Clean and simple . . .

Clean and simple sketch for The Paper Players . . . .

Anyone who knows me, knows that "clean and simple" is NOT my style!! Copious amounts of lace, fabrics, ribbons, flowers, and anything vintage . .. THAT's "me"!!

However, it's good once in awhile to stretch outside our comfort zones and try something different . . .so every once in awhile I like to do a "clean and simple" (CAS) card. This week's sketch challenge from The Paper Players presented the perfect opportunity! I've been working with navy blue cardstock the last few days, doing final preparations for my monthly stamp clubs next week, so I grabbed yet another piece of navy, some pretty designer paper from Stampin' Up, and did this card. The beautiful flower stamp is one of my favorites; "Birthday Blooms" from Stampin' Up. I colored it with an aqua painter and Cherry Cobbler ink, with some Daffodil Yellow for the center, topped with some clear Stickles bling.

Now, I'm back to my club prepping . . . .hope you all have a chance to stamp this week! "Do something creative every day."

www.thepaperplayers.blogspot.com

thepaperplayers.blogspot.comwww.thepaperplayers.blogspot.com

Watercolor Comfort

A two-word message . . . . no explanation needed!

I love some of the wonderful inspirational and spiritual stamps that companies are producing. Verve Stamps is one of my favorites . . .. along with others.

The Paper Players challenge this week was to use watercolor . . .a technique that I love. I used Stampin' Up's "tree" from the stamp set "In the Meadow" and watercolored with my ink pads and an aqua painter. I feel that aqua painters are the best way to get a real "wash" of color, as opposed to a more "contained" color you can get using a blender pen. . . all depends on the look you want. The metallic thread is old, from my stash . . believe it came from a sewing/embroidery shop! This sentiment is from an old, old stamp set and I no longer even know where I got it!

www.thepaperplayers.blogspot.com

Check out The Paper Players for all this weeks beautiful cards! www.thepaperplayers.blogspot.com

SAFARI ADVENTURE IN CALIFORNIA!

Nope . . . never been on safari! Imagine it would be totally exciting . . . altho' I think I might be a bit more comfortable not being quite so close to the amazing wildlife on safari!

Graphic 45's "Safari Adventure" is such FUN paper to work with! My next workshop at "It's All About the Scrapbook" in Dixon, CA, will be Saturday, August 27th and we'll be making this jungle themed keepsake box and a tag mini-album to go inside it. The box comes with three tags on a metal ring. I chose to use, instead of the ring, some gorgeous Hanna Silk ribbon. You'll get a set of the Safari Adventure 8 x 8 papers, and all the hardware and embellishments shown, to create your keepsake box. (the inside of the box is lined with papers, also).  You will also have the option of either the metal clawfeet (shown) or round painted wooden "ball" feet, for your box. (or, if you like, no feet at all!) You can do as much, or as little, "fussy cutting" as you like, to decorate your box.

Come "safari" with me and share some wild fun! See you there!

(Class is $35; call the store to register . . . (707) 676-5252. Call now! Seating is limited!

Botannicals Still Bloom

Botannicals Still Bloom . .. for The Paper Players

I wanted to play along with this week's challenge from The Paper Players, as the color challenge was such a nice color combo! Swet Sugarplum, Island Indigo, and Mint Macaroon are the colors we were to use. I hadn't had my "Botannical Blooms" dies out for awhile, so pulled them out and started die cutting away! I'm trying to do a little more along the lines of "clean and simple", so instead of continuing to add flowers upon flowers upon flowers to this card, I stopped!! Yeah, me!

Please check out The Paper Players blog to see all the wonderful cards this week!
www.thepaperplayers.blogspot.com


www.thepaperplayers.blogspot.com

Help!  Send coffee!

There's a new July sketch challenge on "Viva La Verve" and I decided to pull out some of my fun Verve coffee stamps to make a card for this challenge. Yes, I am a "coffee-holic" . . . and judging by all the fun coffee stamps you can get now, I'm not alone! What's YOUR favorite? I'm a "Venti, skinny, hot, cinnamon dolce latte" gal . .. . I can nurse that Venti for 3-4 hours, at the least . . . and have a lot of fun analyzing myself as to what that all "means" about me!! Check out the FUN cards in this week's challenge!

vlvsketches.blogspot.com

Swappin' Sundays

Love these super cards from my May swap group . . . such amazing creative talent here! Enjoy!

Coffee Loving . . in the nick of time!

I really wanted to make another "coffee card" for the Coffee Loving Cardmakers Summer Blog Hop . . . but had to do it this afternoon, as the hop closes tonight! I made it!! I had gotten this beautiful new coffee cup stamp . . . just had to have it . . . and wanted to use it. Staying true to my vintage theme, I embossed the cup with Judikins' "Egyptian Gold" embossing powder . . . .Love it! It's gold embossing powder, but with flecks of gold glitter in it! It went onto a vanilla cardstock layer, diecut with a rectangle stitched die (from Pink & Main), then onto some "barnwood" patterned paper from an old Bo Bunny paper pad. I used Stampin' Up's new burlap ribbon, with another layer of an old Stampin' Up lace border on top of it. The paper rose was made with Donna Salazar's "Rose Creations" dies from Spellbinders .. . yes, I use these flowers on approximately every other card I make!! . . ..  from some old Stampin' Up patterned cardstock . .. and all mounted on a Stampin' Up "Soft Suede" card. 

OK . . . I'm tired . .. gotta go get a cuppa' coffee!!

Check it out . . . there are almost 800 cards on the summer hop!!! WOW!!

http://coffeelovingcardmakers.com/2016/06/summer-coffee-lovers-blog-hop-2/

http://coffeelovingcardmakers.com/2016/06/summer-coffee-lovers-blog-hop-2/