Mini Book Love - Play Date Cafe #100

Welcome to the 100th challenge for the Play Date Cafe!!  What a benchmark for success and inspiration.  I feel so blessed to be a part of this team and I hope that I am adding something sassy to the samples each week.

I decided to veer a bit from "status quo" this week and dive into a mini book project.  Only one page today... but there will be more to come soon, so stay tuned.  The series of photos I'm working with are very soft... they have a warmness to them without being bright and fit perfectly with the color story this week:

Terracotta, Sunflower, and Olive

Play Date Cafe Challenge #100

I have been obsessing over mini book ideas and inspiration for quite some time but I've never been brave enough to leave my card comfort zone.  Oh friends, this is a whole new era for me and I am beyond thrilled with what's in store.  I think this is going to be a perfect fit for me because the "canvas" size is still small enough to feel comfortable (card-like) and I get to capture memories of my sweet family/darling kids.

The Cafe is being sponsored this week by Lawn Fawn... such cute, whimsical images.  I have a soft spot for Kelly Marie - she was one my very first blog friends and I am so proud of her incredible successes.  I used the Say Cheese set on my book page - {love} the Polaroid frame!  You have the opportunity to win your own Lawn Fawn goodies by participating this week in the Cafe - don't miss out on a great opportunity to add some of this cuteness to your stamping stash!

click to shop Lawn Fawn

Stamps: Lawn Fawn - Say Cheese; Patterned Paper: My Mind's Eye - Sunshine collection; Tools: PTI Double-ended Banner die, Parisian Lace Doily die, By the Number dies, and Tiny Tags dies; Sassy Somethings: Melissa Frances resin embellishment, PTI Fine Linen buttons

Happy Fall!

Click HERE for my Pink Persimmon "Home Sweet Home" card.

Pumpkins - love 'em.  When I saw the Autumn Greetings stamp set from Market Street I was instantly smitten... pumpkins and a scarecrow... sign me up!  This week I had the perfect excuse (who needs an excuse?) to ink them up for the Paint the Town Color Challenge over on the Market Street blog.  Plus, it just so happens that Market Street is sponsoring the Card Patterns challenge this week as well.  Two for the price of one... yes, please.  Here's the inspiration:

Paint the Town 

Card Patterns

So fun to combine a simple, striking sketch with a great color combo.  One last peek at my paper-pieced pumpkins (say that 5 times fast):

Stamps: Market Street Stamps - Autumn Greetings; Ink: Memento; Cardstock: PTI Kraft, Rustic Cream and Dark Chocolate, SU! So Saffron; Patterned Paper: MME Stella & Rose; Tools: MFT Scallop Border die (medium), PTI Double-ended Banner die & heart dies; Sassy Somethings: PTI twine and button

Home Sweet Home

Happy fall, y'all!  (Just a little bit of Texan for you).  Fall is my favorite season and I will be blowing the blog up with pumpkins, leaves, and all things burnt orange.  To kick things off, I've got a cute card using the Pink Persimmon set: Little Christmas Cottage.

The cottage is cute for ANY season and the little roof is perfect for paper piecing.  Actually, that sweet roof is perfect for lots of things... can you envision Flower Soft to make it look mossy?  Or mica flakes for winter and Christmas?  I've got a few ideas that I'll be sharing with you over the next few weeks so be sure to go ahead and snag it from the Pink Persimmon store.  It's a great set full of versatility that will have you whipping up cards from fall to winter and back into spring.  And while your popping things into the cart you should also snag the Carnival Alphabet that I used to make my custom HOME sentiment.  It's my all-time favorite alpha.

Stamps: Pink Persimmon - Little Christmas Cottage & Carnival Alphabet (small); Ink: SU! Soft Suede; Cardstock: PTI Dark Chocolate and SU! More Mustard; Patterned Paper: MME Stella & Rose; Tools: PTI Double-ended Banner die, heart dies; Sassy Somethings: PTI Terracotta Tile double-stitch ribbon and Crate Paper button

Paper Make Up - Play Date Cafe #99

Hi-ya friends!  I'm back after a few much needed personal days of rest... ready to get back into the swing of things with you and at The Play Date Cafe.  This week we are being sponsored by Paper Make-Up Stamps and had the opportunity to use some of the beautifully detailed images for our projects.

The color story this week for Challenge 99 is: 

Pale Yellow, Lilac, and White.  

Pastels can be hard for some but they can also be a great opportunity to stretch your creativity.  This color story has a very feminine feel, would be perfect for welcoming a baby, or could be used for one last spring/summer card before launching full steam ahead into fall and Christmas.

I wanted to share a close-up shot of the image: Fall Moody.  I colored her with Copics and then used VersaMark ink and 2 coats of UTEE powder to give her a glossy coating.  Reminds me a bit of a cameo.

I hope you'll join us in the Cafe - it's always so much fun to see your interpretations of the color story and to admire your fabulous projects!

Stamps: Paper Make-Up - Fall Moody (rubber); Ink: Memento and VersaMark, Copic Markers; Tools: PTI Banner Border dies; Cardstock: PTI Rustic Cream and Kraft; Patterned Paper: Webster's Pages - Hollywood Vogue, MME Sunshine collection; Sassy Somethings: PTI Lilac buttons, KaiserCraft paper flowers, Prima trim

Play Date Cafe #97

I'm departing a bit from prim & proper, shabby is getting abandoned for the day, ribbons and bows are on standby... all for this week's Play Date Cafe challenge.

click to visit online store

We are being sponsored this week by Tradefish Designs and I had a punny birthday set to create with: Another Year.  I made a sassy pair of underwear to go along with the cheeky sentiment: "Age is like underwear... it creeps up on you".  I thought I would keep things clean and simple... let the pantaloons shine in all their glory. ;)

Lots of fun in the Cafe this week.  We are welcoming Stacy Rodriguez to our team.  Be sure to visit her "Scrappin' Queen" blog because her mini albums are drop dead gorgeous.  The challenge this week is really fun too.  It's a Color Splash challenge which means the main colors should be black and white then we add a splash of color for contrast and pop.  This week our pop is a classic: red.  Here's the fancy inspiration photo to get your mojo revved up:

My card is a mini and measures 4x4".  Perfect for tucking in with a gift.  Lots of my friends are turning the "dirty thirty" over the next few months so someone will definitely end up with this little number.   I hope you will join us this week in the Play Date Cafe - I'm looking forward to seeing your "splashy" creations!

Stamps: Tradefish Designs - Another Year; Cardstock: PTI Kraft; Patterned Paper: Echo Park - For the Record; Tools: PTI Onesie die; Sassy Somethings: PTI Pure Poppy buttons and Webster's Pages trim 

Birthday Wishes - Tea Room & Pink Persimmon

This week Pink Persimmon is joining in the fun over at The Shabby Tea Room. There's a great opportunity to win a $40 gift certificate to the Pink Persimmon shop. Woot! The Tea Room is always full of fantastic inspiration and beautiful design. Did you know that you don't have to have a shabby chic style to participate at the Tea Room? Stampers and crafters with all kinds of styles (not just shabby chic or vintage) are invited to play along... so, please join us!

I love the idea behind this week's challenge:

I chose October because my sweet girlie is going to be celebrating then.  Plus, I just love a good reason to pour on the pink.

Holiday Favors from Pink Persimmon is such a great set for a variety of occasions. (I dare you not to fall in love with that Santa!)  My cute clown is holding a balloon bouquet and I added a little pom-pom for his hat.  The majority of the image is colored with Copics but I paper-pieced his collar and hat for a bit of added interest.  The sentiments are from Vintage Greetings.  I isolated portions of two different stamps and did some selective inking for a custom greeting.

Join us in the Tea Room, celebrate your birthday in August (even if it's not in August!), and enter to win a fabby Pink Persimmon prize.  Can't wait to see what you create!!

Stamps: Pink Persimmon - Holiday Favors and Vintage Greetings; Ink: Memento; Cardstock: PTI Kraft and Rustic Cream; Patterned Paper: My Mind's Eye - Blush; Sassy Somethings: Prima flower and PTI buttons

Eat Dessert First - PTI Hop

Click HERE for my Play Date Cafe post.

Well, I'm fashionably late to today's Papertrey Ink blog hop, but I'm so excited to be joining in.  The inspiration photo is beautiful and makes me want to have one last picnic before summer is officially over.  I chose to incorporate a bit of the blue gingham from the girl's dress and some book print to represent the books she brought along in her basket.  I also think the overall theme of a spring picnic comes across in this cheery birthday card.  Don't you wish someone would send you a note that encouraged indulging in  dessert first?

I used the Button Card die and it's coordinating ric-rac square to serve as a placemat. I also did some selective inking for the "eat dessert first" sentiment.  The Parisian Lace doily was a fun accent to help the focal point stand out from the patterned paper.

My "happy birthday" is from Birthday Bash sentiments... {love}.  And how 'bout all those "sassy somethings"... I just had a day where I wanted a little bit of everything.  Thanks so much for visiting!

ALL Supplies are Papertrey Ink unless otherwise noted.
Stamps: Table Service and Birthday Bash sentiments; Cardstock: Rustic Cream, Sweet Blush and Kraft; Patterned Paper: Girl's Paperie; Ink: SU! Chocolate Chip, Riding Hood Red, Bashful and PTI Chamomile tea-dye; Tools: Tiny Envelope die, Button Card collection dies, Table Service dies, Large Scalloped Border die, Parisian Lace Doily die; Sassy Somethings: Webster's Pages lace trim, Sweet Blush saddle stitch ribbon and Fresh Linen buttons