Birthday Blossoms – The Paper Players 253

by Shannon Jaramillo // August 15, 2015 // 2 Comments

Did I ever happen to mention that I LOVE the color Mint Macaron?

I made this card awhile ago, before I took my hiatus, and then never posted it. I can’t find the sketch challenge it was for, but I know it was for The Paper Players color challenge. Such a soft and lovely combination!

This stamp set is one of my favorites in this year’s catalog. It’s called Birthday Blossoms by Stampin’ Up! and has such beautifully soft images!

I did some layered stamping on this one…I love how the flowers continue onto the base layer! Pretty and understated, I am definitely going to need to order more of this paper!!

I love how easy it is to use linen thread to add dimension! Just put some adhesive onto the back of the your item, in this case a flower, and then loop the thread around on the back, tacking it down as you go, until you are happy with the result!

I loved the images so much I continued them onto the inside of the card:

How fun, right?

As always, thank you so much for stopping by and seeing my creations, I love to share!

Wishing you joy and blessings!

Products Used:

Cardstock: Stamper’s Select White by Papertrey Ink; Mint Macaron, Sahara Sand and Smoky Slate by Stampin’ Up!

Pattern Paper: 2015-17 In Color Designer Series Paper Stack by Stampin’ Up!

Ink: Mint Macaron and Sahara Sand by Stampin’ Up!

Stamps: Birthday Blossoms by Stampin’ Up!

Dies: Envelope Liner Die by Stampin’ Up!

Tools: Pansy Punch by Stampin’ Up!

Embellishments: Neutrals Designer Buttons and Linen Thread by Stampin’ Up!

Giving Thanks – The Paper Players 257 & SIP #9

by Shannon Jaramillo // August 12, 2015 // 9 Comments

Hello!! I want to share with you that one of my cards was a designer pick over at the Stamp, Ink, and Paper challenge! I’m so appreciative of the honor!!

And now I have a funny story about today’s card…

The card I am sharing today was created last Sunday after seeing the new challenge from The Paper Players. Then Tuesday, I popped over to see the latest Stamp, Ink, Paper challenge and discovered that the sketch is eerily close to the card I had already made for The Paper Players!

Here’s the challenge sketch:

And here’s the card I created before I saw the sketch!

Isn’t that the strangest coincidence??

Moving along, I wanted to share a few things with you I noticed about my card once it was done:

Visual Triangles are Pleasing to the Eye:

If you look at the card above, I have Bermuda Bay in three spots on the card that loosely form a triangle. For Old Olive, I used the envelope liner to complete the triangle. Now look at the Crumb Cake…there’s the tree and the strip of paper…but where is the third element? It’s the linen thread in the button! It’s a subtle but important detail that the eye picks up on.

Balance is harmony

Always try to give equal visual weight to both sides of the card. Here, the three strips of paper on the left side help balance out the large rectangle on the other side. Once I had put the strips of paper onto the card, I felt that they overbalanced it (too heavy on the left side), so I added a button on the right to bring both sides back into balance.

I don’t think about these things as I’m creating and sometimes don’t realize them at all but I did today so I wanted to pass that info along.

My last tip for today?? Don’t forget the inside of the card! I Know, I’m guilty too, but I’m making a conscious effort to change my ways! It’s a small thing, and perhaps you wait until you know who you’re giving the card to, but I find that I need to do it right when the card is created or it will never get done!

Thank you to Claire at The Paper Players for this wonderful color combination!

And thank you as well for visiting with me today!

Wishing you joy and blessings!

Products Used:

Cardstock: Stamper’s Select White by Papertrey Ink; Bermuda Bay, Crumb Cake, Old Olive by Stampin’ Up!

Pattern Paper: Brights Designer Series Paper Pack (retired pattern) by Stampin’ Up!

Ink: Bermuda Bay, Crumb Cake, Old Olive by Stampin’ Up!; Tuxedo Black by Memento

Stamps: Giving Thanks by Simon Says Stamp; Fancy Florals by Clearly Besotted Stamps; Tucked In: Thank You by Papertrey Ink

Dies: Stitched Mats: Rectangles by Lil ‘Inker; Envelope Liner Die by Stampin’ Up!

Tools: None

Embellishments: Brights Designer Buttons and Linen Thread by Stampin’ Up!

Crazy About Mint Macaron – The Paper Players 251

by Shannon Jaramillo // June 28, 2015 // 11 Comments

Happy Sunday to my stamping friends! Well, this is it, my last post as a guest designer for The Paper Players…what a FUN six months it has been! I have SO enjoyed working alongside such a talented and dedicated group of stampers, I have learned and grown so much with them! I am so honored to have been chosen as a guest designer and wish the new guest designers all the best!

Today’s challenge is a sketch provided for our crafting enjoyment by the very talented Nance who also does a lot behind the scenes to keep this challenge blog running smoothly!

It’s funny how sometimes I find myself following a sketch to the letter of the law, making sure every element is exactly right, and then there’s other times, like today for example, where I just kind of do my own thing…

As the title suggests, Mint Macaron is the star again today. I WILL use another color again soon, I promise, but for now, my creative spirit is craving this color!!

The other star for today is the Crazy about You stamp set and coordinating Flower Medallion punch. I first saw this set in the Stampin’ Up! spring catalog and have been resisting for seven months but finally caved and ordered it. It has two flower images that coordinate with punches, an adorable leaf image, and a TON of sentiment combinations. It’s a bit pricey, but is also VERY versatile and I see getting years of use from this set. And because that isn’t enough, you can also purchase the Hello You word framelit dies to add even more creative options!!

The Gorgeous Grunge stamp set provides a neutral background to anchor the flowers, while a bit of glimmer paper adds sparkle and the linen thread adds a nice rustic touch as well as a good contrast.

The sentiment is from the Another Thank You stamp set and is one of my all time favorite fonts. So dainty and pretty!!

I hope you have enjoyed my project today and that you are inspired to create something of your own with the sketch, whether you post it or not, challenges help us grow creatively so please enjoy!!

I hope you have time to visit the rest of the design team and view their awesome projects!!

The Paper Players Design Team

Wishing you joy and blessings!

Products Used:

Cardstock: Thick Whisper White Cardstock by Stampin’ Up!

Pattern Paper: 2014-16 In Color Designer Series Paper Stack by Stampin’ Up!

Ink: Mint Macaron by Stampin’ Up!

Stamps: Crazy for You and Another Thank You by Stampin’ Up!

Dies: Envelope Liner Die by Stampin’ Up!

Tools: Flower Medallion and Large Oval Punch by Stampin’ Up!

Embellishments: Linen Thread and White Perfect Accents by Stampin’ Up!

Super Cool – The Paper Players 250

by Shannon Jaramillo // June 21, 2015 // 10 Comments

Wow! The challenge today marks the 250th challenge for The Paper Players! What an amazing accomplishment! This challenge team is always a source of inspiration each week and today is no exception:

Summer treats! I can’t wait to see what you come up with for that! I was pretty literal with my interpretation….

Isn’t this a super yummy looking ice cream cone? I had great fun picking out colors for my scoops of ice cream 🙂 And I love the sentiment, it works well for many occasions…

And you all are the sweetest for stopping by to see my creation!

Before you jump in a get to work on your card, please take a minute to see the wonderful creations by the rest of the design team:

The Paper Players Design Team

Wishing you joy and blessings!

Products Used:

Cardstock: Stamper’s Select White and Hawaiian Shores by Papertrey Ink

Pattern Paper: Unknown

Ink: Fine Linen, Hawaiian Shores, Summer Sunrise by PTI; Green Apple by Simon Says Stamp; Tuxedo Black by Memento

Stamps: Super Cool by Clearly Besotted Stamps

Dies: Pierced Rectangle STAX by MFT Stamps; Envelope Liner Die by Stampin’ Up!

Tools: None

Embellishments: None

A Dino-mite Birthday – The Paper Players 249

by Shannon Jaramillo // June 14, 2015 // 15 Comments

Hello there my stamping friends!! It’s time for another Sunday challenge from The Paper Players! This week Sandy has given us a fun color combination!!

I fussed a bit with this combination. First I tried flowers. Nope. Then I tried a nautical theme. Nope. Both good options if you want to use them yourselves, but they just weren’t working for me. Then I inadvertently put Real Red next to Island Indigo and thought “little boy birthday colors!!!” And whamo! my whole card popped into my head.

Do you like it???? I L-O-V-E it!!! More than anything in a long time…these colors are just perfect for this sweet little dinosaur!! He looks like he could be up to a bit of mischief!! Do you see the paper I used for the envelope liner? I am OUT of coordinating DSP stack papers in Real Red and Island Indigo and my new papers haven’t arrived, so I went digging through my stash and would you believe I found this perfect paper in a Christmas themed pack!! Who knew!!

I stamped with red along the side and then cut a layer to fit over top. I used my dual-stitched oval dies to add the opening and then stamped, die-cut, and popped the dinosaur up with Stampin’ Dimensionals. I embossed the ‘dino-mite’ sentiment with white embossing powder. There are a few strays, sorry about that, my Embossing Buddy is nowhere to be found!! Personally, I think it’s hiding from me because I usually have a few negative comments about it every time I use it (I HATE the feel of the powder) but I have instituted a full on search…it can’t hide for long!! lol

The layout was inspired by the current sketch over at Freshly Made Sketches…they always have such fun designs! Now let’s see if I can remember to link up! (I forgot last week, so sad)

And a close up of this little guy…so adorable!! And the sprinkles add just the perfect touch of Pool Party!

I hope you’ve enjoyed my project today, feel free to leave some love or tips on where my Embossing Buddy may have hidden, and make sure to see the awesome inspiration from the rest of the design team!!