents Die, Hexagon Punch, Dimensionals

STS2

Happy Thursday, peeps!  Well, it’s back to hot temps here in PA, but I guess my mind is on fall!  I loved the Seize the Sketch sketch #2:

I hadn’t played too much with the new single stamp, Magnificent Maple, so this seemed like a good time to use it to make my own background paper:

I also did some diagonal scoring with my Simply Scored, and added a Label Love sentiment:

I tucked some Gorgeous Grunge on there too….speckles and stripes!  Enjoy your day!

Sometimes you just need to chill out on Grammy’s craft room floor with blankie, Lambie & sippie:

Wee Project Details
Stamps	Magnificent Maple, Label Love, Gorgeous Grunge
Card stock & Papers	Very Vanila, Crushed Curry, Cajun Craze
Ink	Crushed Curry, Cajun Craze, Tangerine Tango, Real Red, Crumb Cake
Accessories	Brads
Tools	Diagonal Simply Scored, Artisan Label Punch, 1/16" hole punch

FMS100!!!

Hey there, peeps!  I’ve got a special post today---it’s the 100th Freshly Made Sketches sketch and they’ve asked all the guest designers to participate!!  You can see the DT’s take on the sketch (which happens to be their very first one!) and check out the goodies they’ll be giving away!  Woohoo!  So here’s the sketch:

And here’s my card, using some new goodies from the Holiday Mini:

It’s been a while since I have colored in an image, and it felt good!  This is an easy image to color…..just used my markers…..and I added a little shadow around the image with a Sahara Sand marker.

I did a little sponging around the edges with Sahara Sand as well, and trimmed some burlap ribbon to fit my horizontal panel, fringed the edges and sewed it on:

Finally, I thought the woodgrain panel looked a little plain, so I made a little banner from another piece of Sweater Weather and a Candy Dot for a little added interest:

I love this Sweater Weather DP!  I hope you’ll play along with the Freshly Made Sketches team and help them celebrate 100 sketches!!!

Cassidy playing with her new baby doll, “Baby Rosa”!

Enjoy your day!

Wee Project Details
Stamps	Truly Grateful, Four You
Card stock & Papers	Crumb Cake, Tangerine Tango, Very Vanilla, Early Espresso, Sweather Weather DP, Natural Composition Specialty Paper
Ink	Soft Suede, Early Espresso, Crumb Cake, Sahara Sand
Accessories	Burlap Ribbon, Candy Dots
Tools	So Saffron, Tangerine Tango & Sahara Sand Markers, Sponge Daubers, Oval Nesties, Dimensionals, 1 3/8" Circle Punch, Sewing Machine

ColourQ 203

Happy Tuesday, peeps!  Arielle has a fun inspiration photo for us today:

Love this cool jungle design!  In fact, it reminded me a wee bit of a gift bag my DD just gave me from Bath & Body Works:

I had been wanted to make something based on these cool images, so I sort of “combined” the inspiration photos, using the colors from Arielle and the owls and flowers from my bag:

With all I seem to have going on this week, I really wanted to search my stash for some larger flowers, but I just ended up using the first set I could find!  I made my own DP using the challenge colors, added a very simple punched owl since I didn’t have an owl stamp (he kinda looks like he is floating on that tree branch, doesn’t he?), and blinged everything up a wee bit with some rhinestones:

The eyes are Candy Dots; everything else is pretty simple!  Now….what you can you create with these colors?  Or maybe those primitive frog and leaf images will inspire you?!  Can’t wait to see what you make…share it with us at the ColourQ blog so we ALL can see it!  And be sure to check out what the other designers came up with as well….we’ve got a new Courtier this week—check it out!

Cassidy couldn’t wait to run a “race” with my nephew Bradley on Grampy’s new concrete garage floor!  Here, she’s giving him “instructions”:

Ready, set go!

He’s such a good sport!  Enjoy your day!

Wee Project Details
Stamps	Short & Sweet (ret); Acts of Kindness, There She Goes Stamps
Card stock & Papers	WW, Lucky Limeade, Pacific Point, Island Indigo, Early Espresso
Ink	Lucky Limeade, Pacific Point, Island Indigo, Early Espresso
Accessories	Rhinestones
Tools	Owl Punch

Merry Monday 71

Happy Monday peeps!  Hope you had a fabulous weekend!  Another sketch from Lesley for your Christmas-card-making pleasure:

I wasn’t quite sure what to do with this…so many possibilities!  In the end, I pretty much stuck to the sketch, adding just a few little extra circles:

This is a perfect sketch in which to use up some of those scraps from our ever-growing scrap piles!  These are from LilyBee Designs, as are the background papers.  I originally just had the patterned paper circles, which I sewed down, and it was cute but didn’t really have any pizzazz!  I added some silver glimmer paper circles, along with a star, and that REALLY stepped it up.  It’s a shame you can’t get the full effect here, but it really sparkles IRL!

Hope you can play along with us Merrymakers and add another Christmas card to your stash….Christmas is only 4 months away!!!  And be sure to stop by Lesley’s blog, Always Playing with Paper, to see ALL the cool creations from our talented designers!

We made it through the birthday party yesterday with just a couple little raindrops!  We were at a local park, under a pavilion, so no worries!  Cassidy was a little overwhelmed by the festivities, but I did manage to get a couple pictures and a video (keeping my fingers crossed that it works!!)!!





Enjoy your day!

Paper Players 159

Happy Sunday, peeps!  Ann is our hostess today with a clean and simple challenge:

Oooh, that is a challenge—one layer!  But I managed to make a one-layer card that was pretty CAS….not a lot of white space….but some pretty stamping and a wee bit of embossing:

I used a set that I haven’t used for a while, Papaya Collage, along with Gorgeous Grunge….amazing how versatile that set is!  This card is smaller; note card size; so the images work quite well with it.  I diecut the edge and embossed it, then stamped the stripes on the inside of the card to peek out from behind the embossing…such a pretty effect!  (Be sure you diecut first, THEN emboss…..you can figure out how I know to do that!!!)

Then I stamped my foliage and butterflies, simply coloring them with some ink and a blender pen, then adding the pearl centers:

I did dye some seam binding for a little bow, but Ann said that was okay to do!!! 

So, what will you do with this one-layer, clean and simple challenge?  Can’t wait to see!  And be sure to check out the Paper Players blog to see what the other designers created as well!

We are having Cassidy’s party today, so hopefully I will have some pictures to post this week.  Meanwhile, a little shot of the fashionista from last week, courtesy of her mommy:

Have a blessed day!

Wee Project Details
Stamps	Gorgeous Grunge, Papaya Collage, Petite Pairs
Card stock & Papers	Confetti White
Ink	Pistachio Pudding, Stazon Black, Calypso Coral, Tangerine Tango, Blushing Bride
Accessories	Vanilla Seam Binding, Pearls
Tools	Big Shot, Delicate Designs Embossing Folder, Blender Pens

Snowflake Spot

Happy Saturday, peeps!  I actually got in some stamping time this afternoon and played with a few challenges I haven’t played in a while!  The JUGS challenge #202 is a monochromatic blue:

Just Add Ink #178 wants snowflakes, and the Pals Paper Arts #168 has a great sketch:

I whipped up this really simple Christmas card using a retired SU set, The Snowflake Spot, and some DP from last year’s  International Bazaar:

I added some embossing, glimmer paper and the cool new silver ribbon from the Holiday mini.  I rarely use Pacific Point, so this was a nice change for me!

And another Christmas card for my stash! 

I finished Cassidy’s cupcakes for her party tomorrow….Dana is having a “picnic” theme.  Unfortunately, Cassidy was running a fever today, just not herself, so I am hoping that she’ll be on the mend by the time the party starts tomorrow!  Poor thing….it’s never fun to be sick but on your birthday?  That really stinks!!!  Anyway, here’s a quick pic of one of the watermelon cupcakes I made:

And one of the the little pumpkin from yesterday, before her birthday trip to the zoo!

Enjoy your afternoon---be sure to stop back tomorrow for a new Paper Players challenge!

Wee Project Details
Stamps	The Snowflake Spot
Card stock & Papers	Whisper White, Silver Glimmer, International Bazaar DP
Ink	Pacific Point
Accessories	Silver Ribbon, Glimmer Brad
Tools	Circle Framelits, Scallop Nestabilities, Delicate Designs EF, Big Shot

More Birthday Cards

Happy Friday, peeps!  I am taking a little break from stamping, as tomorrow is my little pumpkin’s birthday and I am busy baking & cooking for a wee little party!  So I thought I would share some more birthday cards I received:

From my sweet friend Denise:

and from my downline’s downline Penny:

from my MM teammate Bonnie:

And from my teammate from my old CTD days, Broni:

and from my PP teammate, Nance:

and this stunner from Kara:

and this fun one from Miss Linda:

and another from my CTD days, from Bar:

and from one of my stamping friends, Linda:

and last but not least, this lovely vintage creation from Bev:

I am blessed and encouraged by all these lovely birthday wishes!  Thanks so much, ladies!