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Monochromatic Wedding Card

There's another fun challenge going on over at The Paper Players blog site.  Right now there's still time to enter if you're interested.   

This week's challenge has to do with colour, and very specifically it's a #205 Sandy's Clean and Simple Monochromatic theme challenge.  

Here's My Card:

The card base is a piece of 8 1/2 x 5 1/2" Whisper White card stock.  I've added a layer of Crumb Cake card stock that was embossed with the Beautiful Baroque Embossing Folder. 
 

A small piece of DSP from the Moonlight Designer Series paper pack that has a Whisper White and Crumb Cake flower petal pattern was added to the top of the card for interest. This piece measured 3 7/8" x 1 1/4". A piece of Whisper White card stock was added next. On this piece I stamped a full and a partial floral image from the Blended Bloom stamp in Crumb Cake ink.

Blended Bloom single wood block stamp Item #135906.

For the center of my flowers I chose to use the circle image from the Serene Silhouettes stamp set, stamped in Crumb Cake and decorated with Basic Pearls.  The butterfly and floral images are very delicate  and I hoped that by combining this image with the floral image it would bring a sense of romance and whimsy to my wedding card. 

For the sentiment I stamped "For the Newlyweds" from the Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set in Soft Suede ink. I really love the flowering script in this sentiment.  I punched out the sentiment with the large oval punch and mounted it on a Crumb Cake label that was die cut using the Apothecary Framelits set.  This piece was also embossed with the Beautifully Baroque Embossing Folder. 

 

Apothecary Art Framelits

I hope you enjoyed my latest card.  Please leave me a comment if you think it's worthy.  And don't forget to pop on over to The Paper Players blog to check out all the other cards made for this challenge.  Appreciated.

Happy Stamping!
Penny Tokens

Happy Hour Friendship Card - PCCCS #102

I don't know where the time goes.  Honestly.  How can it be Sunday?  I still have things to do this week, like get this entry for the The Paper Craft Crew's card challenge posted.

Have you ever thought about doing a card challenge or do you get stuck thinking about how you want your card to look?  Well if you do now's the time to start checking out this site for ideas.  There are so many great ones.  

Here's This Week's Sketch:

It's easy.  Don't be shy.  To start, just check out their sketch for the week, then   follow the rules for posting and creating your card. Finally post your finished card with a link to your blog post about the card.  If you don't have a blog you can send them an email with your card and they'll post it for you.  So what are you waiting for try this sketch out. 

 Here's My Card:

I recently got my new Designer Series Pack DSP called "Moonlight" and was anxious to try out some of the awesome papers.  So once I had chosen the paper featured in this card it became the focus for my colours, stamp set choice and composition.

Supplies:

Stamps:  Work of Art, Perfect Pennants, Happy Hour
Ink:  Lost Lagoon, Hello Honey, and Memento Tuxedo Black
Designer Series Paper:  Moonlight 
Cardstock:  Basic Gray, Whisper White, Lost Lagoon and Hello Honey
Accessories:  Large Oval punches, Banner Framelits, Circle Framelits, Basic and Large Rhinestones, Adhesive and Dimensionals. 

The Moonlight Designer Series Paper Stack is featured on page 185 of the new Stampin' Up! catalogue.  It contains 48 sheets in the stack.  There are four each of 12 double-sided designs. Each piece measures 4-1/2" x 6-1/2".  These beautiful papers are archival quality being acid free and lignin free so very safe for scrap booking. The colour match-ups for Moonlight are:  Basic Gray, Blackberry Bliss, Hello Honey, Lost Lagoon, Sahara Sand, Whisper White.  At only $8.50a package, this is an awesome deal.    Note:  Unfortunately the Designer Series Paper Packs are not eligible for the Buy Three Get One Free promotion that is currently running.

The banner sentiment is from Perfect Pennants and is cut out with the second smallest banner framelit.  I added a few basic rhinestones to the base of the banner in the grouping suggested in the sketch.  The "cheers" sentiment is from the Happy Hour stamp set.  Doesn't it just make you want to smile!  I clumped three large Rhinestones together to go with the bubble background. 

The Perfect Pennants Stamp Set comes in Wood and Clear Mount as well as Brush Script version on MDS.  This 10 piece set coordinates with the Banners Framelits, to make a very versatile stamp set.  Lots of basic shapes, pennants, sentiments and even some washi-tape designs.  Can you say awesome?

The Happy Hour stamp which comes in Wood and Clear Mount styles, has been around for a while now.  If you haven't seen it or don't have it, take a look now.  This is one of those great sets to have in your collection for not only the Holiday Season, but other happy occasions too.  Lots of images to create festive drink-themed cards and projects for whatever the occasion.  There are 17 stamps in this set. 

I used the circle image from the Work of Art stamp set and recreated the design from the Moonlight DSP.  Because this DSP is so clean I could have just cut a 3 3/4 x 5  piece of it and used it on the inside of the card.  The Stampin' Up! Lost Lagoon Ink would have easily stamped over the DSP and been readable. 

I stamped the drink glass once in Tuxedo black on the 2 1/2" Whisper White circle and then created a mask by stamping the image again on a piece of post it note.  I just needed the bowl part.  Once I put the mask in place I was able to stamp the drink umbrella without the stem cutting through the edge of the glass.  I stamped the glass again in Hello Honey on a scrap of Whisper White, fussy cut it out and glued it to the glass.  Same with the drink umbrella, I stamped a second image in Lost Lagoon and then cut it out and pasted it in place using a 2-way glue pen.  There was too much white space on the circle so I inked up the spot from Work of Art in all three colours and stamped it randomly on the circle........ much better.  

Hope you like my rendition of this week's sketch.  Leave me a comment if you do, I'd love to hear from you.

Happy Stamping!
Penny Tokens

Stippled Blossoms Thank You Card

Today's card is a thank you card that I'm sure you'll like.   I got my inspiration for this card from  a blog challenge site called "Just Add Ink".  There is a link button on my left side panel so you can go and check out this site anytime.   

Just Add Ink has been around since January 2010 and during that time they have hosted over 200 challenges.  They are an Australian/New Zealand Stampin’ Up! challenge blog run by Australian and New Zealand Independent Stampin’ Up! Demonstrators.   Along with their challenge blog they also have Pinterest and Facebook pages you can follow.  It's worthwhile, because they have sketch and colour challenges that are awesome not to mention all the wonderful samples from the talented design team and fans.

 Just Add Ink #223 Sketch Challenge

This really challenging sketch was created by Tina Gillespie.  She used this sketch to create a birthday card for her daughter.  Check it out on her blog Scissors Paper Card.

Here's My First Attempt at this Card: 

Oooops!  I don't know if you're like me but if you are take heart, sometimes we just don't get it right.  I began this challenge with one card in mind and ended up with a bit different card, I'll call it my "stepped up" card.  That's the one I submitted to the challenge.  

For my first card I wanted to use my new InColour card stocks and inks but when I assembled the card it just didn't do it for me, it was too dark.  Here's the first card and I won't go into a lot of discussion about it's assembly just some basics.

Assembly:
I really liked the full circle in the card sketch but chose to mount it on a square card base.  I didn't want anything too big, so chose to do a 4 1/2" x 4 1/2" square.  The Whisper White card base for this card measures 4 1/2 x 9" and it's folded at 4 1/2".

For this first attempt I used Blackberry Bliss, Mossy Meadow, Perfect Plum and Whisper White card stocks and inks.  I used a sponge dauber to edge the card and stamped the sentiment directly to the Whisper White card stock.  Basic Rhinestones were added to the flower centers. 

I embossed the flower layer with the Decorative Dots EF but the layer of Blackberry Bliss in the background is plain.  Instead of pearls I used Basic Rhinestones for the flower highlights.  

The inside of my card was plain with only the floral image stamped in the corner.

Here's my "Stepped Up" version:

I did some tweaking with the layers adding an additional one to give it more connectivity.  See my note below.

I stamped the roses from Stippled Blossom in Perfect Plum and Blackberry Bliss and added leaves in Pear Pizzazz.  The Thank You sentiment is from the Blooming With Kindness Stamp set. The sentiment was stamped on Whisper White in Blackberry Bliss and then punched out with the 1" circle punch and mounted on a 11/4" circle of Perfect Plum.  This piece was then adhered to the card front with dimensionals. 

 

For the inside I cut a 4 1/4 x 4 1/4" piece of Blackberry Bliss and then layered it with a 4 x 4 piece of Whisper White.  I don't really like verses inside my cards but I do like some kind of adornment so I chose to stamp  just the detailed stamp of the large rose from the Stippled Blossoms set. I probably should have stamped off the ink to give this image a softer look, but I'm glad I decided to go with full ink.  The image came out clear, detailed, bold and, is a striking contrast to the Whisper White card stock.

Layers, Layers, Layers:  
Remember I mentioned there were lots of layers on this card, well I cannot tell a lie.  There are a lots and lots of layers!  Why?  Because I like the way it pulls everything together and adds depth to the design. 

The first layer on this card is cut from Pear Pizzazz and measures 4 1/4" x 4 1/4".  The next layer of Blackberry Bliss measures 4 x 4" and was embossed with the Decorative Dots Embossing Folder (EF).  I just can't get enough of those large dots.  

After that, I added a layer of Pear Pizzazz cut out with the Floral Frames Framelits die and then embossed it with the now retired Vine Street embossing folder.  It made the floral image look like veined leaves, which was just the look I was trying to capture.

Finally I added a 3 1/4" circle of Blackberry Bliss topped by a 3" Whisper White circle cut with the Circle Framelits.  The Whisper White circle was cutout, stamped and then cut into puzzle pieces before being mounted on the Blackberry Bliss circle.  Tip:  When mounting the circle pieces I used Tombow Multipurpose Glue so I would have some flexibility in getting the pieces to line up properly along the circle rim and in between.  Once the floral layers were put together, I added dimensionals and adhered it to the Pear Pizzazz flower shape. 

I added the Basic Pearls to the flower centers after the card was assembled.  The Thank You sentiment was the last piece added and was popped up with dimensionals.  I love the script used for this stamp.  So romantic!

Here are the two cards I made together. 

 

Card No. 1

 

Card No. 2

 Supplies Used: 
Stamp Set:  Stippled Blossoms and Blooming With Kindness
Ink:  Blackberry Bliss, Perfect Plum, Mossey Meadow, Pear Pizzazz
Card Stock:  Whisper White, Pear Pizzazz, Blackberry Blizz, Mossy Meadow
and Perfect Plum
Accessories:  Decorative Dots Embossing Folder (EF), Vine Street EF, Big Shot, Trimmer, Circle Framelits, Flower Framelits, Basic Pearls, Sponge Dauber, 1" and 1 1/4" circle punches, Tom Bow Multipurpose Adhesive and Dimensionals. 

Hope you enjoyed this card.  Leave me a comment if you did.  Let me know which version is your favourite.  It will make my day.

Happy Stampin!
Penny Tokens 

Nautical Birthday Card

We're still basking in the sunshine here on the West Coast, and while it's been a tad hotter than is comfortable, no one, and I mean no one, is complaining.  It finally feels like summer has arrived. 

Today I want to share a masculine birthday card that began as an"idea forming", while I was making my Nautical Get Well card earlier in the week. 

How does one get an "idea forming"?  Well, to begin with, I was really inspired by the Maritime Designer Series Paper I was working with and wanted to make something else with it. The designs are beautiful.  

About the same time, I saw a card post featuring the Paper Pals Arts Colour Challenge PPA211 and I really liked the bold statement it made.  Although it was too late to participate in the challenge, I never let that hold me back, after all it's the idea that counts.

Finally, an idea started to come together in my mind, around combining the colour challenge, the Maritime DSP and a "wow easel card" design I'd made some time ago.  Once I could visualize how it would all come together I thought this will make a great card.  And guess what?  It did!

So let's begin with the Colour Challenge:

The bold combination of Night of Navy, Daffodil Delight and Whisper White really got my wheels turning.  

Since the piece of Maritime Designer Series paper I was working with was a mixture of Night of Navy and Whisper White, I was already two thirds of the way towards making my card.  All I had to do was add the Daffodil Delight into the mix and that was definitely a no-brainer.

Here's My Card:

If this isn't Nautical, then I don't know what is!  Here's the front view of my card.  It's a little difficult to see the side panels and folds of the easel, but you will in the next picture. 

I think this is such a manly card but imagine making it for a guy who loves the ocean or sailing. Even better!  For me, I love the colour match-up and the simple lines of the card. In this side view you get a better idea of how the side folds work. Here are a few more pictures showing some of the detail. 

Here's a view of the inside of the card.  Again plain and simple.  And what a bonus, there's lots of room to write on.

I used my Stampin' Up! Trimmer to cut and score this card.  The card base is Daffodil Delight and measures 4 1/4 x 11.  The card base can't be folded until all the score lines and cuts have been made.  Once that's done then the card will basically fold in on itself - so be patient.

I know the stamp set Perfect Punches is long retired, but I'll never get enough of this "happy birthday" sentiment.  I enjoy using it because it goes with almost all my masculine card themes.  It's kind of bold and "manly" script and it's got those non-feminine (in my mind) swirls going on.

Don't you love this ship's wheel?  Looks complicated to make right?  Actually its very simple to make.  Using the Word Window punch cut out eight spokes. Switch to a Crop-a-dile or whatever eyelet setting tool(s) you have to add the eyelet to the end of the spoke. Once you've got them all made, you simply arrange the spokes evenly around the circle. I found it easier to get them evenly spaced using the "clock method" and my grid paper first.  The clock method is simply lining up in this order:  12:00 o'clock, 6:00 o'clock then at 9:00 o'clock and 3:00 o"clock.  Then fill in the gaps at 1:00, 5:00, 7:00 and 11:00.  I used glue dots to adhere them to the back of the Night of Navy circle.  Although you can't see it I covered up all the spokes on the back with another circle. 

Supplies Used:
Stamps:  The Open Sea, Perfect Punches (retired)
Ink:  Night of Navy
Card Stock:  Night of Navy, Whisper White, Daffodil Delight
Designer Paper:  Maritime DSP 
Accessories:  Circle Framelits, Large Oval Punch, Word Window Punch, Silver Elastic cord, 8 silver medium sized eyelets, Crop-a-dile, Trimmer, Dimensionals, Adhesive.

 I hope you enjoyed my card and will leave me a comment.  

Happy Stamping! 
Penny Tokens

Nautical Get Well

We've been having a heat wave for the last few days and it's brought soaring temperatures and sleepless nights.  So, when you can't sleep you might as well stamp..........right?

I'd been trying to come up with a masculine "Get Well" card and when I checked out this week's sketch on Paper Craft Crew Challenges it grabbed me right away. I love when that happens! 

 Here's the sketch:

You can check out the design team's submissions and other entries by clicking here:  PCCSC #101

Here's my card:

 

As luck would have it, I'd just received an order from Stampin' Up! and was thinking of using some of the new Designer Series Paper (DSP) called Maritime to make a nautical theme card.  One look at the sketch and I knew I would be able to incorporate the DSP and stamps from the Open Sea stamp set into my card.  

The Open Sea Stamp Set is perfect for making masculine cards and teamed up with the new Maritime DSP it's sure to be a big hit. 

For the inside of my card I wanted to make a bold statement so I chose to use the "Get Well" sentiment from a recently retired set called Perfectly Penned*.  I love the script on this stamp and I thought it went perfectly with the Open Sea images.  I stamped it in Real Red ink.  The ship image is stamped in Night of Navy.  The inside layer dimensions are 5 x 3 3/4"

*Some alternative "get well sentiments" from the new 2014-15 catalogue that would work for this card can be found in the following sets:  Fabulous Four on pg 13, Sassy Salutations on pg 67, A Dozen Thoughts on pg 108 and Really Good Greetings on pg 120.

I love the bold written message I used for the front of the card.  The sentiment "Sending Good Thoughts Your Way", is from the Perfect Pennants 10 piece stamp set on page 16 of the catalogue.  When you're looking for sentiments remember that Stampin Up has put together a Greeting Alphabet Stamp Set Index on pages 245 -247 of the catalogue. The Whisper White banner was cut out with the Banner Framelits and the image was popped up with dimensionals on the card face. 

The map image from the Open Sea has been layered with Night of Navy and Real Red card stock that was cut out with the Circles framelits.  The beautiful little arrow comes from the Label Card Thinlets die set.   I used a red Sharpie Marker to colour one of the medium sized Basic Rhinestones and glued it to the tail of the arrow for a bit of bling. 

Supplies Used: 
Stamp Sets:  The Open Sea, Perfectly Penned and Perfect Pennants
Card Stock:  Whisper White, Night of Navy and Real Red
DSP:  Maritime #133696 coordinates with Coastal Cabana, Night of Navy, Real Red and Whisper White
Ink:  Real Red and Night of Navy
Accessories:  Circle Framelits, Banner Framelits, Label Card Thinlets, 1/4" Whisper White Grosgrain Ribbon, Large Basic Rhinestone coloured red with Sharpie Marker, Dimensionals, Paper Trimmer, Big Shot, Adhesive

During the month of July you can buy 3 Designer Series Papers and get a fourth one for free.  That's how I got my Maritime Paper and I'm loving it! 

Here's one last look at my card.  I love how the Maritime DSP gives such a strong nautical image to the face of this card.  The designs are so classic.

Hope you enjoyed this post and will come back and see me again sometime soon.  Please leave a comment if you like this card, it's the only way I know if I'm making something that's appealing to others.  So let me know would you like to receive this card?  I'd appreciate it.

HAPPY STAMPING
PENNY TOKENS