Playing with The Paper Players

I've never played along with The Paper Players weekly challenge.  The challenge this week is to make a sympathy card.  Thank goodness I don't need one right now, but it will be good to have on hand.  My card is super simple and took just minutes to make.  Here's what I came up with...

I used a white card base and a black panel cut at 5.25 x 4 inches.  I heat embossed with white the sentiment from PTI.  The flowers were cut with a MB die from white card stock (left over from a card I made last week).  I adhered the flowers to the black panel, then pop dotted the panel onto the white card base.  I had a difficult time getting the black card to look black in photos, until I changed the photo background to red paper.  I'm still working on getting better with my heat embossing.

Thanks so much for stopping by!  I appreciate all your wonderful comments! Until next time...

Hugs!  

LIM105 - Kraft and Kreme

Happy Birthday to Less is More!

It's hard to believe I've been playing along with this challenge for two years!  (Well, technically, I've missed a few weeks...but not too many!)  Needless to say, this is one of my favorite challenges and I look forward to Saturday mornings when the new challenge is posted.

This week's challenge is to create a card using the Kraft and Kreme (it took me a minute to realize that this is what I call "creme")....  I had to put my thinking cap on for this one, but I finally came up with a few cards to share with you all.

I cut a Kraft panel slightly smaller than the Kraft card base.  I used a MB die to cut out the flower in the panel, then cut it out again in a creme card stock.  I put some strips of score tape on the back side of the panel then paper pieced the creme colored flowers back into the Kraft (using the Kraft piece to fit in between the two flowers.  I then added a small piece of white copy paper on the back side of the score tape.  The sentiment is from PTI and was stamped in a cocoa brown Memento ink.  I popped the panel over the card base.  It's is so difficult to photograph Kraft!  I must have taken 25 pictures of my cards this week...and the Kraft always has a grey cast to it!

This card was made using the creme card base.  I cut the Spellbinder floral oval from the Kraft card stock, then cut a smaller creme oval.  I used one of the SU pocket silhouette stamps for the flower on the creme, the sentiment is from PTI.  I added three small creme pearls below the sentiment (they look yellow for some reason, but they really are creme IRL). The creme oval is pop dotted over the floral oval, which is adhered directly to the card base.

For this card, I used a creme card base and a Kraft panel on the front.  I cut the MB butterfly from the Kraft, then layered the butterfly over the top of the shape cut out in the Kraft panel.  I lifted the wings slightly and added a bit of sparkly with a Sakura clear star pen.  The sentiment is from PTI.  I used a deco corner chomper on the corners of the Kraft panel and popped the panel with pop dots.

Since I had the flower I cut from the Kraft, I decided to cut another from the creme to make this card.  This card is basically a one layer card.  I cut the flower from the creme, then just inserted the Kraft flower.  The sentiment is SU.  I did have to add a paper over the back of the flower to keep it in the card.

I was really getting on a roll with this color combination...I think I love it!

Thanks so much for stopping by! Your comments and your visits are always appreciated!! Until next time...

Hugs!

CASology - Game

As usual, I'm running behind...again.  I've had this card made for 3 days, but just haven't had a chance to post it...so maybe I'll get it in just under the wire!

This week's challenge at CASology is using the cue word - GAME. That was a tough one for me as I have no stamps that will work for this theme.  So, I resorted to my Cameo, and made a few Scrabble game pieces, and created this Valentine's card.

I used a Kraft card base for my card.  I cut a piece of white card stock slightly smaller than the base, then scored it so that my Scrabble "tiles" would fit in the squares.  The Scrabble tiles were made with the Cameo.  I cut out 4 layers and adhered them together to give some dimension to my letter tiles.  The heart was punched with the MS deep edge heart punch and several layers glued together for dimension...then I added a bit of glossy accents to the top and adhered a piece of bling in the glossy accent layer.  The white panel was pop dotted for extra dimension.

Thanks so much for stopping by! I appreciate you taking the time to visit and for all your wonderful comments! Until next time....

Hugs!

LIM104 and ATCAS

This week's challenge at Less is More is a good one!  Chrissie and Jen have provided us with a sketch that Jen designed.  Our instructions are to keep the card in the portrait orientation which means that the band remains in the horizontal plane, in the lower part of the card and that it takes up no more than 1/3rd of the height of the card base.  Here's the sketch:

I actually made 4 cards this week!  With a sketch like this I probably could have made several more...but I decided that 4 was enough.

This is my favorite of all the cards I made for the LIM challenge.  I cut a 1 1/2 inch strip of light blue and stamped a Hero Arts butterfly off each end of the strip.  Then using Stazon ink, I stamped the same butterfly on a piece of vellum, then colored the back of the butterfly with several shades of blue Copics.  I masked off the top edges of the center butterfly then stamped just the antennae, then adhered just the body of the vellum butterfly to the blue strip.  I curled the wings so they would be lifted off the paper.  I backed the light blue with a darker blue paper.  I added a couple of scorelines above and below the strip.

For this card, I used one of the images from PTI's  Happy Harlequin stamp set.  The images are all diamond shapes - each with a different design pattern. This one is a music score pattern.  The scores are so tiny it was difficult to tell if I had the notes right side up...(I know that's important to some one around here!....right Chrissie?) I stamped the background diamonds in black trying to evenly space the diamonds.  The sentiment is one of PTI's large birthday sentiments.  I stamped the sentiment in archival black to get a good coverage.  The music notes are an old QK die that I've had forever.  I cut out 4 of each note and layered them for dimension, then coated each note with a little glossy accents.  The diamond background is layered on a glittery black paper.  I also added two pieces of red bling for a little pop of color.

I think I was going for a Valentine's Day card on this one...although putting a heart on it might have helped.  I used PTI's Square Prints images.  I stamped two different squares several times in SU real red.  Then I cut out each of the squares and lined them up across the card base.  I scored four lines above and below the squares, then popped the sentiment on.  I added a touch of glossy accents to the center of the squares, but it's difficult to see here.

This card works for the LIM challenge and for Addicted To CAS (where the code word this week is "heart").  I was playing around with one of my MS wide edge punches and a 2.5 inch strip of paper and this is the result.  Using another MS punch (deep edge heart punch), I punch some red hearts and adhered them to the centers of the ovals formed by the two edges meeting, and used the tiny little hearts as the centers to the flowers on the edges.  I coated all of the hearts with some glossy accents.  I was going to put a sentiment on here, but couldn't find a place that looked right, so I just left it as is...and I'll probably use it as a Valentine card.

Thanks so much for stopping by for a visit!  I appreciate the time you take to visit and I truly appreciate your comments!  Until next time....

Hugs!

OLW123 - Keeping Warm

I haven't played along with the OLW challenge in quite a while.  Yesterday, I made a quick card that I think would be perfect for this challenge...and I'm getting it in on time!  This week's challenge is hosted by the talented Heather Telford at Bits and Pieces blog.  Heather has challenged us to create a card using the theme "warm".  Well...being from sunny Florida (although today it's about 45°F....I do realize that's not really "cold"...but it is to those of us use to 70°F weather!).  Anyway...let me show you the card I created for this challenge.

Now...doesn't that just make you feel warm all over!  I used a Sweet 'n Sassy stamp for the scene, colored it with Prisma pencils and then added a little embossed frame with a Spellbinder square die.  Sentiment is from Hero Arts.

Thanks so much for stopping by!  I appreciate you taking the time to visit and many thanks for your kind comments!  Until next time...

♥ Hugs! ♥

LIM 103 - Friends (and Addicted to CAS)

It's time again for this week's challenge at Less is More.  This week is theme week and we've been challenged to create a card(s) using the theme "friends".

I had a couple of hours to play in my craft room today...and here's my cards for the challenge:

All the images I used this week are digi images!  I don't think I've done that before.  I really like the way this first card turned out.  The image is from Mo's. I printed it on white card stock, then cut it out with a Spellbinder die.  I used the largest die in this set to emboss a large frame on the card base, then popped the smaller die cut on top of the card.  Image was colored with Copics.  Sentiment is from Hero Arts.

Edited to add:  It's be brought to my attention that this first card also fits the Addicted to CAS challenge this week, which is embossing...so I think I'l throw my hat in the ring for this challenge too!

Hope this card has enough white space.  I have no idea where I got this image, and I've never used it.  It's seemed perfect for this challenge.  Printed the image on white card stock, colored it with Copics, then trimmed it down to about 2.5 x 3.5" and mounted it on a piece of green textured card stock.  The sentiment is from Hero Arts.  I adhered a piece of green ribbon under the image and added the "hello friend" tag and attached a small bow.  The inside of the card reads:  "A friend is someone who knows the song in your heart and can sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words."

This last card might not be quite CAS enough.  I printed the image (again no idea where it came from) on white card stock, then cut it out using a circle die.  I used a large Spellbinder scallop die to cut a background, then made a round card base.  The image was colored with Copics and I added a ribbon for the "ground".  Then sentiment is from Flourishes.  I popped the image panel on top of the scalloped die cut.

I had terrible time with my photography today....after I finished taking all my photos (and cleaning them up a bit) I realized that I'd been using "manual" mode! Duh!  That's great for outside shots when the weather's beautiful...but doesn't work well for me indoors when it's dark outside!

Thanks so much for stopping by! As always, I truly appreciate you taking the time to stop by for a visit and I really appreciate your comments!  Until next time....

Hugs!

Zendala Dare 40

It's been quite a while since I posted an entry for the Zendala Dare hosted by Erin of the Bright Owl blog.  I usually try to play along, but don't always get my take on the dare posted.  So...I got one finished for this week's dare, and I even added a touch of color...and I kind of like it!

Here's the template:

And here's my take on the challenge:

I did my work in a larger format and my ZIA is about a 6 x 6 square. I had fun with this template and might even try it again.  If you'd like to see all the beautiful entries for this challenge, go check out the linky's at the Bright Owl.

Thanks so much for stopping by!  I always enjoy reading your comments and I truly appreciate you taking the time to leave me a comment!  Until next time....

Hugs!

Happy Anniversary, Darnell & Mister!

I have an online friend, Darnell, which I sure many of you know and love.  We've never met in person, but I know that we would thoroughly enjoy spending time together.  Her blog posts are always entertaining and usually make me laugh...and I always need a laugh!  I was missing from blog land for a while and Darnell was quick to notice my absence and sent me an email to check up on me...how sweet is that!  Thank you Darnell...for being you...we all need someone like you in our lives!  

Darnell and her Mister are celebrating their 42nd Anniversary...and another of our online friends, Ardyth has put together a little challenge for all of us to post our wedding photos...no prizes..just a lot of fun!

So...here's to you and the Mister, Darnell...Happy Anniversary!

Now I must confess what I did when making this card.  I obviously don't read/comprehend some of what I read.  I had the card all ready for the mail, when I realized that I'd put 43!  Thank goodness I was able to peel the 3 off and replace it with a 2!  Just so you know, Darnell...if the 3 hadn't come off, I'd have just sent it to you next year! LOL!

Now...my wedding photos.  I have been fortunate enough to be married to TWO wonderful men.  I was married the first time on July 19, 1970, when we were 19 years old.  We had three children together - two girls and our son who was born 7 months after his Daddy died. (My children's father was killed in an auto accident just a few days after our 8th anniversary.)

About three years later, on April 11, 1981,  I married my husband, Butch.  We will soon celebrate our 32nd anniversary.  What a wonderful man he is!  He gladly accepted my three children, and loves them as his own.  I have truly been blessed!

Here's a couple of photos from our wedding in 1981.  These three kids are all grown now with children of their own.  With our blended family, we have 5 children and 17 grandchildren!  We are a big family...but I LOVE it!

My life is proof that God has a plan for our lives....it might not have been my plan...but obviously, God knows what I need much better than I do!  

Thanks for stopping by...and again...Happy Anniversary, Darnell!! Until next time...

Hugs!

LIM 102 - Sport or Exercise (and Addicted to CAS)

Hi....my name is Susan (just in case you've forgotten!)....and I've been away for quite a while.  Hopefully, you haven't forgotten me...I haven't forgotten you all...I've just had to make some major adjustments in my life, and it's taken the wind out of my sails.  I haven't made a card or a layout in so long, it was like starting as a beginner again!  I made a couple of cards for last week's challenge, but never got them posted.  Maybe I'll add them at the end of this post.

This week the Less is More challenge is to create a one layer card with a theme of sports or exercise...both of which are impossible extremely challenging for me!  Maybe I should have waited to jump back in when the challenge was easier! LOL!  So...off we go....

Boating is a sport...right?  Super simple card...sentiment is from PTI, and boat image is from Hobby Art.  Colored with Copics.

This is a digi image from Mo's Digital Pencil printed on a white card base.  The sentiment was also computer generated.  The outside sentiment reads:  "Life may not be the party that we hoped for... (inside) but while we're here we should dance."....I can think of several reasons to give someone this card.  I colored the image with Prisma pencils and added a touch of glossy accents to the shoes.  

Here's the cards that I made for last week's LIM challenge that never got posted...

Edited to add:  It's been brought to my attention that this next card also meets the requirements for this week's Addicted To CAS challenge.

I used the spotlight technique for this first card.  Embossed a white panel with a Lifestyles embossing folder.  Cut the hexagon with a die, then added strips of black around the edges.  I stamped the image (Flourishes) onto the card base, then stamped it again on a scrap of white paper.  I colored the one bloom with Copics, then punched it out with a 5/8" circle punch, added a black border and popped it over the same bloom on the card base.  The sentiment is a very old SU sentiment.

This card was made with the Cameo.  I cut out the flourish on a piece of white card stock, then added tiny red strips to the edges.  The sentiment is from Flourishes.  I popped the white panel over a black card base, then added three red pieces of bling on the "black" part of the flourish. It's really very pretty IRL.

That's it for me today.  Thanks SO much for stopping by for a visit!  I appreciate all your comments...and I appreciate all the cards and emails I've received during the past 2 months!  You guys are the BEST!  I'm really going to try to get by to visit some of you during this coming week because I miss seeing all your fab creations!!  Until next time...

Hugs!

Happy New Year and Hello!

Happy New Year!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and a very Happy New Year.  I know I haven't posted in a while, but our lives have been a tad stressful since Thanksgiving.  Things seem to have stabilized a bit for now, so hopefully, I can find Mr. Mojo and do a little crafting again.  I know I've missed so many of your wonderful creations, but I'll be checking in on your blogs again soon.

Thanks so much for all your thoughts and prayers, and to those of you who sent me a card, I appreciate it more than you know!

Hugs!