Smile for Paper Players 215

Paper Players was the first challenge I ever entered and it is the one I have entered most often. (This is my fifth one.) I like it because the challenges are varied and interesting within the rotation, so you know what type of challenge to expect. What I like the most is that the design team examples are so lovely and because lots of people enter, it's fun to look at so many different takes on the same task. Love it!

I have entered so many challenges in the last six weeks because of my enforced convalescence but now I'm back at work, that will end. But this week, I was saved by the school holidays, so no work, which gave me time to have a look and a play.

Here is this week's sketch challenge.

Sahara Sand and Cherry Cobbler is not a combination I've used before but I'm enjoying using strong colours at the moment and Cherry Cobbler is a divine colour, almost like rich velvet.

The six flowers are popped up on dimensionals, as is the white layer and the tag. The white layer has had the edges distressed with Sahara Sand. The tag and white flowers are edged with a Cherry Cobbler marker to give them extra definition. I made the tag with the scallop tag topper punch but with a piece only 2.5cm wide.

Update: I was really delighted when this card was picked as A Cut Above at Paper Players

Ingredients

Paper: Whisper White, Cherry Cobbler and Sahara Sand

Stamps: Gorgeous Grunge, Petite Petals, Heidi Swapp sentiment

Ink: Sahara Sand, Cherry Cobbler

Other: Scalloped tag topper punch, Petite Petals punch, Regals and Neutrals candy dots, Cherry Cobbler baker's twine, dimensionals.

Just Add Ink 233

Very recently, I started following the blog of Narelle Farrugia after seeing some of her work on-line and really liking her style. Through that, I discovered the wonderful Just Add Ink blog, just in time for a new sketch to appear. So, I thought I'd give it a go since the sketch really appealed to me.

And here is my version.

I especially like the strong colours (white, Lost Lagoon and Blackberry Bliss) and the symmetry of the design, which is restful and harmonious. I also like the way the circles that dominate the centre of the banner morph into straighter lines as you move out from the centre of the card, via the banner edges, the lattice embossing and the hexagons of the DSP.

The coloured circles are popped up from the body of the white banner by dimensionals and then each central circles is popped up again, giving a pleasing impression of depth.

Update: I was delighted when this card received an Honourable Mention at Just Add Ink.

Ingredients
Paper: Whisper White, Lost Lagoon, Blackberry Bliss, Moonlight DSP stack. (All Stampin' Up)
Stamps: SU Eastern Blooms, Hero Arts Thank You set.
Inks: Blackberry Bliss, Lost Lagoon
Other: Square Lattice embossing folder, dimensionals, circle framelits, itty-bitty circle punch, pearl.

Eclectic tiles

This week's challenge from Pals Paper Arts was a lovely sketch and seemed a good chance to use my new(ish) stamp set, Kinda Eclectic.

I really like this stamp set and my favourite part of it is the leaf stamp, which I've used on the cardstock to make a background. The edge of the cardstock is sponged in  Sahara Sand and the leaves stamped in Blackberry Bliss and Mossy Meadow but stamped in third and fourth generations to tone down the strength of the colour. I've used the Dictionary background stamp in Sahara Sand on the four tiles and used other elements from Kinda Eclectic in Hello Honey, Mossy Meadow and Soft Suede, while the butterfly from the same set is in full-strength Blackberry Bliss. The edges of the tiles have been lightly sponged in Sahara Sand to give more definition. The whole tile section is mounted on Sahara Sand then Soft Suede. I originally stamped the sentiment on a banner shape and sponged around the edges but it was just too busy, so I abandoned that idea and stamped in Soft Suede directly on to the Sahara Sand. The central panel and butterfly are popped up on dimensionals. It's a much busier card than I usually gravitate towards but I like the exuberance of it, in this particular case.

Ingredients

Paper: Whisper White, Sahara Sand, Soft Suede

Stamps: Kinda Eclectic, Dictionary

Inks: Sahara Sand, Soft Suede, Hello Honey, Mossy Meadow, Blackberry Bliss

Other: Butterfly punch, Pearls, Dimensionals, Sponge

Tangerine Butterfly - FMS155 CCMC322

Two challenges caught my eye this week. Freshly Made Sketches 155 was a lovely drawing while Connie and Mary 322 had an unusual colour challenge.

Update: This card received an Honourable Mention at Freshly Made Sketches.

Ingredients

Paper: Whisper White, Tangelo Twist, Crushed Curry DSP

Stamps: SU Dictionary background stamp, SU Wetlands, SU Papillon Potpourri

Ink: Crushed Curry, Black

Other: Dimensionals to support the wings and to raise the oval panel, Butterfly punch, Oval framelits, Black candy dots

Music is in the silence

This week's Less is More challenge 190 was one I really wanted to do: "Face the music and dance" because I have a son at university studying music. I like to have a stash of music-related cards to have on hand for him: special occasions or 'just because' and it's the latter that this one falls into.

Ingredients
Paper: Echo Park Botanical Ballad, Whisper White, Cherry Cobbler, Basic Black
Stamps and Ink: Music Background stamp, Papillon Potpourri, Black ink, Cherry Cobbler ink
Other: Virtuoso music die, Glitter music sticker from stash, small circle punch from itty bitty punches to shape the corner of the sentiment, Butterfly punch, dimensionals, Mozart quote found and printed using Word, black rhinestones.

Wish Big CCMC321

I've never entered a challenge with Connie and Mary before, but this week's sketch intrigued my mathematical side. I also liked the challenge of using only Stampin' Up products. Here it is.

The mathematical part of me decided to create the diagonals by cutting the top layer into pieces and raising them on dimensionals to form gutters that showed the DSP layer underneath. One layer of the star was embossed using the Square Lattice folder. To create a bit of 'splash' for the star, I used a stamp from Gorgeous Grunge and Illuminate ink. The ends of the greeting strip are cut to echo the shapes created at the corners of the diagonals. My aim was to create a masculine card and I think that's been achieved.

Update: This card was a Top 3 Pick at Create with Connie and Mary

Ingredients

Paper: Hello Honey, Night of Navy, Marina Mist, Moonlight DSP stack.

Ink: Night of Navy, Illuminate

Stamps: A Dozen Thoughts, Gorgeous Grunge

Other: Candy Dot Brad base, Candy dots (Crushed Curry, Marina Mist), Star Framelits, Dimensionals, Square Lattice embossing folder.

Coffee Thanks

This week's Pals Paper Arts challenge was a colour challenge, which was truly challenging for me since they were colours I don't often use. I enjoyed it in the end and felt happy with the card - might even use the colour combo again.

The coffee stamp is a HastingsArt stamp from my local scrapbooking shop. I stamped the cup in Stazon ink and coloured the dots in Always Artichoke then stamped the steam in Cajun Craze. I masked the cup then stamped the distressed houndstooth background over it in Crushed Curry, then rounded the corners and mounted it on Cajun Craze.

Ingredients
Paper: Always Artichoke, Always Artichoke DSP, Cajun Craze, Whisper White
Stamps: HastingsArt Coffee Cup, CTMH Distressed Houndstooth background stamp, Hero Arts Thank You Stamp.
Ink: Stazon, Crushed Curry, Cajun Craze.
Other: Corner Rounder, Linen Twine.