The Paper Players Challenge #203 ~ Let's Go to the Beach!

Good Morning fellow crafting peeps! I've been up since 3 a.m. surfing all of my favorite blogs. I'm blessed with insomnia AND I'm a crafting addict so I have a lot of project plotting time, so thanks to good ole' Pinterest I have quite the list! I'm lucky I'm still married. Thankfully I have a very loving and patient hubby that understands I suffer from chronic crafting.

Among the many different blogs I follow, The Paper Player's is one of my favorite and they have a new {really fun} challenge this week!

I absolutely LOVE nautical themes, so I jumped right on this one. This card isn't exactly "beachy" but it's close. So, I decided to enter it into this challenge. If you recognize it, it's because I created it a couple of weeks ago. But, it is still a recent creation AND it's still hanging on my "Gallery" wall at home!

Click here for card details!

A Little Rusty ~ Retro Sketches Challenge #121

I am obsessed with anything rusty. I'm a junk collector so the rustier the better! I was totally inspired today while surfing Pinterest. The colors are absolutely gorgeous. I love how they contrast and compliment each other. So, I set out on a mission to create my own rusty card.

Here's my Inspiration...

The sketch came from Retro Sketches for challenge #121. It's a fun one that really worked well for this card. 

Here's the Sketch!

My initial idea was to make a gate with rusty hardware, but it didn't exactly turn the way I had it pictured in my head. I just plain ran out of room for hinges. Oh well, I really like the way the coloring turned out. I hope you like it too!

Here's my Creation!

Supplies Used:

Cardstock ~ Early Espresso, Baked Brown Sugar, Sahara Sand, Whisper White, Cajun Craze

Ink ~ Soft Suede, Baked Brown Sugar, Sahara Sand, Cajun Craze, Tangelo Twist, Hello Honey, Coastal Cabana, Bermuda Bay, Tempting Turquoise, Soft Sky, Early Espresso

Stamp Sets ~ Hardwood, Chalk Talk, Gorgeous Grunge

Tools/Other Supplies ~ Sponges, Big Shot, Circle Framelits, Chalk Talk Framelits, 1/4" Circle punch, Paper Trimmer, Paper Snips, 1 1/4" Circle Punch, 1/2" Circle Punch, Paper Piercing Tool, Piercing Mat, Liquid Adhesive, Dimensionals

Embellishments ~ Antique Brads, misc. brads

Stylin' Stampin' INKspiration ~ Art Inspired

Today at Stylin' Stampin' INKspiration, we've been inspired by art. I personally am inspired by Van Gogh and his amazing ability to create with little teeny tiny strokes. I wanted to recreate something of his, but not copy it in it's entirety. I also wanted to add this amazing stamp {Blended Bloom}. Since I live on a farm, I thought it was a great idea to create a sunflower. This stamp is really versatile and fit the bill perfectly.

The "brush strokes" were created free-hand using SU Markers. Just scribble away!

I've really gotten into making matching envelopes. It is a fun way to take it an extra step further in creating a very unique, one of a kind card.

What I Used:

Cardstock ~ Whisper White, Basic Black

Ink ~ Daffodil Delight, Pumpkin Pie, Cajun Craze, Tangerine Tango, Gumball Green, Soft Sky, Lagoon, Not Quite Navy, Night of Navy, Early Espresso, Basic Black, Black StazOn

Stamp Sets ~ Blended Bloom, Something to Say

Tools ~ Paper Trimmer, Paper Snips, Dimensionals, Bone Folder, Modern Label Punch, Word Window Punch, Sponges, Blender Pen, Crystal Effects

So Long Hello Sailor ~ You're my Best Mate!

~So Long Hello Sailor~

I have to admit, I'm very upset that Stampin' Up! discontinued this stamp set. I really really love it and didn't get enough time to play with it. Yes, I could keep it... But I'm a current, in-the-now kinda girl.

This card was a blast to create. I know I've just about worn out the whole ship/nautical theme thing, but I just HAD to do it again. I love love love making these port holes. Especially the verdigris ones. 

I filled the shaker with blue beads that I picked up at the local craft store. I think it makes it look like water, which is perfect for this theme!

I built this port hole in 3 layers using the Circle Framelits Collection. I colored them with sponges and {Gorgeous Grunge}. SO EASY!

What I Used:

Cardstock ~ Whisper White, Bermuda Bay

Ink ~ Coastal Cabana, Bermuda Bay, Crumb Cake, Smoky Slate, Cajun Craze, Island Indigo

Stamp Sets ~ Hardwood, Gorgeous Grunge, The Open Sea, By the Tide, Hello Sailor, Perfect Pennants

Tools ~ Paper Snips, Paper Trimmer, Hearts a Flutter Framelits Collection, Banner Punch, Circle Collection Framelits, Clear Window Sheet, Sponges, Early Espresso Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Paper Piercing Tool, Shaker Frames (largest)

Embellishments ~ Brads, Hemp Twine (non SU)

Stylin' Stampin' INKspiration Sympathy Cards

Sympathy cards are never fun to make, but they feel good to give. I really like having them on hand because you never know when you will need one. Today at Stylin' Stampin' INKspiration, some of our Design Team members are sharing what they have created. Please take a moment to stop by and check them out!

For this card, I chose to use {Ex Libris} as the background. I think that has to be one of my absolute favorites. It is so elegant. Because the background is fairly busy, I didn't want to over power the card with too many embellishments or layers. Sometimes less is more?

Supplies

Cardstock ~ Smoky Slate, Whisper White

Ink ~ Rose Red, Basic Gray

Stamp Sets ~ Ex Libris, Perfect Pennants

Tools ~ paper trimmer, paper snips, dimensionals, sponges, adhesives, stamp-a-ma-jig

Embellishments ~ Sweet Sorbet Accessory Pack (Pool Party Twine), Vintage Faceted Designer Buttons, Pearls Basic Jewels

Stylin' Stampinn' INKspiration~ Masculine Monday

Today at Stylin' Stampin' INKspiration, we're showcasing Masculine cards. I actually have come to really enjoy making "manly" cards. Stampin' Up! makes it fun! With the use of {Hardwood} and {By the Tide}, I was able to make a go of it. 

If you haven't already used the {Hardwood} stamp, YOU SHOULD! I absolutely LOVE this stamp. I've used it on so many different projects. It is so versatile... and just plain AWESOME. I'm a big fan of the natural, rugged look anyway so this stamp just floats my boat.

I used some hemp twine to create a "net" for the Lobster to sit on. 

Lots and lots of Dimensionals were used to make these little sea critters JUMP out of the card. 

I used the Fancy Fan embossing folder to add texture to the Window Sheet behind the fish. I wanted it to really resemble water. 

I really like to decorate the inside of a card as well. This one was really fun. I just brushed the Whisper White cardstock with Soft Sky and Marina Mist ink pads and stamped the coral in Cajun Craze. 

Supplies 

Cardstock ~ crumb cake, basic gray, marina mist, basic black, whisper white

Ink ~ basic black, basic gray, marina mist, pool party, not quite navy, so saffron, cajun craze, lucky limeade, pumpkin pie, soft suede, soft sky, crumb cake

Stamp Sets ~ by the tide, hardwood

Tools ~ circle framelits, window sheet, big shot, paper trimmer, paper snips, dimensionals, 1" circle punch, sponge daubers, fancy fan embossing folder, bone folder

Embellishments ~ twine, 1/8" brads

By The Tide Clear-Mount Stamp Set

$19.95

Hardwood

$13.95

Circles Collection Framelits Dies

$26.95

1 Inch Circle Punch

$12.95

Big Shot Die-Cut Machine

$99.95

Bone Folder

$6.95

Silver Mini Brads

$5.50

Blender Pens

$9.95

Medium Window Sheets

$4.95

Sponge Daubers

$10.95

Stampin' Dimensionals

$3.95

Table by StampinBuddy. Try it FREE.

Stylin' Stampin' SSINKspiration Card Sketch Challenge ~ Worldly Travels

Happy Monday! Today at Stylin' Stampin' INKspiration we have a new card sketch! It is a super fun sketch with lots of room for creativity!

Here is my take on the sketch:

Supplies

Cardstock ~ Soft Suede, Very Vanilla, Baked Brown Sugar

Ink ~ Summer Starfruit, Cherry Cobbler, Midnight Muse, Marina Mist, Old Olive, Tempting Turquoise, Baked Brown Sugar, Early Espresso, Soft Suede

Stamp Sets ~ World Map, Gorgeous Grunge, Postage Due, Postage Collection, Lovely Little Labels, By the Tide, The Open Sea

Tools ~ Postage Stamp punch, Paper Snips, Paper Trimmer, Itty Bitty Shapes punch pack, Postage Stamp punch, Blender Pen, Dimensionals, Honeycomb embossing folder, lighter

Embellishnments ~ Denim Jean Ribbon

World Map

$13.95

Gorgeous Grunge Clear-Mount Stamp Set

$17.95

Postage Due Clear-Mount Stamp Set

$16.95

Postage Collection

$12.00

Lovely Little Labels Clear-Mount Stamp Set

$10.95

By The Tide Clear-Mount Stamp Set

$19.95

The Open Sea - Clear-Mount Stamp

$18.95

Punch Pack

$16.95

Honeycomb Textured Impressions Embossing Folder

$7.95

Blender Pens

$9.95

Postage Stamp Punch

$15.95

Table by StampinBuddy. Try it FREE.