PAPER PLAYERS #420--Sketch

Thanks, Paper Players, for a quickie sketch!

This came together in about

15 minutes total.

Great way to use up some scraps, too!

MORE FANCY FOLD CARDS

This is the first card with my new SU Sprig Punch, and I think I'll be giving it a lot of use.  These double gate cards are fun to make!  You just have to remember to use adhesive only on one side. (Ask me how I know...)

The flower makes use of layered SU punches that are sponged and stacked with glue dots and embellishments on top..

This second card is a creative mistake with the folding.  It was to be another double gate fold card, but I cut off too much on the one side.  Instead of throwing it away or using the paper for scrap, I folded back one side and kept the right side triangular. 

The flower and sprigs are mounted to the left side.  I tucked the right flap between the petals to keep it closed.

I plan to add a greeting when I'm ready to send it.


TIP:  My "rule" for how many scraps to keep, I save only those that are bigger than an index card.  It used to be business card size, but I still had too many to keep.

DOUBLE-PLEATED FOLD CARD--Snowflakes

The more double-pleated cards I make, the easier they get.  I plan to use this for a January birthday.  The greeting will go to the right of the large snowflake.

This design and dsp would make a good masculine card.

DIE CUT NATIVITY

Thanks to Evelyn, who lent me this die, I now have 20 of these cards ready to go.  The inside reads:   "May your season be peaceful, your New Year be bright."

Sharing supplies is a great way to expand your possibilities!

I MISS SUMMER ALREADY!

...AND INDIAN SUMMER, TOO!

I sure hope the weather improves by winter.

We had very few hot days without rain,

and the wet weather followed right through this week.

I have a feeling we're going to have a lot of snow this year.

At least it's still summer in the Stamping Tower--

Bring on the pink flowers!

PAPER PLAYERS #417--Give Thanks

It's my favorite squirrel again!  Just in time for this week's Paper Players challenge.


For a peek at other entries, click HERE

THREE OF A KIND--Always Artichoke panel

I had some precut green panels laying on my work table, so I used them for these cards.  The wreath was very simple to make and embellish.


The second card was even easier. I used glitter pens for
the ornament and silver cording for the bow.  The "blessings" die cut was time consuming to cut and glue, so I made only one card with it.  (Not practical for making a lot of cards.)

The large oval ef served the purpose well with the flower on the side and the gold embossed verse in the center.

ALL 101 CARDS DONE--yay!

This was the very first design I came up with for this year, and I really like the way it came out.

Starting with the top panel, I used my MISTI to stamp the words.  Next, I die cut the largest star and mounted it to the card front with dimensionals.  Then I die cut the silver fancy star and glued it to the white cs underneath.  For embellishment, I glued a smaller gold star in the center and later added a small gem (hard to see here.)

Thankfully, the MISTI made stamping the front sooo easy!

75 DOWN & 25 TO GO!

With everything that was going on here this Fall, I got off to a later start than usual with my 100 cards for Christmas.  I'm coming into the final stretch now, though!

This is the only design I came up with this year that uses dsp.  Thanks to Evelyn for loaning me her pine ef and SU Peaceful Wreath stamp set.  I like how this turned out--not only for the look, but also for the ease of using the assembly line technique.

I highly recommend using a stamp positioner like the MISTI or the ones from SU and Tim Holtz.  It really helps things go much faster with less errors, especially when you have a bunch of cards to make at one time.

PAPER PLAYERS #415--A CAS CHALLENGE

One of the advantages of CAS cards is that they can be made quickly, and this was no exception.  Once I found the stamps to use, it took about 10 minutes to put this card together.

For more CAS card examples, visit the Paper Players blog HERE.

HALLOWEEN POP-UP CARDS

 Just finished making two Halloween cards, one for each of our children's family.  These pop-ups are quick and easy to make, especially when you can make good use of some SU dsp.  I wrote "Have Fun!" on the inside after finishing them off. 

 Enjoy!

TIN CEILING ANYONE?

This paper and embossing folder remind me of a country kitchen, so the basket of wild flowers fits right in.

...and I loved pulling out my peg stamps again!

DOUBLE PLEATED HARVEST CARD

One of the birthday cards I received last month inspired me to revisit this technique. 

After watching Frenchie on YouTube, I was able to put this together.  (It's not as easy as it looks, for me anyway.)  When it comes to doing the pleats, it gets a little tricky--but it was fun!

BIRTHDAY CARD FOR A 90-YEAR-OLD

This was a fun card to make, in spite of the fact that it took over two hours to die cut, sponge and assemble.  It was well worth the effort, though!

Thankfully, the recipient has a great sense of humor!




TIP:  To make a greeting fit the way you want, stamp it on a piece of cardstock or dsp.  Then cut the paper instead of cutting the stamp.


PS> 10/15:  She loved it!

SIMPLE SATURDAY #54--Happy Harvest

GOOD STAMPING WEATHER!

Forget about raindrops on roses.  These were the kind that stick to the windows, obscuring the view (yesterday.)  I'm not complaining, though, while others down south are suffering severe losses from Florence and Michael.  It's wonderful to be able to retreat to a nice dry stamping tower!

This view is from the kitchen window over the sink.  Ordinarily, you can see across the valley from here.

This photo was taken from the sliders in the kitchenette.  What you can't see (besides the view) are the puddles that have formed from the drenching rain.



Today is a different story:  bright sunshine and strong, gusty winds--another good day for stamping.

The weather we've been having lately gives new meaning to "stamping up a storm!"

PAPER PLAYERS #413--Trees and Leaves

This was a fun and easy card to make using the SU Seasonal Wreath embossing folder.  The dynamic texture is what makes this ef so elegant.  Since there are no pine branches in the wreath, it can be used for any season or occasion.

To make this a Fall card, I applied two shades of green chalk for the leaves and copper Nuvo drops for the berries.

Check out more of the challenge entries HERE.


JUST A NOTE:  My last card was one of the ones chosen for recognition at the Papee Players last week.  YAY!

PAPER PLAYERS--Tic, Tac, Toe

I just love Autumn with its cool nights, low humidity and bright sunny afternoons!  So this card is my attempt to capture the beauty of the season, thanks to the Paper Players Challenge #412.  I chose the bottom row of die-cut, orange/rust and sequins/glitter for my top fold shaker card.

I plan to use this card (and a few similar cards) for Thanksgiving cards this year.

For more Paper Player cards, click HERE.

IT'S BEEN A MONTH!

...RIGHT TO THE DAY!

A lot has happened since my last post.  Sometime before the end of August I started feeling extremely tired.  I thought it was just a case of anemia, so I took iron pills; but other symptoms started up.  When I went to the doctor, she took a urine sample.  Since it was Labor Day weekend, it took a week to come back--I had a serious kidney infection.  The first round of antibiotics had to be repeated before it finally started to clear up.  It was actually quite scary, and it took 3 weeks to regain my strength; but I'm fine now.

Meanwhile, my elderly diabetic cat was also quite sick and losing weight.  After running numerous tests, the vet could not find any reason for her deteriorating condition, so we had to put her down.  It was very sad, especially since she was our last pet.

Yesterday was my first day back in the Stamping Tower, and I made 15 Christmas cards to give our pastor for his use.  Love that MISTI!  

TWO OF A KIND

These two cards were made as a result of pressing the leaves between 2 panels of cardstock or watercolor paper, placing both panels in a folded  piece of typing paper and running it through the die cut machine. I then cut each panel using a stitched die.

Next, I added the greeting and glued the panel to some fun foam to keep the warping to a minimum.  The only embellishments I used for this card were the three tiny pearls.

You can do this with any green leaf that is still moist.  The chlorophyll in the leaf acts as a natural ink that is transferred to the paper "sandwich" giving you two prints at a time.   Try it--it's fun!