Hello Honey Duck for Paper Players #197

Hello and Happy Sunday! LeAnne has designed a really fun sketch for us this week at The Paper Players. I always enjoy having a great sketch as a starting point for a card. It really helps get the creative mojo working. 

I really wanted to play around with some of the new In Colors that will be in the upcoming Stampin' Up! catalog. The Moonlight Designer Series Paper Pad has some awesome patterns with the new colors, so I started there. Lost Lagoon and Hello Honey are two colors that look SO pretty together! Perfect for a baby card, using the new Something for Baby set, too. That little duck is so stinking cute! 

The little banner sentiment is from the Itty Bitty Banners stamp set and it was the perfect size. I added the Lost Lagoon ribbon at the very end because the card needed something there to fill the space. Since this card will be paired with a gift for a friend, I thought that layer with the ribbon kind of looked like a gift box. Maybe? Just me? Ok, I tried. Ha! I really like how this one came out and I hope you do too. Leave me a comment and let me know. I'd love to hear from you. :) 

Please join us over at the Paper Players!  The challenge is open through Friday, May 30th, 2014 at Noon (PDT). Stop by and say hello to the rest of the Design Team to see what they are sharing this week. Have a great day!  

  

The Paper Players Design Team

Ann Schach

Anne Marie Hile 
Jaydee

LeAnne Pugliese

Nance Leedy

Sandy Mathis

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Buttoned Birthday Flowers for {PP #139}

Hello there and Happy Easter to you (if you celebrate the holiday). It is time for another fun challenge over at the Paper Players. This week, the lovely and talented Jaydee is our hostess with a "Tic-Tac-Toe" challenge. Pick a line across, down or diagonally on the board pictured above.  Or if you are feeling REALLY adventurous...go for every square on the board! Ha! We would just love it if you would join us and play along.

I decided to create my card with the pink and green colors, birthday card theme, using pearls as an accent. Although, there are SO many fun possibilities with this tic-tac-toe challenge, don't you think? I also used Rita's awesome sketch from this week's Freshly Made Sketches challenge for inspiration.

The Button Buddies stamp set is one of my all-time favorites! So many fun images, for a variety of occasions. I think it is one of those sets that everyone should own, because it is really versatile. I went with a polka dot theme for my card...polka dots are just plain F-U-N! I dressed up the image with some Bitty Button flowers, accented with some pearls. I added texture with the embossing folders, ribbon and buttons. All of the supplies I used are listed at the end of this post. 

Please join us this week over at the Paper Players! The challenge is open through Friday, April 5th at NOON (PDT). Check out what the rest of the Design Team created with this week's challenge: 

The Paper Players Design Team

Ann Schach

Anne Marie Hile

Jaydee

LeAnne Pugliese

Nance Leedy

Amy O'Neill

Brian King

Jen Nelson

Justin Krieger

Sandy Mathis

Before I sign-off, I wanted to share a photo of my little Abby bunny. She's a sassy girl, indeed. Have a HAPPY day! :) 

CLICK HERE to order anytime 24/7 from my Stampin' Up! website

Stampin' Up! Supply List

Stamps: Button Buddies and Itty Bitty Banners stamp sets

Paper: Cheerful Treat DSP (retired), Melon Mambo, Pink Pirouette, Lucky Limeade and Whisper White card stock

Ink: Lucky Limeade Classic ink

Punches: Scallop Border Punch

Accessories: Melon Mambo 3/8" Striped Organza Ribbon, Bitty Banners Die, Labels Collection Framelits Die, Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder, Square Lattice Embossing Folder, Melon Mambo and Lucky Limeade Stampin' Write Markers, Bitty Clear Buttons, Bitty Punch Pack, Stripes Embossing Folder,, Big Shot, Basic Pearls Paper Piercer and Stampin' Dimensionals

Non SU Accessories: small oval die

Day of Gratitude for {PP #121}

Hello there stamping friends! Well, better late then never with this post. So sorry! This week at the Paper Players, I am the hostess and I have a fab fall color combo to try out. I love the richness of these colors together and I hope you do too. Please join us!

I also used the layout from Retro Sketches for inspiration on my card. 

This is such a fun sketch...I'm loving those scalloped edges. 

With a few (*wink, wink*) layers, some embossing and the Scallop Border Punch, I got to work. As soon as I decided on these colors, I knew I was going to use the Day of Gratitude stamp set. There is something about the fall season and that stamp set that just fit. Like peanut butter and jelly..like pink and glitter...well, you get the idea. My fussy-cut leaves probably should have been sponged around the edges but I was already late with my card, so I decided to press on. Finaly, I added a couple of pearls because...well, why NOT?!

I hope you will join us this week at the Paper Players! Please stop by and see what the rest of the awesome gals on the Design Team have whipped up with this color trio. 

The Paper Players Design Team

Amy White

Ann Schach

Anne Marie Hile

Dawn Easton

Helen Heil

Jaydee

Jen Arkfeld

LeAnne Pugliese

Nance Leedy

Because I have had a few emails about the shelter dogs, I wanted to post a few photos of some of the awesome pups that have been SAVED over the past week. Although it is tough to visit and photograph some of these babies that do not make it...the success stories make my heart smile! I am so blessed to have had this opportunity, thanks to my amazing friend, Kelly. She is one of the most wonderful people you will ever meet and her passion for these animals is amazing. 

This gorgeous Boxer girl was rescued and I am so happy. She recently had a litter of pups and desperately needed a break. 

 Here is Bruno! Look at those eyes! Such a loving boy! 

Finally, this is Reggie! I didn't post the photos that show how starved he is. They are pretty graphic. Let's just say this guy stands above my waist and is probably half of the weight he should be.  He is such an amazing boy, so full of love despite everything he has gone through. This dude had my heart and I wasn't going to be content until he was saved. Thankfully the S.A. Humane Society stepped up for him. I just love this pup! 

You're Amazing for Paper Players #108

Hi there! Happy Sunday to you! Once again I'm running a little behind with my post. For those of you that may not know, I had bi-lateral foot surgery a week ago and this weekend has been a bit of a struggle with some crazy swelling issues in my left foot. I have been trying to stay off of it as much as possible and keep it elevated, to get the swelling down. This whole recovery thing is slowing down my craft time, I tell ya! Ha! ;)

Ok, on to the crafty-goodness! This week at the Paper Players, the lovely and talented Ann Schach is our hostess with a fabulous color combo to take for a spin. Ann has this crazy obsession with Cherry Cobbler (kind of the same way I feel about Melon Mambo) and I can totally see why. This red is so rich and elegant and really works for just about any occasion. 

I inked up a new set, You're Amazing, which I received at Convention this year. I really wanted to do something with a vintage flair for this challenge...because any challenge Ann hosts pretty much means that I will be busting out my Color Spritzer Tool in her honor. I made sure to give this card a generous spritzing using a Crumb Cake Stampin' Write Marker to add some extra distressed detail. 

For the main image: first I stamped the balloons where I wanted them, then stamped an extra set of balloons on a separate piece of card stock. I cut those out, popped them up on the main image using Stampin' Dimensionals and added some Crystal Effects for a final touch. All of the edges of the card were "dirtied up" with a sponge and some Crumb Cake ink. It's tough to see but the Night of Navy layer is embossed with the Chevron Embossing Folder and then edges were added from the Finishing Touches Edgelits die. My favorite part of the card are the two tiny tickets in the right corner. I'm always smitten with new punches and the Ticket Duo Builder punch is perfect for this stamp set. The rest of the supplies are listed at the end of this post. 

Here is a quick shot of the inside of the card, using a sentiment and the little clouds from the Up, Up & Away stamp set:

There you have it...I started out to create a more masculine-themed birthday card, but really think this card could work well for anyone. If you have a chance, please check out the challenge over at the Paper Players. The rest of the gals on the Design Team created some fun projects with these colors, too. The challenge closes on Friday, August 17th at Noon (PST) so we hope you will play along. Thanks for visiting today!  

The Paper Players Design Team

Ann Schach

Anne Marie Hile (you are here)

Amy White

Dawn Easton

Helen Heil

Jaydee

Jen Arkfield

LeAnne Pugliese

Lesley Croghan

Nance Leedy

Have a HAPPY day! :)  

Stampin' Up! Supply List
Stamps: You're Amazing and Itty Bitty Banners
Paper: Be of Good Cheer DSP, Cherry Cobbler, Not Quite Navy, Crumb Cake and Very Vanilla card stock
Ink: Not Quite Navy, Cherry Cobbler, Crumb Cake and Very Vanilla Classic ink pads
Punches: Ticket Duo Bulder punch
Accessories: Chevron Embossing Folder, Crumb Cake Stampin' Write Marker, Color Spritzer Tool, Antique Brass Metallic Brad, Bitty Banners Framelits dies, Finishing Touches Edgelits die, Help Twine, Stampin' Sponges, Stampin' Dimensionals and Basic Pearls (colored with a Crumb cake marker)

Dressed in Denim Recipe Challenge for Our Creative Corner

Hi-ya stampers! I'm back with another post today...a little later then planned. Sorry about the delay! If you are looking for my Dynamic Duos post, it is right after this one. Also I have a BLOG CANDY giveaway going on through Sunday 8/12. It's two posts down, so check it out! :) 

This week over at Our Creative Corner, the super-sweet Paula McClane is our hostess this week with a "Dressed in Denim Recipe Challenge" to try out. Check out the challenge badge above for all of the details. (I am happy to say that I actually created that badge using the new My Digital Studio 2 from Stampin' Up! CLICK HERE for some more info on digital designing...this is such a cool program!) Paula's recipe is a lot of fun and I really enjoyed adding all of the elements to put this card together. :) 

The layout of my card was inspired by the awesome sketch this week over at Create With Connie and Mary. I knew I wanted to try this one out as soon as I saw it...they always have such fun sketches! Check them out, you will see what I mean! :) 

My denim element is featured in two different places on my card. First, on the little rolled flowers using denim ribbon. Actually it counts as denim AND one of the ribbon accents. The scallop trim border was created using my favorite pair of jeans, which sadly had to retire from everyday wear due to the rip in one of the knees. Boo! I almost cried when I cut into them but in the end, LOVE that they are able be re-purposed. I never thought they would be used on a card though, so that is kind of fun! 

I ran a cut of my old denim jeans through the Big Shot with the Adorning Accents Edgelit Die. I did have to shim the denim with 3 pieces of card stock to get a clean cut through the fabric without it fraying. I am LOVING the colors in the Comfort Cafe DSP, too. Right now, Summer Starfruit seems to be my "go-to" color and I just love the rich look of this paper. I have listed all of the supplies I have used at the end of this post, but please shoot me an email if you have any questions. 

Thanks for stopping by! Please stop by and see what the rest of the Our Creative Corner Design Team members have whipped up with for their "Dressed in Denim" creations. We would love it if you would join us and play along this week. The challenge closes on Friday, August 17th at 11:59 PM (EST).

The Our Creative Corner Design Team

Linda Coughlin

Lori Rider

Wendy Janson

Sharon Wheet

Anne Marie Hile

Holly Kean

Sue Butler

Marcy Kamiski

Meihsia Liu

Irena (Rudlis) Kowalczyk

Lisa Minckler

Kim Price

Paula McClane

Liliana Inguanti

Chris Barnes

Have a HAPPY day! :) 



Stampin' Up! Supply List
Stamps: Perfectly Preserved (sentiment)
Paper: Comfort Cafe DSP, Birds of a Feather DSP (for the Summer Starfruit pattern), Summer Starfruit, Cajun Craze, Soft Suede (used to "mat" the scalloped denim Edgelit) and Very Vanilla card stock
Ink: Cajun Craze Classic ink
Punches: 1- 1/4" Square punch (to create banner edges), 1" Circle punch and 1/2" circle punch (used to create the rolled ribbon flowers)
Accessories: 3/8" Denim Jean Ribbon, Summer Starfruit 3/8" Taffeta Ribbon, Early Espresso Baker's Twine, Naturals Designer Buttons, Square Lattice Embossing Folder, Essentials Paper Piercing Pack, Paper Piercing Tool, Adorning Accents Edgelits Die, Bitty Banners Framelits Die, Sticky Strip and Mini Glue Dots
Non-SU! Accessories: my old jeans! 

Quint-Essential Flower for Dynamic Duos #15

Hi stamping friends! Well, I finally made it into my stamp room this week! Whoa! It is still a bit of a challenge to move around on my feet a week after surgery. I am finding I have been seeping a LOT with the pain meds and keeping my tootsies elevated in bed. I had my follow-up with the Dr. on Friday morning and got to see the mystery under those bandages. Yeah, it was pretty gross! One more week until the stitches come out...hopefully. 

But you didn't come here to hear about my yucky feet, did you? Ha! It's Saturday and that means it is time for another fun challenge at Dynamic Duos! This week we are focusing on the soft and subtle colors of Certainly Celery and Pretty in Pink. 

I found a new sketch challenge blog this week called Try Stampin' on Tuesday. Not only do they have some fun sketches, the design team is awesome and full of wonderful inspiration. Check them out, if you haven't already. 

For some reason, I had it stuck in my head that I wanted to use the Quint-Essential Flower stamp with these colors, so I went with it. I love how that stamp pairs with so many different punches. I added some embossing and colored some pink rhinestones to dress things up a bit. All of the supplies are listed at the end of the post. I kind of struggled with this card, but was happy to get it completed after this long week. :) 

Sorry the colors in my photos are a bit wonky. As I was trying to snap these photos Friday, it was sunny on one side of the house and THIS was rolling in on the other side:

Yikes, right? Would you believe that we didn't get a drop of rain from those skies. Well, if you lived in Texas, you would believe it...that's our crazy weather for you! Just a LOT of wind and (thank goodness) a brief temperature drop. 

I hope you enjoyed today's card! Please stop by and visit the Dynamic Duos blog to check out what the rest of the lovely ladies on the Design Team have created for inspiration this week. We sure hope you will join us and play along. The challenge closes Friday, August 17th at Noon (PDT)

The Dynamic Duos Design Team:

Allisa Chilton

Anne Marie Hile

Anika Lerche

Bronwyn Eastley

Kim Singdahlsen

Lesley Croghan

Lisa Elton

Melissa Chipperfield

Paige Grabau

Sue Joyce

Thanks for stopping by! I have some BLOG CANDY to give away now through Sunday August 12th. CLICK HERE for more info! 

Have a great day, 



Stampin' Up! Supply List 
Stamps: Quint-Essential Flower and Itty Bitty Banners
Paper: Subtles DSP Paper Stack, Certainly Celery, Pretty in Pink, Crumb Cake and Whisper White card stock
Ink: Certainly Celery, Pretty in Pink, Crumb Cake Classic ink
Punches: 2- 3/8" Scallop Circle, 1- 3/4" Scallop Circle, 1" Circle, 3/4" Circle and 1/2" Circle
Accessories: Stripes Embossing Folder, Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder, Finishing Touches Edgelits Die, Bitty Banners Framelits Dies, Pretty in Pink Stampin' Write Marker, Basic Rhinestones, Heat tool, Certainly Celery 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon (ret.) and Stampin' Dimensionals

Tic-Tac-Toe Ties for The Paper Players

Hi there! It's Sunday and I'm excited to finally be back in a routine after being on "creative hiatus" over the past couple of weeks. It's time for another fun challenge over at the Paper Players. This week, our hostess Lesley, has a Tic-Tac-Toe themed challenge to play along with. Simply pick a row on the challenge board...across, down or diagonally...and create a project with those elements. Easy peasy, right? 

I decided to use the middle row featuring the color blue, dry embossing and a masculine theme for my project this week. This card is becoming legendary, actually. (not REALLY)  Or, at the very least a never-ending project...as I brought a bonanza of these babies to Convention as one of my swap projects. After fussy-cutting almost 200 of those little ties, I thought this one deserved a blog post. Helooo hand cramp! Lol! I made a couple of tweaks (which I wish I made for my swaps, actually) and made yet another "tie card" for the Players this week.

I kind of feel badly for my poor roomies from Convention that I am subjecting them to this card, once again. They MORE then had their share of seeing it, as I was putting my swaps together in the hotel room in Salt Lake City. 


The fussy cut ties are popped up with dimensionals and the embossed texture plays off the patterns in the ties. The blinged out "tie tack" is a simple accent. I do think rhinestone accents are a-ok for a guy card...as long as they are used in moderation. What do you think? All of the supplies used are listed at the end of this post. 

Want to play B-I-N-G-O with the Paper Players? It would be awesome to see what you create with the challenge. You can play along until Friday, August 3rd at Noon (PDT). (Coincidentally, I will be in the operating room at that same time having surgery on my tootsies. Yikes!) It would be awesome if you would join us and play along. Stop by and say hello to the rest of the lovely ladies on the Design Team to see what they created for the challenge:

The Paper Players Design Team

Ann Schach

Anne Marie Hile (you are here)

Amy White

Dawn Easton

Helen Heil

Jaydee

Jen Arkfield

LeAnne Pugliese

Lesley Croghan

Nance Leedy

Thanks for stopping by!
Have a great day today,

Stampin' Up! Supply List

Stamps: Best Dad Ever and Itty Bitty Banners

Paper: Marina Mist, Gumball Green, Midnight Muse and Whisper White card stock

Ink: Marina Mist, Gumball Green and Midnight Muse Classic ink

Accessories: Chevron Embossing Folder, Argyle Embossing Folder, Bitty Banner Framelits, Midnight Muse 3/8" Stitched Ribbon, Finishing Touches Edgelits, lots of Stampin' Dimensionals and Basic Rhinestones

Dyamic Duos #8 - Papillion Potpourri

Hi there! Happy Saturday! Where did this week go? Yikes, that went by fast. It's time for a new challenge over at Dynamic Duos. We are going with a monochromatic mix of colors this week, using River Rock and Always Artichoke.  

When I sat down to create this card, I had two ideas in mind: using the Chevron Embossong Folder and making a masculine themed card. Only one of those ideas made it to the final project. I was distracted by the new Papillion Potpourri stamp set and matching Elegant Butterfly punch from my recent order. I know, I know..."More butterflies, Anne Marie? Can you find another critter to obsess over for a little while?" Um, NO. Any stamp set that has a coordinating punch is awesome in my book. The fact that it is butterfly-themed, is an added bonus. :) 

This is a pretty simple card, all around. I'm totally ok with that. Also, I do not have ribbon that matches either of these colors, so that was a little limiting. Ack! River Rock is just one of those colors that I never use. I think I still have the original pack of card stock I bought when it first came out. Although, this duo makes me look at the color very differently. Thanks to Lesley for pairing the colors up for us this week.

Here is the decorated inside of the card. Note the punched oval to cover up the fact that I stamped the sentiment crooked the first time. Whoops!  

Want to play along with us this week at Dynamic Duos? We would love to see what you create with this color combo. The challenge is open until Thursday, June 28th at Noon (PDT). Check out what the rest of the gals on the Design Team have whipped up for inspiration this week: 

The Dynamic Duos Design Team:

Allisa Chilton

Anne Marie Hile

Anika Lerche

Bronwyn Eastley

Kim Singdahlsen

Lesley Croghan

Lisa Elton

Melissa Chipperfield

Paige Grabau

Sue Joyce

Thanks for stopping by! Have a HAPPY day! 



Stampin' Up! Supply List: 
Stamps: Papillion Potpourri, Itty Bitty Banners and Occasional Quotes (ret. inside sentiment) 
Paper: To the Nines Specialty DSP (ret.), Always Artichoke, River Rock and Very Vanilla card stock
Ink: Always Artichoke and River Rock Classic Ink pad
Punches: Elegant Butterfly, Scallop Trim Border punch and Extra Large Oval (inside) 
Accessories: Bitty Banners Framelits, Chevron Embossing Folder, Basic Pearls and Stampin' Dimensionals