StampinUp

Warm Thoughts of Fall Card

/ Jodi / 44 Comments

PP263 Fall CAS Challenge

This Wednesday, September 23, 2015 is the first day of Fall – the Autumnal Equinox – here in Mars and the rest of us in the Northern Hemisphere, so Happy Fall Y’All!

And this week’s Paper Player’s Challenge (#PP263) is to “Create a Fall Scene.”

PP263 Fall CAS Challenge 2

I’ve been having warm thoughts of Fall as this past week has to have been the most gorgeous ever that I can recall in recent history.  Seriously amazing here in Mars!  Crisp, cool mornings and evenings, pure blue sunny, sunshiney days, and NO humidity!  The birds seem happy, Charlie is in his glory, the windows and doors are wide open, and I even got hubby to sit out on the deck with me a little bit!

I am cherishing these glorious Fall moments!

For my Paper Players Design Team Inspiration card this week, I used:

Hope my paper crafting friends will join our challenge, and those who aren’t just enjoy the warm thoughts I send with this card and post!

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

Lunchbox Love – Notes for Kids

/ Jodi / 29 Comments

PP261 Cheerful Critters Schoolhouse DSP

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

/ Jodi / 39 Comments

CJ Candace Wedding Card hello life simply wonderful bird punch

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.

CJ Candace Wedding Card hello life simply wonderful bird punch 2

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

/ Jodi / 28 Comments

PP259 Lovely as a Tree Masculine Birthday Card
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.

pp259 2

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.

pp259 3

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

Happy New Home

/ Jodi / 25 Comments

PP257 Happy New Home Card

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.

happy new home card pp257

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.

happy new home basket

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

/ Jodi / 32 Comments

PP256 Square Nautical Hope Anchors the Soul

This week’s Paper Player’s Challenge is to make a square card.

pp256

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.

faux enamel dots

It was fun layering on designer series paper and gold netting, embossing, and knotting, and creating fun faux enamel dots.

faux enamel dot close up

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

Here’s Looking at You

/ Jodi / 23 Comments

PP254 Frames

Hi All – I am on a little vacation this week.  A fun trip to the beach with some girlfriends from GFC (Girlfriend Camp).

I thought it would be fun to send Hubby a little card while I am gone to let him know I miss him.

pp254 inside

The challenge this week at The Paper Players is to make a CAS (Clean and Simple) Card with the theme: “Frames.”

The first thing I thought of was glass frames as Hubby and I are at that fun stage in life where we are always looking for our reading glasses and/or sharing each others.

pp254 frames close up

And… After 33 years, my heart still does stop and skip a beat when he looks at me.  ❤

Hence the design for this week’s Paper Players Design Team Inspiration Card.

Here’s what I used and how I made it.

Card Recipe/Ingredients:

I simly drew and watercolored a heart on a piece of watercolor paper, splattered it a bit, and stamped the sentiment on with Stazon JetBlack Ink.

I then die cut the glasses out and put a thin layer of Crystal Accents for a glossy accent on them.  When that dried, I adhered it with small glue dots, and assembled the layers on the card.

I added a little line heart on the inside from StampinUp’s Hello Life Stamp Set.

So – Here’s looking at you, Merv.  And if you look back, I might wink.  😉

Cheers and Hugs,

Jodi

Happy Anniversary #5 Dad

/ Jodi / 19 Comments

Best Day Ever Brusho 2

Five years ago today – on 7/17/10 (isn’t that a great date?) – I was reunited with my Dad (my birth father Dad).

I’m smiling remembering that day.

How excited we both were…
How nervous we both were…

The tears,
The laughter,
The memories,
The hugs,
The joy.

My heart has a funny feeling I just can’t describe with words as I write this.

How do you describe 38 years of wondering?

Wondering why?
Wondering if he thinks of me?
Wondering what he would think of me if he met me?
Wondering if he would love me?

Well – No more wondering five years later.

And though nothing can replace the loss of those 38 years, we can certainly move forward and enjoy each day.

And now – after five years of catching up – it’s almost like we were never apart.

Happy Anniversary Dad!

Thank you for explaining the why,
letting my know how much you did think of me,
making me feel special and beautiful,
and for loving me.

This will always be our special day, and I hope we have many more!

Love you,
Jodi

A Happy Thing – Forever and for all Eternity

/ Jodi / 19 Comments

A Happy Thing Forever and for all Eternity

Happy Sunday Friends!  Time to share my design inspiration for The Paper Players Challenge this week.

This week is a color challenge (PP253) with these cool colors.

pp253

My card today is a special one, because it is an anniversary card for my oldest son and daughter-in-law who are celebrating their 2nd wedding anniversary tomorrow.

So hard to believe it has been two years already in one breath…  And then funny to think it is only two years as I feel like Colleen has been my daughter-in-law forever.  🙂

For my card, I used the StampinUp Happy Thing Stamp Set for the bird and Paper Smooches Pretty Phrases for the sentiment.  Some pretty colored paper and DSP from StampinUp, a little bit of watercoloring, a few candy dot embellishments, and a tiny bow of linen thread completed this card for our two happy lovebirds.

Happy Anniversary dear Jake and Colleen… forever and for all eternity!

I couldn’t love you any more… forever and for all eternity.

Love,
Mom

Four Seasons of Sheltering Tree

/ Jodi / 24 Comments

Sheltering Tree Summer Notecard Brusho

It’s Sunday, and that means it’s time for another Guest Designer Inspiration Card for The Paper Players Challenge.

This week’s theme challenge is “The Great Outdoors” for PP252.

pp252
When I think of outdoors, I think of trees.  And when I think of trees, I adore how different they look in all four seasons (at least where we live here in Mars).

Sheltering Tree Fall Notecard Brusho

So I heat embossed an “empty” tree from the StampinUp Sheltering Tree Stamp Set with Early Espresso (Dark Brown) embossing powder onto four pieces of watercolor paper.

Sheltering Tree Winter Notecard Brusho

I then broke out the Brusho Crystal Colours again and sprinkled and spritzed different colors onto each tree to represent, Summer, Fall, Winter, and Spring.

Sheltering Tree Spring Notecard Brusho

I backed each tree with a piece of Early Espresso card stock and then adhered to Very Vanilla for the card base.

I stamped some fun sentiments from the Paper Smooches Sentiment Sampler to make them into basic notecards.

Doesn’t it make a fun set?

Hope you are enjoying whatever season you are in!

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi