Bells in Blues...

Hiya,

This week Nance is bringing us a FABulous sketch to play with at the Paper Players...

I finally got to use a set I've had my eye on ever since in appeared in the US catty - Bells & Boughs. I was so excited when it finally came to the UK, it was in my first order from the new catty but I haven't actually used it... until now!

I used my two favourite techniques on this - colouring and decoupage (or paper tole). I stamped the image four times on Very Vanilla with Stazon then coloured with blender pens and inkpads (More Mustard, Old Olive, Island Indigo and Cherry Cobbler). I punched one out with a 2 1/2" circle punch then cut out the rest in smaller sections. I took a photo to show the different parts that I cut out as well as a close-up of the assembled image...

I added a thin layer of champagne shimmer paint to the bells as well as some crystal effects to the berries for some sparkle and shine. I SO enjoyed creating this image - took a while (and not one for mass producing lol!) but it was so worth it! I layered the circle image over a doily cut from Cherry Cobbler card (loving these doily dies!).

The rest of the card is just layers of Festival of Prints dsp as well as a Bashful Blue card stamped with snowflakes (from Snowflake Soiree) and the sentiment (from More Merry Messages).

Make sure you check out what the rest of the fabulous design team have created...

The Paper Players Design Team

Jen Arkfeld
Dawn Easton
Helen Heil
Anne Marie Hile
Jaydee
Nance Leedy

LeAnne Pugliese

Ann Schach

Thanks for stopping by!

x Amy x

Freshly Made Pumpkin Leaves...

Hello!

Just popping in quickly to share a card I made combining the Dynamic Duos colour challenge and this week's Freshly Made sketch...

I am preparing for a class this Saturday using the Wonderfall leaves and matching die so I thought I'd use these challenges to get me started...

I akso used a few neutrals in there - Basic Grey, Crumb Cake and Very Vanilla. The dsp is from the Howlstooth & Scaringbone pack, which is so versatile it can be used for non-Halloween projects. The crumb cake panel was embossed with the woodgrain embossing folder. The leaves were stamped in Pumpkin Pie and Crumb Cake on Very Vanilla, while the acorn was stamped with Basic Grey on Crumb Cake. I added a black button with some linen thread to the sentiment from Itty Bitty Banners and layered over a scrap of cotton ribbon, and used three pumpkin pie brads to finish.

That's all for now... thanks for stopping by!

x Amy x

Vintage butterflies for Mum...

Hiya,

My Mum turned 60 recently and in the excitement of sorting her present out in Australia and busyness of life here I forgot to send her a card in time, so I thought I'd better make an extra special one to make up for it being late lol! I used the GORGEOUS colour scheme at the Fab Friday challenge as well as the fabulous sketch from Pals Paper Arts (I think I'll be using this one again - there are so many possibilities with it!).

I wanted to use some new goodies I got in my latest order from the new catty - Kindness Matters and the Fan Fair dsp...

 

The butterflies from Kindness Matters were stamped on Very Vanilla with Stazon then I stamped the script and water drops from French Foliage over the top with Sahara Sand ink (2nd & 3rd generation ink). I stamped the butterflies again on Very Vanilla and coloured them with inks and a blender pen, cut them out and popped up over the main image panel. The greeting (from Itty Bitty Banners) was stamped with Midnight Muse on Naturals Ivory and die-cut using the matching framelit. I layered the main panel over a doily cut from Naturals Ivory then onto the dsp panels, layered with Midnight Muse cardstock. The Summer Starfruit panel was stamped on each side with a flourish from Kindness Matters using Summer Starfruit ink for a bit of added interest. I created a bow using Summer Starfruit ribbon and lace trim and added some large pearls on the banner strip. My Mum loves vintage things, turqouise/teal blue and sewing so this card is pretty much perfect for her!

This card was inspired by the insanely talented Teneale, and like her I decided to decorate the inside of the card as well...

I used more Fan Fair dsp for this, including the 60 cut from the sheet with the different tags etc. as well as one of the label images. I added some Summer Starfruit card cut with one of the Finishing Touches edgelits onto a stamped background to match the image panel on the front of the card.

I spritzed the front of the card and the letters with some Vanilla Smooch spray (absolutely LOVE this stuff!!!) for shimmer and sparkle.

Before I go (and seeing as this post is already somewhat about my family) I thought I'd tell you about an initiative my sister is starting up in London. Here's a pic of us together...

My sister Rebecca is setting up a Creative Arts Studio in London, it's going to be a hub where people from all backgrounds can come and use the communal studio space and fantastic art equipment like screen printing tables, darkrooms, Mac Computers, sewing machines etc, to make art, have a coffee and cake in the cafe, and maybe even do a card making class with me in one of the rooms (she is recruiting me!) It is a Community Interest Company, and needs support to get it off the ground, so if you are on facebook, have a look at this link: www.facebook.com/NewTigersHeadStudio and "like" it if you like the sound of it. Support from all corners of the globe are appreciated!

She's a pretty amazing entrepreneurial chick so it'll be great to watch her pursue this dream.

Thanks for stopping by!

x Amy x

Framed with a Flourish...

Hi there,

It's CAS week at the Paper Players and this week Anne Marie is challenging us to use frames...

I had so many ideas going through my head for this one but ended up settling on using some of the beautiful designer flourish frames from the Autumn/Winter catty together with the Snow Festival dsp. I was having so much fun I ended up making three cards!

Apologies for the quality of the photos - I've been so busy I only got around to photographing these when it was getting dark so the light quality is not the best! {edited: I've just retaken this with my new phone and played around with the photo editing software... I quite like the frame effect around the pic!} This card was pretty simple - I used the 3x3" image from the dsp, layering it on Cherry Cobbler then attaching the frame over the top. I created a banner strip for the middle and stamped the sentiment on it (from More Merry Messages) and added a Gumball Green bow to finish. Here's another...

This one is a 7x5" card - I used two of the 3x3" images (when I saw the two of these together I thought they would look really cute facing each other!). I layered them on Cherry Cobbler, then on some Whisper White card embossed with the Lacy Brocade folder. The greeting is again from More Merry Messages and was framed with another designer flourished frame - I added a strip of Primrose Petals ribbon to finish off as well as some Dazzling Details on the ornaments.

My last card probably isn't CAS... but still uses similar ingredients and a frame...

Cute eh?! This is another of the 3x3" images, layered on some coordinating dsp and Primrose Petals card as well as a scallop square die-cut. The sentiment is from Delightful Decorations.

Make sure you check out what the other fabulous design team gals have created:

The Paper Players Design Team

Jen Arkfeld
Dawn Easton
Helen Heil
Anne Marie Hile
Jaydee
Nance Leedy

LeAnne Pugliese

Ann Schach

 Thanks for stopping by!

x Amy x

Christmas Sparkle Mashup...

Hiya!

Sorry I'm a bit late posting my Friday Mashup post - ths week's been a hectic one! This week we've got an easy peasy challenge (well I think so anyway!!)...

So here is the "Mashup" Challenge:

1. Make a project with a "Christmas Ornament".
2. Or Make a project with some "Sparkle".
3. Or "Mash it Up" and create a "Christmas Project with some Sparkle".

Considering that pretty much every one of my Christmas cards has sparkle and quite a few feature ornaments I had quite a few to choose from lol!

This one uses the lovely Candelight Christmas dsp together with the Ornamental Keepsake stamp set and dies. The large ornament was stamped using markers then I added shading with a blender pen and ink. The greeting is from Delightful Decorations, stamped on Very Vanilla and punched with a 3/4" circle punch then layered on another ornament. I added silver Dazzling Details to the tops of the ornaments for my sparkle.

Make sure you stop by the Friday Mashup and see what the other designers have created!

Thanks for stopping by!

x Amy x

Stippled Blues...

Hello!

When I saw the beautiful colour challenge over at Color Me Beautiful, I knew it would be perfect for my new Stippled Blossoms set (so pretty!!). I paired the colours with the iSpy sketch this week...

Here's what I came up with...

The three stamp sets I've used for this card (Stippled Blossoms, Papillon Potpourri and Trust God) are two of my favourites from the new catalogue. The flowers were stamped with the two blues and the leaves with River Rock and Old Olive. The background is Sahara Sand stamped with the Music Notes wheel using Sahara Sand ink. I added another of my favourite things from the new catalogue - the Delicate Doilies sizzlits die - I used the middle size and cut it from Naturals Ivory cardstock.

Thanks for stopping by!

x Amy x

First Christmas...

Hi there,

I played along with the Dynamic Duos colour scheme this week...

I wanted to use the beautiful First Christmas set and the Northern Flurry embossing folder because I had an idea floating around in my head for using the two together...

 

I embossed a piece of vellum with the embossing folder then layered it over a piece of Pool Party card, fixing it with some tiny silver brads. I cut a banner strip of Whisper White and stamped the sentiment on it with Soft Suede. I stamped the silhouette on white using Soft Suede and trimmed with my paper snips then popped over the sentiment banner. I finished things off with a star embossed with irridescent ice embossing powder. This one's a bit different than my normal style... even a bit CAS if I do say so myself!

Thanks for stopping by!

x Amy x

Open Sea Birthday...

Hi there,

This week we have a great colour challenge at the Paper Players brought to us by Jaydee...

I thought these colours would be perfect for a masculine card (I never seem to have enough of these to hand). I think my fave set for men's cards is the Open Sea - such great detailed images that are perfect for a lot of occasions...

I used the Deconstructed Sketch as my starting point but I kinda wandered a bit. The globe was stamped in Night of Navy and cut out by hand then layered on a circle cut from Bravo Burgundy using the Circles #2 die. The was layered on a window framelit diecut that I embossed with the woodgrain embossing folder. The Night of Navy panel across the card was embossed with the new Chevron embossing folder and layered on a piece of Bravo Burgundy card that I diecut with the pinking Finishing Touches edgelit. The banner panel is some Orchard Harvest dsp layered over First Edition dsp. The sentiment is from For the Family and cut with the new banner framelits - I added some faux stitching with a marker around the edge. Some gold brads and a Night of Navy button as well as some Linen Thread finished things off.

Make sure you check out the fabulous creations of the Design Team:

The Paper Players Design Team

 

Jen Arkfeld
Dawn Easton
Helen Heil
Anne Marie Hile
Jaydee
Nance Leedy

LeAnne Pugliese

Ann Schach

I hope you get the chance to play along with us this week!

Thanks for stopping by...

x Amy x

Fresh Papaya Summer...

Hiya,

I've had a nice relaxing day today for a change and had a chance to get inky! I combined two challenges: the colours from Create with Connie & Mary and the Freshly Made Sketch...

I decided to use Papaya Collage together with a fabulous new sentiment set called Perfectly Penned...

I flipped the sketch so I could use the lovely frame and sentiment (both stamped in Choc Chip). I masked off the inside of the frame and sponged some Summer Starfruit ink around then stamped the leaves in Gumball Green. The flowers were stamped on Very Vanilla with Stazon ink then coloured with Summer Starfruit and Gumball Green ink and an aquapainter. I stamped and cut extra leaves to layer behind for a fuller effect. The dsp is Summer Starfruit from the new in colour prints pack and I layered a piece of Summer Starfruit over Choc Chip card, diecut with one of the new Finishing Touches edgelits (love these!). Some Very Vanilla seam binding ribbon and Very Vanilla button finished things off.

Thanks for stopping by!

x Amy x

Washi Mashup...

Hiya,

Ready for another Friday Mashup challenge? Tara's got a great technique for us...

So here is the "Mashup" Challenge:

1. Make a project with the "Sketch".
2. Or Make a project using "Faux Washi Tape".
3. Or "Mash it Up" and create a project using the "Sketch and Faux Washi Tape".

I pulled out my new silver glimmer paper (LOVE this stuff!!) and snowflake bigz die to come up with this...

I attempted the faux washi tape using Festival of Prints dsp and sticky tape but I didn't have any sponge so I used a tea towel... came off a bit distressed in the end but I kinda like the overall effect! The sentiment is from a new set called More Merry Messages. I used the new Northern Flurry embossing folder in the background of the card (so many new goodies to play with!).

This week has been so busy work-wise but I have a full day free tomorrow so I'm hoping I'll be able to play some more with my new catalogue goodies and have a few more things to share with you.

Thanks for stopping by...

x Amy x

Vintage cup for you...

Hello!

It's time for another fun challenge over at the Paper Players - this week LeAnne has a great theme challenge for us...

I had a cup that I created a while ago that I wanted to use so I took that out out and went from there...

I got a bit carried away adding layers and things lol... too much?! I started with a piece of striped dsp from Howlstooth and Scaringbone which I sponged around the edges with Crumb Cake ink. I added a layer of Old Olive card with Riding Hood Red card die-cut with an edgelit die underneath, as well as some Crumb Cake with the Music Notes wheel stamped onto it. The greeting is from Itty Bitty Banners, die-cut with the matching framelits dies. The cup was stamped with Basic Grey ink and embossed with clear EP, then stamped again with Riding Hood Red ink, from which I cut the flowers out to layer onto the grey cup and I coloured the stems with Old Olive ink. The cup was layered on a panel I created with a Vanilla die-cut decorative circle from the Perfect Pennants die and a piece of Riding Hood Red cut with one of the Window Framelits dies. I added some pearls as well as some Crumb Cake seam binding ribbon and a button to finish.

Check out what the rest of the DT have created for this challenge...

The Paper Players Design Team

Jen Arkfeld
Dawn Easton
Helen Heil
Jaydee
Nance Leedy

Anne Marie Hile

LeAnne Pugliese

Ann Schach

Thanks for stopping by...

x Amy x

Green & blue to say thank you...

Hiya,

Well, this last week has been hectic to say the least (hence the lack of posts!) but I did manage to sneak in some time to make this week's Friday Mashup card. Erica's got a fun colour combo for us this week...

So here is the "Mashup" Challenge:

1. Make a project with the colors "Pacific Point, Marina Mist, Gumball Green, and Lucky Limeade".
2. Or Make a project using "Rectangles".
3. Or "Mash it Up" and create a project with the "Color Combination and Rectangles".

I had a few ideas for this one but ended up going floral, using a combination of Perfectly Preserved and Build a Blossom...

The flowers were created using the smallest petal image from Build-a-Blossom, stamped 8 times onto Marina Mist card with Pacific Point ink and punched out with the coordinating punch. The flower centres were created with Pacific Point card and embossed with the Square Lattice embossing folder. I stamped the jar with Marina Mist ink then stamped the stems inside with Lucky Limeade ink. The leaves (from Perfectly Preserved) were stamped and cut out then attached to the stems. The sentiment was stamped with Gumball Green and layered in the middle of a bow tied with the new Gumball Green stitched satin ribbon. The background panels are different Marina Mist prints dsp layered on Whisper White then arranged on a piece of Pacific Point card.

That's all from me for now - make sure you check out what the other designers have created over at the Friday Mashup!

Thanks for stopping by...

x Amy x