Monday, June 28, 2010

Challenge Week #4-Paper Players Plus


Our challenge this week is to make an EASEL CARD.  The directions to make one of these cards is on Splitcoast Stampers please click HERE to find the directions.  Feel free to combine our challenge with other challenges out there!  The guidelines for our challenges are located in the sidebar.

This past month we have had the talented and completely hilarious Queenie Jeannie as our Guest Designer.  This is her last challenge with us and we want to thank her for being such a wonderful member of the Paper Players Design Team!  She is also moving to Italy at the end of the month and so our cards this week are dedicated to her!
Here is my Easel Card.  I used my favourite stamp set, Inspired by Nature.  I wanted to create a bright and happy congratulations card for Jeannie, to wish her well on her journey to a new country and a new place to call home!  She will be unable to craft for a while with this big move, but we look forward to seeing her creations again soon when she is all settled in her new home!

Here are the Paper Players fabulous creations this week!  Each one has created a card for Jeannie!  You can visit their blog by clicking on their photo in the sidebar!
Paper Player Jaydee


Paper Player LeAnne


Paper Player Corie

At the end of this week, we will be announcing July's Guest Designer.  If you would like to be considered for the Guest Designer Spot, please type "GD" beside your name in the linky.

Saturday, June 26, 2010

Colour Q and Stampin' 411

Life has been SO busy lately! In three days I will be finished for the school year and officially on summer break!  I decided to make a card tonight using the Colour Q colours and the Sketch at Stampin' 411.  I created my own Designer Paper using the "Fox and Friends" images in the different colours.  I then added a great big red bow, just to add some fun to this card!  The main image is bordered with my Scallop Border punches.  It's bright and bold!!  Fun for a new little baby!

I need to get my Stamp-A-Holics card posted tonight as well and my card for tomorrow's new Paper Players Challenge.  Yikes!!!  Off to stamp!

Thanks for stopping by!
Smiles,
Lesley

Stamp-A-Holics Challenge #128

After a long week at work and feeling a little under the weather on Friday, I finally got my Stamp-A-Holics Card done tonight!!!  I timed myself but have no photos of the creating of this card, I wish I did.  Please forgive me and just know that it was NOT a 10 minute card!!  Oh no!  This one took me 27 mins!  Eeek!  But I am so happy with it, I think it was worth the extra time!
One of our Stamp-A-Holics DT members Debbie created this fun sketch!  I took the liberty of changing my oval to a rectangle and then changing the other ovals to different shapes as well.  I just don't have any ovals!!  So I improvised!  I tried the cloud sponging technique (thanks Glen!) with Sage Shadow and then inked up my floral stamp in Rich Razzleberry.  This is the first time I have used this stamp!
Would you like to come and play along?  Then come on over to Carole'Anne's blog by clicking HERE and submit your card to the linky.  You can also check out the other DT members' cards!

Thanks for stopping by!!!  If you are here looking for the current Paper Players Challenge please click HERE.

Smiles,
Lesley :)

Winners for Challenge #3-A Sketch

Thank you to all the stampers who have participated in our challenge this week. This was my first try at sketch designer and it was awesome seeing what everyone came up with! The hard part is choosing winners, it is something that all the Paper Players vote on. It is quite a process!

This week we have chosen our Headliner to be

Her card was clean and simple but with wonderful elegant details like paper piercing, scoring and torn edges. We loved the way she used the sketch. Congratulations Sabriena!


Our top three Cut Above winners, in no particular order.



Congratulations to our winners this week!  Please email me to receive your badges for your blogs!  My email is located in my profile. 

Tomorrow we have our First PAPER PLAYERS PLUS challenge!  It is a fun one, I think! We look forward to seeing your gorgeous creations!  Please check back here tonight at midnight to see what the Paper Players have come up with for inspiration!  I just love working with these fabulous ladies!

Thanks for stopping by!
Smiles,
Lesley

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Challenge Week #3-A Sketch

Welcome to our first sketch challenge!  Thank you to all of our participants last week!  What gorgeous cards you made with our colour challenge!  The rules for our challenges are located in my sidebar!  One participant will win the "I'm Made the Headlines" at Always Playing with Paper badge and 3 other entries will win the "I was a Cut Above" at Always Playing with Paper badge.  Both badges are located in the top of my sidebar for you to see!  Remember, each month the Paper Players will be choosing one participant to be next month's Guest Paper Player!  

Here is our Sketch Challenge!


Here is my card:


For my card, I decided to move my sentiment up to where the flower is on the sketch.  Please feel free to make the sketch work for you as long as the main design is still the focus of your project.  I used the new "Watercolour Trio" stamp set from the new Summer Mini, inking it up with my Stampin' Write Markers.  I have also used a distressing tool to rough up the edges of the card and my crimper to create the bottom panel. I went with some cheerful colours-Real Red, So Saffron and Old Olive.

And now for the Paper Players samples...they have completely wowed me with their cards!

Paper Player Corie

Paper Player LeAnne

Paper Player Jaydee


June's Guest Paper Player Jeannie

Saturday, June 19, 2010

Paper Players Challenge #2 Winners

Thank you again to all of our participants in our first Colour Challenge.  We loved what you did with the colours we chose! Again, you made it such a difficult choice for us but we have narrowed it down to one "Headliner" and three "Cut Aboves" for this week.

Our "Headliner" this week is Marlene Peters of Hands On
I loved her clean card with the wonderful paper details and the sponged flowers.  Such an exquisite card!

Our three "Cut Aboves" are: (in no particular order)

Chick Barb of Chicken Coop Stamper


Congratulations ladies!  Please email me and I will send you your badges to display on your blog!  My email is located in my profile.  Join us tomorrow as we reveal our very first Sketch Challenge!!  You are going to love what the Paper Players have done with my little sketch! 

Smiles,
Lesley

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Paper Players Challenge #2

Welcome to our 2nd Challenge at Always Playing with Paper! I'm posting a little early!  Our challenges officially start on Sundays...but I set the linky for one hour early! LOL!!!  I was just SO excited to share our first Colour Challenge with you!!  Thank you to all the stampers who joined us last week!! We LOVED checking out all of your crafty creations! 

So here is our vibrant Colour Challenge!  Brilliant Blue, Old Olive, Bashful Blue and White! If you do not have these exact colours, please feel free to use colours that are similiar! 

Tracey Washington of Inspire Me Photography

This week's Inspiration Photo was taken by talented photographer Tracey Washington of Inspire Me Photography.  The image is a picture of her daughter's cute summer flip flops! Her blog Inspire Me Photography, is full of gorgeous inspiration!  Thank you Tracey for sharing your talent with us!!  Be sure to drop by her blog to check out more of her work!

Here is my card using the colours from Tracey's inspiration photo:
I inked up the "Elements of Style" Set.  I have to admit, I have never used Brilliant Blue on a card like this!  Usually I used this blue on line art cards.  I love this colour and wish I had used it more.  It is retiring but Pacific Point is coming and it is also a gorgeous bright blue!  I cut out the flowers and added them to my main panel.  Of course I had to use some of my Old Olive satin Ribbon.

Here are the FABULOUS Paper Players and their GORGEOUS samples!!!  I just LOVE what they have done with the colours!  To visit their blogs please click on their photos located in the sidebar. 




Create with Connie and Mary (CCMC102)


Last week I participated in a new Challenge Blog called "Create with Connie and Mary".  These two ladies are SU! Demos as well, so I wanted to be sure to play along with their challenge again!  They are challenging us to a Colour Challenge...I have no papers in the colours except for Tempting Turquoise, so I decided to do white card with a hint of colour!  This is what I created!!!  I find it so challenging to photograph Whisper White paper...does anyone have any tips on how to adjust my camera for white cards?  Can you see the scored paper that I made with my scoring blade?

Thank you for stopping by! 
Smiles,
Lesley

Stampin' 411 Sketch Challenge

One more post for the day and then I need to get back to my report cards, laundry and all the other things I should be doing!!  I just had to play along with the Stamping 411 Sketch Challenge...so I got out the crimper, the Elements of Style Stamp set and went to work! I used the En Francais BG stamp for the top of the card.  The bottom of the card is crimped...to make it look like Toile...I used my favourite ribbon again, Old Olive Satin ribbon.  The sentiment is from Watercolour Trio and is punched out with the circle punches.

Thanks for stopping by!
Smiles,
Lesley :)

Stamp-A-Holics Challenge

This has been one hectic week with work and life.  I am a little late posting my Design Team creation for the Stamp-A-Holics...sorry ladies!!!  This week we are doing a 20 minute scrapbooking challenge!!  Here is the design from DT member Marisol!  I LURVE it!!!
I am notorious for spending HOURS on my scrapbook pages...mostly because I keep adding "stuff" to it.  This 20 minute deadline was good for me, it made my focus more and I really worked hard to try to make the deadline.  Did I succeed?  Keep reading...you will soon find out! LOL!
Here is good ol' Mr. Linky....smiling at me, he knows my scrapbooking fetish and knows I am always long winded when it comes to creating the "perfect" page!!!  Well I'll show him!  It is 10:11am and I am determined to be finished at 10:31am!!!  Here goes!
I got my supplies together...then I started...
I wanted to make a page for my husband Corey.  He lost his granny this year and she was such an important part of his life.  He also loves gardening and the many hummingbirds we have in our garden, so I tried to incorporate all of those elements into the page!
Here is the page, starting to come together.  I used my Big Shot to cut out the letters for Granny and then typed my journalling on the computer and printed it out on Whisper White Cardstock.  I wish I had My Digital Studio...it is on my list for July! Here is the final page all done ad here is my time!  25 minutes!!!  Not bad!!!!  Woo-hoo!!!

 
Thank you for stopping by!  Please visit Carole'Ann's blog by clicking HERE to see the other DT samples and to link up your page!
Here is my husband and Granny...she is greatly missed...

Smiles,
Lesley

Supplies used...
Paper: Cottage Wall DSP, Always Artichoke, Sahara Sand, Rich Razzleberry
Stamps: Elements of Style (Clear), Inspired by Nature
Inks: Markers, Razzleberry
Other stuff: 2 way glue pen, Paper Snips, Clear Blocks, Big Shot, Go-Go Boots alphabet set, Wide Oval Punch

Featured Stamper LeAnne Pugliese

I made a card yesterday to celebrate my friend and fellow Paper Player, LeAnne!!!  She was chosen as the featured stamper on Splitcoast Stampers.  She deserves it!  Not only is she one of the sweetest and most fun people I have met in cyberspace, she is so inspirational with her card making!!  Her cards are gorgeous!  I truly hope we get the chance to meet in person one day!!  I am teaching a card class on Friday and needed a card layout to go with my Sweet Scoops set.  I found THIS CARD in LeAnne's Gallery and used the layout for my card!  This is her card below, with the shells...it is so pretty and I loved the layout!


Here is my card!  I changed it up a bit, I used ovals instead of squares and scalloped the bottom and added a ribbon.  But the main idea of three images going across the card is there!  I also just did one layer of DSP.  I didn't have the brads so I added ribbon instead.


Congratulations LeAnne!!!  You deserve it!!!  To visit LeAnne's blog please click HERE!
Thanks for stopping by!
Smiles,
Lesley :)

Pals Paper Arts and Sketch'n'Colour


I have a card class this Friday and so far, I have designed 2 cards for it.  Tonight I designed one more using the Pals Paper Arts Colour Challenge and the Sketch'n'Colour Sketch Challenge.  The colours on PALS were not my usual colours so I decided to take a risk and play along!  The sketch from Sketch'n'Colour is so pretty!  I really felt inspired by it.  I really like the sketches these ladies offer on their challenges.  You should try to visit both of these challenge blogs and play along!

I decided to rotate the sketch.  I used the Hostess Level 2 set from the Summer Mini called "Punched Posies".  It is a terrific set!  I punches out two of the 5-petal flowers with the 5-petal punch.  I embossed the Curry base with the Texturz Plates and heat embossed the sentiment in White Craft ink from the stamp set called "Kind and Caring Thoughts", another Hostess Set. The little circles in the centre of each flower are images from the "Always" set and are punches out with the 1/2" Circle Punch and then popped up on dimensionals.  Here is the completed card...it is CAS looking but really involved some fun techniques. I hope the ladies coming on Friday enjoy making this card as much as I did!


Thank you for stopping by!
Smiles,
Lesley

Saturday, June 12, 2010

Challenge #1 Winners

Thank you to all of the stampers who joined us in our first challenge this week! Your Masculine/Father's Day cards were all so different and fabulous!  Choosing just one "Headliner" and 3 "Cut Aboves" was a difficult task for me and the Paper Players!

Our "Headliner" for Challenge #1, who will receive the "I Was A Headliner at Always Playing with Paper" Badge is:

I loved Ann's colouring and bright colours!!  The clean layout really showed off the fun image! Congratulations Ann!  Please email me for your 'Headliner" badge!  My email is located in my profile.

Our "Cut Aboves" for Challenge #1, who will receive the "I Was A Cut Above" at Always Playing with Paper badge are (and in no particular order):

Nance Leedy of Canopy Crafts 

Pam of Stamps Inc

Congratulations ladies! What awesome cards!! Thank you for joining us this week! Please email me so I may send you your badge!  My email is located in my profile.  Be sure to visit us tomorrow for a fun and vibrant colour challenge!  I am in love with the Paper Players samples, I can't wait to share them with you!

Smiles,
Lesley and the Paper Players