The Paper Players #559 - CAS Challenge

 Hi Friends,

It's been quite a while since I've played in any challenges and this one from Claire over at The Paper Players is the perfect chance to get my feet wet again.  

I love fall and all the warm colors and, yes, the cooler weather!

Here are the products I used:

SU Basic White and Crumb Cake Cardstock
SU Brick & Mortar 3D Embossing Folder (brushed with white pigment ink)
Memory Box Bubble Circles die cut from Gold Metallic Cardstock
Catherine Pooler's Front Porch Pumpkins stamps & dies
SU Stampin' Blends
SU Happy Thoughts stamp set for sentiment - gold heat embossed
SU Gold Holly Leaves

Thanks for stopping by - Happy Fall Y'all!

Annie

Tic Tac Toe Challenge #113

 Hello Friends!  Time for a new board over at the Tic Tac Toe Challenge:

I struggled with this one a bit!  I finally worked with the First Row on the Diagonal: Rainbow, Stickers, and CAS.

I rarely use stickers nor do I have very many but the April Paper Pumpkin kit came to the rescue!  The sun and cute rainbow popsicle saved the day along with the sentiment that comes in the kit.  I drew a little whimsical frame around the card front for interest and done...easy peasey!

Thanks for stopping by.  I hope you'll play along with us this week!

Hugs,

Annie

Tic Tac Toe Challenge #107

 Hi Friends! Time for another fun board over at the Tic Tac Toe Challenge:

This week I played along with the first row down: Butterfly, Square, and Friend.

I kept it clean and simple to focus on the beautiful butterfly.  I masked off a square and used Distress Oxide inks to blend the background.  I also used a stitched rectangle die to add some interest around the square.  The butterfly was die cut from white cardstock and vellum, adding pearls to the body.  

Here are the products I used:

Stampin' Up Basic White cardstock and SU Vellum

SU Brilliant Wings Dies

SU A Touch of Ink (sentiment)

Taylored Expressions Stitched Rectangles

SU Pearl Basic Jewels

Distress Oxides: Twisted Citron, Mowed Lawn, Cracked Pistachio, & Broken China

Thanks for stopping by!  We hope you'll pick a row and play along this week!

Hugs,

Annie

The Paper Players #533: A CAS Challenge from Ann

 Hi there!  The Paper Players Challenge this week is a CAS one with an Animals theme:

So...since it's raining cats and dogs here...I played with an old puppy stamp from my stash:

After a lot of masking and stenciling with Distress Inks, I added the pup to the brick wall and did some simple coloring with my Prismacolor pencils. The puppy stamp is by Great Impressions and the sentiment from Stampin' Up's A Touch of Ink stamp set.

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a great week and Happy Spring!

Hugs,

Annie 

The Paper Players #520: A Theme from Joanne

 Hi Friends! Today I'm playing along over at The Paper Players where Joanne is hosting a Theme Challenge for Christmas:

I'm still working on Christmas cards and I'm sure I have enough but I just LOVE making them!  My card today is clean and simple using MFT's Winter Songbirds and Winter Wreath, colored with Stampin' Up Blends.  

Thanks for stopping by and Happy Holidays!

Hugs,

Annie

The Paper Players #517: Ann's CAS Challenge

 Hello Friends! I haven't had much time to play along with challenges lately so I was happy I could play today over at The Paper Players where Ann is hosting a Clean & Simple Challenge with a holiday theme:

This is a Christmas card for my DGS.  He loves sharks and we actually have a store here on the coast which specializes in all things "shark" that we have to visit every time he's here.  

I die cut a wonky rectangle and masked off a square to blend an ocean background, splattering with shimmer spray when it was dry.  The shark and sentiment are from Avery Elle's "Santa Jaws" stamps and dies.  I used Stampin' Blends alcohol markers to simply color my image, die cut him, and then popped him up on the blended square.  I added some silver confetti sequins for bubbles.  I think it will make him smile :)

Thanks for stopping by ~ I hope you're having a good week!

Hugs,

Annie

CASology #373: September

 Hello friends! I haven't played along over at CASology in soooo long and I just about missed the deadline on this one.  It has long been a favorite challenge of mine and I hope I can play more often in the future. 

Every year since September 11, 2001, I make a card to let someone know I am thinking of them. When I saw that the theme this time was September, I thought I would link my card up.  This year I used a photo of the Twin Towers and the Lights as inspiration to pay tribute to those lost.

I know it's a somber entry, but it's personal for me and my family.  September is not our "happiest" month.  I blended a DI Concord Preserves night sky and had masked off the tribute lights for each of the towers.  I used Tumbled Glass for the tower lights.  I splattered some shimmer spray and the 'Cityscape' die cut is from Savvy Dies, backed with white for night lights.  The sentiment is from Simon Says. I know the recipient will understand what I was trying to do. 

Thanks for visiting.

Hugs,

Annie

The Paper Players #504: Claire's CAS Challenge

 Hi friends! I put together a very Clean and Simple card today to play along over at The Paper Players where Claire is hosting a CAS Challenge with a Back to School theme:

My grandson is starting 5th grade this year from home with online learning.  I usually make lunchbox notes every year but since there's no lunchbox, I thought I'd go with some fun cards in the mail.  The images are from Ellen Hutson's Mini Voices in My Head by Julie E. I watercolored them loosely with my Zig Clean Color Markers on Bristol card and added the sentiment from SSS Lunch Box Notes 2.  Very clean and simple but I hope it makes him smile.

Thanks for stopping by!

Hugs,

Annie

Tic Tac Toe Challenge #077

Hi Friends! Time for another fun board over at the Tic Tac Toe Challenge

I'm playing along with the first row down:  School Bus, CAS, and Circle.

I have one little school bus stamp from Neat & Tangled that I use frequently for lunch box notes for my DGS.  I'm not sure if he actually will be going back to school or doing remote learning but he will get fun notes from Grandma regardless!

I blended a blue sky using MFT's circle stencil, added a post-it to the top, and blended in some green grass too.  I fussy cut the school bus after coloring with Prismacolor pencils.  It was so tiny I didn't trust myself to use my Copics LOL!  The heat embossed sentiment is from Simon Says Stamp's Lunch Box Notes stamp set and I finished it off with a couple of MFT die cut clouds.  

We hope you'll pick 3 and play along this week!  Thanks for stopping by.

Hugs,

Annie

Shopping Our Stash #426: KISS (Keep It Simple Sister)

Hi Friends! Back again with my second card I made this weekend.  This one is to play along over at Shopping Our Stash where they are asking us to keep it simple.

 

This was a fun card to make.  I did a little bit of stenciling in the background with Distress Ink and then started making cocktails! I used a stamp set and dies from Stampin' Up called 'Nothing's Better Than' and popped them up on a scrap of DSP.  I really like the retro look of the glasses.

Thanks for stopping by ~ have a great week!

Hugs,

Annie

The Paper Players #500: A CAS Challenge by Jaydee

Hi Friends!  The Paper Players, one of my very favorite challenges, is celebrating Challenge #500.  They are looking for a CAS celebration card:

I looked back on my computer and realized I started playing with The Paper Players back in 2014!  I also had the honor of being on the uber-talented design team in 2018 and it seems like yesterday that we were celebrating Challenge #400!

I realize this card is not totally CAS but I had to go a little bit further for their wonderful celebration.  First I traced the balloon shape (MFT Big Balloon) before I stenciled stars (MFT Star Confetti) with VersaMark ink.  I heat embossed them with gold embossing powder.  Next I erased the pencil lines and, using the balloon stencil, I blended Distress Ink Squeezed Lemonade over the embossed stars.  I drew the balloon string, layered a black & white paper strip, and popped up the Happy Birthday sentiment (SSS).  I added a black layer to help it pop a bit on the card base and finished with some shiny SU gold stars.

Congratulations Paper Players on this fantastic milestone!  Here's to 500 more!

Hugs,

Annie

  

Shopping Our Stash #423: You're So Sweet

Hi Friends! Posting a card today for the current Shopping Our Stash challenge with a 'You're So Sweet' theme.

I used Pinkfresh Studio's Sweet Lemonade stamp and dies to create this card.  I stamped and die cut the bottle out of watercolor cardstock and blended Distress Inks for the lemonade.  The sentiment was heat embossed with clear embossing powder.  A happy mistake this time...the distress ink was not completely dry so the bottle looks like its a little frosty where the clear embossing powder stuck. I really need to learn to be more patient and let things dry!

Thanks for stopping by ~ I hope you're having a great week and a safe 4th!

Hugs,

Annie

The Paper Players #496: Joanne's CAS Challenge

Hello Friends! This week over at The Paper Players is a CAS Challenge with a Thank You theme.  

My Clean and Simple card today started with a Neenah Solar White card base.  I added an embossed popped up square (Renke Grid EF) to ground my stamped and die cut 'Sweet Strawberry' from Concord & 9th.  I heat embossed the sentiment which is also from the same stamp set.  

Thanks for stopping by ~ Have a great 1st week of summer!

Hugs,

Annie  

The Paper Players Sketch Challenge #492

Hi Friends!  I'm posting today for the latest sketch challenge over at The Paper Players: 

I went clean and simple with this one and used a 'rectangle' Thanks sentiment from Concord & 9th for the focal point.  

I die cut the sentiment from an alcohol ink rainbow background that I made a while ago.  The white heat embossed sentiment is from Impress.  I scattered a few SU glitter enamel dots to finish off the card.

Thanks for stopping by ~ Have a great weekend!

Hugs,

Annie  

 

The Paper Players #482: Joanne's CAS Challenge

Happy Monday! Today I'm playing along with Joanne's CAS Challenge over at The Paper Players:

On a Neenah Solar White card base, I used Ellen Hutson's 'In The Weeds' stamp set and colored the flowers with Jane Davenport's colored pencils.  I die cut a mask for the flowers and stenciled some of Tim Holtz's 'Bubbles' hoping they looked a bit like water to go with the sentiment (from the same stamp set).  That's it...that's all.

Looking forward to the beginning of Spring and this was the perfect challenge for that. Thanks for stopping by and I hope everyone is well!

Hugs,

Annie

Tic Tac Toe Challenge #052

Hi again! This time I'm playing along over at the Tic Tac Toe Challenge which is always so much fun! If you haven't heard...they took a little break but are back and have a wonderful Design Team with some new familiar faces to boot!

My card started with the third row down - PURPLE, SENTIMENT, KRAFT, but could also follow the first row across - DIE CUT, CAS, PURPLE.  

The Kraft cardstock is woodgrain embossed (Ellen Hutson).  I added the Copic-colored floral cluster (Concord & 9th's Meadow Blossoms) and the circle die cut (PTI) to the card base. The sentiment (SU) was stamped in Catherine Pooler's Royal Treatment ink.  I finished it off with a few Nuvo Crushed Grape Crystal Drops. 

Thanks for stopping by! Have a good week!

Hugs,

Annie