Like the beautiful leaves of Autumn…
each unique
individual
and beautiful in their own way…
Be your own kind of Beautiful.
Wouldn’t want you any other way!
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Stamping
A Color Challenge Card for The Paper Players
This week’s Paper Players Challenge (#262) is a color challenge rich with Fall colors – Tangelo Twist, Lost Lagoon, and So Saffron.
For my design team inspiration card this week, I stamped the three colors randomly onto an acrylic block, spritzed it was a light mist of water, and then placed my paper on top to transfer the abstract image.
Once dry, I added a simple wreath of twine, a black die-cut ‘hello’ sentiment, and finished it off with a few coordinating sequins.
I matted this with black onto white card stock to create my simple Fall color-inspired greeting card.
For those that remember the wedding card I posted last week, this is the other card I mentioned that would feature the twine wreath.
Hope my paper crafting friends will join us with your creativity for this week’s color challenge at The Paper Players! We love seeing what you do with it.
Cheers and Hugs,
Jodi
Lunchbox Love – Notes for Kids
Happy Sunday!
It’s time for another Paper Players Design Team inspiration card. This week’s challenge (PP#261) is a theme challenge: Lunchbox Love – Notes for Kids.
It is back-to-school time for many, and how sweet is it to put a little note in your child’s lunch box or bag to brighten their day?
I recall writing little notes on napkins or cutting out heart-shaped pieces of papers on occasion when my boys were little.
That time flew by so fast.
My boys are grown, but they still get handmade cards. And oh how I love when I receive a handmade card from them – even now!
So here is my design team card, and I can’t wait to send it to a sweet little one that needs some encouragement or a congratulations on a job well done.
For this card, I used the StampinUp Cheerful Critters Stamp Set and Schoolhouse Designer Series Paper. I purposely offset my “framing” to show our kiddos that they don’t have to be perfect or “stay in the lines” (since I obviously didn’t!). A silver metal button and white baker’s twine bow finished it off.
You know – no matter how old we are – any of us would appreciate a little “lunchbox love” – eh? I hope this will encourage you to send a little note to someone you love.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Wedding Day for a Perfect Pair
It’s wedding day for C.J. and Candace! (You might remember photos from Candace’s shower a few weeks ago.)
I couldn’t wait to make a special card to celebrate these two cute lovebirds. They are a Perfect Pair.
My youngest son is a groomsman in the wedding, and we are looking forward to celebrating this special day. Nick and C.J. were “roomers” in college and have remained good friends.
Candace is a country girl at heart and their wedding has a rustic theme, so I loved using some leftover burlap ribbon and lace from Jake and Colleen’s (my oldest son and daughter-in-law’s) wedding two years ago for this special card.
I had recently seen Dawn at Petals. Paper. SimpleThymes make a twine wreath and loved the look. Thanks for the great idea to CAS Dawn! (You’ll be seeing another card next Sunday for The Paper Players Challenge #262 using this twine wreath too on a completely different card).
I used the StampinUp Bird Punch for the leaves and love birds and the Hello Life Stamp Set to heat emboss the “love” sentiment in gold.
Looking forward to celebrating love today!
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Lovely as a Tree
It’s Sunday again, and that means design team inspiration for The Paper Players!
This week’s challenge (#PP259) is a sketch challenge, and here is the sketch we were to use to design a card from:
I needed a birthday card this past week for a dear friend who is hitting one of those biggie decade birthdays so thought I would use the design to make his card.
I used my ALL TIME favorite most versatile stamp set in the entire world (I might be exaggerating a teensy bit, but hopefully you get my point). Lovely as a Tree from StampinUp was one of my very first stamps I bought, and one that I still use often – Winter, Fall, Summer, Christmas, Masculine, Feminine. Such great versatility.
I think I did pretty good sticking close to the design sketch and like how this birthday card turned out for our special friend.
Play along with us – any of you paper players! I’d love to see what you design with this sketch.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Let’s Get Beachy
This week’s theme at The Paper Players is to make a “Clean & Simple” Beach-Themed card, so for my #PP258 design team inspiration card, I used a watercolor abstract I had made when I was at the beach recently.
I stamped some cute little seagulls on it from the StampinUp Wetlands Stamp Set. Then I simply added a black die-cut “hello” greeting, matted the scene in black, and put on a crumb cake card stock. Voila – a clean and simple “Let’s Get Beachy” card.
Hope some of you will join us this week at The Paper Players with your interpretation of “Let’s Get Beachy!”
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Lupines in Watercolor
Hubby asked if I could make a card for a friend the other day.
I had seen some lupines done in a similar way with a stamp set to what I created here, but I wanted to try doing with watercolor in a variety of colors.
I wanted a torn look to the watercolor paper to give it just a little more personality, and I had fun trying different colors. Hubby like the purple the best when I showed them all to him, so I added a “Thinking of You” sentiment and wrote a personal message inside.
Also, after a bit of coaxing and prodding and urging, I decided to go ahead and open up an Etsy shop in case anyone would like to purchase some of my cards. I have slowly started adding some of the things I have “in stock.”
I noticed many people sell prints of their watercolors, but I am featuring my original collection I have begun creating.
If you are looking for a special card, check out my ArtatLifeinBetween Etsy Shop. I will continue to add and update.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Happy New Home
It’s a color challenge this week at The Paper Players, and I needed a Happy New Home card for some dear friends we were visiting this weekend in their new home.
The challenge is to use Bermuda Bay, Crumb Cake, and Old Olive colors in a card.
So for my designer inspiration card for #PP257, I had fun using those three colors to make the new home stand out on the street.
I added the card to a basket with some wine, homemade cookies and some sea salt milk chocolate truffles, and off we went to visit our friends.
To make this card, I used the following:
- StampinUp Inks: Bermuda Bay, Crumb Cake, Old Olive
- StazOn Black Ink
- Whisper White and Craft Card Stock
- Stampinup Holiday Home Stamp Set
- Blender Pen to color the house
- Dimensionals to make the new home “stand out”
Hope my crafty stamping card-making friends will join us this week at The Paper Players Challenge. We always enjoy the inspiration and creativity.
And… Happy New Home Jim and Mary!
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Anchors, Knots, and Easy Faux Enamel Dots
This week’s Paper Player’s Challenge is to make a square card.
So I created this card for my design team inspiration card that I sent to a special guy who has just completed a very important milestone with lots of hope for continued health and happiness. He is a guy full of hope to anchor his soul and one who embraces life more than anyone I know.
It was fun layering on designer series paper and gold netting, embossing, and knotting, and creating fun faux enamel dots.
They are so easy to make, and you can create so many fun shapes and colors and designs. I simply cut some paper with my Stampinup Owl punch that has a variety of circle sizes and a heart, laid them on a piece of wax paper, and put a “dollop” squeeze of Stampinup’s Crystal Effects on to dry for several hours. After they are dry, any excess can be snipped off with scissors, and you are left with beautiful little dots and button-type accents. I’ve featured them here before also.
The sentiment is from Neat & Tangled. I love this simple, inexpensive stamp that I have featured before (in fact about a year ago here).
Hope my cardmaking, creative, artistic friends will join us at The Paper Players Challenge #PP256 this week! All “Hip to be Square” cards are warmly welcomed!
(And “Oh Rob” – hope you feel all the love I put into this card just for you! <3)
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Oh Happy Day with Sprinkled Donuts
Could you go for a donut with sprinkles on top right about now?
Wouldn’t that make for A Happy Day!?
It’s Sunday, so time for me to share a design inspiration for this week’s Paper Players Challenge: PP255. This week is a sketch challenge, so we get to use anything we want to create something that resembles this sketch.
I think this Stampin’Up Cherry On Top Designer Series Paper featuring the sprinkled donuts is so cute and cheerful, and I love the “Oh Happy Day Stamp, so I made this card, adding a little gold bling by making the “tag” from punchinella. Punchinella is the sheet that is left over after making sequins. Did you know that? How clever is that for someone to market and SELL!?!? And isn’t it just that extra little pop that makes this card?
I used some foam tape to make the Oh Happy Day Starburst Sentiment pop up off the card a bit for even more dimension, and used scissors on the bakers twine to make it curl a bit.
Here is what I used to make the card.
Card Ingredients:
- Stampinup (SU) Cardstock Strawberry Slush & Whisper White
- SU Cherry on Top DSP (Designer Series Paper)
- SU Strawberry Slush Ink
- Starburst Sayings Stamp Set “Oh Happy Day”
- SU Starburst Framelits Dies
- Lil’ inker designs Stitched Rectangle Dies
- Neat & Tangled Gold Punchinella
- SU Bakers Twine
Hope you have an “Oh Happy Day!”
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
the creative life in between 