Stamping 411 Sketch and Pals Paper Arts

I made this card for the current 411 sketch using the new French Foliage Stamp set. I tried something I have always wanted to do which was to place all the leaves on one big clear block and ink them up with my sponge daubers in all different colours and then stamped once and then stamped twice...that is how I made the background paper for this card.  I love simple sketches.  You should head over to the Stamping 411 site to see the beautiful cards made by the design team. They really went all out this week!!!  I am also going to enter this into the Pals Paper Arts Challenge for a Fall Themed card.  I already have one card entered but I thought I would share another.

The ribbon is a piece that came from a gift I received.  It worked perfectly with the layout.

Have a great week.  I hope everyone gets the chance to stamp!
   
Smiles,

Paper Players Challenge #20-A Sketch from ME!

This week at the Paper Players we have a new sketch for you to try, created by me!  Yippee! I love the "Holiday Line-Up" stamp set and recently purchased it.  This set is so adorable and offers some great colouring ooportunities.  But if you are like me and crazy busy all the time, sometimes colouring is not always an option.

So for my card this week I decided to feature a technique called Spotlighting.  I found the technique on the wonderful stamping site called Splitcoast Stampers.  Just click HERE to see how to spotlight an image and give it a try yourself!

Supplies Used:
Stamps: Holiday Line-Up, Bright Christmas (Holiday Mini)
Paper: Crumb Cake, Early Espresso, Naturals White
Ink: Early Espresso, Real Red Marker, Crumb Cake Marker
Tools: 1 1/4" Circle Punch, 1 3/8" Circle Punch, 1 1/4" Real Red Grosgrain Ribbon

Please visit the blogs of my wonderful design team to see what they created using the sketch!

Ann Schach
LeAnne Pugliese
Jaydee
Nance Leedy

Thanks for stopping by!
Smiles,

Catching up on my Favourite Challenges

I have been running on empty these days.  I am just so pooped after work! But tonight I finally had the chance to play along with some of my favourite challenges.  I am going to list them all together here in one post which is not my usual style...but life has been busy.  It is only two cards but for 3 challenges!

Okay...here goes...

This first card is for the current Pals Paper Arts Challenge which is a "Fall Themed" Challenge.  I used a few new items from my stash.  I started with the Naturals White, Basic Gray and Crumb Cake Cardstock.  Then I inked the leaves in Really Rust.  The brads are from the Neutrals Collection and the ribbon is the Early Espresso 1/8".  I also used the French Foliage, Seasonal Sentiments and Sanded Background Stamp Sets.

The next card is for the current SCS sketch challenge and the Colour Dare Challenge which was to use Poppy Parade, Pear Pizzazz, Chocolate Chip and Very Vanilla.  I used the Awash with Flowers set for my friend Shellie because she asked me last night to make a card with this set.  I hope you like it Shellie!!

Thank you for stopping by!  I always appreciate your thoughts and comments.  I hope you have a great Friday!

Smiles,

Lesley

Paper Players Colour Challenge #19 (Jaydee's Colours) and Stamping 411 Sketch

Wow!  What a wonderful week.  I have to tell you, I am in a show, a musical and I am enjoying the rehearsal process so much.  The music is excellent and the story is fun!  We had a dance rehearsal last night and this morning I woke up feeling parts of my body I hadn't felt in YEARS!  But you aren't here to read about my body aches...hehehe....The lovely Jaydee has inspired us once again with a fabulous colour challenge this week at the Paper Players.  She has asked us to use Red, White and Black as our colours!  I LOVE this gorgeous combo and was so excited to play when I saw the beautiful inspiration picture she used for this challenge!! 

I had a great time making this card!!  I even cheated a bit and used some Natural White paper instead of Whisper White.  I had never ordered the Natural White paper before and I LOVE it!  It is much thicker than Whisper White and has a earthy fleck throughout it.  It would make a terrific card base!  Today I was making cards with my friends Trudy, Jane, Laurie and Katie.  We were making some "Contempo Christmas Cards" and having fun.  Then I went to Jane's house (Jane is affectionately known as "Janey Poo" and I am "Lesley Lou")we set up and organized her crafting space!!!  It was so much fun! She has a wonderful place now to make her cards and to craft away.  I also made this using the fabulous sketch over at the Stamping 411!!  It was a clean and simple sketch and I thought it showed off Santa perfectly!

I hope you get the chance to play along with the Paper Players this week and be sure to check out the blogs of the other Design Team Members!!!  I have added them here in alphabetical order.

Ann Schach

LeAnne Pugliese

Jaydee

Nance Leedy

Thanks for stopping by!

Paper Players Challenge #18-LeAnne's Theme Challenge

The beginning of the month brings a new Theme Challenge to the Paper Players Challenge Blog!  This week's challenge is brought to you by LeAnne and it a FABULOUSLY FUN challenge!!  She is challenging us to go Monochromatic with our colour choices.  Right away I knew I wanted to use Pacific Point, Marina Mist and Bashful Blue.

The Beginning
The start of my card came from the new Celebrations Designer Paper (117164) on pg 173 of the Big Stampin' Up Catalogue.  I just love the festive and upbeat colour pallete of the paper and so decided to pull out and dust off the Season of Joy Set (110384) on pg 33 that has lots of upbeat images in it.

The Middle
- stamp the snowflake image in Marina Mist on a 4 x5.25" piece of whsiper white paper
- use the Scallop Border Punch on a 1.5" strip of Pacific Point cardstock, adhere that piece behind a 2 x 4" piece of the blue polka dotted Celebrations DSP, then add a strip of Whisper White Satin Ribbon to the Designer Paper, wrapping the ribbon behind the paper and taping it down with regular tape.
-Cut a 2.25 x 3.25" rectangle in the Pacific Point and a 2 x 3" rectangle in Whisper White (stamp the tree image in Pacific Point on the Whisper White rectangle
-Put all the pieces together on a 4.25 x 5.5" Pacific Point Card Base

The End
-to add some bling, I punched out a snowflake using the Extra Large Snowflake Punch and added a little jewel to the centre of it from the new Basic Rhinestones (119246) pg 188.  You get a 150 of them in one pack!!!
-I also used the Large Oval Punch and the Scallop Oval Punch for my sentiment which was stamped in Pacific Point.

I hope you get the chance to come and join our challenge this week!  We are looking forward to seeing what you do with our Monochromatic Theme Challenge!

Thanks for stopping by!
Smiles,
Lesley

Colour Dare and Pals Paper Arts

I am inspired by Ann Schach and LOVE the way she puts cards together.  I promised her I would try to play along with the Pals Paper Arts Challenge tonight which was to use a button on your card.  I confess, I am a buttonless stamper...I need to get my hands on some of those great new buttons in the Holiday Mini.  Instead I dug out my Buttons Die to use in the Big Shot and cranked out a button made of Daffodil Delight Paper and sponged it with Chocolate Chip.  This card was also made for the current Colour Dare Challenge to use Daffodil Delight, Chocolate Chip and Very Vanilla.  I really love those colours together!  I chose those colours because of Nance Leedy and her inspirational cards!!  She often awes me with her work. 

So there it is...I am posting to see what you all think.  Is it a too busy or am a close to creating something adequately Vintage?

Supplies Used:

Stamps: Elements of Style, Because I Care

Paper: Chocolate Chip, Daffodil Delight and Very Vanilla
Inks: Chocolate Chip, Daffodil Delight
Tools: Crimper, Big Shot, Buttons Die, Retired Chocolate Chip Ribbon, Sponges, Distressing Tool

Thanks for stopping by...

Smiles,

Lesley

Splitcoast Stampers Sketch Challenge 300

Two posts for one day!!!  Wow!  But it is World Card Making Day and I was on a mission to have some fun!  This is a card I made for the current SCS Sketch Challenge.  The sketch was really Clean and Simple and I was inspired to play. 

I decided to use some of my new Blueberry Crisp Designer Paper from Stampin' Up.  I love the Pacific Point colour and have been playing with it lots!!!  I inked up the Eastern Blooms set in Marina Mist and Pacific Point to create the flower to the side, I thought the Eastern Blooms flowers matched the designer paper.  Then I added a gemstone to the centre of the flower.  I used the Little Leaves die to create a blue leaf and inked up this cute sentiment from the new Word Play Stamp Set.  I also used my new Scallop Square Bigz Die from the Mini Holiday Catalogue!!  I LOVE it!!!

Thanks for stopping by!
Smiles,
Lesley

Stamping 411 Sketch

Wow...school just started and now I am into my classroom routine.  I feel like I finally have time to breathe and to make some cards!!!  I was really inspired by the Stamping 411 Sketch.  Actually, I was inspired by their last few sketches...but life has not allowed for card making!!  I wanted to start with the Bells and Boughs set.  I love it.  I used it to make a simple background paper for my card.  I also inked up the French Script in Crumb Cake and tried to create some of my own designer paper.  This Bells and Boughs set is such a clean stamping set.  The images are beautiful as background images and do not always need to be coloured.

So I made my background piece and then made the small rectangle images using the Spotlighting Technique.  Basically I stamped the same images and overlapped them, colouring only the overlapped parts of the image...so spotlight the poinsettias.  I also used lots of sponging with Crumb Cake Ink to give the card have an old fashioned feel.  I flipped the ribbon and the brads to fit my images better.  I stuck true to the main design.  It is a neat sketch.

Thanks for stopping by! 

Smiles,
Lesley