the paper players

Mixed Media Hug

/ Jodi / 34 Comments

PP277

Time to join The Paper Players and play along in the color challenge Claire put out this week for all our crafting, painting, stamping friends.

I couldn’t resist participating with the fun colors this super sweet lady chose: Tempting Turquoise, Melon Mambo, and Real Red!  Oooo Laaa Laa!

I wanted to do something different and had bought some fun new stuff while shopping this past weekend with Hubby at Tuesday Morning before our movie date to see “The Revenant.”   (Did YOU see it yet?!)   I bought the corrugated papercraft cardstock paper and the Tim Holtz Alpha Parts Punch Out letters.  Combined that with some fun flowers sweet Eileen at My Creative Resolution gifted me with that just happened to exactly match “Melon Mambo,” embellished with one of my fave new dies – the pine branches from Gina Marie Designs, die cut some paper with my favorite stitched rectangle dies, added a pearl, and Voila – my Mixed Media Hug card!

It’s a bit of a quirky card, and I’m still trying to decide if I like it, but I’m guessing there will come an occasion or a person who it will end up being just right for at just the right time one of these days, so I’ll be holding onto this “hug” until then.

I sure miss being on the design team with the amazing creative Paper Players team, but it’s great to still play along!

Oh – and check out the amazing new guest designers!  WOWZA!  They have so much creativity to share!

Happy Friday!

Cheers & Hugs,

Jodi

Last Paper Players Guest Design Team Post

/ Jodi / 59 Comments

PP275 Watercolor Color Challenge Christmas Mittens

It is my last week as a Paper Players Guest Design Team Member.

For this week’s color challenge, I decided to watercolor some Christmasy mittens and hang them from some greenery and red button “berries.”

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The sentiment is from StampinUp’s Endless Wishes stamp set.  The greenery is cut from a Pine Needle Gina Marie die, and I simply mixed and matched some cherry red buttons to use as berries.

PP275 Watercolor Color Challenge Christmas Mittens flat closeup

I hope you will continue to follow and participate in the Paper Players Challenges.

It has been a fun six months, and I so enjoyed challenging myself, sharing with all of you, and the wonderful ladies of the Paper Players Design team!  Thank you all!  It has been an honor and privilege to be a part of your team.

Cheers & Hugs,

Jodi

 

Let it Snow

/ Jodi / 29 Comments

PP274 snowflake card

This week’s Paper Players’ Theme Challenge is “Let it Snow.”

pp274

Well – no snow happening here in Mars, but we can dream, can’t we?  I’m dreaming of a white Christmas…

My design team inspiration card this week is stamped and heat embossed with a glittery embossing powder for the snow and snowflakes to sparkle, and I added some miniature pearls for an extra special touch.

pp274 inside

Stamp sets used are StampinUp’s Endless Wishes & Gorgeous Grunge.

Time to get this card in the mail, and Celebrate the Season!

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

Festive Flurry of Snowflakes

/ Jodi / 32 Comments

Turquoise Brusho Festive Flurry Sparkle Snowflake Card

This week’s challenge at The Paper Players is a Tic Tac Toe Challenge.   These are always so fun to choose which way to go.

For my Design Team Inspiration Card this week, I choose the Diagonal: Snowflake-Sparkle-Die Cut.

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I had an idea in mind, but when I saw a card done by one of my favorite stamper/ cardmakers, Sharon White of Copy Cat Cards, I was totally blown away and completely inspired to create my version featured here (with her permission of course – gracious CAS’er that she is!)

Turquoise Brusho Festive Flurry Sparkle Snowflake Card 2

This card combines Brusho Watercolor Crystals with embossing and stamping and die-cutting.

I started with Arches 140lb watercolor paper.

Using the StampinUp Festive Flurries Stamp Set, I randomly stamped a few snowflakes with VersaMark Ink and then heat embossed with Sparkle Embossing Powder.

I then taped the watercolor paper down, masking off the edges with painter’s tape and painted the paper with water.  I then sprinkled Turquoise Brusho Crystals onto the paper and spritzed with some additional water before letting it thoroughly dry.

While that was drying, I stamped a festive flurry snowflake in turquoise on white card stock for the the first card and one in Versamark on Pacific Point Blue card stock for the second one and then heat embossedwith some more Sparkle Embossing Powder.  Once dry, I die cut them with the matching Festive Flurry Die.

I then attached each to a card base, the first to Whisper White, and the second to Pacific Point.  I used some different fun sparkly ribbon for each and added a snowflake embellishment to the center of the large snowflake.

I’m thinking these will make beautiful Hanukkah cards for a few dear friends!

Hope my stamping and paper crafting friends will join us this week for our Tic-Tac-Toe Challenge at The Paper Players.

Cheers & Hugs,

Jodi

 

A Turkey Day Card for The Paper Players

/ Jodi / 47 Comments

Thanksgiving Turkey Paper Players Sketch Challenge PP272

“Soon will be Thanksgiving Day – Gobble Gobble Gobble!
Children run and laugh and play, but I think that I will stay,
and hide until the day is done – Gobble Gobble Gobble!”

This is a silly Turkey Song my kids and I sang when they were little (and I have to admit I still get it stuck in my head this time of year!)  I sang it with my family as a little girl, so it is hard to think of Thanksgiving week without singing it!

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This week is Sketch Challenge #272  at  The Paper Players , and I had turkey on the brain for my Design Team inspiration card.

Thanksgiving Turkey Paper Players Sketch Challenge PP272 Close Up

My turkey looks a bit concerned – doesn’t he?!   I’m guessing turkeys are not so fond of Thanksgiving!

I had fun making this whimsical card and giving it to my sweet daughter-in-law with a few of those decadent Heavenly Hot Cocoa Brownies I made last week as a little surprise.  She works really close to our house, and I practically pass her office to get to mine, so it is fun to drop by with a little surprise every once in a while.  (And sweetheart that she is, sometimes I find little surprises in my mailbox from her too!)  🙂

For my stamping and papercrafting friends, below are the supplies and instructions.  You can certainly improvise with colors and shapes and scissors and stamps, but I thought I would share what I used.   There are lots of cute ideas on Pinterest to inspire you and which inspired me.  I just made due with things I had on hand.  Hope you will join us for this week’s Paper Players Sketch Challenge.  So many fun things you can do with it and lots of other great inspiration from our creative design team.

Supplies & Instructions

  • Card Stock:  StampinUp (SU) Hello Honey Yellow, Pumpkin Orange, Real Red, Chocolate Chip Brown, Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla, Whisper White, Papercraft Nordic Noel DSP
  • Ink:  Stazon Black for greeting, Tim Holtz Ranger Tea Dye Distress Ink for sponging around all pieces
  • Stamp:  Paper Smooches Sentiment Sampler for “Celebrate”
  • Signo White Gel Pen for white stitched outlines and eyes
  • Paper Studio Embossing Folder for feather texture and swirls
  • Punches:  SU Owl Punch and SU Bird Punch for cutting out turkey parts and SU Scalloped Tag Topper for Tag
  • Framelits:  SU Circles (second smallest for head, third smallest for round body part, largest for scalloped circle for cutting out feathers) and SU Ovals (smallest oval for body)
  • Tombow Mutli Mono Liquid Glue and Tombow Mono Permanent Adhesive Tape
  • SU Linen Thread to put on top of tag

Happy Thanksgiving Week!  I sure am thankful for all of you!

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

Winter Wonderland

/ Jodi / 34 Comments

PP271 winter wonderland

I’m not pushing for this white stuff just yet!  But….

Our challenge this week at The Paper Players is just that:  Winter Wonderland, so I had a lot of fun creating this blustery scene for my Design Team Inspiration Card.

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For this card, I simply stamped the images from Recollections Winter Wonderland Clear Stamp Set onto watercolor paper.  I then painted some blustery cold snow with turquoise blue watercolor paint and some other small details like the scarf, carrot nose, stars and a teensy bit of shading.  While the blue paint was still a bit wet, I sprinkled on some silver embossing powder and heat set it.   I then added a little silver bow and matted it in matching SU Tempting Turquoise card stock and adhered all to SU Pumpkin Pie orange card stock. I added a few turquoise snowflakes to the inside also. I love how blue and orange look together, and now I have a card ready to send to someone soon.

Hope you will join in on the Winter Wonderland cardmaking fun at The Paper Players this week!

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

Black + White + Silver + a Color Challenge

/ Jodi / 35 Comments

pp270 1

My design team inspiration card this week for The Paper Players Color Challenge #PP270 is a relatively clean and simple  card.  I made three Christmas cards before I decided I wanted to share this one for my inspiration – a not-Christmas card.

This week’s challenge is to use Black + White + Silver or Gold + One Color, and the other design team members have some awesome inspiration cards (including lots of Christmas cards!)

For my card, I stamped the dragonfly onto watercolor paper in black and then dropped in some W&N Prussian blue watercolor paint (surprise surprise!) very loosely and shook it a bit to make it move and drip.  I also threw a few splatters on just for more freedom and artistic flair.  Once dried, I added some silver brads to complete the front.

One the inside, I stamped the dragonfly again in Night of Navy stamped off twice before stamping on the third hit to make it more subtle and muted.  I then stamped the sentiment on top of it.  Just for a bit more sparkle, which you really can’t see in the photo, I brushed this one with the Wink of Stella.

pp270 inside 1

Card “Ingredients”

Hope my paper player friends will join us in the fun.

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

And the WINNER is…..

/ Jodi / 11 Comments

Ann Coleman!

Congratulations Ann!  You are the winner of the card give-away from Sunday’s post.

PP269 Let us Give Thanks Fall Theme Card

I asked hubby to choose a random number from all the lovely comments you left on my post, and he picked Number 37.

So Ann, if you will email me your address to mckinneyjodi@gmail.com, I have a package ready to send with this card and a few more goodies.

Thanks ever so much to all of you, and I’m sure we will do it again soon.

Happy Weekend!

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

Thanks ever so much and a Card Giveaway!

/ Jodi / 73 Comments

PP269 Let us Give Thanks Fall Theme Card

How did it get to be November already?!  (And as hubby reminded me yesterday, only a little over seven weeks until Christmas!)

I do enjoy this time of year with all of the holidays and preparations and family time.

November reminds me to be thankful, and our theme for this week’s Paper Players Challenge seems so fitting:  Let Us Give Thanks – Fall Thank You Cards (PP269).

So on this first day of November, I want to say Thank YOU ever so much my “lifeinbetweener” friends.  I so enjoy sharing this journey with you and appreciate your comments and kind words whether in the form of a like or comment here, on Facebook, Twitter, an email or card, or in person.  Thank you for sharing lifeinbetween.me with your family and friends.  I am always amazed when someones comes up to me and says something like, “My friend told me about your blog, and I read it every day,”  And then I love when they tell me what they like best – whether it’s the recipes or stories or photos or DIY cards or watercolor art or crafts or chuckles with Charlie – all the stuff I love to do “in between.”

I would like to send this card to one of you to use to send to someone you want to thank.  Simply leave a comment –  a simple hello or anything that is on your mind, and I will do a random drawing on Friday to choose someone to send this too.  I may even add another bonus card or two!

PP269 Let us Give Thanks Fall Theme Card flat

For my stamping and papercrafting friends, here is how I made this card:

  • I masked off an oval in the center of a piece of very vanilla card stock and stamped it with the Penny Black Script Letter Background stamp in Memento Black ink.
  • I then randomly stamped on top of the edges with the Inkadinkado Maple Leaf stamp.
  • This was followed by sponging the edges in three layers of color beginning with StampinUp Crushed Curry, Pumpkin Pie, and finally Cajun Craze inks.
  • I cut out two ovals with StampinUp Oval Framelits using #2 and #3 from the smallest – #2 in very vanilla and #3 in black.
  • Same sponging was done on the small oval as the larger piece, and then I stamped the Thanks ever so much Sentiment on using the Paper Smooches Pretty Phrases stamp set.
  • To put it all together, I matted with another piece of black onto a Crushed Curry Base.
  • Embellishments to finish it off included some dark brown candy dots, a bow of linen thread, and a ribbon of burlap.

Be sure to check out the other design inspiration cards by our amazing design team at The Paper Players and play along with us.

Thanks again friends, and be sure to leave a comment for the drawing!  I can’t wait to share this with someone.

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

A Sketch Challenge for The Paper Players

/ Jodi / 40 Comments

pp268 sketch challenge bloom with hope and timeless elegance dsp

This week’s challenge at The Paper Players is a sketch challenge, so I created this sympathy card for my design team inspiration card.

A little designer series paper from Stampin’ Up’s Timeless Elegance, a little watercoloring on the stamped flower from SU Bloom with Hope, and a cute little bee cut out of English Garden DSP and bedazzled with some Glossy Accents to make it pop and shine!

pp268 sketch challenge bloom with hope and timeless elegance dsp closeup

On the inside, I stamped off the Bloom with Hope flower stamp a few times before stamping in the card to give it a lighter watermarked look and then added the sentiment on top.

pp268 sketch challenge bloom with hope and timeless elegance dsp inside

Hope my papercrafting friends will join us in The Paper Players sketch challenge  #PP268 this week.  I also have to say the other design team members’ cards are exceptionally amazing this week.  Check out these talented ladies!

Claire Creates Cards
Stampin! with Jaydee
The Crafty Owl
Stamping Up North
Week Inklings
Canopy Crafts
Stamp with Sandy
Stamp with Amy K
My Paper Tales

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi