Gnome Witch for the Paper Players

Hello friends!  The Paper Players are back with a new challenge and this week the amazing Elizabeth is hosting (with an assist from Christy) our monthly color challenge.  She has chosen a fabulous fall combo of purple and green.

Paper Players

I think these colors are perfect for flowers, but for this time of year, these colors can only mean Halloween to me!

I'm also joining over at Just Us Girls.  It's Word Week and Sue has chosen "Halloween".  How could I resist?

Just Us Girls #796

Here's what I came up with this week:

The colors seemed perfect for this gnome witch and she makes more of a fun Halloween card rather than a scary one.  I colored her skin green because I was thinking of Elphaba from Wizard of Oz and that way I could give her a purple hat and cloak.  

I stamped her on a panel of white, then masked her off so I could ink blend the background with purple, green and black Distress Inks.  Once that was done, I removed the mask and colored her with Olo and Copic markers.

Next came a Gothic style Halloween background text stamp, which was stamped in black on purple cardstock, then black inked was blended around the edges.  When that dried, the panel was die cut with a mirrored arch label die, as was a panel of black with a size smaller so our witch could be framed up.  Both the "boo" letters and bats were cut from black glitter paper, then everything was added to a black card base.  The last thing I did was use a silver gel pen to color the buckle on her hat.  So fun!

How do these colors inspire you?  Remember, neutrals are welcome along with the two challenge colors.  The challenge will remain open until Friday, October 17th at 3pm EDT. I really hope we'll see your card in the gallery, but before you head off to your crafty space, be sure to check out the fabulous inspiration by my talented teammates over on the challenge blog.

Thanks for stopping by!

Stef

• Whimsy Stamps Gnome Witch stamp
• Simon Says Stamp Gothic Halloween Background stamp
• Spellbinders Mirrored Arch Label dies
• Tim Holtz/Sizzix Vault Coffin Box dies (letters) and Vault Wicked (bats) dies
• Peeled Paint, Twisted Citron, Villanous Potion and Black Soot Distress inks
• Olos - BV1.7, 1.4, 1.2, 1.1
• Copics - YG67, 17, 03, E47, 44, 43, 37, 35, 33, 31, C7, 5, 3

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

Joy to the World for The Paper Players

Hello friends!  Today the Paper Players have a fun Clean and Simple challenge for you, hosted by the amazing Joanne.  She is asking that we use a single stamped image on our cards.  

The Paper Players

I'm also playing along with the Krafty Chicks and their Christmas challenge this week.

Krafty Chicks #759

Stamping a single image made creating my card super quick and easy.  In fact, I made two and both are Christmas cards.  

During the holidays I bought a stamp and die set from Whimsy Stamps with several cute penguins enjoying the holidays/winter, so I used a couple to whip out two Christmas cards.   I first cut two white panels with rounded rectangle dies then stamped two penguin in the lower right corners.  After coloring with my Copic markers, I restamped it and a sentiment with a pigment ink (thank goodness for stamp positioners!).

For the first background I used a pine branch embossed folder with a panel of green cardstock and the second used a panel of two-toned glossy red cardstock with a snowflake folder.  Both were adhered to the card base, then the main panels added after layering on two additional rectangles cut from scrap paper.  While keeping it all CAS, the cards needed a wee bit more, so I added a trio of pretty gems to finish them off.

Aren't those penguins so very cute?  Even my husband, who is not typically of "cute" cards really like the one above, so that made me happy and means I'll make a few more in different colors.

The challenge will remain open until Friday March 21st at 3 pm EDT and I sure hope to see your card in the gallery this week!  In the meantime, I encourage you to visit the challenge blog for our CAS guidelines and to check out the amazing CAS cards my wonderful teammates have created.

Thanks for visiting and take care!

Stef

• -Whimsy Stamps Penguin Winter Holiday stamps
• -Simon Says Stamp Delicate Pine Branches and Snowflake Visions embossing folders
• -Hero Arts Rounded Rectangle die
• -SSS Color Blend Holiday Assortment glossy cardstock
• -Picket Fence Candy Cane Gem Mix
• -Copics - C0, 1, 5, 7, 9, T0, 2, R20, 35, 37, 39, 59
• 
  

-Olos - YG1.6, 1.4, 1.2, RV1.7, 1.5, 1.3, 1.1

Fisherman for Sunday Stamps

Hello and welcome!  It's time for a new challenge at Sunday Stamps and this time we have some muted colors that I found to work well for my husband's birthday card.  I used red, gray and steel blue.

Sunday Stamps

I'm also playing along with Seize the Birthday's Anything Goes Challenge.

STB #263

My husband is a fly fisherman and I have found when crafting companies create stamp sets with fishing images, they are mostly for bait fishing.  So I was pleased when I found this stamp from Whimsy Stamps.

I started by stamping the image on white cardstock, then ink blended Simon Says Stamp Morning ink in the background for the sky.  I used Copic markers to color the water, his waders, jeans, vest, shirt and hat and was going to call it good but the background looked to vacant.  I used very light gray copic markers to faintly draw in the trees on the other side of the water.  I am not much of a sketch artist but these are easy trees - draw a line for the trunk and add random squiggly lines for the limbs and it gives the impression of tall fir trees without having to get too detailed.

The main panel was die cut with a deckled rectangle and added with foam tape to a gray panel that was die cut with a larger deckled rectangle, then embossed with a retired Stampin' Up embossing folder.  The sentiment was stamped and die cut with an extra layer to give it a bit of dimension. The final step was to add the fishing line coming off the end of his rod; the stamp didn't have that so I just drew one with a ruler and a black Copic Fineliner pen.

Be sure to pop over to the challenge blog to check out the wonderful cards by the other DT members and hopefully be inspired to join us!

Take care!

Stef

Stamps:  Whimsy Stamps Fisherman, Honey Bee Stamps Pickup Lines

Paper:  Neenah Solar White, Simon Says Stamp Slate

Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, Altenew Obsidian, SSS Morning

Dies:  Pickup Lines coordinating sentiment die, Altenew Mix and Match Frames, Waffle Flower Deckled Frames

Embossing folder:  ret. SU Bark

Copics:  E35, 34, 30, 21, 11, 00, 000, T0, 2, C6, 4, 2, B99, 97, 93, 91, R59, 39, 37