Birthday Wishes for PP802

Hello friends! I'm back with a card for our new challenge at the Paper Players.  This week we have a great theme from the amazing Joanne.

Paper Players

This is a really flexible theme.  As you can see by the prompt, candles for any occasion (or decor) will work.  I chose to make a birthday card this time because I can always use more plus I have a stamp and die set that hadn't been brought out to play yet, so this was the perfect opportunity.  And because I made a birthday card with it and this is its first outing, I'll be linking up to the Anything Goes challenge at Seize the Birthday and to Darnell's NBUS challenge.  I'm also sharing with the current Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge where they're looking for stamped images (no digi).

STB #333

NBUS

I went with some bright colors for this birthday card.  

Aren't those fun and festive images?  The set is one stamp that adds all the images, then there are two dies - one that cuts the 3 small designs in a row and the two larger together, all with the postage collage look.  I decided to cut them all apart so I could create this look with each one at a tilt except the small one in the middle at top.

Before cutting apart, everything was colored with Copic and Olo markers.  The frames were open too, so one could use any color, but because I had a variety of bright colors, I thought black worked best.  And I think it really makes them pop.

Once cut apart, they were added with thin foam squares to a teal panel cut with a postage edge rectangle.  I found the sentiment already stamped and die cut so I place that at the bottom of the panel, then arranged all the cute images above.  The last thing was to add Glossy Accents to the balloons and use a shimmer pen to add sparkle to the ribbon on the package, the confetti, hat and cupcake.  

Thanks for taking time to visit!  The team has some wonderful cards with candles over on the challenge blog, so head on over there for more inspiration.  The challenge will remain open until 3pm Friday September 11th.  I hope you'll join us!

Stef

• Simon Says Stamp Birthday Mail stamp and die
• Taylored Expressions Mini Strips-Sending stamp and die
• SSS A2 Postage Rectangle die
• Copics - BG49, 13, 11, YR24, Y15, 13, Black 100
• OLOs - V2.6, 2.4, 2.3, RV 1.7, 1.5, 1.3, 1.1
• Tonic Nuvo Aqua Shimmer pen

Winter Cheers for CH140

Hello friends!  It's hard to believe but today is the first of September!  Wow!  While the year seems to be rushing by, the good news is that we have a new challenge at Color Hues.  This time the lovely and amazing Nancy is hosting and she's chosen a really nice, subtle color pairing.

Color Hues

When I saw this color combo, immediately my mind went to a die set that I'd purchased on sale last winter but never had a chance to use.  As such, I'll be sharing with Darnell's NBUS challenge.  

NBUS

It's kind of fun, when it's the last, hot dregs of summer, to think of cooler days to come, which my card reflects.  

I used three different dusty blues from Spellbinders for the sweater and cocoa cup, although my camera made the colors a bit more vibrant than they are IRL.  I wanted to use white for the gloves, so I went with a tan background and a very light gray for the "steam" coming off the cup.

I did some ink blending on all the die cut pieces for a bit of dimension before assembling.  The background was embossed then I went over the raised areas with a white pigment ink pad so all the pretty snowflakes could stand out more and to break up the solid brown.  

The greeting is from the coordinating sentiment set.  It was stamped and die cut, then added to the blue layer.  After everything was adhered, I used Stardust Stickles in the centers of all the snowflakes, including the one on the cup of cocoa.  You may be able to see it a bit better in the photo below.  It just adds a little bit of a sparkling finish to the card.

Thanks for stopping by.  I encourage you to head over to the challenge blog to see the beautiful cards created by the other DT members and our amazing guest designer, Michele Ferguson.  The challenge will remain open until Monday, September 14th at 3pm EDT.  I hope you'll join us!

Stef

• Spellbinders Mugs & Mittens dies
• SB Stay Snuggly sentiment stamp set
• Simon Says Stamp Snowflake Visions embossing folder
• Altenew Featured Sentiments dies
• Stardust Stickles
• Altenew Icy Water and Winter Lakes inks
• SSS Flannel ink

La Dolce Vita Birthday for PP794

Hello friends!  It's time for a new challenge at the Paper Players and this week the amazing Jaydee is hosting.  This is color week and Jaydee has chosen a gorgeous combination.

Paper Players

My card uses products that have been languishing in my unused bin, so I'll be sharing this at Darnell's NBUS challenge.

NBUS

I'm also joining the Anything Goes option at Seize the Birthday and the Summer Vibe challenge at Inkspirational.

STB #330

Inkspirational #371

I had so much fun creating the first card that I ended up making two.

I started by cutting the lemons, flowers and leaves from colored cardstock that coordinated with Jaydee's challenge colors and then enhanced them with some ink blending.  

The embossed background was made using Shortbread cardstock from Concord & 9th.  It appears a lot lighter in the photos - in person it is the yummiest warm color between ivory and light yellow.  It was trimmed down and added to a black matte.

The sentiments are from a coordinating Betterpress set, which I inked up in black then used the coordinating dies to cut them out.  As someone who doesn't speak Italian, I always thought ciao was goodbye, but learned it can also mean hello.  So the greeting reads hello beautiful and I like the versatility of that.  Paired with the sub greeting above, I can use it for a birthday or many other occasions.

For the second card, I kind of when overboard with the flowers lol! 

This time I die cut everything from white cardstock then ink blended them for a slightly different look.  I used the same embossed background but added the arch panel as a landing spot for all the die cuts.  The sentiment is from the same Betterpress set and I finished this off with a few opal gems.  

Do you have a favorite?  I like them both, but I like the look of the ink blending on white for card #2 a bit better.

Thanks so much for stopping by!  Be sure to take a moment to visit the challenge blog, my talented teammates have some amazing cards using these colors in a variety of ways.  The challenge will remain open until July 17th at 3pm EDT.  I hope you'll join us!

Stef

Card #1

• Spellbinders Citrus Spritz die set
• SB La Dolce Vita Betterpress plate and die
• SB Lemon Fresco embossing folder
• SB Blush, Tutu and Rainforest cardstock
• C&9 Buttercup and Shortbread cardstock

Card #2 (same die and sentiment sets, and embossing folder)

• SB Essential Arch die
• Simon Says Stamp Shell, Salmon, Coral, Guava, Watermelon, Limelicious and Pearfection inks
• SB Opal gems

Summer Flower for CH135

Hello friends!  My card today is for a new Color Hues challenge and this time the amazing Carol is hosting.  She's chosen a very striking color combination.

Color Hues

 

When I saw this color duo, the obvious choice seemed to be bees, which would be so fun, but then I remembered a NBUS press plate that I knew would work well, so I'm linking up to Darnell's NBUS challenge as well.

NBUS

And here's my card...

Isn't that a gorgeous sunflower design?  It was made using a press plate from Alex Syberia that I bought last summer.  My first attempt at creating the image was to use the Betterpress, inking up the plate with black pigment ink, which encompasses the background and the outline of the sunflower.  The image came out fine but not a sharp as I was hoping, so I went the foiling route, and that turned out better.

Using foil rather than pigment ink also allowed me to color the sunflower with my Copic markers, which I have been neglecting as of late. (having too much fun with dies!)  After coloring, the panel was trimmed down and mounted with foam tape onto a white panel die cut with a crimped edge A2 die, then added to the card base.  

The greeting is from a sentiment press plate set, also from AS and it was foiled in black as well, then cut out with the coordinating die.  I like this particular sentiment because it can be used for multiple occasions.  Keeping things simple, just three opal gems were added as embellishment to finish the card.

Thank you so much for taking time to stop by, I really appreciate it!  If you have another moment, I encourage you to visit the challenge blog for a peek at the fantastic inspiration my fabulous teamies and our guest designers Barbara Campbell and Diana Karlova have to share!  The challenge will remain open until 9 am EDT on Monday, June 29th.  I hope you'll join us!

Stef

• Alex Syberia Summer Flower Press Plate
• AS Essential Sentiments Press Plates and Dies
• Simon Says Stamp Crimped A2 rectangle die
• SSS Dazzling Opal gems
• Copics - YR27, 24, Y19, 15, 11, E29, 27, 25

With Sympathy for PP787

Hello friends!  We have a new sketch challenge over at the Paper Players and this week LeAnne is hosting.  She's created a fun one to work with.

Paper Players

I decided to use a die set from Honey Bee Stamps that I bought two, maybe three years ago, and never used it, so I'll be sending it over to Darnell's NBUS challenge as well.

NBUS

Here's what I came up with.

When I was young, my parents planted a beautiful Dogwood tree in our front yard.  It was my mother's favorite, which was enjoyable to think about as I was making this card.  

The branch and leaves were die cut from colored cardstock and the flowers from white.  I added ink blending to all the die cuts, including the extra flower, leaves and the circle. Since the sentiment was gold foiled, the flower centers were die cut from gold as well to bring more gold into the design. 

For the background I used a rectangle die with the same design as the circle to cut a panel of white and attach it to the card base.  The lattice was also cut from white and turned out to be the perfect size for the rectangle in LeAnne's sketch.  There were a few foiled sentiments from the same set already made and the sympathy one seemed to fit best.  Fortunately, I have no immediate need for a sympathy card, but it is always good to have extra on hand.  

Thanks for stopping by and I encourage you to visit the challenge blog, where the other DT members have some wonderful cards to inspire you!  The challenge will remain open until 3pm EDT on Friday May 29th.  I hope you'll join us this week!

Stef

• Honey Bee Stamps Lovely Layers: Dogwood dies
• Spellbinders Woven Lattice Texture die
• Pinkfresh Studio Folk Edge Circle and Rectangle dies
• Spellbinders You Are Everything BetterPress plate and die

Petal Path Birthday for the Paper Players #785

Hello friends!  Today at the Paper Players we have our monthly color challenge. The delightful Claire is hosting and she chose a gorgeous color challenge.

Paper Players

I decided to try out a new die set using these colors, so I'll be sharing over at Darnell's Never Before Used Schtuff monthly challenge.

NBUS

I just love this color combination!

 

The Concord & 9th Petal Path die was used to create this card. The die cuts all the pieces in one pass, so I ran it through the die cut machine with each cardstock color and white.  When deciding on the cardstock to use, I was pleased to find I still had a couple of pieces of Stampin' Up Gorgeous Grape.  For the green I used Simon Says Stamp Granny Apple and substituted C&9 Aqua Sky for Coastal Cabana.

Before inlaying all the die cut pieces, I put the aqua panel into my Misti and stamped one of the sentiments from the coordinating stamp set in Aqua Sky ink.  This panel was layered on the white die cut panel for a little dimension then adhered to the card base.  I used two layers for the tulips and some of the flowers.  

For the second layer of the tulips, I first adhered just the stem then added a small piece of foam tape under the leafs. The tulips were glued just at the base then popped up with foam tape.  

I was going to add gems but it seemed to fussy with this playful design, so I added a bit of sparkle on all the flowers with a shimmer pen and called it done.

How will you use these colors?  Before you head off to your crafty space, take a moment to visit the challenge blog where the other DT members have some gorgeous inspiration for you.  The challenge will remain open until Friday, May 17th at 3pm EDT.  I hope you'll join us!

Thanks for stopping by!

Stef

Clematis Hello for Color Hues

Hello friends!  Here we are in the middle of March already and time for a new challenge at Color Hues.  This time the lovely Marcia is hosting and has chosen a beautiful color combination of purple and marigold.

Color Hues

According to my online search, marigold is described as yellow with an overlay of orange.  Having said that, please do not stress on getting a perfect match, simply something close in that hue will work just fine.

Please remember to use just purple and marigold, along with any neutrals (nope, not green!).

For my card, I used a couple of new products from Altenew, so I'll be sharing that over at Darnell's NBUS challenge.

NBUS #84

And here's my card...

I was tickled that my new Clematis dies would work so well with Marcia's color choices.  I die cut the petals and stamen from colored cardstock, then did some ink blending for shading.  I was a bit disappointed that the ink dried back as much as it did, but the flowers were already put together so I went with it as is.  

Because of the size of the flowers, my card ended up being A6 (4.5" x 6.25").  While I was trying to decide on the background, I had a lightbulb moment, remembering an old MFT Watercolor Wash paper pack, and the lighter purple worked great.  

The sentiment is from the new Creative Labels Stamps and Dies.  Love the flourished tale on the H!  The finishing touch was to add a few Opal gems.

Thank you for stopping by and I hope you'll take a moment to pop over to the challenge blog to see the incredible cards from the design team and our wonderful guest designer, Chris.  After seeing all that inspiration, I hope you'll decide to join us.  The challenge will remain open until Sunday 3/29 at 3pm EDT.  

Take care!

Stef

• Altenew Clematis Layering dies
• Altenew Creative Labels Stamps and Dies
• MFT Watercolor Wash patterned paper
• Simon Says Stamp Opal Dazzling Gems

Butterfly Birthday

Hello friends!  Today's card is using a die set I've had for many months and decided to bring it out of the NBUS pile and give it some use.  As I was finishing it up, I saw that it would work perfectly for the current Toppings at Seize the Birthday, which is Anything with Wings.

 STB #321

NBUS #84

I didn't quite realize how detailed the dies were until I started cutting them out.  There are some teeny tiny bits to keep track of if one wishes to inlay, which is what I intended.

The butterfly wings were die cut out of white plus four colors of card stock.  Thank goodness for little trays to keep all the bits contained lol! There is no backer die for the inlay, so after watching Sandi McIver on YouTube here, I used her hack of applying good old Scotch Tape to the back of the wings and then inlay all the parts. Sure, it's rather fiddly and initially I felt a bit overwhelmed, but after I decided on where each color would go, it was almost meditative.  Assembly of the butterfly was a piece of cake after that.

Due to the size of the butterfly, the card base is A7.  I settled on a large embossing folder with a leaf background.  I used Altenew's Dew Drops Crisp Dye ink, the closest match to the aqua cardstocks used for the die cuts, and used the ink pad directly on the flat side of the folder and ran through the die cut machine.  I did this about 3-4 times.  After adding it to the base, the butterfly and sentiment were popped up with foam tape.  I finished things off with a bit of sparkle by adding a few opal gems.

Thanks for taking time to visit! I'll be back tomorrow and Sunday with new posts; stop by if you have a moment.  Take care and have a great weekend.

Stef

• Alex Syberia Butterfly Bliss Die Set
• Altenew Essential Sentiment Strips die
• Spellbinders Leafy ef
• Simon Says Stamp Opal Dazzling Gems
• Spellbinders cardstock in Coral, Sicily, Seaside and Waterfall

Wild Birthday for the Paper Players

Hello friends!  It's time for a new challenge at the Paper Players and this week I am hosting.  It's our CAS challenge, were we want to see limited layers and embellishments plus plenty of "white" space. In addition, we're making birthday cards with balloons (or balloon).

Paper Players

For today's card I brought out a previously unused stamp and die set along with an unused background stamp, so I'll also be linking up with Darnell's Never-Before-Used-Schtuff (NBUS) challenge.

NBUS

I'm also sharing my card over at Seize the Birthday, where Glenda has chosen a topping of CAS with Dies.

STB #320

All the images in the stamp set are so cute but only one had a balloon, so that's what I used for today's card.

Isn't that little tiger so cute?  I used Copic and Olo markers to color everything, then die cut the tiger and the sentiments, which are from the same set.  I then used a white gel pen to make some highlights and also add some white fur around the ears, head, tail and feet.  You can see it better in the larger photo below.

For the background, I used two colors of blue ink and blended them right on the front of the white card base.  I then used white pigment ink and stamped a large birthday text background stamp onto it.  The white pretty much absorbed the ink color, and it came out quite subtle, which is what I was going for.  After drying it with my heat tool, the little tiger and sentiments were adhered after layering them on a couple of additional die cuts.

What do you have in mind for this challenge?  Before you head off to your crafty space, be sure to pop over to the challenge blog for some amazing inspiration by the rest of the design team.  The challenge will remain open until Friday February 20th at 3pm EDT.  I hope you'll be able to join us!

Stef

• Simon Says Stamp Wild Birthday stamps and dies
• SSS Scripty Birthday Background stamp
• SSS Cadette and Royal inks
• Honey Bee Stamps White Pigment ink
• Copics - YR18, 09, 07, 16, Y35, W4, 2, E0000
• Olos - YG 1.6, 1.4, 1.2, B0.7, 0.6, 0.5, 0.3

Meowy Christmas for the Paper Players

Hello friends!  We have a fun new challenge over at the Paper Players this week!  The amazing Elizabeth is hosting our Clean and Simple challenge and is asking us to use critters on our cards.  

Paper Players

You can use any type of critter as long as you keep your card CAS - minimal layers and embellishments, simple and uncluttered with plenty of "white" space.

I'm continuing to work on my holiday card stash and I also used a stamp set that I've had for nearly, cough, cough...five years and have never used.  I figured it was high time to do so, and I'll be sharing over at Darnell's NBUS challenge.

Having had cats for at least half of my life, I couldn't love that sentiment more!  It makes me giggle, as does that very tense looking kitty (who knows what's in his cup???).  The cat was stamped then I did very simple coloring with my Copics before fussy cutting.  

The frame was die cut 3 times, twice from white and once from red metallic, then layered together on top of the Sea Glass card base.  The white center portion was stamped with the sentiment, layered inside the frame, then the cat was added with thin foam tape. 

I had cut three Christmas lights from another stamp in the set, colored them, then covered them with Glossy Accents. They, along with some torn up pine needles were added to the floor beneath the cat.  (sorry, they're a bit hard to make out; they're more visable IRL) Those darn cats will make such a mess of your holiday decorations if left unattended, as any cat owner will tell you! 

I hope you'll share your CAS critter card with us this week!  Before you head off to your crafty space, I encourage you to check out what the other DT members came up with (they're so talented!).  The challenge remains open until Friday, August 22nd at 3pm EDT.

Thanks for stopping by!

Stef

• Simon Says Stamp/Tim Holtz Stamptember 2020 stamp set (this set isn't available any longer but TH has other Snarky Cats stamps available at SSS or other retailers, if you have a warped sense of humor as I do lol!)
• Tim Hold Mini Holiday Greens die
• Waffle Flower Nesting Piercing Ticket Frames die
• Copics - R59, 37, 35, T4, 2, 0, C3, 1, 0, Y11, B00
• Olos - G1.7, 1.5, 1.4

Cozy Birdhouse for Color Hues

Hello friends!  The summer is sure cruising by and here it is, August 1st! Over at Color Hues we have a new challenge, this time hosted by the amazing Carol.  She has chosen a lovely combo of pink and gray.

Color Hues

Making a bunny with these colors definitely crossed my mind but instead I decided to use a couple of cute die sets to make a fun little scene.  Since the dies are new, I'll be linking up to Darnell's NBUS as well.

NBUS

I started out by inking the background using a cloud stencil and a light pink ink on an A2 panel of white.

Next all the elements were die cut from white, which were colored with a variety of inks in pink, gray and brown.  For the sentiment, I took the inkpad direct to paper, let it dry overnight, then die cut it.  

I started creating the card front with the branch, which I layered on two additional die cuts, then wrapped some hemp twine on it before adding it to the top of the panel.  The twine was pulled taut, then I used a little tape to hold it in place.

Then came the birdhouse and fun little birdies.  I put the house together first, added foam tape to the back and positioned it so that the roof hid the taped twine.  The interior panel is also cut from the die but it's hard to get it exactly centered, so next time I think I'll create a slightly larger one.  After adding the birdies, the layered die cut sentiment was centered and I was done.

I encourage you to use the link above to see what my oh, so talented teammates have created with this color combination.  After seeing all that great inspiration, I hope you'll head off to your crafty space and join us!  The challenge will remain open until Thursday, August 14th at 3pm EDT.  

Thanks for visiting and take care!

Stef

• Simon Says Stamp Birdies and Cozy Birdhouse die sets
• MFT Mini Cloud Edges stencil*
• MFT Hello There Dienamic set*
• SSS Mocha Cappucino and Latte inks
• Altenew Baby Pink, Pinkalicious, Rubellite, Idustrial Diamond and Pure Graphite inks

*Sadly, MFT has closed but I am guessing there may be products available online or other retailers.

For the Record for the Paper Players

Hello friends! Today begins a new challenge at the Paper Players and I am hosting this week, stepping in for the lovely Joanne so she could enjoy a well-deserved vacation.  She chose the theme of using circles on our cards.  Very easy to do, with sooo many ways to use circles.

Paper Players

I hit some crafty sales a couple of months ago and found the perfect stamp and die sets for this challenge, so I'll be sharing once again with Darnell over at NBUS #76 (which stands for Never Before Used Schtuff).

Isn't that a fun card?  All the stamps and dies are from Concord & 9th. I thought these were such a clever products that could be used for most ages.  

I started with the background stamp.  It's a rather clever design where you stamp it one direction then turn it 180 degrees then stamp it again to fill in the entire background.  I also used a little stamp around some of the records, which to me looks like the record player beneath of it. 

Next all the dies were cut, the sub-sentiment stamped, then everything added to the card front.  This card will be headed to my BIL next month but I think the products are generic enough to use for anyone. 

I'm looking forward to seeing all the gallery cards and how everyone chose to use circles.  I hope you'll join us this week, the challenge remains open until 3pm EDT Friday July 11th.  But before you dash off, please make a stop at the challenge blog where my talented teammates have used circles in a wide of array of designs.

Thanks for visiting and take care!

Stef

• C & 9 For the Record stamps and dies
• C & 9 Greatest Hits stamp
• C & 9 Oceanside and Sunflower cardstocks
• Altenew Aqualicious and Lemonade Stand inks