Paper Players 296 Vintage Robin

Happy Sunday, everyone!  It's time for another Paper Players  challenge, and today Laurie is our hostess with a pretty little sketch:

I haven't done anything vintage for a while, and I just got this beautiful robin image from Artistic Outpost (Birds of a Feather), so I went on a search for some vintage-style papers and came up with this:

 I didn't really have any plain cardstock that complemented these beautiful papers, so I stamped my robin on some Naturals Ivory cardstock in Mint Macaron, added a little shading to the bird with Always Artichoke, then sponged everything with Blushing Bride to match the little lattice design on the paper.    I added a scallop in Always Artichoke, some wonky stitching:

a shabby seam binding bow:

and a Paper Pumpkin sentiment diecut with a Bitty Banners die:

I just love this sketch, there are so many possibilities!  I hope you'll play along too.  Here's what the DT came up with:

• Claire
• Jaydee
• Joanne
• Laurie
• Nance 
• Sandy
• Linda
• Hannelie
• Colleen

Softball time!

 

MTS125

Happy Saturday, peeps!  A quick post today, a card for a family that's going through a rough patch. Sketch is from Match the Sketch:

and I used some of the new papers that will be coming out in the next catalog; they're called Affectionately Yours Specialty Designer Papers:

I used a sentiment from Thoughts & Prayers, stamped in Night of Navy, and the floral element is from Endless Thanks, also stamped in Night of Navy and Crumb Cake. The horizontal Pool Party panel is stamped with the retiring set Bordering Blooms.  I embossed the front with the Vine Street EF.  Thanks for popping in today!

SUNSHINE!!!!!

Be sure to come back tomorrow for my Paper Players card!

CTD393 and FMS237 Sitting Here

Happy Friday, everyone!  Ahhh...the weekend...another rain-soaked weekend....is upon us!  Blessedly, today is supposed to be sunny so I'll enjoy it while I can!  I had a chance to play with some new SU goodies yesterday!  I used the Freshly Made Sketches sketch and the colors from Color Throwdown for my card:

And here we go:

This new set is called Sitting Here and it has the sweetest images....I love this porch swing!  I was not sure if the top color of the palette was pale pink or tan, so I took artistic liberty and went with tan....Crumb Cake, in fact!  I stamped my images in Memento Black and colored them with an aquapainter and reinkers in shades of Crumb Cake, Melon Mambo, Strawberry Slush and Smoky Slate:

I added some Strawberry Slush twine and a Regal Rose scalloped border.  I also cut out the pillows and "puffed" one of them by contouring it with the end of a stylus from the back.  It gives it a cute little dimension in real life!  Finally, I stamped one of the sentiments from the set and added a Smoky Slate "hello" diecut from the Greetings thinlets.  Thanks for visiting today!

After a bath, Cassidy had her favorite lunch....croutons, tomatoes, salad and cheese with ranch dressing!  She was giggling because her crouton looked like a boot!!  She's got imagination!

Enjoy your day!

TSOT271 and SIP48 So Sorry

Hi everyone!  Hope you're having a good week so far!  Today, I've got a card using the Stamp Ink Paper challenge colors:

and the Try Stampin on Tuesday sketch:

 A friend of mine recently had to put her little pup down, and I made this to say how sorry I was:

I used DSP from Pretty Petals in Cameo Coral and a retired DSP from a couple years ago, and I think it is actually Soft Sky, but hopefully it's close enough to get by!  The image is from Papertrey's Tiny Treats Valentine set from a few years back; sentiment is from SU's Teeny Tiny Wishes; the gingham is SU's retired Gingham wheel, and the alphabet is SU's retired A to Z.  The circles were all diecut with Lil'Inker stitched circle dies:

I embossed the Chocolate Chip panel with the Arrows EF and added a heart and some brown pearls as a final finish!

Cassidy took her Baby Alive dolls for a little walk:

Unfortunately, they look like they saw a ghost!  Maybe they're just surprised to see the sunshine!  She loves them anyway!

Enjoy your day!

Curtain Call Birdhouse

Happy Wednesday, peeps!  It's the middle of the week, yay!  The Curtain Call challenge this week is so sweet, I just had to play along!  Check out this sweet inspiration photo:

I pulled out my favorite birdhouse image from Garden Pleasures and stamped it on some watercolor paper, then colored it with an aquapainter and reinkers in Watermelon Wonder, Soft Suede, Crushed Curry and Crumb Cake:

I had some digital gingham paper already printed up, found it in my stash and I thought it worked perfectly with this country image!  I did use a mat of a new In Color called Flirty Flamingo, and I also used a new scalloped square die....both will be in the upcoming catalog!  I added a little linen bow to the birdhouse:

and finally, a little sentiment from Stamplorations (Trendy Feathers), stamped on the banner from the Large Numbers Framelit, accented with a little flower:

I know the trend nowadays is to make cards that are more eclectic and free-style, but I do love this more structured, layered look....it just makes me smile!  Now....to whom should I send this little note??  Maybe it will be in YOUR mailbox!

Cassidy had been bugging me for days to make "slime"...we called it flubber...so we went to work with some glue, dye and borax:

It worked!  It's really weird-feeling, but it kept her entertained for quite a while!

Thanks for popping in today!

Merry and Bright in Dapper Denim

Happy Tuesday, peeps!  A quick CAS card today that didn't quite turn out how I had planned...I am finding that photopolymer stamps sometimes don't stamp as cleanly with craft ink when you want to do heat-embossing.  So I will say that this card was a learning process!  It's for two challenges:

The sketch at Can You Case It:

As well as the Just Add Ink challenge #311, which is masking!  So here we go:

I began by masking off the upper and lower portions of my card with post-it notes, then heat-embossing the snowflakes from Snow Place in Craft White ink and white embossing powder.  I stamped a Paper Pumpkin sentiment in Memento Black, then used the new In Color, Dapper Denim, to sponge within the masked area.  I love my blues, and I think this will be a great color!  I tried to darken the edges a little and leave the inside area lighter.  As you can see, the snowflakes are not very crisp and clear:

Next time I will use a traditional rubber stamp.  The inside was stamped with the same color, same Paper Pumpkin set, but I did add "wishing you" and another snowflake from a Lil'Inker set (can't remember the name!)...

And this shade sort of reminds me of these big blue eyes!

Thanks for popping by today!

Paper Players 295 Wild Thing

Happy Sunday, peeps!  It's time for another Paper Players challenge, and I am the hostess today for our clean and simple challenge!  I chose "Wild Thing" as my theme:

 

I thought it was nice that Nance chose a giraffe as the graphic for the challenge, even though she didn't know that was my choice of wild animal!  (Hers too....be sure to check it out!)  So here we go:

I really don't have many animal stamps, but I did get this cute little giraffe a while back from 100 Proof Press; I stamped him in Cajun Craze and did some fussy-cutting so that he would fit on this cute little diecut tag (Poppystamps' Greeting Tags):

I just love how that sentiment is at the bottom of the tag!  I also stamped the tag with Versamark ink and Timeless Textures before I adhered Mr. Giraffe!  I embossed a panel of Early Espresso with the Woodgrain EF, then mounted everything on some striped paper that I had embossed with a stitched die (Lil'Inker) and added a simple brad from my stash.  Not too many embellishments because it is a clean and simple challenge, after all!  I think this would make a great masculine card!

Now you must check out the rest of the design team and what they created, then share your own CAS creation with us as well!!!

• Claire
• Jaydee
• Joanne
• Laurie
• Nance 
• Sandy
• Linda
• Hannelie
• Colleen

And since we've got a wild animal theme going on, I thought I would share some bird photos from my back yard.....some are taken through my kitchen window screen so they're not real clear but hopefully you'll enjoy them nonetheless.  Meanwhile, I'm trying to find a telephoto lens for my old camera so I can take better pictures!

An indigo bunting....these only show up about one day, once a year, so I felt blessed to be walking in the backyard when this little fellow flew up from the grass!

A cheeky red-bellied woodpecker, who has almost pecked a hole in the roof of my poor old birdfeeder!

A sweet little male goldfinch, sporting his pretty summer colors:

I am pretty sure this is a purple finch...he had a really brilliant red spot on his back, but he wouldn't cooperate and turn around!

And my first little hummingbird!!  They have really worked on this nectar!

I also watched an oriole for about 20 minutes and saw a rose-breasted grosbeak on Friday, but didn't have my camera with me!  Bummer!