Merry Christmas for The Paper Players #72

I've been pretty busy lately and I haven't posted for a week, but I miss participating in my challenges and making cards! Today I made this card for The Paper Players, and the colors we have to play with are Always Artichoke, Riding Hood Red and River Rock. I was inspired by a card that was published in Cards magazine.

Have a great day! Enjoy!

Cardstock: Chocolate Chip (102128), River Rock (108640), Riding Hood Red (111348), Very Vanilla
(101650), Red Glimmer Paper (121790)
Stamp Set: Forest Festivities (W 123797, C 123799)
Embellishments: Mini Jingle Bells (124116)
Fabric: Deck the Halls (121716)
Embossing folder: Snow Burst (124096)

Give Thanks (The Paper Players #70)

I can't believe Halloween is over. I was planning to create a card for Halloween when I realized that Halloween was Monday, boohoo! I am looking forward to Thanksgiving now.

The theme for The Paper Players this week is about fall and anything goes. Since I love fall and leaves (in any size, any color, any kind!), I decided to make a card with leaves. I took the technique I used on this card from our Success magazine. I basically clear embossed some leaves, then gave color to the cardstock with the daubers and after that I stamped leaves randomly on top. The effect is so nice that I used that technique several times in different cards. Below you are going to find the card that I sumbmitted to the challenge and the other one that I created using the same technique and very similar to the one that is in our magazine.

Thanks for stopping by! Enjoy!

Cardstock: Lucky Limeade (122926), Soft Suede (115318), Natural Ivory (101849)
Stamp sets: Gently Falling (W 123802, C 123804), Hand-Penned Holidays (124312)
Ink: Soft Suede(115657), Versamark (102283), Daffodil Delight (119667), Cherry Cobbler (119669), Old Olive (102277)
Ribbon: Cherry Cobbler 1/2" Seam Binding ribbon 1/2" cherry cobbler (120992)
Embellishments: Antique Brads (117273)

Another Halloween card for colourQ #108 (and Papers Players #69)

Hi everybody! First of all, I want to thank the colourQ Royal Court Design Team for picking my card in last week's challenge (#107) as a colourQ Courtier!

All your comments have been much appreciated, they are very important to me. I think through comments you connect with your audience, especially by reading and answering them, otherwise you never know if people like your creations or not. Although most bloggers share creations, thoughts and their personal lives with the rest of the world, I am pretty sure that they are not expecting any comments in return, so when you do get those comments and you read what people think of your creations, it is so inspiring and rewarding!

This is my first time that I combine two challenges, The Paper Players and colourQ. I used the sketch of The Paper Players challenge and the colors from the colourQ challenge to create this card. I already put up a card at The Paper Players, but I also wanted to put this one up since I made it with the sketch!

Hope you like my creation, and get inspired to create some Halloween cards. Have a spooky Halloween! Boo!

Cardstock: Basic Black (121045), Peach Parfait (119794), So Saffron (105118), Daffodil Delight (119683)
Designer Series Paper: Pick Your Poison (124001)
Stamp set: House of Haunts (111574)
Ink: Versamark (102283)
Punches: Scallop Edge Border (119882)
Embossing folder: Spider Web (120889)
Embossing powder: Black (109133), Tangerine Tango (123106)

The Paper Players #69: Nance's sketch

Hi everybody! First of all, I have to thank The Paper Players team for choosing my card as a Cut Above last week! I feel so good when someone likes my creations.

When I start the process of creating a card, I don't know what I am going to come up with. I can have a vague idea, but when you put papers and embellishments together, the original idea of your card changes completely! At least that's what happens to me. This is also why I truly enjoy (I think this happens to you, too) that part in the creating process in which you play with your stuff. After that, and once you have created your card, publishing is the following process in which you open up to people, followers, friends and family to show your creation, and if you add to that the fact that people liked your card and selected it in a challenge or contest, even better! It's like the cherry on top. I feel pleased and gratified.

Hope you like my creation today! Have a great day and God bless you all!

Cardstock: Crumb Cake (120953), Lucky Limeade (122926), Sahara Sand (121043), Chocolate Chip (102128), Cherry Cobbler (119685), Very Vanilla (101650), So Saffron (105118)
Stamp set: Just Believe (W 116948, C 120453)
Ink: Cherry Cobbler (119669), Crumb Cake (121030), Early Espresso (119670)
Punch: Scallop Trim Border (118402)
Embossing folders: Finial press (115963), Stripes (123128)
Embosslits Die: Beautiful Wings (118138)
Embellishment: Basic Rhinestones (119246)

Thanks for being my friend (PPA 116)

A couple of years ago, I took watercolor classes. When I became a Stampin' UP! demonstrator I tried to apply my watercolor techniques in my cards, and I enjoy it a lot. The scene in this card was created on one of those days that I was inspired with watercolor. I had taught how to paint this scene in a class, and it had been lying around my studio ever since, so I decided to use it in a card for this week's Pals Paper Arts challenge.

I painted the watercolor scene using the Stampin' UP! aquapainters and markers. In some areas, I applied the marker directly on the watercolor paper and then blended the color with the aquapainter. In other areas, I used the plastic that comes in our Stamp-a-ma-jig as my pallete, placed some strokes of marker on that, and took the paint from there. If you want to darken some areas like the wheelbarrow, or the clothes of the girl, you can do so by letting the paint dry, and then retouching with paint only the areas you want to darken. On areas where the light reflects (like the front of the girl's shirt or her pants), try not to put much paint in those areas, or leave them white. It's much easier to leave these areas white or with very little color, than to remove color to lighten them up later.

It is so much fun to paint with watercolor. Don't be afraid! Give it a try and you won't regret it! It's definitely worth the try. As long as you work with watercolor paper, there are no worries about how much water you put on it, but remember to use Staz-on to avoid smearing the edges, and that the colors will run where the paper is wet. Don't hesitate to contact me for any questions you might have.

Have a great day! Leave me a comment and tell me your experiences with watercolor. I'll be happy to read about them!

Cardstock: Very Vanilla (101650), Poppy Parade (119793), Concord Crush(119792), Watercolor Paper (122959)
Embellishments: Crystal Effects (101055), Dazzling Details (124117), Basic Pearls (119247)
Markers: Poppy Parade and Concord Crush (119801), Daffodil Delight (119677), Melon Mambo (121074), Chocolate Chip (100071), Old Olive (100079)
The rest of the materials are discontinued.