The Paper Cabana, A New Challenge Blog!

The Paper Cabana

Now that my daughter is heading back to school, I decided I needed something to do with myself!  Last year, I wasn’t really an empty nester because I was so busy taking care of my dad, who passed away the end of January.  But this year, my nest will truly be empty, just me, Stella and Lucy at home for 12 hours each day.  If you are a frequent visitor to my blog, you know how much I love a good challenge and my new Silhouette Cameo has reignited my love for electronic cutters.  So I have decided to combine these two loves and start a weekly challenge blog for electronic cutters!  The first challenge will begin on Wednesday, September 5th at 9:00am.  You can do a card, a layout or any other project, as long as it has at least one SVG cut.  The prize for the first challenge is a $10 Download Card for the Silhouette Online Store!  I am also looking for a few guest designers for the first challenge, if anyone is interested, please email me at thepapercabana@gmail.com.

For more details, please visit The Paper Cabana

Torn Paper Challenge

 

Lynn is up this week with a challenge for the Card-a-Day Blog Group, Torn Paper.  First, I have to tell you how much I LOVE this group!  They are such a talented group of women and so encouraging and supportive, I feel so fortunate to be a part of this group!  And now for my challenge card:

Torn Paper Beach

I used Very Vanilla cardstock for the sand.  I tore the strips, sponged with Creamy Caramel and layered on the aqua card base.  I added the AMuse Clouds cardstock (thanks Kay!) for the sky.  I used my Silhouette Cameo to cut the beach umbrella from Summer Set by Jamie Koay in Basic Black and Stampin’ Up! Polka Dot Parade Real Red Designer Series Paper.

Materials List 

Stampin’ Up! Very Vanilla and Basic Black Cardstock

Unknown Aqua Card Base

Stampin’ Up! Polka Dot Parade Real Red Designer Series Paper

AMuse Clouds Cardstock

Stampin’ Up! Creamy Caramel and Basic Black Ink

Summer Set Cut File by Jamie Koay

Studio G Glitter Glue

Stampin’ Up! Small Oval Punch

Stampin’ Up! Pendant Park

 

 

Beach House Row

Beach House Row

I haven’t had much time for crafting the past few weeks, but I had a couple of challenges I wanted to enter, so I made some time today to finish this card.  I designed the cut file for the beach cabanas and cut them in Peach Parfait, Green Galore and Calypso Coral.  I used a post-it note to mask the clapboards and sponged with Creamy Caramel.  I used Stampin’ Up Naturals Ivory Cardstock for the base and this fun Amuse Cloud cardstock for the sky.  I think this card is really cute, I love these colors!

Challenges Entered

 

 

 

 

Materials List

Stampin’ Up Naturals Ivory, Tempting Turquoise, Whisper White, Peach Parfait, Green Galore and Calypso Coral Cardstock

AMuse Studio Clouds Cardstock

Stampin’ Up Creamy Caramel, Bashful Blue and Basic Black Ink

Stampin’ Up Fabulous Phrases, More Bitty Banners Stamp Set

Color Challenge Cameo Silhouette Card Coral Framed Sand Dollar

Coral Framed Sand Dollar

This week’s Card-a-Day Blog Group Challenge is a Color Challenge:  Inspired by Fabric.  Here is the inspiration fabric:

Fabric Inspiration Color Challenge

I chose Calypso Coral and Very Vanilla for my colors and created this beach inspired card.  This card is one of four designs that I am doing for a gift set.  I used the Branches cut file, which I manipulated to make the frame and cut the tag off of the sand dollar from the Ocean Charms cut file.

Materials List

Stampin’ Up! Calypso Coral Cardstock

Stampin’ Up! Very Vanilla Cardstock

Ocean Charms cut file from the Silhouette Online Store

Branches cut file from the Silhouette Online Store

Stampin’ Up! Calypso Coral Ink

Stampin’ Up! Creamy Caramel Ink

Extremely Hot Birthday! Apron Strings & Dare to Get Dirty Challenge Card #2

Extremely Hot Birthday!

I snuck another card in today between laundry and watching the Olympics.  This was a fun one to make, but a bear to photograph! Sorry for the glare, but I used Glossy cardstock and it was too dark to photograph without the flash.  This one was for the Dare to Get Dirty Challenge #2 and Apron Strings Pinterest Challenge #19.  Here is the Apron Strings Inspiration Photo:

Pinterest Challenge #19

 

Materials List

Stampin’ Up! Glossy Cardstock

Stampin’ Up! Peach Parfait Cardstock

Stampin’ Up! Only Orange Textured Cardstock

Stampin’ Up! Real Red Cardstock

Stampin’ Up! Whisper White

Stampin’ Up! Peach Parfait Ink

Stampin’ Up! Only Orange Ink

Stampin’ Up! Tangerine Tango Ink

Stampin’ Up! Real Red Ink

Stampin’ Up! Lucky Limeade Ink

Stampin’ Up! Basic Gray Ink

Stampin’ Up! Extreme Surf

Stampin’ Up! Itty Bitty Banners

Stampin’ Up! Framelits Bitty Banners

Stampin’ Up! Sponges

Sizzix Texture fades Rays Embossing Folder

Nestabilities Circle Die for Masking

Painters Tape for Masking

 

 

 

Beach Bum Silhouette Cameo Card

Beach Bum

I am so excited, my Silhouette Cameo arrived on Tuesday!  This is the first chance I have had to play with it and I gotta tell you, I am loving this thing!  It is everything I have been looking for in an electronic cutter and more.  It cuts very small, intricate designs beautifully and the Silhouette Studio software is intuitive and easy to use.  The first thing I wanted to try with my Cameo was to import a digital stamp and use the Print and Cut feature to create a die cut effect.  Today’s challenge on Splitcoaststampers is the Ways to Use It Challenge WT384 ~ Hit the Beach, so I did a quick Google Image search for beach digi and found this cute Beach Butt Digi on Leigh’s Paper Creations.  Isn’t it a hoot!

For my card, I started with a Green Galore card base and a yellow polka dot background paper from DCWV.  I colored the image with Prismacolor Pencils and mounted it with Stampin’ Up! Dimensionals.  I printed the computer generated sentiment and triple matted it in Basic Black and the yellow background paper.  I cut the Memory Box Clouds in Whisper White and sponged the edges with Pool Party for this quick and easy card.  This was my first time using a digi stamp, I definitely see more digis in my future!

 

Cape Cod Highland Lighthouse, the creative process

I made this card for The Paper Players 100th challenge.  I am really enjoying the challenges over there and can’t wait to see what they come up with for the next 100 challenges.  I had the idea for this card in my head, but boy did I have a hard time getting it on paper!  It took five tries to get something close to what I had in mind.  I am not 100% satisfied with the results, but I do like it.  The Paper Players challenge I chose was a #90, a color challenge to use Not Quite Navy, Pool Party and Certainly Celery.  These colors are so pretty together!  I chose the PSX Cape Cod Highland Lighthouse for my image and wanted to water color  it.  I stamped the image in Night of Navy and heat set it with my heat gun, but when I started to color with the water brush, the color bled.  I decided to brayer the three colors on the background and then stamp the image, but I didn’t like it, the Night of Navy was too dark.  Then I decided to sponge the background and stamp the image in Night of Navy, but I still didn’t like it and decided not too use Night of Navy in the Background.  For number four, I sponged the background in Certainly Celery and Pool Party and stamped in Night of Navy.  I liked this one much better, but I still thought it needed something more.

For number five, I decided to emboss the image with VersaMark, Night of Navy and clear embossing powder and sponged the background with Certainly Celery and Pool Party.  I matted the image in Night of Navy and Certainly Celery cut with a Nestabilities die.  For the background, I used a textured cardstock from a DCWV Mat Stack that matches Pool Party.  I added a layer of Night of Navy Designer Series Paper matted in Night of Navy and mounted on a Night of Navy card base.  I cased the layout from Roberta, this week’s Stamping Queen on Splitcoaststampers.  Here is her lovely card, Vintage Spring.

Scene at the Beach

Scene at the Beach

 

This is another layout for my Summer Scrapbook class.  I designed this layout for a class in 2009, but my dad got sick and the class got cancelled.  The base is Sahara Sand with So Saffron and Stampin’ Up! Designer Series Paper in the background.  The photo mats are  Brocade Blue.  The title was cut with the Cricut, as were the Palm Trees and beach pail.  The flip flops and beach ball were stamped in So Saffron and Certainly Celery.

CAS Lighthouse Father’s Day Card

I love lighthouses!  No, I don’t collect lighthouse tchotchkes, wear lighthouse patterned clothes and carry a lighthouse themed bag, but I do love lighthouses.  More specifically, I love lighthouse stamps.  I have way more than I really need and there are several more that I really want.  I am desperately seeking the PSX Key West Lighthouse stamp and wouldn’t mind getting my hands on the New London Harbour Lighthouse either!  My love of lighthouse began when I was a small child growing up in Miami.  Our favorite beach was on Key Biscayne, right next to the Cape Florida Lighthouse and I loved swimming and playing in the shadows of the lighthouse.  The boys loved to tell pirate stories about the lighthouse, and somebody always had the bright idea to dig for buried treasure.  My favorite part of the day was Palm tree races, seeing who could get the highest up the fastest.  I was pretty good at it too, until one day I got up too high for my own good!  I still remember hanging on to that Palm tree for dear life, my scrawny arms and legs wrapped around the trunk while all the kids were yelling at me to jump.  My brother finally came over and stood under me, ready to catch me if I fell, and coaxed me down to the cheers and clapping of our friends.  I was so embarrassed but also so grateful for my big brother, I love you Derry!

My Father’s Day card is a quick and easy CAS card using today’s Sketch Challenge SC389 on Splitcoaststampers.  I needed a Father’s Day card, so I replaced the girly swirls with Rope cording.  I stamped the Impression Obsession Cape Lookout Lighthouse in VersaMark ink on Stampin’ Up! Kraft cardstock and embossed with Stampin’ Up! Black Embossing Powder.  I tied a Sailors knot, link to tutorial below, with two pieces of Stampin’ Up! Rope cording and attached to the panel with glue dots.  One quick tip is to separate the cords in the rope on the back to help it lay flatter.  I mounted the Kraft panel on a Basic Black card base, stamped the sentiment from Stampin’ Up! Teeny Tiny Wishes in Black and punched with the Stampin’ Up! Word Window Punch.  I layered it over a Black mat punched with a Stampin’ Up! Modern Label Punch.  That’s it, done!

Sailors Knot Tutorial

CAS Teddy at the Beach

 

I checked my stats this morning and was amazed to see that I have had visits from 10 different countries since Friday!  I love the internet and I love that I can share my love of paper crafting with people who share my passion, no matter where in this big, wide world they live!  Today I have a Clean and Simple card for you featuring this adorable PSX Teddy Bear.   I made this card for my great-nephew Cameron.  He is 4 years old and loves the beach, so I thought this would be cute for him.  I also made this for Color Challenge CC379 on Splitcoaststampers,  A CRAZY, BREEZY, COBBLER.

The card base is Stampin’ Up! Whisper White textured cardstock and the background panel is Whisper White smooth cardstock embossed with a Sizzix dotted embossing folder.  I stamped the little bear on Whisper White and colored him with Cajun Craze, Cherry Cobbler, Baja Breeze, Lucky Limeade and Creamy Caramel Stampin’ Up! Markers and a water brush.  I matted the image in Baja Blue and Real Red, unfortunately no Cherry Cobbler cardstock, cut with Nestabilities Circle dies.  The sentiment is my favorite “Hello” from Stampin’ Up! Pendant Park.  I used Stampin’ Up! Oval punches for the sentiment and mat.  This was a quick and easy CAS card, but I think it’s pretty cute!