Key to my Heart

Hi All,

Happy Saturday!  I, for one, am glad the weekend is here.  I'm enjoying my Saturday morning tradition: coffee, Project Runway and Blogging.  Usually I'm surfing, but I'm lucky enough to have another card for you guys this week.  I had made it for Valentine's Day, but I just haven't gotten it posted yet.   

My design was inspired by this card from Jenn Sannes.  I love the simplicity of it and the fact that you could sit down and make this with any paper patterns or colors.

The focal point squares are all punched from the Postage Stamp Punch--Easy Peesy!  For the prints I used some Love Letter & First Edition DSP.  Peeking out behind these are some embossed horizontal lines that were created with the Simply Scored Scoring Tool.  It was finished off with some seam binding.

I had leftover pieces from my workshop, so I also made some extras of this card and added a Birthday sentiment.  Just as cute!

My must have item on this card would be the Postage Stamp Punch.  It's so quick and easy to use and I love the look that it gives.  If you'd like to add this or any other goodies to your collection, pop me an email or click on the Order Online button in the top right-hand corner.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Stamps: You're A Gem
Paper: Crumb Cake and Very Vanilla Cardstock; Love Letter & First Edition DSP
Ink: Basic Black Classic Pad
Accessories: Simply Scored Scoring Tool, Postage Stamp Punch, Small Heart Punch, Cherry Cobbler Seam Binding and Dimensionals/Pop Dots

A Merry Little Penguin

Hi All,

Happy Saturday!  We are lucky enough to have another beautiful day in Arizona.  I'll take the 70s in December any year.  We are dropping down into the 60s next week, so maybe winter is finally gonna settle in.

The card I have for you today is a shameless CASE from Kimberly Van Diepen over at Stampin' by the Sea.  I saw this card and Had.To.Have this stamp set!  I fell in love with this adorable little penguin. Is he not the cutest thing you've ever seen???  Well, this set also has an adorable deer (that was on my last card) and a sweet little snowman, both of which are just as cute.  These critters were the star of the show the other night.

My cards are definitely not usually this colorful, frilly or spritzed, but I LOVE what she did with all of these elements.  Your eye is immediately drawn to these fabulous colors: Rich Razzleberry,  Lucky Limeade and a pop of Melon Mambo.  That fun Lucky Limeade print is from the Summer Smooches DSP (Item 125409). Check it out, it is full of other fun colorful prints!

This card also has plenty of heat embossing.  The sentiment, our cute little penguin and the tiny tag are all embossed in black.  I think it really helped them pop against everything else that's going on.  Any time you're embossing, be sure to have the Embossing Buddy (Item 103083) on hand.  If you're wondering whether it's really worth it to have, it is!  Just rub it on your paper prior to stamping and it removes any static that's there.  This keeps the powder from sticking to the places you don't want it to.

I had looked through the catalog dozens of times and had never looked twice at this stamp set.  It's amazing how seeing it used one way, can totally open your eyes.  So glad I got it...as it has easily become one of my favorites!  It would also be great for tags.  So versatile!  If you're like me and can't wait to add this to your collection, it is (Item 126290 in Wood & Item 126292 in Clear).  You can order it by popping me an email or clicking the Order Online button in the top right corner.  Hope you enjoyed this card as much as I did.  TFL!

Stamps: No Peeking, All Holidays & Tiny Tags
Paper: Rich Razzleberry, Lucky Limeade, Crumb Cake and Very Vanilla cardstock; Summer Smooches and First Edition DSP
Ink: Versamark
Accessories: Color Spritzer Tool, Rich Razzleberry Stampin' Marker, Distressing Tool,  Decorative Label Punch, Jewelry Tag Punch, Circle and Scallop Circle Nesties, Vintage Trinkets, Melon Mambo Polka Dot ribbon, Rich Razzleberry 1/4" Stitched Grosgrain ribbon, Gumball Green 3/8" Stitched Satin ribbon, Brights Designer Buttons, Linen Thread, Pop Dots/Dimensionals and Glue Dots

PP64: thanks {so much}

The challenge this week at The Paper Players is to use a Plant or an Animal in a Clean & Simple Design. Plant...easy, Animal...not so much. Yes, I took the easy way out--no judging! (And, shhhhh, I think I missed the 'Clean & Simple' part when I checked out our next challenge ;)


Living here in Arizona, we still have quite a bit of heat, so I haven't quite made the switch to fall and darker colors yet. As you can tell by this card...I'm still using plenty of color.


The first new In Color I bought was Calypso Coral. Quite a few of my girls were heart broken when SU! retired Cameo Coral, so I wanted to show them that we have a fabulous new alternative. Calypso Coral is just a tad bit darker than Cameo Coral...and can you believe that it pairs so well with Baja Breeze. Would have never guessed it! I found this combo in no other place than my Color Coach.

I also got to pair up two fun accessories new to my collection: Crochet Trim & the Tiny Safety Pins. The Crochet Trim adds just the perfect touch of femininity and the Tiny Pins are great for attaching these Tiny Tags. I love how it all came together.

Need some more inspiration? Be sure to hop on over to The Paper Players blog to see what the other girls have cooked up for you...or better yet, to upload your very own project. We'd love to see it! Thanks for stopping by.

The Paper Players Design Team

Ann Schach

Ann Marie Hile

Jaydee

LeAnne Pugliese

Lesley Croghan

Nance Leedy

Tara Bilbao

Sandie Conner (September GD)

Stamps: Field Flowers & Tiny Tags
Paper: Chocolate Chip, Baja Breeze & Very Vanilla Cardstock; First Edition & Walk in the Park DSP
Ink: Calypso Coral, Pear Pizzazz & Chocolate Chip Classic Ink
Accessories: Crochet Trim, Vintage Trinkets, Jewelry Tag Medium Punch, Curly Label Punch, 1/16" Circle Punch, Brown Brads and Dimensionals/Pop Dots

{thanks}

Happy Weekend Everyone! It is finally here. If you would have asked me an hour ago if I'd be updating my blog tonight...the answer would have been a resounding no. I was ready to lay down, pull out my Nook and retire for the evening.

But, I got my second wind on the way home from dinner. We were rockin' out to the new Chili Peppers song: The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie. It's amazing how music can have that affect on you. Just this week, I was driving to work, listening to the 80s, and landed right back in 1984. Apache Junction, AZ....7th Grade...Billy Ocean singing Loverboy. I don't think I've heard that song since then, but I caught myself singing it all day with a smile on my face. You gotta love those moments & memories!

This stamp set brings back lots of memories for me too. I think that's why I love it so much. I grew up in the country with lots of wild flowers. This image reminds me of all the flowers that grew in the fields around our house. I think it inspires a feeling of peace.

My new 'Color I Wish I Had' is Tangerine Tango. I think this set would be beautiful with it. For this card I settled for my vintage Only Orange stamp pad. I had it tucked away and forgot I even had it till I went looking for a brighter orange. I love the look of it stamped on the First Edition DSP. Got the idea from Ilina Crouse's card here. I may redo it and sponge the edges a bit, but for now, it works. Hope you like it!

Stamps: Field Flowers & Pretty Postage
Paper: Early Espresson, Only Orange and Very Vanilla Cardstock; First Edition DSP
Ink: Garden Green, Only Orange and Early Espresso Classic Pads
Accessories: Scallop Edge Border Punch, Large Oval Punch, XL Oval Punch and Linen Thread

Visions of Spring

From the first day that I received my Occassions Mini in the mail, I have wanted to recreate this card. My card is a CASE of the card on the front cover. I fell in love with the bright colors and of course, this stamp set: Nature Walk.

I had to be patient, as I knew I wouldn't be ordering these goodies until the end of February. Yes, I do plan ;) So, when I finally got to play with them this week, this is the first card I made.

If you are currently comparing my card to the SU card, you may see some differences. I kept the Melon Mambo, but swapped out Pear Pizzazz for the Orange/Pink they used. I switched up the First Edition DSP and alternated it with my torn cardstock at the bottom. My favorite addition...the Yellow Tulle that I added to the card. I would have never even thought of it, but this is one of the few Yellow ribbons that I have and I thought the shear look would be perfect. I think it was the final detail to bring everything together.

This card just yells spring to me and I absolutely love it! I hope you do too ;)

Click here to order any of these Fabulous products.

Stamps: Nature Walk (121925 or 121997) & You're a Gem (122268 or 122270)
Paper: So Saffron (105118), Pear Pizzazz (119795), Melon Mambo (115320) & Very Vanilla (101650) Cardstock; First Edition DSP (121878)
Ink: Pear Pizzazz (119784), Melon Mambo (115656) & Basic Black (101179) Classic Pads
Accessories: Lots of Tags Sizzlet Dies (114508), Paper Piercer (116631), Mat Pack (105826), Yellow Tulle and Dimensionals/Pop Dots (104430)

Rich Razzleberry Bliss

I saw these fabulous cards on Splitcoaststampers and just had to recreate them. Thank you dbarry for the inspiration!

I love the simple color combination and design that she used. Her Pear Pizzazz version is my favorite, but I went with Rich Razzleberry on mine. We made these in my last workshop and I had already used Pear Pizzazz on a card, so I needed to switch it up. I also had the Rich Razzleberry ribbon on hand to use.

The original designer created these in all the current In Colors and gave them as a gift. What a great idea! I love Crumb Cake and can't wait to pair it up with all these different colors.

Stamps: Bliss (121851 or 123217) & Warmest Regards (Retired)
Paper: Rich Razzleberry (115316), Early Espresso (119686) and Crumb Cake (120953) Cardstock; First Edition DSP (121878)
Ink: Crumb Cake (121030) & Early Espresso (119670) Classic Pads
Accessories: Rich Razzleberry Grosgrain Ribbon (119957), Scallop Trim Border Punch (118402), Rhinestones (119246), Embossing Buddy (103083), Clear Embossing Powder (109130), Sponges (101610) and Dimensionals/Pop Dots (104430)

Click here to order any of these Fabulous products.