A Good Fright for The Paper Players!

 Hello dear stamping friends! It's Sunday and it's time for a color challenge for The Paper Players #612. With the shades of orange, green and purple I pulled out my one and only ever stamp set for Halloween. Called "Good Fright" it's from Hello Bluebird and makes the cutest scenes. 

I began by inking a background using Distress Oxide inks in shades of purple. Then I added some ink splatters and a few larger water droplets for texture. This kind of inking is absolutely one of my favorite techniques! 

I stamped the trick or treaters, colored them with Copics and fussy cut them. Popping them up on foam tape, I added Crystal Gloss to the pumpkin containers. 

My husband suggested that they looked as if they were searching for something, inspiring me to add the die cut tree and sentiments. 

I hope you'll take the time to visit the Paper Players blog and admire the fabulous samples. They never fail to amaze! Thanks so much for your visit today. I hope you have a great week. 

 Be yourself

          Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

Does chocolate and mint make you smile? Color Hues #47

 Is the heat wave over in your neck of the woods? Are you still staying cool in this last month of summer? Is ice cream something you scream for, dream about or just enjoy? 

Sorry, I'm finding a play on words a bit delicious as I write this post! Our challenge from lovely Nancy at Color Hues is chocolate and mint. Even though it makes me think of ice cream, I went in a different direction.

My card features a bear and birthday balloons! I colored with Copics, adding polka dots and variations of mint shades. Even brown dots (to resemble chocolate chips?) and a shimmer pen. I used a die cut (no longer labeled in my stash) to cut the word smile out of Chocolate Chip and white card stock, and inlaid white letters for the sentiment. The background keeps up the dots theme with a large dot embossing folder. 

I hope my card inspires you today! Please be sure to check out the fab work of the design team with these colors, you will be so amazed! And I hope you will play along. 

 Be yourself

          Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

Supply List 

Stamps: Hello Bluebird - Balloon Buddies and dies
Ink: Black 
Other: Large Dot embossing folder 

Cards for Kids for The Paper Players #600

 Hello, and welcome! Isn't it amazing - SIX HUNDRED challenges at the Paper Players! This talented and delightful group of stampers has been creating cards to inspire us through 600 weeks! Not sure how many years it is exactly. It is a lot.

Today Ann has chosen our theme of Kards for Kids for our CAS challenge. 

I stamped this sweet girl from the Hello Bluebird stamp set onto watercolor card stock, colored her with Copics and then created a mask to place over her. 

 Stamping the sand in Wild Honey Distress Oxide inks gave a hint of a scene. I brushed watercolor in swaths for the sky and completed the card with a sentiment.

Loving all that white space! I sure hope you'll join us in this fun challenge. I can't wait to see what you make! Have a wonderful week! 

Be yourself

          Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

Supplies used: 
Stamps: Hello Bluebird - Seaside Girls stamps; Inkblot - Get Grounded, SSS - Uplifting Thoughts

The Paper Players #589 Hello Bluebird Garden Party!

Hello friends!  Maybe you are old enough to remember circling a flagpole for May Day celebrations on May 1? Well, I'm not quite that old - but I think outside parties and flowers are a lovely remembrance. I still can't believe it is MAY already! It's also Sunday so that means time for a new Paper Players challenge! Our theme provided by dear Jaydee is - birds and/or bees, take your pick! Or use both as I did. 

I'm again featuring a Slim line card that measures 3-1/2" x 8-1/2". I had so much fun creating this garden party celebration! The images were colored with Copics with accents from a white gel pen added then die cut. The backgrounds were ink blended with DOX inks. 

Here's a close up so you can catch a look at those bees! I will list supples below for those who like details. 

Be sure to check the lovely inspiration provided by the Design Team and join us, won't you? 

Stay tuned for my second post today to follow soon. Have a great time with your weekend crafting! 

Be yourself

          Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

Supplies: Stamps - Hello Bluebird Garden Party and coordinating dies, Sentiment from Park Play
Distress Oxide Inks (Cracked Pistachio and Broken China 
Dies: I used the Mama Elephant Slim Film City dies for the outer scalloped mat and the long postage stamp bordered edge. The SU stitched square die created the windows. 
Paper: SU Soft Sky
Other: Wink of stella for bees wings, white gel pen, Copics

Somebunny Slimline card

 Hi, it's Thursday afternoon and I'm here with a just for fun post! Meaning a project not made for a DT,  or even a card challenge, but just because! I've collected quite a lot of adorable critter stamps for making scenes, and I've become obsessed with the extra space a slimline card allows. And the cuteness!

Hello Bluebird has super fun animal stamps and the sets are easily combined for a scene as they are the same scale. I colored the images from the Park Play stamps with Copic markers and fussy cut them out.

 

They are arranged on the backgrounds and film layer from the Mama Elephant Slim Film City dies. I've found these to be a great value since there are quite a few options and I have already gotten good use out of them. I've had so much delight in trying this new style and card size. If you feel stuck in a creative rut, I'm recommending you try something new!

I hope your day is shaping up! I'm sending you sunny thoughts and hugs today! I'll be back with two posts on Sunday. 

 Be yourself

          Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

A Special Birthday for The Paper Players

 Good morning, hope you are enjoying this April day! We have a new round of grands' birthdays coming, so I have a birthday card to share. It's time The Paper Players Challenge #586 and Anne Marie has a bright and springy color challenge for us! 

Coastal Cabana is about my most favorite color ever. As a side-note, a soft shade of it used to cover the walls in my stamp room! Pair it with pink and yellow and you've got a winner! I'm really liking what I see of Polished Pink but I had to substitute. I may have to get some soon!

I hope my sweet E will love this card. She is super excited about becoming three, so I was sure to add the number. 

Be sure to head to the blog post HERE to see the wonderful designs from our team. Join us and inspire us with your creations! 

 Be yourself

          Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

Stamps and dies: Hello Bluebird - Bouquet Buddies

Pop Up Fun with Hello Bluebird

 Hello, it's Tuesday and I've another card to share just for fun! I combined a new-to-me double layer pop up technique and the sweet Balloon Buddies stamps and dies from Hello Bluebird for this special birthday card.  I did easy coloring with Copic markers and used the dies to cut out these cute images. 

Inspired by THIS wonderful tutorial by Jennifer McGuire I followed her directions for making the box pop up elements and assembling the card. No special dies needed. Yaay! I love that part.  

Another plus is that the card stands up on its own. The photo below gives a peek of the side view.  

 

 I added what I thought were silver gems but discovered in different light that they are pearls.  Too late now, lol! These stamps are new to me, so I'm joining the challenge at NBUS once again. Also, playing along at Time Out. 

Thanks for stopping by today! Hope you have a wonderful day!

 Be yourself

          Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

With Love The Paper Players #580

 I'm glad it is Sunday, time for a a sketch Challenge at The Paper Players! I play all kinds of card challenges, but I admit I prefer a sketch and I've been looking forward to creating with the lovely one that Anne Marie has designed for us. 

After choosing the oval die I wanted to use, imagine my delight in finding this gorgeous image already colored in my ready-to-go stash! 

The flowers and timepiece are all one image, and I colored them with Copics, then die cut them. The aded layers and tiny black speckles bring a vintage feel that I love. Amazingly there are vintage vibes drawn into the outline that make it easy from the first stamping. 

Dawn's latest sets at WPlu9, the florals are from Flora & Fauna 4. The sentiment, embossed with Liquid Platinum, comes from Flora & Fauna 3. Both sets have coordinating dies and through Feb 28 her spring 20% off sale is going on! 

The pretty papers are Summer Stems from Honeybee stamps. Yes, they are new to me, so I will enter this over at NBUS to Darnell's sweet challenge! 

I hope you will take the time to check out the inspiration from our talented team and join us in creating! I love seeing your cards in the gallery! 

 Be yourself

          Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

Inspired By 192 Who's Your Boo?

It's Thursday and that means there is a new challenge at Inspired By! This week our theme is Halloween, and we hope you will play along with us.

I don't usually send cards at Halloween but I may need to start now that I have the brand-new-to-me adorable Good Fright stamp set from Hello Bluebird in my stash. I can't resist cute critters, especially if they are in super fun costumes!

 I used Copics to color, then fussy cut these cuties. For the background, I sponged Distress Oxide inks and to top off the scene, added the Full Moon Scene Die cut from black card stock. Spatters and white gel pen accents gave a bit of detail. Here are the photo choices for your inspiration, and you will find wonderful samples from the team HERE. 

Thanks for coming by, I can't wait to see what you will make!

Be yourself

          Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

Garden Party

 Hi, glad you could come by! I made a card today for a challenge but didn't realize the linky had ended. It doesn't matter because I spent a fun hour coloring and playing just for fun. 

And I came up with a cutie that I quite like! 

Hope you do too. 

I have quite a few cute critter stamps now, and when I saw the Hello Bluebird Pathway background I could imagine some delightful possibilities. Doing simple coloring with Copics for a fall scene, I added the die cut mouse from the Garden Party set. Incorporating plaid DSP for the layout and his little bow tie gave him a jaunty look, don't you think?  I added a few drops with Nuvo green also.

I don't know where Mr Mouse is off to, but I have a few small greetings that could be added later depending on the occasion. 

And that's all for me for now! Make it a great day. I will be back tomorrow!

Be yourself

          Have delight in your craft 

               Make something beautiful!  

Hugs for Summer

 I just felt like stamping today as it is hot and humid and my craft room is an oasis! Brought my iced tea and put on some bouncy music. Here we go! 

After a few days last week of creating involved vintage cards, doing some good ole' stamping, fussy cutting for a clean simple design is my plan. 

Also in my plan is playing in a new-to-me challenge at Sunday Stamps where they have a sketch this week. 

I assembled my focal point using Press 'n Seal and glued it down all at once. Realized too late that it should have been placed lower but I'm going with it. After all, it was good 'n stuck! 

Hope you're staying cool! So glad you came by for a visit.

Be yourself.

     Find delight in your craft.

             Make something beautiful! 

Supplies used: 

Stamps: WPlus9 - Thinking of You

Inks: WPlus9 - Flamingo, Queen Bee, Limelight, Lake House
Sentiment: Hello Bluebird - Bitty Buzzwords stamps and dies

Accessories -Dots stencil from PTI for dry embossing

Playing with Friends!

 Hi there! 

It's a special kind of sharing on my blog today! You know we stampers love to play in challenges and sometimes in person. One of my favorite blog friends is Michele at I Card Everyone. I so admire her ability to design fabulous cards and then present them with her bit of wit and good humor! 

Today I'm part of her series called Playing with Friends.  She is such a fun friend to have, and gives much sweetness with her blog and many comments of encouragement to others.

We each create using the same supplies or, in this case a theme. BEACH!  It is National World Oceans Day, so we are creating projects around oceans or things to do at the beach. Of course I went with the beach theme, since that is my last name! That certainly makes me qualified, you think?

I have loved the Hello Bluebird stamps Seaside Girls set and I decided this was a good occasion to (order) and use it.  I colored these friends with Copics and used the Ocean Scene die to create a beach scene. Brand new supplies to me.  Inking each panel, I added dots and splatters as needed and assembled them on the card. The middle layer of the ocean is popped up for dimension. 

The sky was lightly inked and stamped with my message for Michele: I'm so lucky to have a friend like you! That message is for you too, dear readers.

I love collecting shells at the beach. It's my favorite thing to do! I can't wait to see which way the waves took Michele for her project, please join me in checking it out HERE.  

I will be linking at NBUS and at The Paper Players Summer Theme Challenge. 

Wishing you a day filled with sunshine and smiles. 

Be yourself.

     Find delight in your craft           
          Make something beautiful! 

Color Hues #18 Purple and Teal

 Hi, and welcome back to my blog for the next installment of color duos at Color Hues! Purple and Teal brings many things to mind but I decided to go with an abstract background for my card. 

I heat embossed the background stamp in white and sponged inks to add color. I die cut the HAPPY and some stars in white and gold foil, and the birthday in a dark purple card stock.  

This card was fairly simple to make and will be even easier to give! I can't wait to see the wonderful inspiration from the rest of our terrific team. 

Hope you will join us! 

Be yourself

     Delight in your craft 

        Make something beautiful!

Supplies used are from Honey Bee Stamps:

Diamond Daze Background Stamp, Happy Birthday Word Dies.

Garden Party Celebration!

 Hello hello! 

Today a new Inspired By Challenge is rolling out and the theme is Celebration! I couldn't think of any better way to celebrate than with a Garden Party. The bird and mice images in this set from Hello Bluebird are the perfect way to sing in a birthday! 

Add a violin and a ukulele and I will be tapping my feet.

I used a sponged background made with pale blue ink and gold spatters, and colored with Copics. I kept this design fairly simple so that the characters steal the show. I did add a bowtie to the mouse as a nod to the dogs in our photo.  I was inspired by the theme, the pastels, and the animals.

We sure hope that you will have fun with this challenge. Thanks so much for your visit today! I am loving all the comments too. 

Be yourself

     Delight in your craft 

        Make something beautiful!

Portrait Pals Pin Up

 Good evening friends! It is rare to find me back at the screen with my second post of the day. Turns out I had to get this card in before the deadline as I'm playing along with the MFT Sketch Challenge.  I had a false start with an idea that just didn't work, but when I pulled out the Portrait Pals stamps from Hello Bluebird things just came together. 

I love the result of these wild things posing in the jungle! I had them all colored and trimmed out so it just became a matter of fitting them in the sketch. I used Copics to color and added white gel pen accents. All are raised with foam behind them for dimension.

The sentiment and DSP are both from MFT (retired.) This greeting will work well whichever way I decide to go when mailing this. Either happy hugs for your special day or happy hugs from all of us or even with a just because theme. 

Since these stamps are brand spankin' new I am also entering at NBUS. You wouldn't believe all the amazing cards over there!

Thanks so much for your visit today. Makes this critter-happy-crafter smile to have you here! Hugs to you!

Be yourself

     Delight in your craft 

        Make something beautiful!