Just Sayin' For Paper Players #184

Hello there! This week at the Paper Players, we have a fun sketch designed by Jaydee. There are a lot of possibilities for this layout. I know I will be using this one again, for sure.

For my card, I knew I wanted to use a trio of patterned paper for the banners...but that was easier said then done. Ha! I am the most indecisive person on the planet when it comes to paper selection. (If you have ever stamped with me, you KNOW this to be true.) I finally decided on the Fresh Prints Designer Series Paper Stack because I just LOVE this color combo. I also had some baker's twine in coordinating colors sitting on my desk, so that helped, too. ;)

I used the simple sentiment from Just Sayin' and cut it out with the coordinating Word Bubble Framelit Dies. I added a pop of Red Glimmer Paper behind it cut out with the Ovals Framelits Dies. It's more sparkly in real life, I promise. That paper always reminds me of Dorothy's ruby slippers from the Wizard of Oz. See, now you are thinking it, too! There's no place like home...

Please join us over at the Paper Players!  The challenge is open through Friday, February 28th, 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

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

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Super Stars for Paper Players #183

Hello stamping friends! This week at the Paper Players we have a fun star-themed CAS (clean and simple) challenge, hosted by the lovely LeAnne. I hope you will join us and play along this week. 

For my card, I used some star die cuts I bought a while back and almost forgot about. I had stashed them away in a drawer and was so excited to find them. It was like Christmas all over again! Haha! Do you have little hidden gems like that in your craft room, too? Maybe it is a sign that I just REALLY need to clean up my stamp studio sometime soon. Who knows what else is lurking in there! 

I ran the star die cuts through the Big Shot then popped up a few layers for dimension. The sentiment is from the Really Good Greetings stamp set. I thought it would be cute for a congratulations card. The banner "tail" was super easy to make using the Banner Punch which I earned FREE from Stampin' Up! Sale-A-Bration. You could earn one too, with a qualifying order! Visit the link to my online SU! store for more details. I also used the Arrows Textured Expressions Embossing Folder to dress up the background a bit. Of course, I finished everything off with some sparkle (Basic Rhinestones and Silver Glimmer Paper) and there you have it.  

Please join us over at the Paper Players!  The challenge is open through Friday, February 21st, 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

Before I sign off, I wanted to share a cute photo of two of my kitties, Tomas and Triple. As I was typing up my blog post, I looked down and there they were cuddled up together and purring away. I had my camera close by, so I snapped this photo of them. So cute! :) 

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A Golden Hello for Paper Players #182

Hello there! It's time for a new challenge over at the Paper Players! This week, Nance is our hostess with a fabulous color combo. I fell in love with these colors as soon as she shared the inspiration photo with us. I personally LOVE shopping for fun accessories. Handbags, shoes...but especially jewelry! I had a lot of fun with this challenge, which really helped me get out of the stamping rut I have been in lately. Thanks, Nance! :) 

While perusing Facebook yesterday morning, I came upon the photo below on the Better Homes and Gardens page. Something about the layout inspired me and I thought it might make a cool card design. Love all the circles! Those colors are really pretty together, too. Hmm, a idea for a different project, maybe?

This is not my usual style and the "random" placement was kind of tough for me to get comfortable with. But once I overcame that (with a little encouragement from my friend and fellow Paper Player Ann) it came together quickly. I added a LOT of gold accents between the Foil Paper, Glimmer Paper, Sequins and Smooch Spritz on the butterfly. I don't tend to use gold very often, so I wanted to make it count. Haha! I also listed all of the supplies used at the end of the post. I really like how this one came out and I hope you do as well. 

Please join us over at the Paper Players!  The challenge is open through Friday, February 14th, 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

Just wanted to share a photo of Miss Gidget before I go. I don't think I have mentioned yet that we officially adopted her. Yes, it's true. She got very sick while we were fostering her and her adopters ended up backing out. After nursing her back to health (which was a long and often scary road), the bond was way too strong and we were not able to let her go. The sassy diva is now home! :) 

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Stampin' Up! Supply List

Stamps: Oh, Hello and Gorgeous Grunge 

Paper: Gold Foil Paper, Champagne Glimmer Paper, Midnight Muse DSP (ret.) Crisp Cantaloupe, Midnight Muse and Whisper White card stock 

Ink: Midnight Muse and Crisp Cantaloupe Classic ink

Punches: Bitty Butterfly, 1- 3/4" Circle, 1- 3/8" Circle, 1" Circle, 3/4" Circle 

Accessories: Gold Sequins, Midnight Muse 3/8" Stitched Satin Ribbon, Gold Smooch Spritz, Beautiful Wings Embosslits, Chevron Embossing Folder, Square Lattice Embossing Folder, Stampin' Dimensionals and Basic Pearls

Simple Sweet Treats for Paper Players #181

Hello there! This week at the Paper Players, I am hosting our new challenge! I wanted to focus on the upcoming Valentine's Day holiday with a little twist. This week, it's all about Valentine's Day cards or 3-D projects with a food or treat theme. I hope you have some fun with our "Sweet Treat" theme and play along this week.

For my project I decided to share an idea I had for some quick and easy Valentine's treat bags.  Although my project isn't over-the-top, I think it is practical. Let's be honest, a lot of us (myself included) just don't have a lot of time to spare these days. But it doesn't mean we can't create fun projects for gifts. Stampin' Up has some great new products that I used the Tag a Bag Gift Bags and elements from the Happenings Simply Created Card kit to create this card and gift bag. The sentiment is from the Geometrical stamp set and I had a piece of Natural Chevron Ribbon sitting on my desk that I added to the card at the last minute. It matched the treat bag perfectly and I love how it ties the card and bag together.

The gift bag is filed with Hershey Kisses. I don't know many people who would say no to chocolate treats, so I figured it would be a safe choice. :) I simply sealed the bag with a piece of Washi Tape. Nothing fancy. I love how the bags are already pre-printed with the chevron design, as well. It's super easy to just add a few elements to dress them up. There are 10 in a pack, so I was able to easily create Valentine's for friends and co-workers. 

Please join us over at the Paper Players!  The challenge is open through Friday, February 7th, 2014 at Noon (PDT). Stop by and say hello to the rest of the Design Team to see what they are sharing this week. 

  

The Paper Players Design Team

Ann Schach

Anne Marie Hile 
Jaydee

LeAnne Pugliese

Nance Leedy

Sandy Mathis

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

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Vivid Vases for Paper Players #180

 Hello there! Hope you are enjoying your day so far. This week over at the Paper Players, my sweet friend Ann is our challenge hostess with a really fun sketch. There are lots of possibilities with this sketch and I love that little tag element. I hope thou will join us and play along.

I used my new Vivid Vases stamp that is in the new Occasions Catalog for the main image on my card. I received this stamp at SU! Leadership conference a few weeks ago. it is a REALLY fun stamp to watercolor. What I love about watercoloring is that it doesn't have to be perfect. You can go outside the lines a little bit and it just adds to the look. Which is a good thing because I went outside the lines with my Aquapainter more then a few times while coloring this one. Haha!

My little tag pulls out of the card and shows off the super cute Kaleidoscope DSP  Love the fun colors and patterns on this paper!  I had initially intended this to be a gift card holder, but after I got everything cut, I measured it a wee bit too small. Whoops! The recipient could always use the tag for a bookmark or could add to it to use on a card or gift of their own.

Please join us over at the Paper Players!  The challenge is open through Friday, January 31st, 2014 at Noon (PDT). Stop by and say hello to the rest of the Design Team to see what they are sharing this week. 

  

The Paper Players Design Team

Ann Schach

Anne Marie Hile 
Jaydee

LeAnne Pugliese

Nance Leedy

Sandy Mathis

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

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Stampin' Up! Supply List

Stamps: Vivid Vases

Paper: Kaleidoscope DSP, Watercolor Paper, Strawberry Slush, Bermuda Bay, Daffodil Delight and Whisper White card stock 

Ink: Black Staz-On Ink, Strawberry Slush, Old Olive, Tangerine Tango, Daffodil Delight and Bermuda Bay Classic ink

Accessories: New Scalloped Tag Topper punch, Basic Metal buttons, White Baker's Twine, Chevron Embossing Folder, Stampin' Dimensionals and Basic Rhinestones

Kitty Love for Paper Players #179

Hello there stampers! Happy Sunday to you! This week at the Paper Players, Sandy is hosting with a One-Layer Valentine challenge. We all know how much I enjoy making one-layer cards...hahaha! I am going to tell you a secret. It took me almost 2 1/2 hours to make this card, with 8 different attempts. Yes, it is true. But, I pushed on and this is what I came up with.

I love the little kitty from the Cool Kid stamp set. She has already seen a lot of ink, as I used her to create my swap cards at Stampin' Up Leadership Conference last week. I will share more about that in a later post. The word bubble is from the Just Sayin' stamp set and the little hearts are from the Language of Love stamp set, which we received as a gift from SU at Leadership.

I created the background by adding a square mask and sponging Soft Sky and Wild Wasabi Ink to create a little scene. The kitty is heat embossed for added shine. The little pops of Melon Mambo on the kitty's nose, the sentiment and the stamped hearts just makes me happy. Although anything pink usually puts a smile on my face. I actually just bought a pink Coach handbag earlier today. Squee!! I also had to add a single spot of bling to the sentiment. I really like how it pops.

Please join us over at the Paper Players!  The challenge is open through Friday, January 24th, 2014 at Noon (PDT). Stop by and say hello to the rest of the Design Team to see what they are sharing this week. 

  

The Paper Players Design Team

Ann Schach

Anne Marie Hile 
Jaydee

LeAnne Pugliese

Nance Leedy

Sandy Mathis

Before I sign off, I want to share a photo from Leadership with you. I was SO excited that Shelli Gardner (Stampin' Up! CEO and Co-Founder) was able to attend this event. We were very happy to get a chance to say hello to her and Sterling in-person. Who are those lovely ladies in the photo? Of course, my fabulous stamping friends, Ginger and Ann (also on the Paper Players team). These gals are such a hoot and it was so nice to see them again in Houston. Stay tuned for more pics from Leadership really soon! :) 

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Chalkboard Birthday for Paper Players #177

Hello there! Wow! It has sure been a while, hasn't it? I hope you all enjoyed your holiday season and are off to a great start in 2014. After a much needed stamping break, I am back with my card for our new challenge at the Paper Players this week. Nance has a fab theme challenge for us featuring the "chalkboard technique". Never tried this technique before? Here is a link to how to do it: Chalkboard Technique Tutorial. 

For my card, I used some all new stamping goodies from the new 2014 Stampin' Up Occasions Catalog, which just started January 3rd. The stamped sentiment is from the Perfect Pennants set and the paper is from the Fresh Prints Designer Series Paper Pad. The embossing folder I used on the Silver Foil Paper will be available in the Sale-A-Bration catalog, which launches January 28th. You can earn it for free with a $50 order. I just love the color combo of Coastal Cabana and Real Red together, too. I happened to have some baker's twine (non SU) on my desk, so that was how I decided to use those colors for this card. 

I also used the sketch from the Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge as inspiration for my card layout. I always love their sketches and it has been a very long time since I have played along. 

Here is another photo of the card, showing the popped-up layers: 

Please join us over at the Paper Players!  The challenge is open through Friday, January 10th, 2014 at Noon (PDT). Stop by and say hello to the rest of the Design Team to see what they are sharing this week. 

  

The Paper Players Design Team

Ann Schach

Anne Marie Hile 
Jaydee

LeAnne Pugliese

Nance Leedy

Sandy Mathis

I will be heading to Houston, TX for Stampin' Up Leadership Conference this week and can't wait to learn new things and visit with my stamping buddies. I hope to post some updates from the conference, but I know it is going to be a very busy trip. Fingers crossed. Before I go, here is a photo from Christmas of Gidget and Emmitt in their little hats. It just cracks me up how patient they both are. Have a great day! :) 

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Festive Flurry for Paper Players #175

Hello there! This week at the Paper Players, I am hosting with a fun color trio to take for a spin. When I originally planned these colors together, I knew I wanted to make a holiday card, but I think they can be used for so many different occasions. I hope you will join us and play along with the challenge this week.

I used the Festive Flurry stamp set once again. I think the reason I love this set so much is that it has matching die cuts for the images. It's super easy to add lots of extra dimension to a card. I also used some Silver Foil Paper to give a little pop. I don't know why I haven't used this paper sooner. It's so pretty! Of course, I had to finish the card off with some blingy accents, too. I added a little embossing behind the snowflakes using the Northern Flurry Textured Impressions Embossing Folder. It's subtle but it adds a little extra interest behind the popped-up snowflakes. The sentiment is from the Occasional Quotes (ret.) stamp set. 

Here is a close up so you can see the Silver Foil Paper a little better. The card has a lot of sparkle and shine "in person".

Please join us over at the Paper Players!  The challenge is open through Friday, December 12th, 2013 at Noon (PDT). Stop by and say hello to the rest of the Design Team to see what they are sharing this week. 

  

The Paper Players Design Team

Ann Schach

Anne Marie Hile 
Jaydee

LeAnne Pugliese

Nance Leedy

Sandy Mathis

Before I go, I wanted to share a quick photo of our little foster dog, Gidget. Her adoption in Colorado fell through (and she came down with a bad "cold") so she is still with us until her new home is found. As the weather turned colder down here in South Texas, her wardrobe has expanded to include a new winter jacket...in pink, of course. She's too cute! Have a great day!

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Evergreen Theme for Paper Players #174

Hello and Happy Sunday to you! Can you believe it is December already? Were did the year go? This week at the Paper Players, the lovely and talented LeAnne has given us an "Evergreen" Theme Challenge. What I love about this challenge is that there are many different ways to be inspired by it. 

When I first saw the theme, I knew I was going to use the big ol' "evergreen" tree from the Christmas Lodge (ret.) stamp set...although I wanted to make my card without the color green anywhere on it. Here is what I came up with: 

I am in love with the Winter Frost Specialty DSP in the SU Holiday Catalog. Something about the mix of cool blue hues really makes it stand out on holiday cards. I added a pop of Silver Glimmer Paper in the background and heat embossed the tree for some added shine. I used some Island Indigo Candy Dots for the "ornaments" to dress the tree up a bit too. If you haven't bought those Candy Dots in every color yet...DO IT! They are an awesome accent and super easy to use.

Please join us over at the Paper Players!  The challenge is open through Friday, December 6th, 2013 at Noon (PDT). Stop by and say hello to the rest of the Design Team to see what they are sharing this week. 

  

The Paper Players Design Team

Ann Schach

Anne Marie Hile 
Jaydee

LeAnne Pugliese

Nance Leedy

Sandy Mathis

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

Follow my blog with Bloglovin