Sunday, May 24, 2015

Pretty Kitty for Paper Players #246

Hello there! This week at The Paper Players, we have a sketch challenge to play along with. I’m also excited to say that I am hosting the challenge this week, so I would love it if you would join us. :) Here is the sketch I came up with:
I recently ordered this adorable “Nine Lives” kitty stamp set with matching dies from Paper Smooches. The fluffy kitty reminds me of my little Sophie and I attempted to color her to resemble her. My Copic marker skills are improving, but I still have a LONG way to go. 

I grabbed a piece of SU Designer Series Paper from the Confetti Celebration pack and used that to pick my card stock colors for the layers. I went with Strawberry Slush and Pistachio Pudding. I felt like this card needed more texture, so I used the Fancy Fans and Decorative Dots Embossing Folders. I just love that tiny trio of paw prints! I made this card to send off to my friend who runs the cat rescue that I adopted Sophie and Triple from. We are actually planning an event to make cards that the she can use to send to adopters and supporters of the rescue, which should be a lot of fun. 
Please join us over at The Paper Players this week! 
The challenge will close Friday, May 29th, 2015 at Noon (PST).

The Paper Players Design Team
Before I sign-off, here is a photo of my kitty, Sophie. She 10 months now and is currently in a phase where she can be extremely moody. One minute she is cuddly and then out of nowhere, she tries to act tough. It’s pretty funny, especially when she flashes her tiny teeth. Such a sassy girl! Have a great day! :)
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Sunday, May 17, 2015

Girly Thanks for Paper Players #245

Hello there and Happy Sunday to you! This week at The Paper Players, the wonderful Jaydee is our hostess with a Clean and Simple (CAS) theme challenge: “Girly Thanks”. How fun is that? We all need thank you cards to send, so why not whip out your crafting supplies and join us this week?
For my card, I almost went WAY over the top with pink and sparkles but realized that I tend to do that a lot. I wanted to challenge myself to do something a little different and create my card for this challenge without using any stamps. I’m a patterned paper hoarder and have been trying to dig into the stash more often. So, I dug out my All Abloom Designer Series Paper (Stampin’ Up) pad, picked two complimentary patterns and got to work on my card.

I am seriously obsessed with the big, bold sentiments from the Hello You Thinlits Dies! The font is so fun and they really pack a punch on a card. Then I added a trio of layered butterflies, using the Bitty Butterfly Punch and dressed them up with some pearls. Again, I wanted to add a bunch of glitter to them, but restrained myself to try to keep this card somewhat CAS. The struggle was real though, let me tell you! :) The Strawberry Slush Baker’s Twine was a last minute addition. I just felt like the card needed “something” in that corner and ribbon would have been too much. The card stock colors on this card are Lost Lagoon, Strawberry Slush and Blushing Bride.
Please join us over at The Paper Players this week! 
The challenge will close Friday, May 22nd, 2015 at Noon (PST).

The Paper Players Design Team
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Sunday, May 10, 2015

Butterfly Hello for Paper Players #244

Hello there! This week at The Paper Players, the always fabulous LeAnne is our challenge hostess. She has selected a beautiful trio of colors to play along with: Lost Lagoon, Sahara Sand and Pistachio Pudding. These colors are GORGEOUS together! 
I decided to finally take my Butterfly Thinlits Dies out of the package for this card. I have had them for months and kind of forgot about them. That is a sign that you have too many things in my stamp studio, right? Ha! I wanted the card to be "kind of" shabby chic but still clean, so I kept the embellishments to a minimum and sponged some ink around the edges. Of course, I had a LOT of help from my kitten Sophie with the sponges, as she kept stealing them off my desk and running out of the room. 

I used the Spring Flowers Embossing folder for some texture on the background, along with adding a little baker’s twine bow. I wanted the focus to be on the big butterfly, so I decided on a tiny banner sentiment from the (ret.) Banner Blast stamp set, dressed up with one itty bitty pearl. 
Please join us over at The Paper Players this week! 
The challenge will close Friday, May 15th, 2015 at Noon (PST).

The Paper Players Design Team
Before I sign off, here is a photo of my little stamping helper back when she was a tiny baby and now. Sophie is 10 months old now and a fluffy, little trouble-maker. She is pretty adorable though, so she gets away with a lot. Have a great day! :)
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Sunday, May 3, 2015

Missing You for Paper Players #243

Hello there! This week at The Paper Players, the very sweet and talented Sandy has a fun theme challenge to play along with. Create a project with “Transportation" as the focal point. There are a lot of different ways to interpret the theme, so have some fun!
I took a pretty literal interpretation of the challenge because as soon as I saw it, I remembered some stamps I had stashed away that were waiting to see some ink. I picked up this three little images at Michaels in the $1 bin. I don’t even remember why I bought them initially. I think it was simply because they were $1 a piece. You gotta love a good deal, right?

I paired them up with a “Missing You” sentiment from My Favorite things and used the colors from the Flashback Designer Series Paper from Stampin’ Up! The card stock colors are Real Red, Crushed Curry and Very Vanilla. I needed a card for a dear friend who I haven’t seen in a while and this was perfect. :)
Please join us over at The Paper Players this week! 
The challenge will close Friday, May 8th, 2015 at Noon (PST).

The Paper Players Design Team
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Sunday, April 19, 2015

Simple Bunny for Paper Players #241

Hello stamping friends! This week at The Paper Players, my sweet friend Nance has a fun theme challenge to play along with: Clean and Simple (CAS) Watercolor. Be sure to check out the challenge for our rules and inspiration from the awesome Design Team.
I decided to ink up this little bunny stamp from Unity Stamp Co. called Little Bunny for You. The sentiment in that set was just too big for what I was planning for the card, so I decided to use a sentiment from the Hello Life set from SU!

Here is a close-up of my awesome watercoloring skills. I’m kidding, they are NOT that great, at all. I tried! I used a combination of Blender Pens (for the details) and Aqua Painters (for the background). I used Blushing Bride, Pear Pizzazz, Pool Party, Smoky Slate and Daffodil Delight for my color combo. I used Natural White card stock for the background to add a little bit of pop. I thought it looked better than a clean, white design. I wanted to add some embossed texture, like 10 times over, but had to keep reminding myself it was a CAS challenge. Less is more. :)
Please join us over at The Paper Players this week! 
The challenge will close Friday, April 24th, 2015 at Noon (PST).

The Paper Players Design Team
Before I sign off, I wanted to share one of my favorite photos from the week. I met this cutie while I was taking photos for my friend who runs a rescue here in San Antonio. Her name is Zoe and she seriously OWNED the camera. Can you believe this girl was found abandoned in a local park? She is gorgeous, right? Thankfully she is safe and on her way to a new, loving home. I leave you with a reminder to please adopt, don’t shop for your next furry family member.
Thank you for stopping by today! Please leave a comment to say hello. 
Have a great day and...Happy Stamping! :)

Sunday, April 12, 2015

Two Little Flowers for Paper Players #240

Hello there! This week at The Paper Players, the lovely and talented Joanne is our hostess with a fun color trio to create with: Coastal Cabana, Strawberry Slush and Pistachio Pudding. I’m going to be honest, ANY color combo that has Strawberry Slush included, is a winner in my book. I think that is my favorite shade of pink right now.
I used a new stamp set from Paper Smooches called Twiggy Florets. I just love those fun flowers and the cutie patootie vases. After I colored the images in (using my ink pads and Blender Pens) I felt like they needed a little something more. I added a little spot of Dazzling Diamonds glitter glue to the chevron on one of the vases and then topped the images off with some Crystal Effects for shine. I love using Crystal Effects but I am a terribly impatient person, so waiting for it to dry can drive me bonkers. Ha!

I wanted to keep the card clean and simple (CAS) so instead of adding patterned paper or embossing, I just opted for three little strips of card stock on the background to keep the focus on the fun flowers. I really like how it came out. :)
Please join us over at The Paper Players this week! 
The challenge will close Friday, April 17th, 2015 at Noon (PST).

The Paper Players Design Team
Have a great day! :) 

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Sunday, March 29, 2015

Tic-Tac-Toe Hello for Paper Players #238

Hello there, stamping friends! This week at The Paper Players, my sweet friend Claire has a fun Tic-Tac-Toe challenge for us. As soon as I saw it I said "you are NOT going to select any row with PINK in it"...but it didn't work. Here's the deal. If you dangle a challenge with the option of pink in front of me, I am always going to take it. Always. That's just how I roll. With that being said, I went with the bottom row of the tic-tac-toe board for my card this week: flowers, any shade of pink and polka dots.  
I know I am late to the party, but I finally got the Hello You Thinlits Dies last week. Why did I not buy these dies sooner? I am in LOVE with them! I love big, bold sentiments and these are perfection! I paired them up with a trio of flowers from a die that I thought was current (Floral Fusion), but isn't. I have to be honest, I'm simply having fun creating right now. It makes me happy. I'm not worried about using the latest and greatest...what is current and who makes it. I am just using what inspires me and going with that. I think that is what the essence of creativity is. Just use what you have to make pretty things...and have fun doing it! That's what it's all about, right? :)
I used some Primrose Petals ribbon...with a little pleated detail. But you didn't use anything else in that color on the card, Anne Marie. Yup, I realized that AFTER I added it to the card. Whoopsie! I don't think you can tell, that much. Well, now that I mentioned it, you can, right? Even if you can, just nod and tell me looks like it matches perfectly, ok? The rest of the somewhat coordinated supply list can be found at the end of the post. Haha!
Please join us over at The Paper Players
The challenge will close Friday April 3rd at Noon (PST). 

The Paper Players Design Team

Have a great day! :) 
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Stamps: None!
Paper: Rose Red, Strawberry Slush, Blushing Bride, Pear Pizzazz and So Saffron card stock
Ink: None! 
Accessories: Primrose Petals ribbon (because I'm a hot mess!), Hello You Thinlits Dies, Bird Builder Punch, Itty Bitty Punches (I think this is retired), Large Polka Dot Textured Expressions Folder, Basic Rhinestones and Stampin' Dimensionals

Sunday, March 22, 2015

Golden Birthday Girl for Paper Players #237

Hello there, stamping friends! It's Sunday and that means it is time for another fun challenge over at The Paper Players. This week, my sweet friend LeAnne is our hostess and she has an awesome sketch for us. Check it out:
I LOVE this sketch! So many possibilities. I decided to flip the sketch on it's side for my card. To get started, I pulled out the SU Birthday Bash Specialty DSP and a stamp set from Close to My Heart called Be Yourself. These stamps were sent to me from a very sweet, AMAZING friend and I had yet to ink them up. I love the flecks of gold in the DSP, so that was what made me decide to emboss the stamped image in gold. It took me 4 tries to get it right, because I was lazy and didn't think I needed to use my Embossing Buddy. I was so wrong. Don't skip this step when you are embossing, you will be really frustrated, trust me. 

The color combo in this paper is not something I would have ever put together and I love that! Let's talk about that patterned paper though! Doesn't it completely look like cake/cupcake sprinkles? The pops of gold make it even more fabulous. I thought my embossed "golden girl" worked well with it. I added a touch of Glimmer Paper and some sequins because this party gal looked like she needed some more sparkle.  All of the supplies I used are listed below. 
Here is a quick shot of the inside of the card. Here's a fun fact: I was on the phone while I was finishing my card and totally stamped WAY off-center because I was distracted. How embarrassing!  What was I thinking? I tried to cover it up with that strategically placed strip of DSP so I wouldn't have to do it over again. If I didn't tell you, you would think I meant to do it that way, right? Ha! Just nod and agree. It will make me feel better about my mistake. :)
Please join us over at The Paper Players
The challenge will close Friday March 27th at Noon (PST). 

The Paper Players Design Team

Before I sign-off, I wanted to share a photo of my little "helper". Not only did she steal my Embossing Buddy off the desk while I was stamping, but I caught her hanging out in my new IKEA cart. Apparently, it is not just for organizing your crafting supplies. You can also sort your spare kittens in it. Oh Sophie....

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Stamps: Petite Pairs (sentiment) and Be Yourself (from Close to My Heart)
Paper: Birthday Bash Specialty DSP, Champagne Glimmer Paper, Calypso Coral, Bermuda Bay and Whisper White card stock
Ink: Versa-Mark and Calypso Coral Classic Ink
Accessories: 1- 1/4" Circle Punch, 1- 3/8" Circle Punch, Gold Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Bermuda Bay ribbon (ret.), Bermuda Bay Sequins and Stampin' Dimensionals 

Sunday, March 15, 2015

CAS Mixed Bunch for Paper Players #236

Hello there! This week at The Paper Players, my friend Ann Schach has a fabulous challenge for us. It's Clean and Simple week and we are focusing on a floral theme. So perfect for Spring, don you think? 
I was determined to use a lot of white space on this card, something I tend to struggle with. I decided that the big, bold blossom from the SU Mixed Bunch set was going to be the focus for my card with a fun sentiment from My Favorite Things. I needed a card to send to a friend I haven't connected with in a while, so this was perfect. I added some leaves from the Bird Builder Punch for dimension and a big honkin' rhinestone for sparkle.

Still, I felt that the card needed just a wee bit more, so I went over to my washi tape collection and grabbed a couple of rolls that would coordinate with the card colors. I am absolutely obsessed with washi tape right now...it's really bad. I think at last count, I have over 130 rolls. I guess I need to start using it on my cards more. What crafting supplies do you hoard?
Please join us over at The Paper Players
The challenge will close Friday March 20th at Noon (PST). 

The Paper Players Design Team
Stamps: Mixed Bunch (SU), sentiment from My Favorite Things
Paper: Strawberry Slush, Pink Pirouette, Garden Green and Whisper White Card stock
Ink: Strawberry Slush Classic ink
Accessories: Rhinestone from SU, Washi Tape from SU and Pick Your Plum, Bird Builder Punch, 1/2" Circle punch, Large Flower punch


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Sunday, March 8, 2015

Love is Kindness for Paper Players #235

Hey there! This week at The Paper Players, I am honored to be hosting our color challenge. I picked these colors because I thought they were really versatile to celebrate the spring season.  Please join us and play along! 
As soon as I picked the challenge colors, I knew that I wanted to ink up the Love is Kindness stamp set, I colored the flowers with my Copics and paper pieced the newspaper "wrap" around the flowers  I added some glitter to the flowers because...well... I have no reason other than I felt like this card REALLY needed some sparkle! The edges of the layers are sponged with Crumb Cake ink.  
Please join us over at The Paper Players! The challenge closes on Friday, March 13th, 2015 at Noon (PST).

The Paper Players Design Team
Before I sign off, I want to share one of my photos. This is Flip. I just love this sweet boy! Every time I go to take photos at my friend's rescue, he is always happy to get a lot of extra attention . Flip is FIV+ but that shouldn't discourage anyone from adopting him. This sweet guy has a lot of love to share and is looking for his forever home.
Thanks of stopping by! :)