Be Yourself – Sunday Stamps Challenge 98

by Shannon Jaramillo // April 2, 2015 // 10 Comments

Hello there, Friends!! It’s been a week and I FINALLY got a chance to stamp this evening! Getting some crafty time in always lifts my spirits, how about you?

I saw this darling sketch over at Sunday Stamps today and knew at once I wanted to play along:

Isn’t the sketch darling?? I’m not sure if I’m more in love with the layout, or the flower they used for it, lol! Either way, I was inspired to play along!

The fine print says to keep it to a one layer card so that’s what I did. I had to inlay my flower to do it, but I did it!!

I layered my pattern paper over my card base, then die cut the white layer with both the stitched edge die and the daisy die. Once I adhered the white layer to my base, I simply ran a scrap of my pattern paper through the Big Shot with the Daisy die and inset the cut pieces into my white layer! Easy Peasy! I love the little die cut dot in the center…SO cute!!

It’s a lighthearted and fun card, I picture sending it to someone who needs just a bit of encouragement. We all need THAT from time to time!

I don’t recall exactly where I picked up the flower sequins but they sure are cute and a very fitting accent for my card today!

I’m also entering my card in The Challenge: They are having a fun ‘anything goes’ challenge…love those!

I’m also entering it over at CASology whose theme this week is Spring! I LOVE Spring colors!

Thanks for stopping by!

Wishing you joy and blessings!

Products Used:

Cardstock: Stamper’s Select White by Papertrey Ink

Pattern Paper: Summer Bliss by Echo Park

Ink: Tuxedo Black by Memento Ink

Stamps: Be by Simon Says Stamp

Dies: Rounded Rectangle Stitched Mats by Lil ‘Inker; Oopsie Daisy by Papertrey Ink and Envelope Liner Die by Stampin’ Up!

Tools: MISTI by My Sweet Petunia

Embellishments: Flower Sequins (source unknown)

Up, Up & Away – Retro Sketches 156

by Shannon Jaramillo // March 10, 2015 // 6 Comments

Hello there, friends!! Today I’d like to share my take on the awesome sketch over at Retro Sketches:

Isn’t it fun?? I pondered it just for a few minutes before deciding that a stamp set that just arrived this week would be really fun with this sketch!! So, with that in mind I hopped on over to my pattern paper collection and pulled a set of papers together fairly quickly. I knew I wanted a soft and whimsical feel and this is how it turned out!

What do you think?!?!? I just adore this card!!!! I used two pattern papers as the base for my card, dividing the two with a darker pattern, as per the sketch. The paper is called Paris & Co, which is perfect because it is so soft and yummy! And the hot air balloons?? Combined with the papers I think they are soft as a gentle spring breeze…

I used a new-to-me stamp and die set from Papertrey Ink called Up, Up and Away. It’s a huge stamp set with an optional add-on set to give you SO many options and combinations!! I die cut my clouds and then stamped them in Sahara Sand ink. The ink was the lightest I could find, but the coverage was still darker than I wanted so I used a microfiber cloth to dab away some of the ink after I inked the stamp up. The impromptu technique worked very well, AND had the added benefit of providing an interesting texture!

After stamping and die-cutting my balloons I arranged everything on a random bed of cream colored linen thread. There was no rhyme or reason to the thread placement other than a circular pattern. Since so much of the thread was exposed, I used a product called Aleen’s Tack-It Over & Over to adhere the thread. I squeezed out a small dab of the product onto my work surface (it looks like Elmer’s Glue) and the gently dabbed various areas of the thread into it, to pick up just a bit here and there, and then laid the whole thing onto my card base. I have a love-hate relationship with this product. I love it because it is so tacky, but I HATE it for the same reason! You have to be careful with it because it CAN create a mess. The reason I chose it is as the name says, you can tack it over and over. It never really dries, just stays tacky, so once I have something adhered, I can still (gently) move it to re-position it if necessary. And it is SO darn tacky, it never lets go of anything! I also used it to adhere the sequins for the same reasons.

I thought the interior of the card should be decorated as well, and decided to use the pattern paper again. I think it’s light enough to write over and it sure does dress up the inside of the card!! Isn’t the paper I used for the envelope liner lovely?? It was also the inspiration for my balloon ink color choices.

Well, there you have it! A fun, albeit girly, card that can be used for many occasions! I’m so grateful to the design team over at Retro Sketches for such an awesome sketch this week!

I spent a wonderfully lazy Sunday at home, working in my office and napping with all the windows open so we could all enjoy the out of season but thoroughly enjoyably warm day today! I hope your day was lovely as well!

Wishing you joy and blessings!

Products Used:

Cardstock: Rustic White by Papertrey Ink

Pattern Paper: Paris & Co by My Mind’s Eye

Ink: Sahara Sand by Stampin’ Up!; Ocean Tides, Ripe Avocado, and Spring Moss by Papertrey Ink and Cobblestone by Simon Says Stamp (for the sentiment)

Stamps: Up, Up & Away by Papertrey Ink

Dies: Up, Up & Away by Papertrey Ink and Envelope Liner Die by Stampin’ Up!

Tools: MISTI by My Sweet Petunia

Embellishments: Cream Linen Thread by Papertrey Ink (no longer Available) and misc gold sequins

Sending a Little Sunshine – The Paper Players #235

by Shannon Jaramillo // March 8, 2015 // 21 Comments

Congratulations to all who participated in last week’s Spring Theme challenge…so many beautiful cards!! Y’all rocked the challenge 🙂 This week Ann Marie has a bright and spring-y color challenge for you!

Was I right? Bright and Spring-y! This color combination screamed ‘flowers’ to me so I went with my gut:

Gerbera Daisies. Nothing in the world is as cheerful as a daisy (in my opinion, of course). They are my favorite flower and never fail to make me smile. It was just coincidental that my new Gerbera Daisy Dies from My Favorite Things had just come in the mail…perfect timing, I would say!! But do Gerbera daisies come in this week’s challenge colors??? I turned to Google for the answer and it did not disappoint. May I present my direct inspiration for today’s card:

In looking at the picture again, I probably should have added a ruff of small petals in Crisp Cantaloupe as well, oh well, next time!! I’m still thrilled with how easy the flower was to create and how beautiful it is!!

I wanted the flower to pop so I chose Crumb Cake for the background and inked up my Moroccan Background Stamp from Simon Says Stamp in Versamark Ink. I didn’t emboss at all, just gave the ink a chance to set up before working with it. I love the neutral backdrop it provides the daisy. I die cut a leafy accent from the Leafy Accents Die by Clearly Besotted Stamps and then trimmed the leaves to fit my flower. I thought everything was a bit too plain so I inked up all the edges in coordinating ink. I love the subtle texture it provides! I also used retired Stampin’ Up! Co-ordinations cardstock to add even more texture. I LOVE textured cardstock!! (and the co-ordinations cardstock is still on the clearance rack if you want to add some to your stash for a great price!)

I wrapped it all up (literally!) with lots of loopy linen thread. Yum. And I resisted the temptation to glitter it all up with Wink of Stella…I decided I like this country, rustic-y look! A simple sentiment stamped in Tuxedo Black and a fun rustic-y pattern paper to line the envelope finishes it all off.

I hope you like my spring-y card and that spring is around the corner wherever you are!! For me, this week will zoom up in to the mid to high 80’s!! It’s early for us, even here, but I’m ready with my freshly manicured toes and I’m pulling out the flip-flops!!

Please take a few minutes to be inspired by The Paper Players very talented design team:

Wishing you joy and blessing!

The Paper Players Design Team

Products Used:

Cardstock: Crisp Cantaloupe, Crumb Cake, So Saffron and Wild Wasabi by Stampin’ Up!

Pattern Paper: The Sweetest Thing-Tangerine by My Mind’s Eye

Ink: Tuxedo Back by Memento; Crisp Cantaloupe, Crumb Cake, So Saffron and Wild Wasabi by Stampin’ Up!

Stamps: Morrocan Background Stamp by Simon Says Stamp; Strictly Sentiments 2 by Wplus9

Dies: Gerbera Daisy Die-namics by My Favorite Things; Leafy Accents by Clearly Besotted and Envelope Liner Die by Stampin’ Up!

Tools: MISTI by My Sweet Petunia

Embellishments: Jute Twine by May Arts

Spring Shake Up for The Paper Players #234

by Shannon Jaramillo // March 1, 2015 // 16 Comments

Wow! There were SO many beautiful cards last week with Sandy’s sketch! I have no idea HOW you are going to top those, but I can’t wait to see your creations this week with a delightful theme from Laurie:

With snow across so much of the country currently, won’t it be fun to pull out spring colors and themes??

I just received an order with the fun new coordinating die and stamp set called Ride the Wave by MFT and HAD to try them out. The stamp set is really fun, but for today I just focused on the dies. I paired them up with this fun color combination from Papertrey Ink:

Aren’t the colors AMAZING?? As I was lining my dies up, I realized that my rainbow needed a green so I substituted New Leaf for Aqua Mist. I think they are so pretty together!

I die cut all my waves and then die cut the top and bottom waves from white card stock for the top and bottom of the card base. I then layered all of the pieces over top of my card base and adhered. Next, I ran my card base through the Big Shot with the largest die in the Stitched Mats: Rectangles die set from Lil ‘Inker. The largest one simply adds stitching without any cutting. I love how it frames the card.

Next, I created a shaker from with another new set of dies in my order, Stitched Rectangle Frames, also from MFT. I used clear acetate for the shaker and die cut foam to pop the shaker up off of the card base. I stamped directly onto my rainbow with a beautiful sentiment from Wplus9, Hand Lettered Thanks. Originally I was gong to die cut the ‘you’, but I wanted to keep the flourish so I stamped it instead in Raspberry Fizz. I love how the flourish peeks out from the left side of the shaker!

I love the tulip from Simon Says Stamp Floral Bookmarking stamp and die set. I stamped with New Leaf and Hibiscus Burst onto my dies and then adhered to the top of my shaker.

I filled my shaker with a mixture of sequins and sparkles from Pretty Posh Pink, and tubes from Papertrey Ink’s Make It Market Shakers and Sprinkles Kit. I love the little bits of sparkle! They look like little diamonds 🙂 I then added some sequins to the outside of my shaker, just to keep the theme going. It’s hard to see, but my pink tulip sparkles as well with help from Wink of Stella!

If you have a moment, I would love to hear what you think about my card this week!

I’ve peeked and the spring inspiration from the rest of the design team will knock you socks off so please make sure to pop on over and check them out!

The Paper Players Design Team

Wishing you joy and blessings!

Products Used:

Cardstock: Harvest Gold, Hawaiian Shores, Hibiscus Burst, New Leaf, Winter Wisteria and Stamper’s Select White by Papertrey

Pattern Paper: Happier by My Mind’s Eye

Ink: Hibiscus Burst, New Leaf, Raspberry Fizz by Papertrey Ink and Tuxedo Back by Memento

Stamps: Floral Bookmarking by Simon Says Stamp and Hand Lettered Thanks by Wplus9

Dies: Stitched Mats: Rectangles by Lil ‘Inker; Stitched Rectangle Frames and Ride the Wave by My Favorite Things and Envelope Liner Die by Stampin’ Up!

Tools: MISTI by My Sweet Petunia

Embellishments: Spring Collection Sequins from Pretty Posh Pink; Yellow Flower Sequin Mix and Sugar Shaker shaker filler from Papertrey Ink

You Are Tweet! – The Paper Players #232

by Shannon Jaramillo // February 15, 2015 // 8 Comments

Welcome Friends! Whew, this week has just flown by! I spent some of it not feeling well, and the remaining time trying to keep up with all the life still going on around me! I LOVED your creations last week, you all rocked the color combination! Though I think you are going to have TONS of fun with this week’s challenge from Joanne:

Doesn’t that sound FUN!!! And the challenge graphic is so ca-yoot, how could you not want to join in on the fun?

As soon as I read the challenge, I had a stamp set in mind. It’s another stamp and die set that were a MUST HAVE and then sat and collected dust while I stared at them, wondering what on earth I would DO with them! Have you had moments like that? Honestly, it’s ridiculous. I must stop!

Can you see why this set came to my mind when I read the challenge to feature a bird? Isn’t this set adorable? I’m SO glad I broke it out! I found a wonderful booth at the Scrapbook Expo in 2013 (cough) called The Stamps of Life. It’s a smaller stamp line designed by Stephanie Bernard, who is also a designer for Sizzix and was a major contributor in the development of the Big Shot Magnetic Platform. Anyway, it turns out she’s local to me (Southern California) and periodically does classes and sells from her warehouse location. I purchased a ton of her product at the Scrapbook Expo and then attended one of her classes as well. This stamp and die set is called Birds & Tree.

I’ve never created a ‘scene’ before but thought this set called for one so I pulled out my Stitched Mats: Rounded Rectangles from Lil ‘Inker and created a sky panel using Soft Sky card stock. I then aligned my tree die onto it and ran it through the Big Shot again. Next I used the stitched mats again on a scrap of Pear Pizzazz cardstock and then ran THAT through the Big Shot again using the Border Builders Die from Lil ‘Inker to create the wavy hill for my grass.

I then die cut my tree from Baked Brown Sugar card stock and inked it up in the same color with the matching stamp, using my MISTI to align everything perfectly. I attached a scrap piece of white card stock to the back of my Soft Sky panel and then inset my tree die cut. I LOVE the look!

Next, I die cut lots of leaves in two different sizes, as well as flowers and my adorable little bird. I used Pear Pizzazz for the leaves, Pink Pirouette for the flowers, and Hello Honey for the bird. After that, I inked up all my pieces with their coordinating stamps. Yes, this took a bit of time but was so fun and definitely worth it!

I used a sentiment from the same set but opted for a simple small oval punch from Stampin’ Up! to frame it, rather than using the speech bubble die included in the set. To make my life easier, I laid out all of my punched pieces and snapped a picture of it on my phone and then used the photo as a guide to glue everything down. The flowers are popped up on Stampin’ Dimensionals, as is the grass panel as well as my birdie and his wing. The pearls were an afterthought but they turned out to be one of my favorite elements!

I hope you have enjoyed today’s project, created in one of my ‘better’ periods this week:) I am planning to post a follow up to my Blog Hop project tomorrow, including more photos of the individual cards as well as photos and dimensions for the card gift box. I hope to see you then!

Thank you so much for popping in today, won’t you take a moment to pop over and see the darling projects created by the rest of the design team? I ‘peeked’ at them while posting my project to the blog and I can tell you for sure that there are some beautiful inspiration to be seen!

The Paper Players Design Team

Wishing you joy and blessings!

Products Used:

Cardstock: Stamper’s Select White by Papertrey Ink; Baked Brown Sugar, Hello Honey, Pear Pizzazz, Pink Pirouette and Soft Sky by Stampin’ Up!

Pattern Paper: Sugar Shoppe by Doodlebug

Ink: Baked Brown Sugar, Hello Honey, Pear Pizzazz, Pink Pirouette and Rose Red by Stampin’ Up!

Stamps: Birds & Tree by The Stamps of Life

Tools: MISTI

Dies: Birds & Tree by The Stamps of Life; Border Builders and Stitched Mats: Rounded Rectangles by Lil ‘Inker, and Envelope Liner Die by Stampin’ Up!

Embellishments: Basics Pearls by Stampin’ Up!