I Ruff You

The very last Paper Smooches SPARKS challenge is a designer draft challenge.  I used the sketch for this sweet dog themed design.

I started out by trimming a cream panel into 4 sections.  On designs like this, getting the panels to fit is always a challenge to me!  I adhered green cardstock strips with torn edges to the two larger panels to make grass, then added the dog images from the Paws for a Cause set using foam tape.  The images were stamped in brown pigment ink on kraft cardstock and cut out with the matching Paws Cause Icons dies.  To go with my love theme, I stamped red hearts above each dog image with a stamp from  the Woofers and Tweeters set.  I used a combination of sentiments from the Paws for a Cause, Woofers and Tweeters, and Good Gab sets to compose the "I ruff you" sentiment for one of the smaller sections.  The other small section was stamped with a trio of brown paw prints.  I arranged the finished panels on a kraft card base.

Materials Used:
Paws for a Cause, Woofers and Tweeters, and Good Gab stamp sets, Paws Cause Icons dies (Paper Smooches); Memento Luxe Rich Cocoa and Love Letter inks (Tsukineko/IMAGINE Crafts); Kiwi Kiss cardstock (Stampin' Up!); Kraft cardstock (WPlus9); foam tape

Paper Smooches SPARKS-Thank You

*** Scroll down to the post below or click HERE to see my card for this week's Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge! ***

This week's Paper Smooches SPARKS challenge is an Anything Goes challenge.  Since today's my last official post with the SPARKS team as the challenge comes to an end at the end of the month, I thought it was fitting to put together a thank you card.  I'm so grateful to Kim for having me on the team and for Savannah for all she has done behind the scenes to organize and run the challenge.

I stamped the flower and jar image from the Best Buds set on watercolor paper using waterproof black ink, then colored the flowers with Clean Color markers and an aqua brush.  My watercoloring definitely needs work!  The "thank you" sentiment stamped next to the jar is from the Lovely Thoughts set. 

After trimming the panel down a bit, I adhered it to a light purple card base, angling it to add interest.  For a touch of sparkle, I arranged a trio of clear sequins around the image.

We hope you’ll join us and share a project using Paper Smooches stamps or dies. One participant in this week’s challenge will win a $30 gift certificate to the PS store! Before you head off to start your own creation, don’t miss what the rest of the SPARKS team has created for this week's challenge. Here’s where to find them:

Karin Åkesdotter

Larissa Heskett

Lori Tecler--you're here!

Lynn Mangan

Savannah O'Gwynn

Materials Used:
Best Buds and Lovely Thoughts stamp sets (Paper Smooches); Versafine Onyx Black ink (Tsukineko/IMAGINE Crafts); Clean Color markers (Zig); Almost Amethyst cardstock (Stampin' Up!); watercolor paper (Ranger); Crystal Clear sequins (Pretty Pink Posh)

Paper Smooches SPARKS-Boo!

*** Scroll down to the post below or click HERE to see my card for this week's Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge! *** 

This week’s Paper Smooches SPARKS challenge is a Picture Perfect challenge based on the photo seen above (photo credit).  I was inspired by the fall colors and the hanging leaves.

I started out with a watercolor style background made by pressing several distress ink pads onto my craft sheet, then spritzing the inks with water and pressing watercolor paper on top to capture the mixed colors.  Once the ink was dry, I stamped the spider from the Halloweenies set three times on the panel, varying the positioning for interest.  I used a narrow pen to draw a "web" extending from the top of the card to each spider.  The set's "boo!" sentiment was stamped near the bottom of the card.  After matting the panel on gold paper, I adhered it to a rust card base to coordinate with the colors in the background panel.

We hope you’ll join us and share a project using Paper Smooches stamps or dies. One participant in this week’s challenge will win a $30 gift certificate to the PS store! Before you head off to start your own creation, don’t miss what the rest of the SPARKS team has created for this week's challenge. Here’s where to find them:

Karin Åkesdotter

Larissa Heskett

Lori Tecler--you're here!

Lynn Mangan

Savannah O'Gwynn

Materials Used:
Halloweenies stamp set (Paper Smooches); Versafine Onyx Black ink, irRESISTible Copper texture spray (Tsukineko/IMAGINE Crafts); Dried Marigold, Scattered Straw, Abandoned Coral, and Rusty Hinge distress inks (Ranger); multiliner pen (Copic); Canyon Clay cardstock (Papertrey Ink); gold paper (Target)

Holiday Cheer

Here's my card for this week's Paper Smooches SPARKS anything goes challenge.  I made a sweet snowman themed holiday card using the current sketch at RetroSketches.

The tall snowman from the Swanky Snowdudes set is my focal image.  I stamped him on shimmery white cardstock, colored him with Copic markers, then used the matching die from the Snowdudes set to cut him out.  He's adhered to a light blue snowflake embossed panel using foam tape.  To give the snowflakes extra sparkle, I lightly rubbed the raised flakes with a shimmery white ink.  So pretty!  The bottom of the panel has a snowbank cut with one of the dies from the Stitched set.  The die cuts a perforated curve into your paper, so I followed the curve with my scissors to get the curvy piece. 

I stamped a darker blue pane with a trio of snowflakes from the Swanky Snowdudes stamp set.  Ir's hard to tell in the photo, but the flakes are a shimmery silver.  The snowman panel was attached to the center of the stamped panel.  I cut a red banner using the Flag Tags dies, then stamped the "holiday cheer" sentiment from the Christmas Sampler set on the die cut.  It was adhered to the panel just beneath the snowman.  I attached the finished panel to a coordinating red card base.

Materials Used:
Swanky Snowdudes and Christmas Sampler stamp sets, Snowdudes, Flag Tags, and Stitched dies (Paper Smooches); Memento Tuxedo Black, Delicata Silvery Shimmer and Brilliance Moonlight White inks (Tsukineko/IMAGINE Crafts); markers (Copic); Real Red, Brocade Blue, Bashful Blue, and Shimmery White cardstock (Stampin' Up!); snowflake embossing folder (Cuttlebug); foam tape

Paper Smooches SPARKS-Batty in Love

***  Scroll down to the post below or click HERE to see my card for this week's Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge! *** 

This week’s Paper Smooches SPARKS challenge is a Designer Draft challenge based on the sketch seen above.  I used the sketch for a somewhat Halloween design with a love-themed twist.

I stamped the bat image from the Falling for You set on a matching die cut, then colored the image using Copic markers.  The image was adhered to a gray panel, positioned so that the bat was "hanging" from a branch made with a Trees 1 die cut.  Yes, it's meant to be a tree, but it works perfectly as a branch for the bat, doesn't it?  I heat embossed the "batty in love" sentiment next to the bat using silver embossing powder for some sparkle and shine.

Since I colored the bat using blue violet tones instead of gray, I brought out some more of the purple tones by covering most of a light purple card base with a dark purple cardstock panel.  I adhered a strip of light purple cardstock to the right edge of the panel and accented it with bands of gray and silver paper, then added the image panel on top.

We hope you’ll join us and share a project using Paper Smooches stamps or dies. One participant in this week’s challenge will win a $30 gift certificate to the PS store! Before you head off to start your own creation, don’t miss what the rest of the SPARKS team has created for this week's challenge. Here’s where to find them:

Karin Åkesdotter

Larissa Heskett

Lori Tecler--you're here!

Lynn Mangan

Savannah O'Gwynn

Materials Used:
Falling for You stamp set, Trees 1 and Falling for You dies (Paper Smooches); Memento Tuxedo Black and Delicata Silvery Shimmer inks (Tsukineko/IMAGINE Crafts); markers (Copic); Elegant Eggplant, Chocolate Chip, and Almost Amethyst cardstock (Stampin' Up!); Smokey Shadow cardstock (Papertrey Ink); silver paper (Target); silver embossing powder (American Crafts)

Hugs and Kisses and Rainbow Wishes

Here's my card for this week's Paper Smooches SPARKS Anything Goes challenge.  Even thought it's fall, I inked up the Luminous Spring set for my card.

I made the set's cloud and rainbow image the focal image on my design.  I stamped the image once, then, with the help of my MISTI, turned the image around and stamped it a second time to lengthen the rainbow.  Super easy!  The stamped image was colored with an array of Copic markers.  The clouds were lightly coated with my clear Wink of Stella pen.  Love the subtle sparkle!  For even more sparkle, I studded the rainbow with a trio of silver sequins.  The set's "hugs and kisses and rainbow wishes" sentiment was stamped to the left of the image in black ink.  I layered the panel on to a silver mat, then adhered it to a dark purple card base.  The purple looks pretty black in this photo, but I promise that it really is purple!

Materials Used:
Luminous Spring stamp set (Paper Smooches); Memento Tuxedo Black ink (Tsukineko/IMAGINE Crafts); markers (Copic); Elegant Eggplant cardstock (Stampin' Up!); silver paper (Target); clear Wink of Stella pen (Zig); silver sequins)

Hello Honey

This week's Paper Smooches SPARKS challenge is a Picture Perfect challenge. I was inspired by the hexagon and triangular shapes in the photo.  Those shapes led me to the idea of honeycomb, which resulted in this bee themed design.

I started off by using a stencil and some light modeling paste to make a triangular pattern on a white cardstock panel.  After the modeling paste dried, I used an ink blending tool to apply two shades of yellow distress inks over the raised images.  I stamped the bee image from the Giddy Bugs set on white cardstock and colored it with Copic markers, then carefully cut it out.  It was adhered to the panel using foam tape for dimension.  The "hello honey" sentiment from the Bee Mine set fit perfectly in the space between the stenciled triangles, just next to the bee image.  The panel was adhered to a coordinating yellow card base.  I thought about adding some sequins or enamel dots, but in the end, left the design super simple. 

Materials Used:
Giddy Bugs and Bee Mine stamp sets (Paper Smooches); Memento Tuxedo Black ink (IMAGINE Crafts/Tsukineko); Mustard Seed and Squeezed Lemonade distress inks (Ranger); markers (Copic); Daffodil cardstock (My Favorite Things); light modeling paste (Liquitex); triangle stencil (Heidi Swapp); foam tape

Paper Smooches SPARKS-Totally Cool

*** Scroll down to the post below or click HERE to see my card for this week's Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge! *** 

This week’s Paper Smooches SPARKS challenge is an anything goes challenge.  With this weekend marking the unofficial end to the summer season, I thought I'd squeeze in a final summery card made with the PS Ice Cream Cone die.

I die cut the cone pieces from kraft cardstock, then layered them and topped them with the pink die cut ice cream piece.  Looks yummy, doesn't it?  The cone was adhere to a white panel using foam tape.  I wound a little kraft thread behind it to add some interest. 

I stamped the "totally cool" sentiment from the Good Gab stamp set next to the cone, then arranged a trio of pink sequins around the panel.  After edging it with a narrow strip of bright pink cardstock, I used foam tape to adhere the panel to a pale pink card base.

We hope you’ll join us and share a project using Paper Smooches stamps or dies. One participant in this week’s challenge will win a $30 gift certificate to the PS store! Before you head off to start your own creation, don’t miss what the rest of the SPARKS team has created for this week's challenge. Here’s where to find them:

Karin Åkesdotter

Larissa Heskett

Lori Tecler--you're here!

Lynn Mangan

Savannah O'Gwynn

Materials Used:
Good Gab stamp set, Ice Cream Cone die (Paper Smooches); Memento Tuxedo Black ink (IMAGINE Crafts/Tsukineko); Pink Pirouette and Regal Rose cardstock (Stampin' Up!); Kraft cardstock (WPlus9); sequins (Avery Elle); twine (Hemptique); foam tape

Paper Smooches SPARKS-Just a Note

*** Scroll down to the post below or click HERE to see my card for this week's Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge! *** 

This week’s Paper Smooches SPARKS challenge is an anything goes challenge. I put together a school themed design using PS's Smarty Pants stamp set and Easel die.

I stamped the professor image on white cardstock and colored him with Copic markers.  After cutting him out using the matching die from the Smarty Pants Icons dies, I coated the lenses of his eyeglasses with Glossy Accents to get a glass-like look (which, unfortunately, doesn't show well in my photo).

The easel was die cut from kraft and gray cardstock.  I stamped the "just a note" sentiment from the Sentiment Sampler set on the gray piece in white pigment ink, then heat embossed it to make it look more like chalk. The assembled easel and professor were arranged on a background with a hand drawn and colored "floor".  The finished panel was adhered to a kraft card base.

We hope you’ll join us and share a project using Paper Smooches stamps or dies. One participant in this week’s challenge will win a $30 gift certificate to the PS store! Before you head off to start your own creation, don’t miss what the rest of the SPARKS team has created for this week's challenge. Here’s where to find them:

Audrey

Lisa

Heather

Katie

Larissa

Lori--you're here!

Lynn

Savannah

Materials Used:

Smarty Pants and Sentiment Sampler stamp sets, Smarty Pants Icons and Easel dies (Paper Smooches); Memento Tuxedo Black and Memento Luxe Wedding Dress inks (IMAGINE Crafts/Tsukineko); markers, black multiliner pen (Copic); Smokey Shadow cardstock (Papertrey Ink); Kraft cardstock (WPlus9); Recollections Snow embossing powder (Michaels); Glossy Accents (Ranger); foam tape

Bee Mine

This week's Paper Smooches SPARKS challenge is a Designer Draft challenge.  I used the sketch to put together this bee themed design.

I used the Giddy Bugs set--again!--for my card.  This time, I used watercolor markers and an aquapainter to color the image I used.  After coloring the image, I adhered it to a hexagon patterned paper panel over a bunch of coordinating paper strips of different widths.  For a little sparkle, I added a crystal flourish to make a flight trail extending out from beneath the bee.

The "bee mine" sentiment from the Bee Mine set was stamped in black ink on the pale gray strip across the top of the panel.  I accented the sentiment with a pair of red hearts die cut with the Tiny Hearts die set.
  

Materials Used:
Giddy Bugs and Bee Mine stamp set, Flag Tags and Tiny Hearts dies (Paper Smooches); Versafine Onyx Black ink (IMAGINE Crafts/Tsukineko); markers (Zig); watercolor paper (Ranger); Real Red cardstock (Stampin' Up!); Daffodil, Steel Grey, and Grout Gray cardstock (My Favorite Things); Be(you)tiful 6x6 paper pad (Authentique); crystal flourish (Michaels); foam tape

Paper Smooches SPARKS-Flip Flops

*** Scroll down to the post below or click HERE to see my card for this week's Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge! *** 

This week’s Paper Smooches SPARKS challenge is an anything goes challenge. I used the new Summer Lovin’ set for my beach themed design.

I built a simple scene on an aqua card base using torn kraft cardstock and vellum to make a shoreline. The kraft strip was brushed with a combination of white and kraft pigment inks to add a textured, sandy look. The set’s flipflop images were stamped on white cardstock and colored with Copic markers, then cut out and adhered to the kraft strip using foam tape. I used a circle die to cut a sun from yellow cardstock. After stamping the “you make my heart do flip flops” sentiment on it in black ink, I adhered it to the top of the cardfront. I added a shimmery white cloud die cut to fill in the scene. A trio of tiny red hearts, cut with the Tiny Hearts die, was arranged just above the flip flops to go with the card’s sweet love theme.

We hope you’ll join us and share a project using Paper Smooches stamps or dies. One participant in this week’s challenge will win a $30 gift certificate to the PS store! Before you head off to start your own creation, don’t miss what the rest of the SPARKS team has created for this week's challenge. Here’s where to find them:

Karin Åkesdotter

Larissa Heskett

Lori Tecler

Lynn Mangan

Savannah O'Gwynn

Materials Used:
Summer Lovin' stamp set, Tiny Hearts and Clouds dies (Paper Smooches); Memento Tuxedo Black and Memento Luxe Wedding Dress and Toffee Crunch inks (IMAGINE Crafts/Tsukineko); markers (Copic); Aqua Mist cardstock (Papertrey Ink); Kraft cardstock (WPlus9); Yoyo Yellow and Real Red cardstock (Stampin' Up!); white vellum (The Paper Company); foam tape

Paper Smooches SPARKS-You Are Appreciated

*** Scroll down to the post below or click HERE to see my card for this week's Sweet Sunday Sketch challenge! *** 

This week’s Paper Smooches SPARKS challenge is a Picture Perfect challenge based on the photo seen above (photo credit).  I was inspired by the apple images on the kraft background and that translated into this simple card that’s perfect for sending to a special teacher.

I used the apples from the Falling for You set to create this pair of apples. They were colored with Copic markers and cut out. I adhered the apples to a kraft card base along with a strip of coordinating yellow cardstock. The “you are appreciated” sentiment from the Word Salad set was stamped on the yellow strip in black ink. To accent the apples, I arranged a trio of different sized green enamel dots around them.

We hope you’ll join us and share your project based on the inspiration photo. One participant in this week’s challenge will win a $30 gift certificate to the PS store! Before you head off to start your own creation, don’t miss what the rest of the SPARKS team has created for this week's challenge. Here’s where to find them:

Karin Åkesdotter

Larissa Heskett

Lori Tecler

Lynn Mangan

Savannah O'Gwynn

Materials Used:
Falling for You and Word Salad stamp sets (Paper Smooches); Memento Tuxedo Black ink (IMAGINE Crafts/Tsukineko); markers (Copic); Kraft cardstock (WPlus9); Barely Banana cardstock (Stampin' Up!); green enamel dots (Eyelet Outlet); foam tape

You Make My Life Brighter

This week’s Paper Smooches SPARKS challenge is an anything goes challenge. I used the new to me Giddy Bugs set for this simple cheery design.

My bug image was stamped on watercolor paper, then colored in with a combination of Zig Clean Color markers and an aquabrush. Still need a lot of practice with these . . . Since I wanted a glow behind my bug, I used an ink blending tool and yellow distress inks to make a glowy yellow circle-ish shape on a white cardstock panel. To add some texture, I drizzled on some droplets of an irRESISTible texture spray. After the droplets dried, I wound a length of sparkly silver string into some messy loops and added that to the cardfront along with the colored bug image.


 The set’s “you make my life brighter” sentiment was stamped on the left side of the panel. I layered the finished panel on to a black cardstock mat, then adhered it to a yellow card base.

Materials Used:
Giddy Bugs stamp set (Paper Smooches); Versafine Onyx Black ink, irRESISTible Dandelion texture spray (IMAGINE Crafts/Tsukineko); Mustard Seed distress ink, watercolor paper (Ranger); Clean Color markers (Zig); Yoyo Yellow and Basic Black cardstock (Stampin' Up!); silver thread (Michaels); foam tape

Paper Smooches SPARKS-Thanks

*** Scroll down to the post below or click HERE to see my card for this week's Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge! ***

This week's Paper Smooches SPARKS challenge is a Designer Draft challenge based on the layout seen above.  I stuck pretty close to the sketch to put together this thank you card.


I used one of the flowers from the Twiggy Florets set as my focal image.  It was stamped on a cream tag die cut with the Gift Tags die.  I colored it with Copic markers, then adhered it to an olive cardstock panel.

For the sentiment, I used the Thanks Word 2 die.  I die cut the word several times from kraft cardstock and once from dark gray cardstock.  The die cut pieces were layered with the gray piece at the bottom and just slightly offset.  That gives a nice shadowed look to the word.  I adhered the finished sentiment to the panel, then wrapped it with some olive baker's twine.  The finished panel was adhered to a cream card base.

Don’t miss what the rest of the SPARKS team has created this week based on the sketch. Here’s where to find them:

Karin Åkesdotter

Larissa Heskett

Lori Tecler--you're here!

Lynn Mangan

Savannah O'Gwynn

Materials Used:
Twiggy Florets stamp set, Gift Tags and Thanks Word 2 dies (Paper Smooches); Memento Tuxedo Black ink (IMAGINE Crafts/Tsukineko); markers (Copic); Old Olive cardstock (Stampin' Up!); Kraft cardstock (WPlus9); Smokey Shadow (Papertrey Ink); olive baker's twine

Hi

Here's my card for this week's Paper Smooches SPARKS Picture Perfect challenge.  I took my cues from the inspiration photo's line of sweet birds on a branch and the photo's muted color palette to create this card.

To make a branch, I die cut one of the trees from the Trees 1 die set from kraft cardstock, then inked it with distress ink before adhering it to the edge of a pale gray card base.  My bird is from the Spring Groves set.  It was stamped on a scrap of blue cardstock.  I paper pieced the beak with a teeny, tiny piece of white cardstock that I colored orange.  After stamping the bird image just above the branch, the blue bird was adhered to the image outline with foam tape for dimension. 

So that the branch wasn't floating in mid-air on its own, I used one of the dies from the Backdrop Builders set to make a grassy hill from green cardstock.  An outline cloud cut from shimmery white cardstock using one of the Curly Clouds dies helped to fill in the sky.  I stamped the "hi" sentiment from the Daisies and Paisleys set beneath the branch to complete the design.

Materials Used:
Spring Groves and Daisies and Paisleys stamp sets, Trees 1, Curly Clouds, and Backdrop Builders dies (Paper Smooches); Memento Tuxedo Black ink (IMAGINE Crafts/Tsukineko); Grout Gray cardstock (My Favorite Things); Blue Bayou, Kiwi Kiss, and Shimmery White cardstock (Stampin' Up!); Kraft cardstock (WPlus9); foam tape

Paper Smooches SPARKS-Happy Bird-Day

*** Scroll down to the post below or click HERE to see my card for this week's Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge! *** 

This week's Paper Smooches SPARKS challenge theme is Anything Goes.  I decided to fill in my stash of birthday cards with this card made with one of my first PS sets, Birthday Buddies.

I colored the birthday birdie and hat with Copic markers.  The image was cut with the matching die from the Buddies set.  It was set on a yellow card base along with a pair of die cut circles.  I stamped the set's "happy bird-day" sentiment on a strip of coordinating orange cardstock and adhered it to the card, positioning it to ground the bird image.  A trio of sparkly gold sequins scattered around the image and circles completed the design.

Don’t miss what the rest of the SPARKS team has created this week based on the photo. Here’s where to find them:

Karin Åkesdotter

Larissa Heskett

Lori Tecler--you're here!

Lynn Mangan

Savannah O'Gwynn

Materials Used:
Birthday Buddies stamp set, Buddies dies (Paper Smooches); Memento Tuxedo Black ink (IMAGINE Crafts/Tsukineko); markers (Copic); Barely Banana, Pumpkin Pie, and Crumb Cake cardstock (Stampin' Up!); Playful 6x6 paper pad (Authentique); gold sequins, foam tape

You Anchor Me

This week's Paper Smooches SPARKS challenge is a designer draft challenge. I used the sketch as the basis for this nautical themed design.

I started off with a white card base, then added the different patterned paper strips.  To add interest to my classic red, white, and blue color scheme, I used a piece of dotted red paper for the widest strip and added a few silver accents, too.  I brought in more silver by adding a silver anchor, stamped with an image from the Wicked Nauticool set and die cut with the matching die from the Nauticool dies.  It was adhered to the card with foam tape.  I stamped the set's "you anchor me" sentiment on the solid red cardstock strip to complete the design.
 
Materials Used:
Wicked Nauticool stamp set, Nauticool dies (Paper Smooches); Memento Tuxedo Black and Delicata Silvery Shimmer inks (IMAGINE Crafts/Tsukineko); Night of Navy and Real Red cardstock (Stampin' Up!); silver paper (Target); red pindot patterned paper (Michaels); foam tape

Paper Smooches SPARKS-Botanical Thanks

*** Scroll down to the post below or click HERE to see my card for this week's Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge! ***

This week's Paper Smooches SPARKS challenge is an anything goes challenge.  I used the new Botanicals 3 stamp set for this simple floral thank you card.

I did my stamping on a pale mossy green cardstock panel.  When I stamp on colored cardstock, I usually use pigment inks to get a nice, solid look, so that's what I did here.  To switch things up a bit, I used a neon yellow ink to get the flowers extra bright.

Once I'd finished stamping the leaves and flowers, I stamped the script "thanks" from the Simply Said set between the branches.  To add a bit of dimension, I put a green enamel dot at the center of each flower.  After matting the panel on yellow cardstock, I adhered it to an easy to write on white card base.

Don’t miss what the rest of the SPARKS team has created this week based on the photo. Here’s where to find them:

Karin Åkesdotter

Larissa Heskett

Lori Tecler--you're here!

Lynn Mangan

Savannah O'Gwynn

Materials Used:
Botanicals 3 and Simply Said stamp sets (Paper Smooches); Memento Luxe Pear Tart and Radiant Neon Electric Yellow inks (IMAGINE Crafts/Tsukineko); Spring Moss and Lemon Tart cardstock (Papertrey Ink); green enamel dots (Eyelet Outlet)

Paper Smooches SPARKS-I Dig You

*** Scroll down to the post below or click HERE to see my card for this week's Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge! *** 

This week's Paper Smooches SPARKS challenge is a Picture Perfect challenge based on the picture seen above.  I was inspired by the house in the photo and the pretty blue accent color, too.

I used the Dog Icons dies to make a dog house for my focal image.  Every dog house needs a dog, so I made mine with the Paws for a Cause stamp set and matching Paws Cause Icons dies.  The dog house and dog were arranged on a blue card base on top of a strip of "grass" cut with one of the Backdrop Builders dies.  To fill out the scene, I added a pair of curly clouds cut from shimmery white cardstock .  I stamped the "I dig you" sentiment from the Woofers and Tweeters set to finish the card.  I may go back and add some tiny die cut hearts to the card above the dog . . .

Don’t miss what the rest of the SPARKS team has created this week based on the photo. Here’s where to find them:

Karin Åkesdotter

Larissa Heskett

Lori Tecler--you're here!

Lynn Mangan

Savannah O'Gwynn

Materials  Used:
Paws for a Cause and Woofers and Tweeters stamp sets, Paws Cause Icons, Dog Icons, Backdrop Builders, and Curly Clouds dies (Paper Smooches); Memento Luxe Rich Cocoa ink (IMAGINE Crafts/Tsukineko); Real Red, Cool Caribbean, and Shimmery White cardstock (Stampin' Up!); Kraft cardstock (WPlus9); Simply Chartreuse and Smokey Shadow cardstock (Papertrey Ink); foam tape

Pucker Up

This week's Paper Smooches SPARKS challenge is an anything goes challenge.  With summer in mind, I inked up the Fruitastic set for this simple design.

I stamped a trio of lemons, masking the face on two of them.  After coloring the images with Copic markers, I used the matching die to cut them out, then arranged them on a white panel.  The top lemon is adhered with foam tape for a little dimension.  I stamped the set's "pucker up" sentiment on the panel in red ink, then added a trio of tiny die cut hearts cut with the Tiny Hearts die.  I know I say it every time I use these hearts, but I {heart} them!  I matted the panel on dark gray  cardstock for a bold contrast, then adhered it to a yellow card base to match the lemons.

Materials Used:
Fruitastic stamp set, Fruitastic Icons and Tiny Hearts dies (Paper Smooches); Memento Tuxedo Black and Lady Bug inks (IMAGINE Crafts/Tsukineko); markers (Copic); Yoyo Yellow and Real Red cardstock (Stampin' Up!); Smokey Shadow cardstock (Papertrey Ink); foam tape