Sympathy Cards

I love to make cards but absolutely do not enjoy making sympathy cards and these are for a very sad occasion. My husband is the coach of my son's flag football team and yesterday one of our boy's father passed away. He was such an involved father and a constant at every practice and game. It is heartbreaking and we are all shocked and saddened. I made the first card for the team to give to their team mate who is now without his dad. I think the sentiments are just perfect for how the boys feel. I wanted to post these for you so you can see how great the Petite Pairs set is and how apropos the sentiments are. 

The second card is for his mother.

1st Card

Paper - Spice Cake DSP, early espresso and more mustard card stock, watercolor paper

Ink - Stazon black, crumb cake, soft suede, chocolate chip, more mustard, pear pizzazz

Stamps - Petite Pairs, Furry Folk

Accessories - Heart punch, linen thread, button

2nd Card

Paper - Websters Pages DSP, basic black card stock

Ink - basic black

Stamps - Teeny Tiny Wishes

Accessories - dotted scallop ribbon border, rosette,  hand-dyed ribbon

U Stamp with Dawn and Friends - Guest Designer - Halloween Mantle/Tabletop Decoration

Today my project was posted at U Stamp with Dawn and Friends - Paper Parade 2011 and I can finally share my project. I created this mantle/tabletop decoration using Pick Your Poison designer series paper from the Holiday mini-catalog. The letters and many of the accents were constructed using MDS. By joining USWDAF, you will get a full tutorial of this spooktacular mantle decoration and MANY other wonderful projects. I have also included a jpg of the MDS file so all the letters are created for you. 

UStamp with Dawn and Friends is a great resource for many paper-crafting projects. All projects are 100% Stampin' Up!. I am sure you will recognize some of your favorite demonstrators once you join the fun. Click the blinkie below to join UStamp with Dawn and Friends.

The Paper Players Sketch Challenge #65- Not Spice Cake

This week Ann Marie provided a beautiful sketch challenge for The Paper Players. I have Spice Cake DSP on the brain and love the paper but need to design without it.  OK, but I really love Spice Cake and thought of it first thing when I saw this sketch - (step away from the Spice Cake  and think of something else).  This sketch is so versatile that I created 2 cards for the challenge. I had a Thanksgiving theme in mind for my original concept with lots of distressing and layers and yummmy Spice Cake DSP - need to let it go.  SO,  I picked up Paisley Petals - such a beautiful paper. Once I started working with the pretty Paisley Petals paper, I liked the clean look and decided not to distress all the edges as planned. I cut out the pretty leaves for dimension and a coordinating accessory per the sketch and liked the overall look of the card. -  AND THEN I realized that our dear friend's birthday was this week. I needed a masculine card. I started working with the GO TO sketch and created a vintage balloon card using the Up Up and Away  stamp set and Well Worn DSP  . Up Up and Away may be considered a juvenile set but when I first saw it in the catalog, I envisioned it as a vintage set. The images are stamped on our Halloween DSP, Pick Your Poison. This paper has a great distressed look for the vintage feeling I was trying to create - but no Spice Cake.

I am pleased with both cards due to Ann Marie's FABULOUS sketch. Visit the rest of the Paper Players design team blogs and leave a sweet comment on their BRILLIANT creations - and some of them use Spice Cake - MMMMMM , I really like Spice Cake:)

The Paper Players Design Team

Ann Schach

Anne Marie Hile

Jaydee

Julie Marshall

LeAnne Pugliese

Lesley Croghan

Nance Leedy

Tara Bilbao 
Sandra Conner (September GD)

UP UP And AWAY CARD

Paper - Pick Your Poison, Well Worn, soft suede, very vanilla, not quite navy, crumb cake card stock

Stamps - Up Up and AWAY, Teeny Tiny wishes, Established Elegance

Ink - Soft Suede, Not Quite Navy, Cajun Craze

Accessories - circle dies, modern label punch, word window punch, dimensionals, linen thread, button

THANKSGIVING CARD

Paper - Paisley Prints, very vanilla, early espresso, always artichoke card stock

Ink - early espresso

Stamps - Seasonal Sentiments

Accessories - Circle dies, Fancy Scallop dies, dimensionals, button, linen thread

U Stamp with Dawn and Friends - Guest Designer - Paper Parade 2011

I am very excited to announce that I will be a guest designer for U Stamp with Dawn and Friends Paper Parade 2011. Yahooooo! It is such an honor to be a part of this wonderful group of designers. I have a Spooktacular project for all of you so join today so you don't miss a thing.

A note from Dawn:

WOOHOO!!!!!!!

UStamp with Dawn and Friends!! has implemented a new FAST AND EASY way for everyone to join as a member and you no longer need to wait for Opening Day to receive and invite!!

BIG YAY on that one!!

Are YOU a Paper LOVER?? Who isn't, right??!!

Paper Parade will be focusing on showcasing Stampin' Up! Paper from the USA/Canada 2011 - 2012 Idea Book & Catalog as well as the 2011 Holiday Mini Catalog!! Obviously not all papers are available in all the Stampin' Up! countries, so Designers from the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand will be showcasing the Paper Designer Series Paper Stacks

(which by the way are some of my FAVES!!). 

This is a HUGE Challenge to cover all the papers in 40+ projects...but all the Designers are way excited and are more than up for the challenge!! Keeping in mind that the most important element is the AWESOMENESS of the project, each Designer is working MAGIC with the Stampin' Up! Papers!!

Here is the list of all the Stampin' Up! papers that the Designers will be covering...

Cardstock

In Colors (10)

Brights Collection

Subtles Collection

Regals Collection

Neutrals Collection

Basics

White Vellum

Glimmer Paper

Waffle Paper

Watercolor Paper

Specialty Designer Series Paper

Designer Series Paper

Paper Stacks

Simply Scrappin'

Since our focus this round is PAPER and not just the upcoming Holiday Season, we  have a VAST VARIETY of FANTASTIC Projects!!

Come join us and take advantage of the Early Bird Savings!! ONLY $19.99

Click the blinkie below to start the payment/signup process....it's E*A*S*Y*!! 

The Paper Parade website is OPEN NOW,

so you will not need to wait for an invite on Opening Day!!

Remember, with the implementation of the new payment process allows YOU to enter the website as soon as you make your payment!! Woohoo!!

Hope you join us...I will "see" you over at the Parade Parade Website!!

The Paper Players CAS Challenge

This weeks's Paper Player's Challenge is a CAS ( clean and simple) challenge using an animal or a plant. I have to admit I almost feel like I am cheating on the Simple part of this challenge given how easy this card was to create. The plant is the flower in the tag and the flowers in the "Four Frames" stamp. I used the "Tea Time" Simply Scrappin' kit to create the card. The pink and green scallop borders are pre-cut border stickers that were applied to the white background. The green tag is a pre-cut sticker that I adhered to white paper and bordered with early espresso. The only real stamping is the sentiment within the "Four Frames" stamp set punched with the corresponding decorative label punch. I inked up only half of the flowers and the frame. How simple is that?

The Simply Scrapin' kits are perfect not only for scrap-booking, but for simple quick cards. These kits are amazing for stamp-a-stacks and perfectly coordinating decor items with little effort.

Join us this week for The Paper Players CAS challenge. Please visit each of the design team blogs, leave a sweet comment and enter our challenge. 

The Paper Players Design Team

Ann Schach

Anne Marie Hile

Rita Wright (for Jaydee)

Julie Marshall

LeAnne Pugliese

Lesley Croghan

Nance Leedy

Tara Bilbao

Sandra Conner (September GD)

Stamps - Four Frames, Petite Pairs
Ink - Early Espresso, pink pirouette, lucky limeade
Paper - Simply Scrappin' Tea Time label and borders, whisper white, early espresso
Accessories - pretty in pink taffeta ribbon, designer buttons, decorative label punch, dimensionals