The Paper Players #372: A Sketch from Joanne

Welcome back!  For those of you that celebrate Thanksgiving, I hope it was a wonderful time with family and friends.  Now, as we head full speed into the Christmas holidays, we hope you'll have time to play along with Joanne's fantastic sketch this week:

It's a little hard to see in the photo, but I used Ellen Hutson's Stitches Coverplate for the steel gray layer.  I added a strip of plaid that I had inked up with Concord & 9th's plaid background stamp in Catherine Pooler's Rockin' Red and Black Jack ink.  The "Smitten Mitten" from Stampin' Up was also inked with Rockin' Red and a few stitched snowflakes from Lawn Fawn were die cut for embellishments.  I added a red/white polka dot ribbon scrap around the plaid panel and tied it off with some sparkly Eyelash Twine before attaching to the card and popping up the mitten.  I love that sentiment as part of the mitten stamp! 

I hope you'll check out the other DT members and leave them some love: 

The Paper Players Design Team

• Claire
• Joanne 
• Jaydee
• Laurie
• LeAnne
• Nance
• Sandy
• Deanne
• Jan

And just a few rules:

1. Create a new paper project.
2. Upload your project to your blog with a link back to The Paper Players.
3. Provide a direct link to your blog post for your challenge entry.
4. Please link your card to no more than FOUR challenges (including ours).
5. HAVE FUN! 

Thanks so much for stopping by and being a Paper Players fan!  We can't wait to see what you create with this versatile sketch.  Have a great week ~ Hugs, Annie

Cards in Envy: It's Only Paper

Welcome back CIE friends!  Cards in Envy is kicking off another challenge today called "It's Only Paper."  We are looking for cards with NO stamping, and NO embellishments unless they are made from paper.

I know what you're thinking!  I was thinking the same thing...eek! No stamping!  Oh no!  But, once I started going through my paper stash, there was definitely light at the end of the tunnel.  I have a few 12 x 12 paper pads.  Not many because I've given most of them away, but I did keep two with Christmas themes.  Lo and behold, there were plenty of sentiments I could use to avoid stamping.  It was actually fun to take a piece of scrapbook paper and see what I could come up with!

All of the elements came from one 12 x 12 piece of paper (Heidi Swapp "Believe"), cut down, and laid out on a piece of Bazzill "Wax Lips" cardstock for the card base.  The embellishments are Candi dots which are made from paper. 

I also made another one out of one 8-1/2 x 11 piece of DSP from Paper Studio's "I Believe in Santa" paper pack.  I added small snowflakes punched out of glossy photo paper using a Paper Studio paper punch.  The image was on the bottom border of the DSP.

We hope you'll dig through your paper stash and play along!  Thanks for stopping by and have a Happy Thanksgiving later this week!  

The Paper Players #371: CAS from Sandy

Hi there!  First of all, the entries for Nance's White-on-White Color Challenge were absolutely gorgeous!  Thanks to everyone who shared their stunning cards!

And now, it's time for another fantastic challenge hosted by Super Sandy:

It's a Clean & Simple Challenge this time around with a Warm & Cozy theme.  Perfect for this time of year!

This Winter Fox from Lawn Fawn is looking pretty cozy with his warm cup of hot cocoa. Especially with the Snowflake Backdrop from Wplus9.  I colored the little fox with Copics, added some shimmer to his scarf and a little white heart to his cup.  I had fun with this one, so I made a second one in different colors!

With all the hustle and bustle this week, we hope you'll find some time to play along.  To get warmed up, check out the fun cards on the DT's blogs:

The Paper Players Design Team

• Claire
• Joanne 
• Jaydee
• Laurie
• LeAnne
• Nance
• Sandy
• Deanne
• Jan

And just a few rules:

1. Create a new paper project.
2. Upload your project to your blog with a link back to The Paper Players.
3. Provide a direct link to your blog post for your challenge entry.
4. Please link your card to no more than FOUR challenges (including ours).
5. HAVE FUN! 

Thanks so much for stopping by!  I hope, if it's Thanksgiving where you are, that you have a wonderful holiday with family and friends that is very warm & cozy!  Hugs!

The Leaf Blower Quit Working...

Yep, it did so what's a girl to do?  Make cards, of course!  Here's three cards I put together for a few challenges.  I'll keep the post short, I promise!

First up, it's a one layer card for the Tic-Tac-Toe Challenge (Middle row down):

Lots of heat embossing on this one using 4 different types of EP.  I thought the slate gray cardstock would be "elegant."

The next card was to play along over at the Paper Craft Crew.  I just loved the sketch this week:

I was happy to ink up one of my new stamp sets from Stampin' Up called Smitten Mittens.  I AM smitten!

The last card is for CASology's latest cue:

Sharp antlers are everywhere around my neighborhood right now.  It's "Rut" season and all those handsome bucks are looking for girlfriends.  The way it's going I think there will be a LOT of fawns around here in the spring!

Thanks so much for visiting and I hope you're having a terrific weekend!  

Thinking of You at Christmas

Happy Friday!  I have a card this morning for a couple of challenges:

Freshly Made Sketches #313

The Card Concept #82 {Retro Holiday}

I want that wreath in the photo!!  So fun!  I was inspired by the ornaments and the colors.

Here's the products I used:

   Cardstock - Neenah Solar White, Bazzill Cotton Candy

   Stamps - Catherine Pooler (ornaments), Concord & 9th (sentiment)

   Inks - Catherine Pooler (It's a Girl, Party Dress, Aquatini, Black Jack

   Dies - Mama Elephant Scalloped Rectangle, Memory Box (ornament topper)

   Other - Fine silver metallic thread, silver Prismacolor pencil, Wink of Stella

I'm getting close to finishing up my Christmas cards - that makes me happy!  I hope you have a wonderful weekend.  Thanks so much for stopping by!

Love and Joy

Hi there!  Our football team is off today so I went to play in the Dog House aka My Happy Place.  I came upon a challenge I had never played before from the Paper Craft Crew and thought I'd give it a whirl!  

I needed a masculine Christmas card for a very dear friend.  He's definitely a minimalist so I thought the first row down would work well - Holiday Celebrations, Natural Elements, and Favorite Stamp Set:

On a Kraft card base, I layered a brick embossed (Tim Holtz) stitched rectangle that I had swiped with Simon Say's Barely Beige and MFT's Kraft ink pads.  The tree die cut (Concord & 9th) was from a piece of handmade paper from Mexico that is made with natural wood fibers.  I've hoarded it forever...but it didn't hurt too much when I cut it!  I die cut a burlap star to top the tree.  Lastly, I stamped the sentiment in Catherine Pooler's brown ink called Icing on the Cake.  The handwritten Christmas sentiment stamp set is one of my all time faves this season.

I hope this fits the bill for the challenge :)  Thanks so much for visiting and I hope you have a fantastic week!

The Paper Players #370: A Color Challenge from Nance

It's Sunday and time for another fun challenge from The Paper Players.  This is our Color Challenge week and the awesome Nance has come up with something a bit different - white on white!

Isn't that a gorgeous picture!  If I'm honest, I'll have to tell you that when I'm asked to do a white-on-white card, I freeze up a little.  Don't get me wrong, I think white cards are absolutely stunning and I'm sure yours will be!  

I went with another Christmas card because it's Christmas in the craft room - on the floor, on the desk, on the fur kids...just about everywhere!

First, I added some score lines to the white card base for some interest and then stared at it for awhile.  Actually quite a while.  I decided to go with die cuts and pulled out Sizzix' Delicate Wings bird and the PEACE die from Ellen Hutson.  I die cut the beautiful bird out of white glitter cardstock and die cut PEACE three times, stacking them up.  I thought the bird needed a little somethin' so I used various leaf punches, silver metallic thread, pearls, and silver confetti to make a little bouquet tucked in it's beak.

We can't wait to see your white-on-white creations.  The design team has some wonderfully white inspiration for you so make sure you stop by:

The Paper Players Design Team

• Claire
• Joanne 
• Jaydee
• Laurie
• LeAnne
• Nance
• Sandy
• Deanne
• Jan

And just a few rules:

1. Create a new paper project.
2. Upload your project to your blog with a link back to The Paper Players.
3. Provide a direct link to your blog post for your challenge entry.
4. Please link your card to no more than FOUR challenges (including ours).
5. HAVE FUN! 

Thanks for visiting - Have a great week!

Merry & Bright

Happy Friday!  I had time this morning to make a couple of cards.  I knew tomorrow was not going to work because the Community Center is having their Christmas Bazaar and I can't pass up looking at all the crafty items!

The first card is for the cue over at CASology:

Sorry pic is a little dark - it really is a white card base!  I'd been wanting to use the Scripty Holiday sentiments from Gina K.  I thought it would look good as a "tiny" string of lights, so I stamped the sentiment in green.  I found a tiny little Christmas light on another Gina K. set called Ian Moose.  I stamped the lights in Antique Linen Distress Ink so I would not have any dark lines.  Then I colored the lights with various sparkly Wink of Stella pens and covered them with Glossy Accents.  

The second card is a fun Thanksgiving card for my DGS.  I'd like to enter this one in the following challenges:

Freshly Made Sketches #312

Shopping Our Stash # 328 - Autumn Color Palette

I thought the gorgeous plaid DSP from Lawn Fawn had all the colors I needed.  I trimmed it with dark brown cardstock to match the heat embossed sentiment.  The stitched turkey (Impression Obsession) is on an action "wobble" to go with the "gobble."  I hope my grandson doesn't notice that I forgot the drumsticks legs. LOL!

Anyway, thanks for visiting.  I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

In All Things Give Thanks

Hi there!  A card today for a few challenges with Thanksgiving in mind. 

I'd like to link this up to:

Tic-Tac-Toe Challenge (Top row across - Sentiment, Fall Colors, & Twine))

Words 2 Craft  By #47:  Abundance

Fusion: Grateful (Inspired by the wreath in the photo)

I love this digi wreath image and sentiment from Power Poppy.  I colored all those tiny berries and leaves with Prismacolor pencils, adding some Nuvo Golden Sunset drops randomly on some of the berries for a little sparkle.  The cardstock is Neenah Desert Sand and the twine is one of my absolute faves from May Arts.  

Thanks so much for stopping by!  I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Merry Merry Merry

Happy Monday!  I had some rainy crafty time this weekend but almost forgot to post!  The first card was for the latest Tic Tac Toe Challenge:

I went with the diagonal - stripes, ribbon, and layers.  I used Freshly Made Sketches #311 as a jumping off point (but was too late to enter...story of my life!):

Check!  Another Christmas card for the pile!  I stamped the Peppermint Twist background (Catherine Pooler) in Rockin' Red ink, layered on a sweet image from Pink Cat Studios colored with Prismacolor pencils, and added a sentiment (The Stamps of Life) tag with a snippet of gingham ribbon. 

The second card is for the Live Love Cards membership challenge featuring LEAVES.  It also fits for the new Cards in Envy Challenge that started today where the sentiment or words are the focal point.  Come play with us!

The background was stamped with Catherine Pooler's Counting Blessings stamp set and inks.  The sentiment was white heat embossed on one of MFT's tag builder dies.  May Arts green twine was the final touch.

I hope you have a fantastic week and thanks so much for stopping by!

Cards in Envy: Typography

Hello Cards in Envy friends!  Welcome back for another challenge and I think you're going to like this one!  With the popularity of large sentiments, they are perfect for this challenge.  We are looking for cards that have letters, words, or sentiments as the MAIN focal point.  Just make sure your card is flat enough to fit in an envy with no lumps and bumps.

For my Christmas card, I white heat embossed a large sentiment from Stampin' Up's Carols of Christmas:

On a MFT Kraft card base, I layered a piece of white shimmer cardstock that was embossed (The Paper Studio) with a holly embossing folder.  The embellishments are a corner holly vine die from Impression Obsession that I cut up and added tiny poinsettias from Little B. 

  

We can't wait to see what you create.  For more inspiration, please check out the beautiful cards from the rest of my teamies.  Thanks so much for stopping by!

The Paper Players #369: A Theme Challenge from LeAnne

Welcome back!  It's the first Sunday of the month and time for The Paper Players Theme Challenge this week!  Lovely LeAnne is our hostess and she's come up with a wonderful holiday theme just in time to build up your Christmas card stash!

I've been loving all the copper I've seen on projects lately, so I was inspired to emboss the sentiment from Gina K. with copper EP.  I had a piece of copper metallic cardstock in my stash that I used for layering.  The pine boughs and pine cones are also from Gina K.'s Merry & Bright set.  I did a little Distress Ink blending on the left side hoping to give a warm glow like in the beautiful challenge photograph. 

For more pine-filled inspiration, please stop by the talented DT's blogs and browse their beautiful creations:

The Paper Players Design Team

• Claire
• Joanne 
• Jaydee
• Laurie
• LeAnne
• Nance
• Sandy
• Deanne
• Jan

And just a few rules:

1. Create a new paper project.
2. Upload your project to your blog with a link back to The Paper Players.
3. Provide a direct link to your blog post for your challenge entry.
4. Please link your card to no more than FOUR challenges (including ours).
5. HAVE FUN! 

Thank you for visiting and we can't wait to see your holiday pines!