Happy Monday!  Today, I thought I would jump in on this week’s Paper Players Challenge… a very simple and versatile sketch from Nance which I happened to follow right down to the smallest detail.

As much as I enjoy creating cards, writing my blog posts and participating in all of the design challenges, I sometimes get frustrated with my photography. Today is one of those days… no matter what I did… I tried changing the lighting angle; I tried adjusting color and contrast in Picture Manager; and tried a few other touch up secrets of mine… but nothing worked… my card looks red. It’s not though. It’s Watermelon Wonder, a beautiful shade of warm deep pink… so let’s pretend!

The strips of patterned paper are from Stampin’ Up!’s “Cherry On Top” Designer Series Paper Stack which coordinates beautifully with the “Endless Birthday Wishes” stamp set.

I used my Circles Collection Framelits to crop the circles and stamped the cake image with Tip Top Taupe rather than Basic Black for a softer look.  Both banners are hand cropped.

A few Rhinestone Basic Jewels on the candles is all the sparkle this card needs. And don’t forget the matching envelope!

So, pull out a few strips of your favorite patterned paper, stamp a cake, add a little sparkle and create something wonderful!