For the Record for the Paper Players

Hello friends! Today begins a new challenge at the Paper Players and I am hosting this week, stepping in for the lovely Joanne so she could enjoy a well-deserved vacation.  She chose the theme of using circles on our cards.  Very easy to do, with sooo many ways to use circles.

Paper Players

I hit some crafty sales a couple of months ago and found the perfect stamp and die sets for this challenge, so I'll be sharing once again with Darnell over at NBUS #76 (which stands for Never Before Used Schtuff).

Isn't that a fun card?  All the stamps and dies are from Concord & 9th. I thought these were such a clever products that could be used for most ages.  

I started with the background stamp.  It's a rather clever design where you stamp it one direction then turn it 180 degrees then stamp it again to fill in the entire background.  I also used a little stamp around some of the records, which to me looks like the record player beneath of it. 

Next all the dies were cut, the sub-sentiment stamped, then everything added to the card front.  This card will be headed to my BIL next month but I think the products are generic enough to use for anyone. 

I'm looking forward to seeing all the gallery cards and how everyone chose to use circles.  I hope you'll join us this week, the challenge remains open until 3pm EDT Friday July 11th.  But before you dash off, please make a stop at the challenge blog where my talented teammates have used circles in a wide of array of designs.

Thanks for visiting and take care!

Stef

• C & 9 For the Record stamps and dies
• C & 9 Greatest Hits stamp
• C & 9 Oceanside and Sunflower cardstocks
• Altenew Aqualicious and Lemonade Stand inks

Bloom With Happiness for The Flower Challenge

Hello friends!  It's a new month over at the Flower Challenge and this time we have a color challenge.

The Flower Challenge

I love this combination of orange and aqua/light blue and decided to use a beautiful floral stamp that I had yet to ink up.  

The stamp is Altenew's Flourishing Bouquet and it is ginormus, so large I had to use my Memory Misti and a full sheet of white cardstock.  The cool thing is that you can then cut the panel in quarters and have four card fronts, so that is why I decided to get it.  

After stamping I used the coordinating stencils to color the image.  I made a boo boo using the first stencil, inking up a leaf in orange, and I couldn't fix that.  So, I completed the remainder of the stenciling, then cut the panel in half so that I could get one 5" x 7" panel from the side with the mistake and two A2 panels from the other (one of which you'll see for my reminder card on the 15th).  I stamped the sentiment, added the larger panel to an A7 card base and finished it off with some gems.  I do love this to bits, with the flourished image in these colors!

What are you inspired to make with these colors?  I think our gallery will be beautiful this month and I hope you'll add your card to it!  Be sure to visit the challenge where my amazingly talented teammates have some beautiful cards to share.  The challenge will remain open until Friday, July 25th.  I hope to see your card in the gallery!

Stef

PS Happy Independence Day to all those in the US!

• Altenew Flourishing Bouquet stamps and stencils
• Kristina Werner Kristina's Essential Dies
• Altenew Dew Drops, Aqualicious, Galactic Stream, Chamomile, Snapdragon and Mardarin Burst inks
• SSS Surf Dazzling Diamonds

I'm Killin' It for Color Hues

Hello friends! Okay, I try to refrain from saying this every month, but can you believe it's the first of a new month? And that we're halfway through 2025? It's true, and the good news is that we have a new challenge at Color Hues.  The fabulous Tracey is hosting this time and has chosen the great color duo of red and white.

Color Hues

 

And since I am using multiple new products I'm linking up to Darnell's NBUS Challenge here.

I am especially fond of Art Impressions stamps with humor and I picked up one earlier this year and thought it would work perfectly for this challenge.

Love this cranky old lady and I find the sentiment so funny!  I stamped her and the sentiment on a panel of die cut white, then set about coloring her with Copic markers.  I used a Copic Acrea paint marker in Snow White to add the polka dots on her hat and the stripes on her balloon.  Unlike most white gel pen, the paint marker doesn't absorb the ink colors underneath, so it's one of my new favorite tools!

I used a polka dot background stamp on the card base, then added the matted arch with our birthday gal and called it done.

Thanks for taking time to stop by!  For oodles of inspiration from my highly talented teammates and our guest designer, Kim Miller, please head over to the challenge and check it out!  Hopefully you'll join us for Tracey's challenge, it will remain open until Monday, July 14th at 3pm EDT.

Stef

• Art Impressions Never Too Old Laugh Lines stamps
• Simon Says Stamp Swiss Dots Background stamp
• SSS Nested Domed Arches dies
• Copic Acrea Paint Marker in Snow White
• Copics - R59, 39, 37, 35, 21, C9, 7, 5, 3, 0, T2, 0, W3, 1, Black 100, E11, 21, 00

Lakeside Birthday for the Paper Players

Hello friends!  The Paper Players are back with a new challenge and since this is the 5th Sunday of the month, the amazing Jaydee is hosting our Tic Tac Toe challenge.  She's created a wonderful board with lots of great choices.

Paper Players

I'm also joining in with Seize the Birthday, where the toppings is to use a silhouette on your birthday card.

STB #308

From the TTT board, I chose the center column - something that flies, die cut and layers - but it could easily go across the bottom row as well.

I'm quite smitten with these Waffle Flower Postage Collage products, so this won't be the last you'll see in the next few weeks.  When I lived in Oregon, our house was about a mile from a National Wildlife Refuge, so my husband and I would frequently walk the 3.5 mile path around it. There were always herons, storks, ducks, geese, hawks, eagles, deer, frog, etc. (depending on the time of year, of course) and when I saw this particular Lake Sunset stamp set, it reminded me of those times (except no waterlilies there). I also used a couple of bird stamps from two other PC sets. 

I used the Postage Collage Blocks die, which cut out the little panels, that were then ink blended before adding the silhouette images.  The Postage Collage die was cut from a white panel and then the little panels were added using foam tape.  The sentiment is from an Altenew mini stamp set.  The postage panel was matted with an aqua panel then added to the card front.  I didn't add any of the postage elements, such as first class or the cancellation mark, because I just love the wildlife scene as is, but it's always an option for another card.

The Tic Tac Toe challenge is always fun, with so many options for creating, I do hope you'll join us this week.  The challenge will remain open until Friday, July 4th at 3pm EDT (Happy Independence Day to those in the US!).  But before you head off, please take a minute to pop over to the challenge blog for a bevy of inspiration from my talented teammates.  

Thanks for visiting and take care!

Stef

• Waffle Flower Postage Collage Lake Sunset, Forest Sunset and Wild Birds stamps
• WF Postage Collage die and Blocks die
• Altenew Regal Frame sentiment stamp
• Altenew Aloe Vera, Matcha Tea, Dew Drop and Aqualicious inks

Cast A Spell for the Paper Players

Hello friends!  It's Sunday and we have a new challenge at the Paper Players.  This week, the amazing Elizabeth is hosting our sketch challenge and asking everyone to make a true one-layer card.  That's right, no layers allowed.

Paper Players

Since this is sketch week and not CAS week, the design I came up with is definitely not clean, although technically it is pretty simple.  Let's take a look!

Colorful, yes?  Also, cute, right?  I adore so many of the stamps from Whimsy Stamps, but especially this wizard with his little dragon and the cute frog!!  

Anyway, I started with a white card base and since I needed a landscape layout, it became a sidefold.  After stamping and masking the images, I opened the card, laid it flat and taped off the back so I could ink blend on the front, using Distress inks in green, blue and purple.

Next, the masks were removed and I colored the images with Copic markers.  I did lean on a couple of samples by amazing Jennifer Dove on the web site, for shading ideas.  Once the coloring was done, I put the masks back over the images, then splattered the background using a paint brush dipped in an iridescent spray.  

I love how this turned out.  The funny thing is that cutting out the masks was some of the most time-consuming things about the card.

Thank you so much for stopping by.  My fabulously talented teammates have lots of wonderful cards for your inspiration, so I encourage you to visit the blog before heading off to your crafty space.  The challenge will be open until 3pm EDT Friday, June 27th.  I hope to see your card in the gallery! 

Take care!

Stef

• Whimsy Stamps Cast a Spell and Create Magic stamp sets
• Hero Arts White Iridescent spray
• Chipped Sapphire, Wilted Violet and Twisted Citron Distress inks
• Copics:  Hats and robe - B39, 37, 34, 32, Y15, T4, 2, 0; Beard - C03, 01, 0; Wand - E77, 74, 71, YG67, 17, 05, 01; Book/Shoes - E79, 77, 74, 71; Dragon - V09, 06, 04, 01, YG05, Y15; Frog - YG67, 17, 05, 01, T2, 0

Wildflower Hello for Color Hues

Hello friends!  We have a new challenge at Color Hues and this time I am hosting.  I love this color combo and, as my talented teammates and our wonderful Guest Designer Teresa have demonstrated over at the challenge, it can be used for many different types of designs.

Color Hues

I decided to use some Distress products that I have long neglected for my card.  I watched a Tim Holtz Live video and was soooo inspired.  Although I only used a very simple technique with sprays for my card, the video gave me many more ideas I hope to use in the future.  I based my card layout on one by a Sizzix maker that Tim shared during the live.

I started with two A2 panels of Distress watercolor paper, textured side up.  On one I used Saltwater Taffy Distress Spray Stain, which is a nice pinky peach, and on the other used Salty Ocean.  I did the spray, water and dry method on both then repeated it a couple more times with the Salty Ocean, also smooshing color from my glass board mat.  To finish the Salty Ocean panel, I added splatter using the Distress spray along with water and white paint.  

When the panels were dry, the cobalt one was trimmed down then I used a distressing tool all around the edges.  I found a strip of white woodgrain cardstock to anchor the die cut wildflowers and then wrapped hemp twine all around before adhering everything to the card base.  The sentiment was layered three time the added to the card front.  

Thank you for visiting today and I do hope you'll join us for this challenge.  For further ideas and inspiration, I encourage you to visit the blog.  The challenge will remain open until Sunday, June 29th at 3pm EDT.  Hope to see you there!

Stef

• Tim Holtz/Sizzix Wildflowers #1 dies
• Altenew Versatile Greetings die
• Ellen Hutson Woodgrain cardstock
• Spellbinders Splatter White paint

Paper Posy Birthday for The Flower Challenge

Hello friends!  I'm back with a new card for our reminder post at The Flower Challenge.  This month we're using embossing on our floral cards.

TFC 103R

I'm also playing along with the SSS Wednesday Challenge where are cards are to feature fur, feathers or flowers, along with the AG portion of the challenge at Seize the Birthday.

For my first card this month I added dry embossing to the background. This time I added dry embossing to both the card background and to some of the flowers and leaves.

I used the relatively new Paper Posy set from Concord & 9th, which includes an embossing folder to use with some of the flowers and leaves.  All the elements for the floral spray were cut from Spellbinders gorgeous cardstock, with the exception of the yellow and white flower centers.  

After die cutting, I used the embossing folders on the dark green leaves and the petals of the largest flower, then assembled the spray on a panel embossed with Spellbinders Tiny Dots folder.  The sentiment and the label die are from the same set.  I referenced the packaging for some of my flower and leaf colors, along with arrangement, which I altered to fit the 5" square card and include the sentiment.  It's such a cute set with lots of ways to use some or all the elements.  I did notice that I neglected to add gems to the small flower centers, so I'll do that before sending.

Thank you for stopping by and I hope you'll take a moment to visit the challenge; as always my talented teammates have some amazing inspiration for you.  I also hope you'll join us if you haven't yet or add a second card to the gallery, if you have already joined in.  Plenty of time left, the challenge ends Wednesday, June 25th.  

Take care!

Stef

• C&9th Paper Posy stamp, die and embossing folder set
• Spellbinders Sicily, Coral, Bellini, Rainforest, Fern, Blue Spruce and Breeze cardstocks
• C&9th Sunflower cardstock
• Spellbinders Tiny Dots ef

Christmas Berries for the Paper Players

Hello friends!  We have a new challenge at the Paper Players and this week the lovely Claire is hosting and has chosen a theme of fruit for our CAS week.  

 

Paper Players

 

I took a bit of a different turn with this challenge, creating two Christmas cards with berry branches, since I really don't have many fruit images, plus I always like to add to my holiday card stash. 

Both cards use the Gentle Berries dies by Kristina Werner at Concord & 9th.  This card was inspired by one of her samples on the web site, using a red background with the stenciled dashes.  The berry branch was die cut three times with white, red and green glitter cardstock then adhered as you see above to a base.  The sentiment was also die cut from white glitter cardstock.

I first tried to stencil the dash lines with white pigment ink but a combination of a rather dry ink pad plus the thickness of the stencil didn't yield a satisfactory result.  So I used a white gel pen, then I covered the dash lines with Distress Sparkle Texture paste so the dashes would also have some subtle sparkle.

The second card uses a different orientation of the branch and sentiment, along with a snowflake embossed background and a white glitter frame.  

I decided to go monochromatic with turquoise and light blue, although the photos look more on the blue side.  Both cards were super easy to put together and I think the sparkle lends itself to these CAS designs.  What do you think?  

My talented teammates have some wonderful and varied designs to inspire you, so please make a quick trip to the challenge before heading off to your crafty space.  The challenge will remain open until Friday, June 20th at 3pm EDT.  Hope to see your card in the gallery!

If you have a chance later today, come back and take a peek at my reminder card for The Flower Challenge.

Thanks for visiting and take care!

Stef

• Kristina Werner/Concord & 9th Gentle Berries Dies
• KW/C&9 Kristina's Finishing Touches Stencils (card 1)
• Simon Says Stamp Flourished Merry Christmas die
• Lawn Fawn and SSS Glitter cardstocks
• Distress Texture Paste (card 1)
• Spellbinders/Simon Hurley Sparkling Snow embossing folder
• SSS A7 Nesting Frames