Peace and Joy for the Paper Players

Hello friends!  The Paper Players have a new sketch challenge for you and this time the lovely Ann is hosting.  She's given us a good one with lots of options.  In fact, I ended up making 2 cards.

Paper Players

Both cards utilize patterned paper to achieve the three sections shown in Ann's sketch but one is a rustic look and the other a fancier appearance.

I have a limited supply of patterned paper for the holidays but I found this wood grain with the white images in a packet that was a gift for purchase from Honey Bee Stamps.  I couldn't believe the panel divisions worked perfectly for the sketch.  I trimmed it down to 3 1/8 x 4 3/8 inches, then matted it with Poppy cardstock from Concord & 9th.  I didn't have a matching ink but found another from Altenew that worked perfectly.  I layered up and adhered the sentiment, loosely wrapped the twine and added to the scallop card base with thin foam tape.  I thought the shaped card was a nice bit of added interest. The last thing was to add 3 ancient, retired SU snowflakes with gems in the center.

Making that card went so quickly that I decided to create a second. 

I used a panel of patterned paper on this one also and used thin strips of red metallic paper to create the divisions.  A leafy branch was die cut from white glitter cardstock and added to two additional layers before adhering to the card front.  I found a sentiment that couldn't have been a more perfect fit and finished things off by using sparkly gems for the berries.

I like both cards but I think the first is my favorite, with that rustic feel.  Do you like one better than the other?  Let me know in the comments below.  My amazing teammates have created some fantastic inspiration with varying ways to use this sketch, so I encourage you to head over to the challenge blog for visit.  The challenge will end on Friday, November 28th at 3pm EST.  I hope you'll join us this week!

And a Happy Thanksgiving to all those celebrating in the US this coming week!

Thanks for visiting and take care.

Stef

Card #1

• Simon Says Stamp Making Spirits Bright stamp and die
• SSS Chunky Rectangle die
• SSS Opal Dazzling Gems
• Altenew Heartbeat ink

Card #2

• SSS Etched Berry Branch die
• SSS Strips die
• Altenew Moonstone Glitter cardstock and Red Jasper Gem Sparkles
• MFT Cool Colab patterned paper

Poinsettia Christmas for Color Hues

Hello friends!  A new challenge at Color Hues has arrived and this time the incredible Nancy is hosting.  She has chosen a gorgeous color combination of teal and silver - perfect for any time of year but especially so for creating holiday cards.

Color Hues

 

Of course I decided to create a Christmas card and pulled out one of my favorite die sets, Christmas Bird Poinsettia.  The bird didn't make an appearance this time, but one day I will use it!

I really, really love this die set!  I also used a few dies from other Spellbinders die sets (listed below) to enhance the foliage around the poinsettia.

The background is a panel of Teal Topaz embossed with a snowflake folder then inked lightly with white pigment ink.  The poinsettia was cut twice from white and once from a shimmer foil, then layered.  The foliage was cut from white, the same vellum, silver metallic, Blue Spruce, Acorn and the same teal.  I may have gotten carried away with the foliage but once I started it was difficult to stop lol!  The final step was to add the foiled sentiment.

We would love to see how you choose to use these two colors!  The challenge remains open until 9am EST on Saturday November 29th.  For further inspiration, please head over to the challenge blog to see the incredible creations by my talented teammates and our two amazing guest designers Loll and Joanne!  

Thanks for stopping by!

Stef

P.S. scroll down it you'd like to catch my Paper Players post from earlier today.

All supplies listed are from Spellbinders except where noted.

• Christmas Bird Poinsettia dies
• Build-A-Wreath dies
• Envelope of Wonder dies
• Sending Joy Sentiments Press Plate and die
• Sparkling Snow 3D embossing folder
• SSS Shimmer Vellum

Merry Little Christmas for the Paper Players

Hello friends!  It's time for a new challenge at the Paper Players and this week I have the honor of hosting!  This is our CAS week, and I've chosen what I hope is an easy theme for this time of year, for those making holiday cards.

Paper Players

Your favorite holiday image can be from any holiday, such as Christmas, Hanukkah, Diwali, Kwanzaa, to name just a few.  Things like Santa, a Menorah, candles, presents, ornaments, Christmas tree, etc. Remember to keep it clean and simple - limited layers and embellishments, plenty of "white" space, etc.

I've been working through my stash of Bundle Girl stamps for Christmas and today's card is similar to the one here created for my recent guest designer spot at Time Out Challenges.  I really like using them because it's easy for me to create at CAS card.  The stamp for today has two of my favorite images for Christmas - Christmas trees and ornaments.  Plus, the little girl and the birdie are sooo cute!

I remember when I was very young and being enthralled with our pretty Christmas tree that my mom painstakingly decorated.  After my parents passed, I was fortunate to receive a number of their antique ornaments. And naturally, using them every year brings back many joyful memories.

But that's not what brought you here - let's move on to the card!

 

The image was stamped, then I used a bit of ink blending for the sky before coloring with Copic markers. The panel was cut with a Postage Edge die, then the sentiment stamped and Glossy Accents applied to the ornaments for shine.  I also added it to the little girl's pom and the snow on the ground, then covered that with Distress Rock Candy Glitter.  It looks so pretty IRL!  

The pierced panel was created with a Pinkfresh Studio cover die and adhered to the card base.  I first tried adding the main image to the card base directly but it seemed like it needed a little somethin' somethin' more but still keeping things CAS.  

 

So what is your favorite holiday image - we'd love to find out!  Please join us this week, the challenge will remain open until 3pm EST on Friday, November 21st.  But, before you head off, be sure to head over to the challenge blog where my talented teammates have some wonderful cards to inspire you!

Thanks for visiting and take care!

Stef

• Stamping Bella Bundle Girl with a Christmas Tree and a Birdie (retired)
• Pinkfresh Studio Diamond Cover die
• Simon Says Stamp Postage Edge die
• Glossy Accents and Distress Rock Candy Glitter
• Sakura White Gelly Roll pen
• Copics - R39, 37, 35, 20, G29, 17, 05, B02, 000, 0000, YR24, Y15, 13, E49, 47, 44, 43, 41, 11, 21, 01

Thankful for The Flower Challenge

Hello friends!  I'm back with my reminder card for The Flower Challenge.  This month we are creating floral cards that say thanks, or whatever variation of thanks you like.  

The Flower Challenge

This time, I've dusted off an older stamp that celebrated the 45th anniversary for Hero Arts and was in collaboration with Gina K.  Take a look!

I kept things very CAS for this card.  The image was stamped across a 4" x 6" panel, then colored with Copic and Olo markers.  I put it back in my Misti, where I'd left the stamp, repeated the stamping with Pigment ink and also added the sentiment.  I decided to trim down the panel another quarter inch around, so it ended up being 3.75" x 5.75".

The background panel was cut to A7 size, embossed with a leaf folder and added to the card base.  I finished the card by adding the colored panel to the card with foam tape and called it done.  So fast and easy - I really need to make more CAS cards!!

Thanks so much for taking time to stop by, I really appreciate it.  I'd love it if you'd do the same and visit the challenge blog where my amazing teammates have some gorgeous thanks examples for you!  The challenge is open until Tuesday, November 25th, so there's still plenty of time to join in or add a second card, if you're so inclined!

Take care!

Stef

• Hero Arts/Gina K Designs Friendship Blooms stamp (from 2019?)
• Spellbinders Leafy Embossing folder
• Olos- RV 0.5, 0.4, 0.2, 0.1
• Copics - G29, 19, 03

Funky Hello for the Paper Players

Hello friends!  Today we have a new color challenge at the Paper Players.  The amazing Jan is hosting and has chosen a wonderful fall palette.

Paper Players

Because this is the first outing for the die set I used for this card, I'll be sending my card to Darnell's NBUS challenge as well.

NBUS

It took me a while to decide what kind of fall/autumn card I wanted to create, but then I remembered my Tim Holtz Funky Foliage that was still waiting to be used after quite a while sitting in my NBUS bin, and it turned out to be perfect for this challenge!

I'll just say up front this card took quite a while to make, but I love how it turned out.  The next time I use the die set, I will start with colored cardstock rather than white to save some time.  I colored each die cut component using my Copic markers, which I'd chosen to closely represent the challenge colors.  The photos do make the "cajun" colors a bit more orange than rust-ish, but IRL they look much closer.

Next I took a background panel of Kraft cardstock, embossed it with the Tim Holtz Cracked folder, then blended dark brown ink over it for more visible texture.  The arch is black and was die cut three times and layered together before adding to the card front.  

I then added all the elements going up the left side, some with glue and others with foam squares, leaving room for the sentiment.  I actually didn't have one in mind, but a search yielded the Hello that had already been stamped and die cut.  Adding that finished things off.  I'm really happy with this funky/grungy look!

What are you inspired to create with these four colors?  I hope you'll share with us this week, we'd love to see your card in the gallery.  In the meantime, I encourage you to visit the challenge blog where my talented teammates are sharing how they used these colors.  The challenge will stay open until 3pm EST on Friday November 14th.

Thanks for visiting!

Stef

• Tim Holtz/Sizzix Funky Foliage dies
• TH/S Cracked embossing folder
• Simon Says Stamped Nested Domed Arch die
• Copics - Cajun-YR07, 18, E19; Early Espresso-E49, 47, 44, 43; Mossy Meadow-G99, 94, 82; Old Olive-YG99, 97, 95, 93; Grays-W5, 3, 1

Holiday Cheer for Time Out Challenges

Hello friends!  I'm so thrilled to share that I am the guest designer for Time Out Challenges for the next fortnight!  My card here was chosen as the winner of TOC #296.

For this challenge, we are to create a card for our favorite holiday to celebrate.  I chose Christmas because I think I'm still a kid at heart, loving all sparkle, decorations and family gatherings.  

We look forward to seeing which holiday your favorite is to celebrate!

Time Out Challenges

Challenge #301 is sponsored by  Angie Blom Digital Designs.  The challenge winner as chosen by the Design Team will receive a $25.00 store credit. The winner will also receive an invitation to join them as Guest Designer for a future challenge.

ETA:  I saw that my friends at Just Us Girls are celebrating their 800th (!) challenge and wanted to join in during their special week.  And it's easy since the theme is Anything Goes.  Be sure to go check it out - the DT cards are amazing and there are even prizes to be won!

JUGS #800

I once again decided to use one of the sweet Bundle Girl images from Stamping Bella for my card.  This time she's sending correspondence to Santa.  I wonder, what could it be?

I started with a panel of white that had been cut with a Postage Edge die.  Next the image was stamped on the panel, then stamped again on a piece of Gina K Masking Magic.  From different piece of masking paper I cut a small hillside to mask off the horizon line while I ink blended the sky.  

With the ink blending done, the masks came off and I used Copic markers to color everything.  White polka dots were added to her scarf, then I went over them in the shaded areas with my mid-tone red marker.  The sentiment was then stamped on the card panel. 

The last step was to use Glossy Accents for adding dots to the sky and squiggles to the snow, then cover them with Distress Clear Rock Candy Glitter.  I know it doesn't usually snow on a clear day, but I did create a few clouds in the sky. Plus, I've been skiing many a time when we'd get a little light snow shower in the midst of an otherwise nice day on the slopes. So that's what I imagined for this scene, plus it was a fun excuse to add more glitter! 

As I was writing this post, I realized I forgot to add "snow" to the mailbox.  That will be remedied before sending.

Thanks for taking time to stop by!  I hope you'll take time to play along with the lovely crew at Time Out Challenge - share what you love to celebrate!

Take care!

Stef

• Stamping Bella Bundle Girl Sending a Letter to Santa
• Poppystamps Christmas Sparkle Stamp set
• Simon Says Stamp Postage Edge rectangle die
• Distress Clear Rock Candy Glitter
• Copics - R39, 37, 35, E47, 44, 43, 04, 21, 00, B02, 00, 000, T4, 2, 0

Cosmos Thank You for The Flower Challenge

Hello friends!  The Flower Challenge is back for November and our theme this month is Thanks.

The Flower Challenge

Such an appropriate theme for November in the US, when we celebrate Thanksgiving. However, your floral thanks card needn't be related to that holiday, as you can see by my card.

I started out by die cutting all the flower petals and leaves from Altenew's Garden Cosmos die set.  I knew I wanted to create a teal background, so I thought orange tips on the flowers would go well with it.  While the inking dried, the panel was embossed with the Textured Tiles folder then trimmed down to 4 " x 5.25".  I used a couple of dark teal inks around the edges and over certain parts of the raised background, then adhered it to the white card base.

The sentiment was created from a very old Pinkfresh Studios die set. I used the orange ink pad direct to paper to keep things "matchy-matchy" then with the sentiment.  It was adhered to the card front with thin foam square, then I added the flowers to arch around it, using the same foam squares behind the flowers and the bud.  No gems this time.

Thanks for visiting!  My teammates have some gorgeous inspiration for you on the challenge blog, so I encourage you to take a peek before heading off to your crafty space!  We'd love to have you join us with your floral thanks card this month!  The challenge will be open until Tuesday, November 25th.

Take care!

Stef

• Altenew Garden Cosmos dies
• Altenew Textured Tiles 3D ef
• Pinkfresh Studios Scripted Thank You dies
• Altenew Mardarin Burst, Red Jasper, Teal Tempest, Honeydew Glow, and Galactic Stream inks

Thankful Wreath for the Paper Players

Hello friends!  Wow, we're sure moving quickly towards the holidays.  Are you ready?  I'm not yet.  At the Paper Players this week, the lovely LeAnne has chosen a wonderful theme that is definitely appropriate for this time of year.  

Paper Players

In the fall of 2024, I attended the Altenew Cozy Comfort retreat, where we made many very beautiful fall and Christmas themed cards.  But one class, with the amazing Jacee Gaspar, was a wee bit early for me, so I opted to watch recording of the class.  Fast forward to 2025, I finally did that, finished the card, and I decided to share his beautiful design for this challenge.

We began by cutting a number of leaves with four different dies from three shades of cardstock, then doing a gradient of ink blending from the bottom to near the top.  Those were arranged in five groupings that we used to create the wreath on the Burnt Orange panel.

Next is where I varied from the class instruction.  Rather than stamping the pumpkins, I chose to gold heat emboss just three, colored them with the coordinating stencils according to the class instruction, then fussy cut them.  They were mounted on the wreath, with the die cut sentiment layered across the top.  Jaycee had the class add splatter, but I opted not to do that. I really like the wreath as is and felt the gold embossing and die cut sentiment added enough extra interest.

Thank you so much for stopping by and I encourage you to check out the bounty of beauty and thankfulness my teammates have created over at the challenge.  It will run until Friday, November 7th at 3pm EDT.  I hope you'll join us!

Stef

• Altenew Mixed Foliage, Pistachios, Hazelnut Branch and Stylish Greetings dies
• Altenew One-Go: Sweet Pumpkins stamp and stencils
• Altenew Green Onyx, Sagestone, Red Jasper, Mandarin Burst and Raw Amber inks

Birthday Wishes for Color Hues

Hello friends!  Here we are on the first day of a new month and it's time for a new Color Hues Challenge.  I'm rather shocked how quickly October flew by and the holidays are looming just around the corner.

But, in the meantime, we can have some fun with Sheri's new color duo - orange and brown.  💕 Love these colors (okay, to be fair, I love all fall colors!).

Color Hues

I actually made two cards for this challenge, but I just wasn't happy with the first one.  I found something better in my NBUS - a beautiful stencil and die set that was long neglected, plus a newer sentiment set.

The stencil is Altenew's Strong Oak and it is just magnificent!  It has eight stencils and I used seven, three for the leaves, three for the trunk and branches and one for the ground.  My Distress Inks worked beautifully, although the camera and editing gave the leaves more of a yellow hue than IRL, especially in the photo below.  Trust me, they were all oranges!!  

The image was stenciled on a 6x6" panel, then cut down with an A2 rectangle die.  The sentiment was stamped, the twine wrapped around the panel, then it was added to a card base with very thin foam tape.  I debated on adding some enamel dots but decided the twine was enough.

What are you inspired to create with this color combination?  We would love to see your card in the gallery.  Before heading off to your crafty space, I encourage you to visit the challenge blog linked above and see all the gorgeous creations by my wonderful teammates and our Guest Designer Valerie.  The challenge will remain open until 9 am EST Friday, November 14th.  I hope you'll join us!

Thanks for stopping by.

Stef

• Altenew Stencil Art:  Strong Oak 
• Concord & 9th/Kristinia Werner Sending Trio Stamps
• Lawn Fawn Hemp Twine
• Spiced Marmalade, Carved Pumpkin, Rusty Hinge, Cracklin' Campfire, Frayed Burlap, Walnut Stain and Scorched Timber Distress Inks
• SSS Latte ink