Rain or Shine for {PP#125}

Hello stamping friends! I'm a little late posting my card for the Paper Players, as a certain kitten had "relocated" the memory card for my DSLR camera for me. I finally found it stashed away under her kitty bed, one of the last places I looked. Sneaky, sneaky girl!

This week at the Paper Players, the lovely and talented Nance is our hostess with a fun color combo to try out.

For my card, I used a *brand new* stamp set that is coming out in January called Rain or Shine. AS soon as I saw the fun sketch over at The Sweet Stop, I knew I wanted to use it for my card. 

Look at those fun embossed clouds! Swoon! I love, love, love that new embossing folder so much. Can you say CUTENESS? The embossed trim on the bottom of the card is also a new item in the upcoming catty. I heat embossed the umbrella and the sentiment with Cherry Cobbler Embossing Powder. I colored in the polka dots on the umbrella using a Pool Party Stampin' Write Marker. Since you can never have enough sparkle, I added some Glimmer Paper and rhinestone accents for fun. all of the supplies are listed at the end of this post.

I hope you will join us over at the Paper Players this week. The challenge closes December 14th at Noon (PST). The rest of the gals on the Design Team have whipped up some cool colorful creations. Stop by and say hello! 

The Paper Players Design Team

Ann Schach

Anne Marie Hile

Jaydee

LeAnne Pugliese

Nance Leedy
Amy White

Dawn Easton

Helen Heil
Jen Arkfeld

Before I sign off, I just wanted to share a holiday photo with you of Santa's little Schnauzer helper in his festive elf hat. Such a sweet boy, my Emmitt! :)

Stampin' Up! Supply List

Stamps: Rain or Shine (new sneak peek)

Paper: Festival of Prints DSP Stack (Holiday catty), Red Glimmer Paper, Cherry Cobbler, Pool Party and Very Vanilla card stock

Ink: VersaMark and Basic Black Classic ink

Punches: 1- 1/4" Square punch (for banner sentiment)

Accessories: Cherry Cobbler Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Cloudy Day Embossing Folder (new sneak peek), Needlepoint Border Embossing Folders (new sneak peek), Pool Party Stampin' Write Marker, Basic Rhinestones, Pool Party Ribbon (sneak peek from the upcoming Sale-A-Bration catty) and Stampin' Dimensionals

Non-SU! Accessories: circle and scallop circle die cuts

Secret Garden Sneak Peek for {DD#32}

Hello there stamping friends! After a wee hiatus from Dynamic Duos, I'm finally back and ready to get to creating. This week, a HUGE box of brand spankin' new Stampin' Up goodies arrived on my doorstep, via the "man in brown". Whoot whoot! (Yes, I buy my UPS guy a Christmas gift. Don't you?) I am LOVING all of these new items that will be coming out in January. So exciting! 

This week at Dynamic Duos is Monochromatic week and it pretty much goes without saying that this color combo is right up my alley. Pretty in Pink and Rose Red? Yes, please! 

As soon as I saw the sketch over at Create with Connie and Mary, I knew I wanted to ink up the new Secret Garden stamp set. *sneak peek alert* This set also has coordinating dies. How awesome is THAT??

The center of the flower did not have a coordinating die though, so I embossed it and cut it out by hand. (Those of you who follow my blog, know how I LOVE "fussy cutting"...hee hee!) I added the embossed sentiment from the upcoming Bloomin' Marvelous stamp set and some bling to dress things up. See that hexagon embossing in the background? That is new, as well. I LOVE it!! 

I sure hope you will join us this week at Dynamic Duos. The fabulous gals on the Design Team have created some awesome projects for inspiration. Please stop by and say hello to them, won't you? 

Allyson Andersen

Christina Barnes

Vicki Burdick

Karen Day

Deanna Dean

Jenny Engelke

Anne Marie Hile

Erna Logtenberg

Bobbie Trost

Amy White

Oh and before I go....I have BIG news to share. We made it official and finally adopted our sweet little Abby. We had to wait until she was old enough to be spayed before we could and the deed is done. She had her surgery Wednesday and first thing Thursday morning, I was at San Antonio Pets Alive, paperwork in hand. We just love this little girl and couldn't be happier that she found her fur-ever home with us! Welcome to the family, Princess Abby! :) 

Stampin' Up! Supply List: 

Stamps: Secret Garden (sneak peek) and Bloomin' Marvelous (sneak peek) 

Paper: Subtles DSP in Pretty in Pink, Rose Red, Pretty in Pink and Basic Black card stock

Ink: Basic Black Craft ink pad

Accessories: Secret Garden Framelits Dies (sneak peek), Honeycomb Embossing Folder (sneak peek), Finishing Touches Edgelits dies, Black Embossng Powder, Heat Tool, Basic Rhinestones, Stampin' Dimensionals and 1- 1/4" Square Punch

Snowbuddy Likes You and the Paper Players, Too!

Hi ya'll! Pardon me while I dust the cobwebs off my blog. It has been a while since I have posted and I do apologize. The past two weeks have been a blur for me and unfortunately I have not had a lot of time to spend in my stamp studio. I have not fallen off the planet, I promise. This week at the Paper Players, my dear friend Ann has a theme challenge for us. What can I say? I do love the snowmen! Probably because we don't see them very often here in South Texas. 

I have an affection for bright Christmas cards, so I went with my new favorite color combo of Primrose Petals and Gumball Green to get my card started. I have never inked up this chubby snowman image from the Snow Much Fun stamp set...I always seem to use the tall snowman in the set. So this cute chubbi-licious guy finally saw some ink (and some watercolor pencils). I colored his pearl buttons with a marker and added some Dazzling Details to the "ground" under him so he didn't look like he was floating in air. I listed all of the items I used to create the card at the end of my post. 

Please stop by and play along with us this week at The Paper Players! The super-awesome Design Team worked their magic once again to create some "snow-tastic" cards for inspiration. 

The Paper Players Design Team

Ann Schach

Anne Marie Hile

Jaydee

LeAnne Pugliese

Nance Leedy
Amy White

Dawn Easton

Helen Heil
Jen Arkfeld

Before I go, I wanted to share a photo of the sweetest kitten EVAH, Miss Abby! We put the big tree up today and she stopped in her tracks when she came downstairs to see it for the first time. I have a feeling we are in for a wild ride with her in the next couple of weeks....Fa-la-la-la-la! 

Stampin' Up! Supply List

Stamps: Snow Much Fun

Paper: In Color DSP in Primrose Petals, Gumball Green , Primrose Petals and Crumb Cake card stock

Ink: Basic Black Classic ink

Punches: Modern Label punch

Accessories: Snowburst Embossing folder, Primrose Petals ribbon, Gumball Green Stampin' Write Marker, Basic Pearls, Heat Tool (to dry the ink on the pearls), Dazzling Details, Watercolor Pencils, Blender Pens and Stampin' Dimensionals

Non-SU Accessories: circle and scallop circle die cuts

Silver and/or Gold for Paper Players #122

Hello stamping friends and happy Sunday to you! This week at the Paper Players, the lovely LeAnne has given us a glitzy CAS (Clean and Simple) Theme Challenge. Projects have to contain sliver or gold...or glam it up one step further and add silver AND gold. Pull out some shimmer and shine and play along with us this week, won't you?

This was a tough card to get a  photo of, sorry! I used Brushed Silver, Brushed Gold, Silver Glimmer Paper and Whisper White card stock. The ornament (from the Ornament Keepsakes stamp set) and the sentiment (from the Greetings of the Season stamp set) were both heat embossed for added shine. I used the coordinating Ornament Framelit Dies to cut out the ornament and pop it up. The center of the ornament was punched with a 1" circle punch. As a final touch, I popped on a jeweled button to the center of the ornament and then added some bling (not like THAT is shocking to anyone, right?). This is one super shiny card! 

Please join us this week at the Paper Players. The rest of the gals on the Design Team have created some gorgeous projects, so please stop by and say hello. The challenge closes on Friday November 23rd at Noon (PST). Have a HAPPY day! :) 

The Paper Players Design Team

Amy White

Ann Schach

Anne Marie Hile

Dawn Easton

Helen Heil

Jaydee

Jen Arkfeld

LeAnne Pugliese

Nance Leedy

Button Buddies Snowmen for {DD #29}

Hello stamping friends! It's Saturday and time for another fantastic challenge over at Dynamic Duos! This week is "Black Tie" week where we take our fab duo of colors and add a "dessert" option to the mix.  This week we mixed Marina Mist with Basic Black and added a snowman theme to the mix. "Dessert" is optional at Dynamic Duos, so if you want to play along with the colors without showcasing the snowmen, please do! 

I used the layout from the lovely and talented Jennifer Timko over at Freshly Made Sketches for inspiration. Upon further review, I suppose my card has a little extra somethin' somethin' going on at the top of the snowman panel. Shockingly, I got carried away with the Glimmer Paper. I hope it still qualifies, gals. 

I have probably mentioned my love of the Button Buddies stamp set before, so when I saw the snowman theme, I knew these dapper dudes were going to make an appearance. I heat embossed the snowmen and the sentiment for some added detail. After I added the buttons to their bellies, I felt like they needed just a wee bit more and added some rhinestones to their hats and under the (slightly crooked...sorry!) sentiment. The sentiment is from the Snow Much Fun stamp set.

Please stop by and see what the rest of the Design Team have whipped up this week over at Dynamic Duos. We hope you can join us and play along! The challenge closes on Thursday November 22, 2012 at Noon (PST). That is Thanksgiving Day here in the United States...gobble gobble! :) 

The Dynamic Duos Design Team

Allyson Andersen
Christina Barnes

Vicki Burdick

Karen Day

Deanna Dean

Jenny Engelke

Anne Marie Hile

Erna Logtenberg
Bobbie Trost

Amy White

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! 

Merry Gingerbread Christmas for Dynamic Duos #28

Hello there stampers! I am finally posting my card for this week's Dynamic Duos challenge. I am running about a day behind after a really busy week. As soon as I saw the subtle duo of Cherry Cobbler and Sahara Sand, I was immediately inspired to create a holiday card. Sahara Sand is one of those colors I rarely use. It is like Crumb Cake's pale cousin who needs to spend a little time in the sun. ;)

I paired up the colors with this month's sketch over at I (Heart) to Stamp. I love layers (which is not shocking news, I know) and this is such a cool layout to showcase them. 

I don't know about you but whenever I see gingerbread man, I always crack a smile thinking about that little gingerbread dude from the Shrek movies. Remember him? "Nooo, not my gumdrop buttons!"

That was why I HAD to add some pearls to dress my little guy up a bit. He is also heat embossed with a mixture of Cherry Cobbler Embossing Powder and Gingerbread Scented Embossing powder. The patterned papers are both from the Festival of Prints DSP pad.

Please stop by and visit us at the Dynamic Dous blog! We would love to see your creations with this week's color combo. The rest of the gals on the Design Team have created some gorgeous cards for inspiration. 

Allyson Andersen
Christina Barnes

Vicki Burdick

Karen Day

Deanna Dean

Jenny Engelke

Anne Marie Hile

Erna Logtenberg
Bobbie Trost

Amy White

Perfectly Preserved Thanks for Paper Players #120

Howdy stamping friends! I am so sorry for popping in late with my card for the Paper Players this week. Ever have one of those weeks where you feel like you are running to catch up with yourself? That was the kind of week I have had. Blah! But it is Sunday and time to move forward. So let's get to it, shall we? This week, the awesome Ann Schach is our "hostess with the most-est" and she has a fabulous theme challenge to play along with: "Give Thanks". there are a lot of ways to play this challenge, so we hope you will join us and show off your creativity.

I knew I wanted to use the Perfectly Preserved stamp set for my card, but for some reason I seemed to have "lost" it in my stamp studio. It's pretty bad when you have to spend 45 minutes looking for the set you want to use only to find it UNDER something on your desk. Ugh!! So, after locating the stamp set in question, I created my card using Cindy Hall's fabulous sketch from Freshly Made Sketches as inspiration. Love, love, LOVE this layout!!

I popped up almost every layer on my card. I love texture and dimension. After I got the card together, I realized I didn't plan on where to place a the sentiment. The little oval sentiment in this stamp set along with the coordinating punch are too fun! So cute and little...I love it!

I sure hope you will join us this week at the Paper Players! The challenge is open until Friday, November 9th at Noon (PDT). Be sure to stop by and visit the rest of the gals on the Design Team to say hello and check out their thankful creations: 

The Paper Players Design Team

Ann Schach

Anne Marie Hile (you are here)

Amy White

Dawn Easton

Helen Heil

Jaydee

Jen Arkfield

LeAnne Pugliese

Nance Leedy

Before I go, here is a quick shot of little Abby (our rescue kitten) and her big brother Tomas. She is in this phase right now where she is trying to be a "big girl"..so sassy and independent. We just love her! :)