Seasons Greetings in Suede

I made the above card for a recent swap with a great group of Canadian Demonstrators. I am proud to be a part of this amazing group of swappin’ women!

For this swap, I was to use the Holiday Mini Hostess set, Warmest of Wishes. I had so many ideas but I wanted to do something a little bit different.

I started with a Soft Suede card base and stamped it with the wreath from this stamp set (I stamped off the ink first so it is a very light impression).

Next, I used the large NOEL stamp and stamped it in full strength on Soft Suede cardstock and layered it with Early Espresso and adhered it to the left. On that I added some Soft Suede taffeta ribbon.

The central panel is my favourite part of this card. I love using a non-traditional holiday stamp for a holiday project.

I first stamped the Ornate Blossom in Soft Suede on some Confetti White cardstock. I then sponged the edges. Next I punched out an Ornament with the Ornament punch in Early Espresso. The ornament from Tags Til Christmas was next stamped in Early Espresso ink on some soft Suede cardstock. I punched it out with my Ornament punch and then trimmed around the outside a bit so you could see the Early Espresso ornament below.

The banner is cut using the Petal Cone Big Shot Die and is sponged and stamped with a sentiment from Four the Holidays.

Lastly, I took a piece of Linen Thread and tied a bow on a Mini Jingle Bell. I adhered with Tombow Multi Adhesive.

I know these are not your typical holiday colours but this card is full of rich details and colours and I think I may interpret this somehow for my holiday classes!

Products used on today’s project – CLICK HERE to buy them NOW!

Cardstock: Soft Suede, Early Espresso, Confetti White.

Ink: Soft Suede, Early Espresso.

Stamps: Warmest of Wishes, Four the Holidays, Ornate Blossom.

Accessories: Soft Suede Taffeta Ribbon, Mini Jingle Bells, Linen Thread, Ornament Punch, Big Shot, Petal Cone Die, Stampin’ Sponges.

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Sit on Down and Stay Awhile (PP61)

Today brings my last card as Guest Designer on The Paper Players. Lesley and Team have been such fun to work with this month. They are a bright, talented and extremely organized group that, I dare to say, rivals any DT out there. I was honoured to serve with them for August and hope there is another opportunity to play along with them soon.

This week, Jaydee brings a great sketch to the table. I had the pleasure of meeting Jaydee in person at Convention this year – she is such a dear soul! Here is what I came up with:

I am IN LOVE with this Have a Seat stamp set. I remember when it came out last year, I knew I liked it but not as much as I do now that I have it!

I wanted to play around with masculine colours so I used Chocolate Chip, Not Quite Navy, Garden Green and Baja Breeze. I really like how the colours work together on this one.

The Garden Green layer has Woodgrain stamped in Early Espresso and is roughed up and sponged. Actually all the layers are roughed up a bit (obviously I was feeling aggressive that day!). The centre square is Baja Breeze which is stamped with the Medallion in Baja Breeze ink and is layered on Chocolate Chip.

The centre circle is from the 2 1/2″ circle punch and I’ve sponged it with Chocolate chip. I stamped the large bench image in Early Espresso and cut it out and again sponged the edges. Two little flowers from the Bitty Punch Pack were added with a little basic pearl. I used the sentiment from On the Grow (I love the font). To finish is all off, I added a loop of Chocolate Chip Polka Dot Scallop Ribbon and a couple of Jumbo Chocolate Chip brads.

This card totally embodies my style and I love it. So, loving this layout so much, I had to make another one for my holiday classes, didn’t I?

This card is pretty much the same as the first with a few minor modifications. The base was changed to Sahara Sand and I textured the Not Quite Navy layer versus stamping it as above. I stamped and punched out the bench versus cutting it out and added a wreath to it using my Boho Blossoms punch and Owl punch (for the berries) and down the centre is some Real Red satin ribbon.

I hope you’ve enjoyed today’s designs and I encourage you to play along at The Paper Players! Check out what the rest of the design team did with this great sketch from Jaydee:

The Paper Players Design Team

Ann Schach

Anne Marie Hile

Jaydee

Lauri Ingram

LeAnne Pugliese

Lesley Croghan

Nance Leedy

Sandra Azzopardi

Carrie Gaskin (GD) – that’s ME!

Products used on today’s challenge project – CLICK HERE to buy them NOW!

Cardstock: Chocolate Chip, Garden Green, Not Quite Navy, Whisper White, Baja Breeze.

Ink: Early Espresso, Chocolate Chip, Baja Breeze.

Stamps: Have a Seat, On the Grow, Medallion, Woodgrain.

Accessories: Chocolate Chip Polka Dot Scallop Ribbon, 2 1/2″ circle punch, Bitty Punch Pack, Basic Pearls, Jumbo Brads, Stampin’ Sponges.

Birdie Trio – Inkspirations #84

Challenge Day at Inkspirations! Yep, it’s time to play along with Keesh and the gals again. But this time it’s a challenging colour challenge:

I totally didn’t know where I was going to start with this one. Which colour do I make the focal colour? They are all so bright!

Well, I decided to make my base Concord Crush. I took all the cages from Aviary on my largest clear acrylic block and made my own background stamp. I love how simple this idea is and it’s a great wow at a workshop.

I drew on the latest sketch at The Paper Players as my design inspiration. I love that sketch and there is still time to play along!

Across the centre is a piece of Daffodil Delight and then that is layered with Whisper White. Okay, now for those birds….

The first bird I made like this was actually an error. Yep, that is how things happen sometimes. You are punching away and a little shape ends up on your desk that looks a bit like a partridge. Happens all the time.

It’s obvious to see that I used the Owl punch but here is how the punching actually happens. Sorry, no great tutorial on how to do it but I layered one of these birds over the actual owl so you can see:

The Daffodil Delight owl is the actual Owl from the punch. You then feed it in the punch again so you get only the little bird. I then added a second foot to the back of the little bird so he wouldn’t fall down.

I finished it all off with a tie of Concord Crush ribbon tied with a Pumpkin Pie button and some Baker’s Twine. The tag sentiment is from Delightful Dozen. Oh, and that Tangerine Tango scallop on the bottom? That is the “shirt” shape from the owl punch. Perfect scallop border!

Thanks for visiting today and I hope you’ll join us at Inkspirations for a great challenge week.

Check out with the rest of my design team homies have come up with:

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

Products used on today’s project – CLICK HERE to buy them NOW!

Cardstock: Tangerine Tango, Daffodil Delight, Concord Crush, Whisper White.

Ink: Concord Crush, Tangerine Tango.

Stamps: Delightful Dozen, Aviary.

Accessories: 2-step Owl Punch, Concord Crush Ribbon, Bold Buttons, Baker’s Twine.

Just Believe (CCMC164)

Where do the weeks go? It is time for yet another Create with Connie and Mary challenge! This week it’s a wonderfully interpretive sketch.

I decided to use some new products from the upcoming Holiday Mini to whet your appetite. I used the Spice Cake Suite of products which I LOVE!

The base for my card is More Mustard and I’ve layered with Soft Suede cardstock and a sheet of Spice Cake designer series paper.

My central layer is Very Vanilla which I sponged with Soft Suede and splattered with Spritzer tool and Early Espresso. I stamped two leaves in Pool Party and More Mustard from the stamp set Gently Falling. This is going to be a “must have”, I can tell you that! Over the leaves, I stamped a saying from Just Believe in Soft Suede.

For the vertical piece, I used a strip of Soft Suede cardstock. I then layered it with a piece of Pool Party ruffled grosgrain and then down the centre I added a small strip of More Mustard cardstock. This is tacked down with a couple of Trinkets.

To finish it all off, I stamped a leaf outline on some River Rock cardstock and cut it out tying a small piece of Linen Thread on for a little added detail.

This sketch was a lot of fun and I hope you’ll head on over to Create with Connie and Mary and play along!

Products used on today’s project:

Cardstock: Soft Suede, More Mustard, Very Vanilla.

Ink: Soft Suede, More Mustard, Pool Party, Early Espresso Marker.

Stamps: Just Believe, Gently Falling.

Accessories: Trinkets, Pool Party Ruffled Grosgrain, Spritzer Tool, Spice Cake designer series paper.

Joy To the World: Non-Artisan Award Winning Project #8

This was my second of two 3D projects I submitted for the Artisan Award this year. 3D projects are sometimes the hardest to get a good representative photo of before sending them away. Sometimes they are big and you can only appreciate them in person.

This is a trio votive table centre for the holidays. Each triangular box is sewn together and all the pieces of designer paper are also sewn on. I used the holiday Simply Scrappin’ kit from the last catalogue for my colour scheme.

The centre of each box is cut out on both sides and letter from the Simple Alphabet are added on each with embellishments to spell “Joy to the World”. Here is the other side:

There is Champagne glass glitter around each opening and pulled Cherry Cobbler seam binding along the entire bottom.

Only two more projects to go! Hope you’re enjoying them.

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.

Fancy Framed Friend – Inkspirations #83

Like that alliteration in the title? This card is for the latest Inkspirations challenge. Now a few of you may have seen this in person already. I made this for a special swap with a group I had dinner with at Convention. What I’d decided to do was to pre-check out my design team challenges and make a few special things with layouts or colours so I would have a leg up. Smart, huh? Here is the challenge sketch:

As you can see, there is some variation between card and sketch but that happens sometimes during the creative process!

The base for my card is Basic Black and on it I layered Very Vanilla and Pink Pirouette. I then added a strip of Cherry Cobbler textured cardstock down the centre.

The central panel is Basic black layered with Watercolour paper and then on top with a piece of Very Vanilla. This piece was embossed with the Frames Embossing folder and then the centre was punched out with the Wide Oval punch. TIP: when doing this, punch out an oval with a different colour cardstock and adhere it where you want the oval to be punched out. That way you can be perfectly sure it’ll have an even edge.

I stamped an image from Lean On Me on the watercolour paper and coloured it in with coordinating colours and then added the oval frame on with dimensionals.

In the upper right, I added a bow of Deck the Halls designer fabric and some paper flowers. These paper flowers are made with the 2 3/8″ scallop circle, 1 3/4″ circle punch and the Doily Triple Layer punch. All I did was punch them out and then cut into the centre. I then spritzed them with water and curled them into the centre. Put them in a clothespin to dry and you’ll get a great flower!

Lastly, I added a sentiment from Fabulous Phrases. I stamped it on Very Vanilla cardstock and affixed it to a Basic black Modern Label with Silver Mini Brads.

This is a great sketch and I hope you’ll play along with us at Inkspirations! For a little more inspiration, check out what the rest of the design team has come up with!

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

Products used on today’s project – CLICK HERE to buy them NOW!

Cardstock: Cherry Cobbler, Pink Pirouette, Basic Black, Very Vanilla.

Ink: Jet black StazOn, Cherry Cobbler, Pink Pirouette, Chocolate Chip, Blush Blossom marker.

Stamps: Lean on Me, Fabulous Phrases.

Accessories: Designer Frames Embossing Folder, Big Shot, Deck the Halls Designer Fabric, 1 3/4″ Circle Punch, 2 3/8″ Scallop Circle punch, Doily Triple Layer Punch, 2-Step Bird punch, Modern Label Punch, Silver Mini Brads, Wide Oval Punch, Aquapainter.

A CAS (clean and simple) Challenge

It’s new challenge day! At Create with Connie and Mary, there is a wonderful (but challenging) colour challenge:

As these colours are super bright, I wanted to use mostly white on this design and just have pops of the colours in the design.

I used a So Saffron base and then layered some Tangerine Tango and Confetti White. On this Confetti White layer I added a smaller piece of Confetti on which I stamped an image from Lean On Me. I stamped it in Jet Black StazOn and watercoloured it in with the challenge colours.

I wanted to throw in a bit more colour so I added a strip of crimped Pacific Point cardstock under the watercoloured layer.

To finish everything off, I added three silver mini brads under the watercoloured layer. So now let’s see what you can do with this challenge! Head on over to Create with Connie and Mary and play along with us.

Of course, this layout was too good to pass up on making a second card so here is a card that I’ll be using for a Holiday Stamp-A-Stack or Stamping 101 class this Fall/Winter.

All I did was flip this on it’s side and add a strip of Old Olive Scalloped Polka Dot ribbon. The image is from Easy Events and if you look closely (or at the picture below) you’ll see that I’ve added some Dazzling Details – this is a MUST HAVE for the holiday season!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Products used on today’s challenge card:

Cardstock: So Saffron, Tangerine Tango, Pacific Point, Confetti White.

Ink: Jet Black StazOn, So Saffron, Tangerine Tango, Pacific Point, Sahara Sand, Blush Blossom marker.

Stamps: Lean On Me.

Accessories: Aquapainter, Crimper, Silver Mini Brads, Paper Piercer, Mat Pack.

Trick or Treat: Non-Winning Artisan Award Project #7

Only three more non-winning projects to share with you all! Here is my little Halloween project. I love making Halloween cards (don’t really use them but LOVE them).

I used lots of designer paper on this one and fanned out the triangles across the card to mimic the handmade spider web made out of Crystal Effects. Added some GoGo Boots letters and a little punched candy behind the “and”.

A favourite detail on this one is the embossed ribbon. I used Basic Black satin ribbon and embossed using Craft White Ink and White Embossing powder.

To finish off the ribbon, I added a loop of Rich Razzleberry satin ribbon, a Basic Black button and a glimmer brad. The bats are straight from the designer paper too!

Thanks for stopping by and sharing your comments!

Lean on Me (PP59)

So, it’s another day and another new challenge from The Paper Players! My first challenge as Guest Designer for August was so much fun to be a part of and I’m excited to be introducing this challenge to you this week. And, boy oh boy, did Anne Marie ever challenge us – WITH PINK! I’m not a pink user that often but I found I really enjoyed this challenge.

I wanted to use Regal Rose and the “majority” colour and Rose Red as just a bit of a hint so that is what I did. The base is Regal Rose and I ran it through the Tulip Border embossing folder and sponged. I then added a layer to fit into the outline (again Regal Rose) and sponged it. I added an “X” of Baker’s Twine and then sponged over it with my Regal Rose sponge so they just don’t stand out so much!

Next, I added an awkwardly laying layer of Rose Red on which I layered some more Regal Rose. On this I stamped the large flourish from Best Friends Forever and sponged. Next, I added a stamped image from Lean On Me (LOVE this set!) and watercoloured it lightly. I didn’t want to go too crazy and deep with the colours on this one, I thought it’d take away from the overall effect.

To finish it all off, I had to add some ribbon and embellishments! I didn’t have any pink ribbon (GASP) so I took my Whisper White Organza and dyed it to match! Here’s how:

1. Take a piece of ribbon.
2. Put one part boiling water and one part vinegar in a heat proof dish. (I think I used about 2 tbsp of each)
3. Add as much reinker as you wish for depth of colour. (I think I added 5 drops)
4. Stir and until the desired colour is achieved.
5. Take out the ribbon and let it dry. (I just patted it between two paper towels and I was good to go!)

REMEMBER – you can always add more die but you can’t take it away so be cautious with how much reinker you add.

Lastly, I added a little tag that says “friends” from Tiny Tags and a Rose Red button tied with some Baker’s Twine.

I do hope you’ll get a chance to get “p-inky” this week and play along with The Paper Players! Check out the rest of the design team members creations:

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 project – CLICK HERE to buy them NOW!

Cardstock: Regal Rose, Pretty In Pink, Rose Red, Confetti White.

Ink: Regal Rose, Rose Red, Jet Black StazOn and various colours to watercolour.

Stamps: Best Friends Forever, Lean On Me, Tiny Tags.

Accessories: Big Shot, Tulip Border Embossing Folder, Baker’s Twine, Aquapainter, Subtles Buttons, Medium Jewelry Tag punch, Bitty Punch Pack, Stampin’ Sponges, Boho Blossoms Punch, Regal Rose Reinker, Organza Ribbon.