Snowflake Trio (PP60)

Time for another fun challenge at The Paper Players. I’m halfway through my August Guest Design month and I’ve had such a great time with these ladies. Truly, they are an “on-the-ball” and organized bunch and so much fun too! LeAnne has put together a great sketch for us this week and here is what I’ve come up with:

The base of my card is More Mustard and I’ve layered it with Basic Gray cardstock – on the bottom 1/3rd I added some Basic Gray designer paper. On both the cardstock and designer paper I stamped the Snowflake stamp in Basic Gray which I stamped off first so it is a very subtle addition.

Next, I added the central panel of Riding Hood Red. I adhered two snowflakes in Riding Hood Red (which were sponged with Riding Hood Red ink). Then, for the “stand out” one, I actually punched three Very Vanilla snowflakes and in the centre is a small flower from the Bitty Punch Pack and a Basic Gray brad.

Lastly, I added a sentiment from Four the Holidays stamped in Basic Gray ink on More Mustard cardstock. This layer is also sponged – lots of sponging on this one!

Want to see another one? Here is a more simplified version for a holiday stamp-a-stack class:

I changed the colours slightly – using Wisteria Wonder, Whisper White and Basic Gray. I added some texture with the Snowflakes embossing folder and the sentiment was stamped on a small piece of vellum. A clear rhinestone brad was added to the centre for some bling.

Now it’s your turn. Head on over to The Paper Players and play along with us and this sketch challenge. Here is a taste of what the design team has come up with:

The Paper Players Design Team

Ann Schach

Anne Marie Hile

Jaydee

Lauri Ingram

LeAnne Pugliese

Lesley Croghan

Nance Leedy

Sandra Azzopardi

Carrie Gaskin (GD)

Products used on today’s challenge project:

Cardstock: Riding Hood Red, More Mustard, Basic Gray.

Ink: Basic Gray, Riding Hood Red, More Mustard.

Stamps: Snowflake, Four the Holidays.

Accessories: Snowflake punch, Neutrals brads, Bitty Punch pack, Neutrals designer paper.

Fascinator Frenzy Winners!

Thank you all so much for playing along with me over the past few days while I showed my fun fascinator hats from Convention. Here are the comment winners:

Day #1 – Top Hat (I wore this to Awards Night):  Jenn Campbell!

Day #2 – Fabric Circles with Bird (I wore this on Thursday, the first day of Convention):  Desiree Spenst!

Day #3 – Big Vanilla Flowers (I wore this on Friday, the second day of Convention):  Cathy at 3sisters2stamp!

Day #4 – Circular Masterpiece with Floating Butterflies (I wore this on Saturday, the last day of Convention):  Catherine Harwood!

Congratulations to all the winners and again thank you to everyone who played along!

I’ll be back with more great stuff soon!

Inkspiration for Fascination and a Fancy Card Swap Hop to Boot!

This is a MEGA POST! Yes, you read it right. This is a BIG one. The post actually contains THREE different entries – hope you’ll stay with me to the end. If you do, here is what you’ll find:

1. Inkspirations Challenge #80
   
2. Fascinator Frenzy #2
3. Fancy Card Swap Blog Hop

Oh, I know, a lot to put into one post but I think I’m long winded enough to do it!

This week’s Inkspirations Challenge is a colour one. I was totally thrown. Not sure why but purple is not my friend. So I decided to use it very sparingly as a layer but to focus on the other two colours.

I kept the base simple and just used Whisper White with a large Pear Pizzazz layer and then added a loop of Peach Parfait ribbon.

The central panel is layered with Concord Crush and then Whisper White and sponged with a cloud effect. Next, I used the Buttons embosslit and cut out a ton of Pear Pizzazz buttons and fashioned them into a tree. I found that if I cut a large triangular tree shape and then adhered the buttons to it, that made it much easier to do. A little bird was added on also.

A little tag with a sentiment from Just Believe finishes it all off. Now it’s your turn to head on over to Inkspirations and play along! But first, check out what the rest of the design team came up with:

Cindy Kirsty Makeesha Renée Brandi Carrie Helen Ilina Lee-Anne Marisa

Today’s FASCINATOR is brought to you by the letter “C” for “charming”:

This is a low profile beauty! Made with Springtime Vintage fabric, I actually forgot that I was wearing it. I made many little rosettes of various sizes and affixed them to a circle of cardstock below and then clipped it. When did I wear this one? It was pretty small so maybe a little sneaky……

By adding a comment below you’ll be eligible for a sweet little prize – not a Convention attendee? No problem! Make your own fascinator and link it in today’s post and you’ll be eligible too!

And now for the Fancy Card Swap Hop! At Convention I participated in a swap of Fancy Cards hosted by Elizabeth Price and Julie Beltramo.  Hopefully you’ve just arrived here from Gilda Fellows’ blog and after you take a look at my card, I’ll send you along to the next blog-hopper! Here is my card:

Christmas in brown and pink? YOU BET! I used the new stamp set Snow Much Fun and played around to make a vintage inspired card out of a typically not vintage type stamp. I even decorated the inside, but forgot to take a photo! Here is a close up of some of the details:

Well if you’ve made it all the way down to here, you deserve a big ol’ pat on the back! Better than that maybe? Head on over to the spectacular blog of Elizabeth Price and enjoy yet another Fancy Card Swap!

Wishing for Fascinator Frenzy to start – today’s the day!

Today I’ve got a double post for you! First is the latest sketch challenge from Create with Connie and Mary. I was so very lucky to meet Connie, Mary and Lisa from the current design team at Convention and they are certainly a big ol’ hoot! We had a great dinner and kick off party together and although I’m saying goodbye to the design team over the summer, I’ll be back in October! Here is this week’s sketch:

I used Blushing Bride, Early Espresso, Crumb Cake and Whisper White on today’s creation. The numbered designer paper is from Just Eat Cake and the vertical designer paper is from the Neutrals designer paper pack. I also added a Whisper White sponged scalloped circle to the mix for some extra fun.

For the cupcake, I embossed an image from on Create a Cupcake on Crumb Cake with clear embossing powder and punched it out with the Cupcake punch. To the top, I added some Multi Purpose adhesive sheet and then slathered it with Champagne Glass Glitter.

For good measure, I added a little pennant tag from Pennant Parade which was punched out with the Pennant Punch. The scalloped horizontal strip is actually Chocolate Chip Polka Dot Scalloped Grosgrain just flipped over to hide the polka dots!

I’d love to see what you can come up with using this sketch so head on over and play along at Create with Connie and Mary!

Now, for what I know some of you have been waiting for…….FASCINATOR FRENZY!

Today’s fascinator is brought to you by the letter A – for AWESOME!

So when did I wear this at Convention? Did you see me? Leave a comment and then contact me to let me know when you saw me – linking to a photo is even better! I am going to keep all comments hidden to keep you all from being sneaky (hey, I most likely would be). If you weren’t at Convention and want to play along, just create your own fascinator and link it in the comment section of my blog over the next four days.

And YES, there is most certainly a prize! The winner will have something very special sent their way as my thank you for contributing to this post.

Growing with Fascination

Okay, are you intrigued? I hope so!

In two days I’ll be leaving for Stampin’ Up!’s Convention and this year’s theme is “Grow”. I’m super excited to be going to Salt Lake City to have a blast with my stamping friends and to have a chance to share my creativity.

So, in the essence of “growing”, I’ve decided to make a few extra special projects that I’m going to share with everyone at Convention. So if you’re going, you’ll want to keep reading.

What is one of the greatest trends right now? Fascinators. What are fascinators you ask? These are!

I love these – and we’ve all seen so many interesting ones, especially at the Royal Wedding this year. So I thought I’d make some.

Each day at Convention I’ll wear a different handmade fascinator made with Stampin’ Up! products and each day will be bigger than the last – they will grow in size and intensity.

If you are a going to Convention and are a reader of my blog, take note if you see me at Convention. Jot down which fascinator I’m wearing on each day (or on whatever day you see me) and when we’re back, I’ll be posting pictures of my handmade creations. If you post a comment on the post containing the hat (or hats) you’ve seen me wear at Convention stating which day I wore it, your name will go into a draw for a great blog candy prize! If you are able to link it to a photo, you’ll get two chances! Each post (there will be 4 in total) will have a prize so there will be four winners!

EDIT: I realized after I posted that this contest is not fair. If you are not going to Convention, I want you to participate as well! So, during the 4 days I’ll be posting these fascinators, make one your self and link to my blog. That will get you in the running each day for chance at a prize too!

I do hope you’ll play along and I hope you enjoy my creations – keep your eyes open! I’ll “warn” you when the posts are coming too so you’ll have the best of chances to win some great prizes.

Looking forward to seeing so many of you very soon!

My Sunset Butterfly

Sunset butterfly? Really? What kind of title is that? It’s the kind you come up with when you have no idea what to title something and you’re thinking these colours look like a sunset and you’ve used a butterfly. That’s the kind.

This is my newest card for Create with Connie and Mary. Now, this week’s challenge has a twist, it is going to last for 2 WEEKS! Yes, many of us are travelling to Convention next week so this challenge is extended so many of you are able to play along. Here are the challenges – a colour AND a sketch:

For my card, I decided to keep it portrait however, with this sketch you could certainly make a circular card too!

The base is Pumpkin Pie and I’ve layered it with Basic Gray and then a So Saffron layer which I’d stamped with the swirl from Baroque Motifs (embossed with clear EP) and then sponged with Pumpkin Pie.

In the centre, I added the large flower from the Fun Flowers die in Basic Gray and added a scrunched up Newsprint flower in the centre (this was left over from a previous project).

I cut out a butterfly in So Saffron with the Beautiful Butterflies Sizzix die and then embossed a flower from Fifth Avenue Floral with silver embossing powder. I then sponged it with Pumpkin Pie and added a few little dots of white gel pen as accent. I used the 2 Step Bird Punch stem and leaf in basic black as the body and antenna of the butterfly.

Some little leaves in Basic Black were added behind along with a bow of Basic Black satin ribbon and a Basic Black button.

I do hope you’ll find some time over the next two weeks to play along at Create with Connie and Mary!

Products used on today’s project:

Cardstock: Basic Black, Pumpkin Pie, So Saffron, Very Vanilla.

Ink: Basic Black, Pumpkin Pie, Versamark.

Stamps: Fifth Avenue Floral, Pennants, Baroque Motifs.

Accessories: Big Shot, Beautiful Butterflies die, Little Leaves Sizzlet, 2 Step Bird Punch, Fun Flowers Die, Clear EP, Silver EP, Basic Black Satin ribbon, Neutrals buttons, Stampin’ Sponges.

F-R-I-E-N-D

This week at Create with Connie and Mary, there is a fantastic colour challenge:

I knew EXACTLY what I wanted to do for this challenge – this doesn’t happen very often. Most of the time I play around for quite some time before actually getting close to a final design decision. I also wanted to play with my alphabets as I’m doing an alphabet class soon and wanted to get some samples done!

The base for this card is So Saffron and I layered it with Chocolate Chip and then Pear Pizzazz. I ran the Pear piece through the Big Shot with the “friend” texture plate and then sponged it for a little more depth.

For the central image area, I used Whisper White cardstock and sponged the edges with Baja Breeze. I then stamped the letters from the Broadsheet Alphabet in coordinating colours and added little bits of bling to them in the form of Basic Rhinestones, Basic Pearls and ribbon.

I added a little strip of paper pierced Baja Breeze cardstock to the right and some 5/8″ Chocolate Chip grosgrain ribbon accentuated with a button from the Neutral Buttons.

Like this colour combination? Head on over to Create with Connie and Mary and play along with us!

Products used on this project:

Cardstock: So Saffron, Baja Breeze, Chocolate Chip, Pear Pizzazz, Whisper White.

Ink: So Saffron, Baja Breeze, Chocolate Chip, Pear Pizzazz.

Stamps: Broadsheet Alphabet, Tiny Tags.

Accessories: 5/8″ Chocolate Chip grosgrain, 1/8″ Whisper White taffeta, Medium Jewelry tag, Basic Rhinestones, Basic Pearls, Corner rounder punch, Neutral buttons, Big Shot, Texture Plates, Stampin’ Sponges.

Inkspirations Colour Challenge #48

This week, Keesh has challenged us all with a great colour challenge at the Inkspirations Challenge Blog. Now at first glance you may think this is a perfect combo for a holiday card and you would not be mistaken but because that was obvious, I wanted to do something non-holiday. You know me, anything I can do to make my life more creatively challenged! Here are the colours for the challenge this week:

I started with a Whisper White card base and despite my intense need to either stamp or texture it, I decided to leave it clean and simple.

Next, I added a horizontal layer of Real Red which was textured with the Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder. On the bottom and a bit in behind this, I added a strip from the Celebrations Quick Accents pack.

For the image piece, I first started with an Old Olive piece and then layered with a Crumb Cake layer which I stamped the A to Z stamp on with Crumb Cake ink.

A 1 3/4″ circle of Real Red was adhered next and then the little ewe which is from the stamp set Pun Fun. I stamped it on some watercolour paper and coloured it in, cut it out and adhered with a dimensional or two. I also added Crystal Effects to the heart but I don’t think you can really see that in the photo.

After adding a Crumb Cake button with a little bit of cardstock to act as thread, I added a Medium Jewelry Tag with “thank ewe” stamped on it and looped onto the top of the A to Z piece with a bit of cardstock and some linen thread.

Hope you like it and I hope you’ll join us at the Inkspirations Challenge Blog this week. Check out what my fellow Design Team members have been up to this week too by checking out their links below.

Cindy Kirsty Makeesha Renée Brandi Carrie Helen Ilina Lee-Anne Marisa

BOO to YOU!

Today’s projects are super special – for a couple of reasons. First, I just love them. Second, these projects have been chosen as a Surprise Guest Designer for Create with Connie and Mary for their Holiday Edition.  Today is the LAST day for the Early Bird Special price of $34.95…a savings of $5 off !  If you leave a comment on this particular post, your name will go into a drawing to win a FREE SUBSCRIPTION to Create with Connie and Mary Holiday Edition!

Now, let me give you a wee breakdown on this project!

The frame is a 5×7 black frame that I got at local big box store – nothing too fancy. But it is what’s inside that counts! Inside, is a piece of Newsprint Designer Series paper. On it, I embossed the Spider Web using the embossing folder and I then sponged the web with Basic Black ink.

I added some Raven 1/2″ lace to the top right and then around the bottom of the frame. In the centre of the glass I added a spider from the Spooky Things Decor Elements and then a decorative label in Basic Black to which I added some black chunky glitter around the outside. I then added a Very Vanilla large oval which was stamped with the word “spooky” from Wicked Cool.

For the little candy pot I used an empty lemonade tin that I had laying around. I covered it with Newsprint Designer Paper and then topped and bottomed it with the Raven 1/2″ lace.

In the centre, I added the bat from Spooky Things Decor Elements. I actually cut this one down the centre to extend the wing span a little bit more. In the centre I added a 2 3/8″ Basic Black scallop and in the centre a 1 3/4″ Very Vanilla circle which I stamped with images from Wicked Cool. I also added a silver Glimmer Brad to the bottom of this piece and a wee fan of cardstock at the bottom.

For the lid, I actually took the lid piece directly off and made a new one. I took two strips of 1″ x 12″ designer paper and folded them every 1/2″. I then adhered a larger circle of Very Vanilla on which I’d added another decor element and again an outline of chunky black glitter.

I hope you’ve enjoyed these projects – I had so much fun making them!

Now, make sure you leave a comment as you could win a FREE subscription to Create with Connie and Mary Holiday Edition!

Pearlized to Perfection

This particular card is a combination of three different challenges: Pals Paper Arts Pretty in Pearls Challenge, Clean & Simple FTL#106 and the Colour Throwdown #108. I thought I’d just try all three, not meaning to do them all together but I like how the end result happened!

The base for this card is Very Vanilla and I embossed it with the Elegant Lines Embossing Folder (LOVE THIS!). Then, I turned the sketch on it’s side and added a strip of So Saffron cardstock. I used the Scallop Trim border punch on the bottom and distressed the top.

Next, I added a strip of Elegant Soiree Designer Paper and in addition to adding a few flat pearls, I also added some Moonlight Smooch Pearlized Accent Ink to the designer paper for some extra pearl shine. I added a Kraft Taffeta (retired) bow to the top with a row of pearls.

Lastly, the sentiment. I first punched out a So Saffron Decorative Label and then I added a layer of Crumb Cake (punched with the Curly Label Punch). To top it off, I added a piece of Very Vanilla on which I stamped “Kind Thanks” from Thank you Kindly. I stamped this in Chocolate Chip. I added a couple of little pearls and dotted my Chocolate Chip marker around the outside.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Products used on this project – CLICK HERE to buy them NOW!

Cardstock: Very Vanilla, So Saffron, Crumb Cake.

Ink: Chocolate Chip.

Stamps: Thank You Kindly.

Accessories: Big Shot, Elegant Lines Embossing Folder, Elegant Soiree DSP, Moonlight Smooch Accent, flat pearls, Decorative Label punch, Curly Label Punch, Modern Label punch.