Paper Players: A Card for Ryan

Happy Sunday, y'all, and that means it's time for a new Paper Players challenge!  This week the jubilant Jan has a fun theme challenge for us to kick off August:

Jan wants to see cards for babies or kids, and as it happens I live with a not-quite-so-little-anymore kiddo who will be starting fourth grade this week, so this is a perfect time to make a card to slip into his backpack on that first day.  Here's what I made:

Ryan has been fixated on ducks for yeeeeeaarrrrs but after we went to Yellowstone and then to a nearby wolf sanctuary this summer, he is now also fixated on wolves.  He's read several books about the wolves of Yellowstone and I am all for anything that gets him to enjoy reading.  Anyway, this was also a fabulous opportunity for me to finally ink up my Wild Wolves stamp set from Lawn Fawn that I got last year.  I kinda took inspiration from a shirt that Ryan and I both have:

We took this selfie at Yellowstone this past May : )

Check out the other design team creations on the Paper Players blog, and you can hop through their individual blogs to leave some comments too:

The Paper Players Design Team

Jaydee

LeAnne Pugliese

Claire Broadwater

Joanne James

Ann Schach

Jan Clothier

Stef Perry

you are here --> Christy Stanford

And then upload your card at the Paper Players blog!  Keep in mind a few simple rules:
1.  Create a new paper project
2.  Upload your creation to your blog with a link back to us and provide a direct link to the post featuring your challenge submission
3.  Please link your card to no more than four challenges, TOTAL
4.  Have fun!

Supplies:
Stamps:  Wild Wolves from Lawn Fawn
Ink:  Night of Navy, Stampin' Blends in So Saffron, Smoky Slate, Copper Clay
Paper:  Night of Navy, Basic White, Everyday Skies DSP Stack, Simply Marbleous DSP Stack
Accessories:  Wild Wolves dies

The Greek Symbol Mystery

Happy August and welcome to the Nancy Drew Challenge!  Today we are on the sixtieth book in the series, The Greek Symbol Mystery:

I still don't like Nancy's hair and face on the arch covers (no shade to Ruth Sanderson, the artist, and the charcoal illustrations inside the book are quite nice) but I do like the background of ruins and Nancy's outfit is pretty good.

We get Nancy, Bess, and George all together on the first checkerboard cover and for once the outfits aren't bad at all.  Actually all three books have pretty good outfits, which is a contrast to last week's mystery.

I think the one on the right is my favorite though, I like the purple and green color combination, Nancy's facial expression, and it feels more active than the other two covers which are rather static.  And I'm pretty sure I have a button-down shirt in a very similar color to what Nancy's wearing on this one (even though it's George who discovers the snake in the book).

Case file:  Not sure why Nancy bothered to go home to River Heights after her mystery in Belgium because she's right back in Europe, this time in Greece.  Maybe she did it for the frequent flyer miles.  Anyway, she's tracking down a missing person, investigating a possibly fraudulent charity, trailing some art thieves, and running afoul of the local law enforcement (which might be a first, usually the cops are falling over themselves to help her with anything she wants).  And in the end someone names a yacht after her, which is a questionable decision given how many boating accidents she's had.

Here's my card for the arch cover:

I had to ponder this card longer than the other two for this book, the colors on the arch cover don't really say "ancient ruins" to me but I think I made it work here.  I used More Mustard, Bermuda Bay, and Pretty Peacock; since I don't have More Mustard ribbon (and I really thought I did), I used some Hello Honey ribbon which I thought worked well with the So Saffron in the patterned paper and the card base.

I will say that even though the Winged Victory statue *is* Greek (or is it a Roman copy?  I can't remember), I associate it with France since it's on display at the Louvre (and I've seen it).  The Winged Victory stamp actually says Greece on it though so I started with that and used several other travel-related stamp sets to make a collage.

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Travels Abroad, World Wonders, Travel Post, Next Destination
Ink:  Bermuda Bay, Pretty Peacock
Paper:  More Mustard, Pretty Peacock, Very Vanilla, Cupcakes & Carousels DSP Stack
Accessories:  Everyday Arches dies, Hello Honey Stitched Satin Ribbon, Dimensionals

And here we go for cover #2:

I had to ink up Sweet November's Mini Medusa for this one!  In the first chapter, Nancy tells her friends, "Last night Hannah dreamed that we'd be greeted at Athens airport by gorgons--monsters with snakes for hair!" and then George says that was probably because Hannah had an appointment to have her hair permed.  I adore this Medusa stamp so I was delighted to use it for this one.

For my colors, I used Shaded Spruce, Azure Afternoon, Golden Glow, and Crisp Cantaloupe to coordinate with the book cover.  Doozy's skin is Crisp Cantaloupe and I did wonder if that looked okay, but the hubs said he liked it so I kept it that way.  I had fun coloring in Doozy's snek friends.

Supplies:
Stamps:  Mini Medusa from Sweet November, My Paper Pumpkin greeting
Ink:  Night of Navy, Shaded Spruce, Stampin' Blends in Shaded Spruce, Golden Glow, Crisp Cantaloupe, Azure Afternoon
Paper:  Shaded Spruce, Basic White, Venetian Romance DSP, Bloom Impressions DSP
Accessories:  Everyday Arches dies, Stylish Shapes dies, Dimensionals, In Color Dots

And speaking of snakes, here's my card for the third cover:

I never thought I'd be saying "Oh how CUTE" about a snek image but here we are.  For a wonder, I did *not* buy the Animal Notes stamp set from C.C. Designs specifically for this challenge, I got it because it's got a dozen super cute rolly-polly animals and the snake happened to be one of them.  Then I perused my Halloween stamp sets for my greeting and it makes me laugh because I am a giant nerd.

I think this cover is the hardest of the three to find; I would like to get one that's in better condition, but I have yet to find one despite being on the hunt for over a year.  At least I have this book even if it is a bit distressed.  I remember this cover especially because it's the one my library had when I was a kid.

Supplies:
Stamps:  Animal Notes from C.C. Designs, Scary Cute
Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, Stampin' Blends in Granny Apple Green & Bubble Bath
Paper:  Petunia Pop, Gable Green, Granny Apple Green, Basic White, Cute As Can Bee DSP
Accessories:  Everyday Details dies, Dimensionals, Petunia Pop Iridescent Ribbon

When I first read this book as a wee young lass, I never guessed that one day I'd get to go to Greece too; the girls visit Athens, Piraeus, and Corfu, and I've been to all three of those plus several other places like Santorini and Olympia.  Also I have cousins who are half Greek so this book was extra interesting to me for that reason.  Usually I like the travelogue books, but this one feels like they skipped a chapter at the beginning--the missing persons case isn't explained at all, we just find out about it in dribs and drabs through the book and most of what happens doesn't make a whole lot of sense.  I do like the Greek setting though and the covers are all good so I'm giving it one and a half stars.  If you make a card based on the book, leave me a comment as I'd love to see how it inspires you!  I'll see you next week when Nancy finds The Swami's Ring.

Gleaming Peacock

Happy Friday, y'all!  Me and the boys are going to see the new Spider-Man movie today so I am planning to play the last one on my phone while I'm in my craft room just as a refresher before we see the new one.  Should be a fun time!

So, here's my card for today:

The copper embossing powder wasn't showing up quite as well in the photo as it does in real life, so I took another picture:

And I was inspired to make this by the Just Us Girls challenge:

Here is Elizabeth's card that I chose to CASE:

Now, I don't have that really awesome die that she used for her inlaid background (actually I bought it right after I finished this blog post, so I WILL have it), but I do have a variety of peacock stamps.  Obviously my card isn't  super close to hers, but I kept the peacock theme and proud greeting, and I used my Golden Glow shimmer pen to add some yellow like the greeting on Elizabeth's card.  I was actually looking for a different patterned paper that reminds me of peacock feathers, but I happened across the Brightly Gleaming DSP and my brain went OOH SHINY so here we are.  Plus I had never cut into any of that DSP so it was definitely time to use some of it up.

I also used the latest sketch from Sunday Stamps:

I changed it to an A2 card to accommodate my peacock image, but I liked that this sketch lined up so well with Elizabeth's card with the main action on the left.  And then I added my giant sentiment on the right but what can you do.  The DSP has copper foil, so I used copper paper for the layer under my peacock and copper EP for the greeting.  Then I couldn't resist adding the ribbon even though it's got gold in it because OOH SHINY and let's just add a bit more so how about some sequins.

My mom loves peacocks (and hummingbirds and hippos, how's that for a trio?  Now I'm imagining a peacock standing on a hippo and a hummingbird on top of the peacock and my brain is a weird place) so this will likely go to her.  She has two peacock cross stitch pieces made by yours truly hung up in her house and at Christmas she likes to put peacock feather decorations on her tree.

Daphne is kinda low-key staring at me so I'm going to take her for her walk before it gets too hot.  Cheers, y'all!

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Royal Peacock
Ink:  Night of Navy, Pretty Peacock, Versamark
Paper:  Night of Navy, Basic White, Brightly Gleaming DSP, Copper Foil
Accessories:  Royal Peacock dies, Nested Essentials dies, Stylish Shapes dies, Clear EP, Copper EP, Pretty Peacock ribbon, Pretty Peacock sequins, Dimensionals, Golden Glow shimmer pen

(Yet Another) Variation on a Theme

Mornin' y'all, how's your Thursday going?  Ryan is currently "singing", by which I mean he's making all kinds of sustained random noises while also eating breakfast and theoretically reading a book.  Kids.

Anyway, apparently I am stuck on a theme lately and that is the long-retired Hues of Happiness DSP with big word dies because here's another one:

It was the first thing to pop in my head when I saw this week's Freshly Made Sketch and since I already had more of the flowers cut out...

And Shopping Our Stash wants us to focus on a word so out came my Sending Smiles bundle again because it worked so well for Monday's cards.  And I used the tic-tac-toe challenge from Retro Rubber:

I already had flowers on the brain so I knew I was going to start there, so I decided to go along the right side with die cut (my greeting) - butterfly (brass butterfly embellishments) - flowers (fussy cut from DSP).  Sending Smiles is four years old and I thought it was older than that?  The current Words of Beauty is a bit similar in that it has a big bold "just because" but I don't think the "because" fits on a vertically oriented card.  Anyway, I really have a ridiculous amount of DSP in my stash and I am officially out of space for more paper but I also want to buy like five new packs of what's on preorder right now because I am a paper dragon, so this card is good to use a bit more of the gorgeous Hues of Happiness DSP.  I just need to make approximately six thousand more cards before I order more DSP.  Seems doable.

Okay, I've got to take Daphne for a walk before it gets too stinkin' hot and then I need to run to the grocery store, and this afternoon we have Meet the Teacher at Ryan's school so I'd better get moving if I want any craft time.  Cheers!

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Sending Smiles
Ink:  Flirty Flamingo, Granny Apple Green
Paper:  Flirty Flamingo, Granny Apple Green, Basic White, Hues of Happiness DSP
Accessories:  Sending dies, Mini Dimensionals, Brushed Brass Butterflies

Unplanned

Mornin' y'all!  We got quite a lot of rain yesterday and it was fabulous, even if I was out in it for a while.  My favorite way to enjoy a rainstorm is from the comfort of my own home, with a cuppa tea and a good book : )

Yesterday was busy so I only had a teensy bit of time in my craft room, but my card for today almost made itself.

I was perusing my stamp shelves for something completely different when Too Kind jumped out at me and it's been SUCH a long time since I've used this set that I had to make something.  CAS on Friday wants to see flowers and that worked with this week's Creative Colour Challenge:

I really wasn't sure how well Lemon Lime Twist and Golden Glow would play together, though I very much like either color along with Night of Navy, but once I stamped my two simple little flowers I quite liked it.  I looked at them on card bases in LLT and Golden Glow but I decided that the Night of Navy card base looked best and let the flowers pop.  Two simple die cuts and a couple Dimensionals and there's my card.  I didn't add any embellishments since I already have the cute scalloped edges and this is supposed to be CAS.

Ryan and I are thinking about going to the movies this afternoon, so that's our plan for the day.  Have a good one, y'all.

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Too Kind
Ink:  Night of Navy, Lemon Lime Twist, Golden Glow
Paper:  Night of Navy, Basic White
Accessories:  Stitched So Sweetly dies, Dimensionals

More Is Better

Mornin' y'all, and I am dragging today.  I woke up around 3am and couldn't get back to sleep for a long time and then Daphne decided she wanted to go outside at 5:30, not long after I had finally gotten back to sleep.  Argh!  I may have to take a nap today before my doctor's appointment...which is about the extreme fatigue I've had all summer.  I will be playing the part of Exhibit A.

I actually had a pretty good day energy-wise yesterday and apparently I was in the mood for fussy cutting and making more cards with All The Things piled on, like my kitchen sink card from last week.  I got out the Hues of Happiness DSP again (I had been a good little housekeeper and put it away after I made the card last week) and made these two cards:

I still have a bunch more pieces that I cut out yesterday and haven't used yet, but all these cutouts seemed like a great way to use the new Atlantic Hearts sketch:

And I didn't shy away from using the busier patterns for the background in my cards, either.  The one on the left fits in with the As You See It Challenge again too:

I love how the design team cards are all mostly yellow, maybe a bit of green, and my cards are every color all at once but also there's still multiple shades of yellow on there (the cut-out flowers are Daffodil Delight and so is the main part of the greeting, but the sparkle dots are Darling Duckling so that counts as multiple shades).  Guess my brain is a riot of color right now?  Hues of Happiness retired probably like five or six years ago (I know I was in Germany when it came out) but it's gorgeous and I enjoyed using it for these challenges.  And I still have a lot of it left.

Ryan isn't up yet, but Daphne continues to make an absolute pest of herself wanting to go for a walk, so I think I'll go ahead and take her before it gets too warm outside.  Cheers, y'all, and wish me luck at my appointment this afternoon, it's causing me some anxiety.

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Sending Smiles
Ink:  Daffodil Delight, Mossy Meadow
Paper:  Coastal Cabana, Granny Apple Green, Whisper White, Hues of Happiness DSP
Accessories:  Sending Smiles dies, Mini Dimensionals, Low Profile Sparkle Dots

Paper Players Sketch Trio

Mornin' y'all!  I said in yesterday's post that I'd had decision paralysis with my sketch for The Paper Players and ended up making five cards...as promised, I am back today with the three cards I didn't post yesterday.  So here they are:

I started with the Homemade Sweetness DSP and at first I was going to do several fruits for the popped up element, but then I ended up with just the cherries and why didn't I do the stamped cherries from Summer Happiness?  Ah well, I think this is reasonably cute but it's not my favorite.

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Words of Beauty
Ink:  Misty Moonlight
Paper:  Strawberry Slush, Granny Apple Green, Basic White, Homemade Sweetness DSP
Accessories:  Words of Beauty dies, 1" square punch, Dimensionals, Strawberry Slush Gems

Next up, how about another Summerween card:

This time I cut some ghosties out of the DSP instead of the kitties, and added some die cut letters to the three squares.  I really like this one, I think it's cute.

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Oh My Fright
Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black
Paper:  Basic Black, Pumpkin Pie, Frightfully Fun DSP
Accessories:  1 1/4" square punch, Mini Alphabet dies, Dimensionals

And for my final card, a super-CAS sunny creation:

I used the colors from the AAA Cards Challenge:

I used Melon Mambo, Polished Pink, Pumpkin Pie, and Daffodil Delight.  The sun is from Summer Happiness, but then I had to search through all my stamps for a teeny-tiny sunshiney greeting and pulled another set out of the To Sell? boxes.  I swan, I'm never going to actually sell anything, ha!

Supplies, all SU!
Stamps:  Summer Happiness, Special Moments
Ink:  Daffodil Delight, Melon Mambo, Pumpkin Pie, Polished Pink
Paper:  Daffodil Delight, Melon Mambo, Pumpkin Pie, Polished Pink, Basic White
Accessories:  Summer Happiness dies, 1" square punch, Dimensionals

And just in case this post isn't long enough, I present my kiddos:

Sometimes Ryan likes to wear Peking as a hat.

And Daphne has recently taken to snoozing under my craft table while I'm working.  At least she's not right behind my chair, which was Sadie's favorite place to snooze; Daph is better about staying where she won't get rolled over by the chair.  Have a good day, y'all.