Category: Challenges

Clean and Simple Masculine Birthday Card

Posted on by dayinker
http://thepaperplayers.blogspot.com Challenge PP537 Clean and Simple Birthday card
http://thepaperplayers.blogspot.com/

Clean and simple cards are not my usual, but I wanted to play with the Paper Players this week. You may see clean and simple abbreviated as CAS. But what does it mean? A CAS card has minimal layers, minimal, if any, embellishments, and lots of blank space. The clean and simple challenge from the Paper Players this week was a birthday card. Here’s what I came up with.

A Masculine Clean and Simple Birthday Card

Clean and Simple masculine birthday card featuring Stampin' Up! Rustic Retreat and Woodland embossing folder.

I started with a base of Thick Very Vanilla card stock. The next layer was an experiment. I used the Natural Touch DSP. This paper has a woodgrain texture already embedded in it. I wasn’t sure how it would do being embossed, but it held up really well. Using the soon to be retired Woodland embossing folder was a nostalgic moment for me. I think this is the first embossing folder I ever bought from Stampin’ Up! and I love it.

Next, I used a 2″x5″ strip of Very Vanilla and stamped it using the Rustic Retreat set in Cinnamon Cider. I used my Stamparatus so I could ink and stamp both images at once. I left a lot of blank space at the top as part of my Clean and Simple design. Using Mossy Meadow, I did color in a few spots of grass under the deer to add a spot of contrasting color. For the final touch, I added a simple knotted Cinnamon Cider ribbon between the sentiment and the deer.

I enjoy creating cards for challenges that stretch my creativity. I’m so glad The Paper Players continue to issue great challenges and I thank them for letting me play along. Do you like Clean and Simple cards? Have you experimented with your craft supplies lately? Let me know and happy crafting!

Gift Toppers with Memories and More Cards

Posted on by dayinker

Memories and More cards can be used for greeting cards, pocket scrapbooking, and now, something else. I mentioned before that I’m participating in the Christmas Challenge Stampathon. This month, the challenge involved creating gift toppers. True confession time: I’m not a great gift wrapper. But after making these festive flower-based gift toppers, I’m motivated to have lovely wrapping in December. Because I’ve never made anything like this before, I started with my Christmas-themed Memories and More cards and the largest dies I own.

The Toppers

Gift toppers made by DayInkers using Stampin' Up! Memories and More cards as the base.

This challenge was a great opportunity to use what I had in my stash. After I cut the Memories and more cards using Stitched Rectangles and other dies, I had a large, firm base for adding layers. I used a combination of heat embossing, die cuts, and punches.

For the upper left topper, I used heat embossed roses, markers, die-cut leaves, and the blending brush with Merry Merlot ink for the top rose. The base rose images are colored with Stampin’ Write markers in Mossy Meadow, Merry Merlot, and Blushing Bride.

I used the First Frost stamp set with the Poppy Parade topper. To dress up my flowers, I added some gold leafing. The die-cuts are in Pretty Peacock.

For the Holly topper, I used lots of die cuts in Cherry Cobbler, Garden Green, and glitter paper for my flowers. Glitter is always messy, but what’s Christmas without glitter?

The last topper has a punched poinsettia using the Brass foil paper. I hadn’t considered making a metallic flower before this challenge, but I love the result.

Memories and more cards are available in the new catalog. This year, I will try to improve my gift wrapping game by adding fun, fancy gift toppers. Do you prepare early for Christmas? Are you a fancy package wrapper? What’s in your stash?

Happy crafting!

Beautiful World Sketch

Posted on by dayinker

It’s time for another sketch challenge. The Paper Players have a new layout on their blog, and I decided to play along. I’m working with the World of Good suite. This suite is retiring in a month, so if you love it as much as I do, order it now. I used the stamps, dies, embossing folder, DSP, trim, and embellishments from the suite for this card. Yep, I love it.

The Card

I started with this layout for Sketch Challenge PP534. You can click on the picture to see the designers’ examples and all of the other gorgeous entries to this challenge. Sketch challenges are great because you can use what you’ve got.

For my card, I started with a base of Misty Moonlight. The next layer is Very Vanilla embossed with the Old World Paper 3-D folder. I inked up the folder with Cinnamon Cider before I ran the paper through my Stampin’ Cut & Emboss Machine. I have fallen in love with this tool that folds up so well and gives such an even impression.

Next, I added two lengths of Faux Suede trim with Antiqued slides. It reminds me of the straps on a suitcase. And boy, do I miss traveling!

For the two columns, I cut two pieces of Cinnamon Cider card to 1-1/8″ x 4″ and layered on World of Good Specialty DSP cut to 1″x3-7/8″. Then I die cut the globe base out of foil paper.

The globe is a second generation of Cinnamon Cider, so I stamped it on scrap paper and then stamped my piece of Very Vanilla without re-inking. On top of that, I stamped the sentiment in Versamark ink and heat embossed it with black embossing powder. The columns and the globe are lifted on Dimensionals.

I always enjoy playing along with The Paper Players. I hope you find creative inspiration this weekend. Happy crafting.