Border flowers ...

I spent a great amount of time last week moaning about colour challenges and yet I seem to be strangely attracted to them!  On reflection I think my problem was more to do with the colour pink than anything else.  So here is today's card based on two colour challenges and a sketch challenge.

The sentiment is heat embossed on velum.

I used the following
Distress Ink - Mustard Seed
Stampin Up Ink - Coastal Cabana and Lucky Limeade
Versamark Ink
Stampendous White Detail Embossing Powder
Simon Says Stamp -  Handwritten Borders
V&A Stamps sets based on Patchwork Quilts housed in the museum.

I will enter the following challenges:
"Less is More" - the colour of your bedroom (I've used the colours of my bed linen)
CAS Colours and Sketches - colour challenge, daffodil delight, tempting turquoise and wild wasabi
CAS(E) this Sketch


STAMPlorations June Challenge - stamps and borders

Enjoy!

Bleach Blocking ...

The newest issue of Craft Stamper magazine has a tutorial from Hels Sheridan on bleach blocking - a technique using distress inks and water to create an interesting background.  I thought I'd better have a go to see for myself what I could create.  I love the technique it is so straight forward but really effective.  The June challenge at the Craft Stamper blog is to use this technique so that is what I have done.  The finished card is very different to the first card I made today!

I paper pieced the flowers and popped onto dimensional

I chose the colour palette to reflect the blue of the summer sky when the sun is shining with the flowers (although stylised) looking up and happy.  I used a stamp that I bought ages ago and have just looked at and admired but never used and also some pearl embellishments that have never been opened! 

A blog friend, Darnell of djkardkreations, is celebrating reaching 500 followers by organising a challenge for her followers - the challenge is to create a card using NBUS (this Darnell defines as "never-before-used schtuff" ) so this card is also for her challenge.  Please pop over and check out her blog - her cards are amazing and her posts are smile inducing!

I used the following:

Distress Inks - Salty Ocean, Peacock Feathers and Evergreen Bough

PaperArtsy Stamp set - JOFY 11

Hobbycraft large white pearls coloured black with Spectrum Noir

Kaisercraft Clear Stamps - Curiosity

I will enter these challenges:

Craft Stamper - Bleach Blocking

TIME OUT Challenges - Summer with the optional twist of flowers

djkardkreations

Enjoy!

Lime and Lemon ...

Today has turned out to be a beautiful day - we started with a torrential downpour which didn't look as if it was ever going to stop and now the sun is shining and the sky is blue.

My first card for the weekend is simple, clean and created with my go to stamp set - Uniko Studio's Pure Florals: Gerbera - the leaves are the feature this time!  I've taken the colours from a duvet cover - this week's challenge at "Less is More" is a colour challenge and you are to use the Colours in Your Bedroom.

I used the following:

Uniko Studios - Pure Florals: Gerbera Stamp Set

                         - Today, Tomorrow, Always, TIME

Derwent Inktense Pencils

Stampin Up Lucky Limeade Ink

I'm going to enter these challenges:

"Less is More" - colour challenge

CAS(E) this sketch

TIME OUT Challenges - Summer with the optional twist of flowers

Enjoy!

Pink Gerbera ...

I couldn't resist returning to my very favourite stamp - the Gerbera - for another card.  Apologies to my wonderful followers for the repetition but I still have love this stamp and believe it or not I have even more ideas!!  I also wanted to enter another card in the Uniko Studio challenge and it just seemed appropriate to use my favourite stamp.

I've been a bit of an idiot as I've struggled to create pink with my water colour paints and moaned because I didn't have the 'right' pink in a stamping ink and all the time I had a JOFY Limited Edition set of PaperArtsy Fresco Finish Chalk Acrylics which includes two shades of pink!!  I think I need to remember to think outside of the box and repeat '.. all resources can be used to create cards ... all resources can be used to create cards ..."

I began by white embossing the image on water colour card, then painted the image with the acrylics, cut a panel to go on the top with a 'window' opening and stamped a sentiment.

I'm entering this card into these challenges:

Uniko Studios


Inkspirational - Bloom

Enjoy! 

Stamping type ...

I decided to forget all about matching colours this evening and just use the whole rainbow!  I've also had a bit of a giggle at my own expense. You see the challenge at "Less is More" this week involves 'Using more than One Stamp' but there is no prize for using the most - if there was I think I could possibly be a contender.  I've used 27 stamps! - check it out:

I've used the sketch from the new challenge at STAMPlorations:



I masked off a panel, randomly stamped letters, stamped the typewriter, cut it out and mounted it on dimensional adhesive.

I used the following:

Distress Inks - Fired Brick, Spiced Marmalade, Mustard Seed, Mowed Lawn, Salty Ocean and Seedless Preserves
STAMPlorations Vignette: Old Type
Happy Day Clear Stamps - free with a magazine

Enjoy!

Surprise Post ...

The surprise to me is that I managed to create another card which involved a colour challenge - this time the challenge named the colours that were needed so no colour matching involved on this occasion.  I've realised that it was problems I was having with colour matching that was causing my creativity to dive bomb!  So onto the card ...

I was lucky with this challenge as although I don't have many Stampin Up inks - I did have two out of the three listed for the Color Throwdown challenge and a third that is similar (I hope!).

I used the following:

Uniko Studio - Today, Tomorrow & Always TIME
Clearly Besotted -sentiment from the Pretty Petals Plus stamp set
Stampin Up Inks - Strawberry Slush, Coastal Cabana and Baked Brown Sugar
All Occasion Dies - Trellis Trio Part 2

I am going to enter the following challenges:

Color Throwdown 


"Less is More" - Lucky Dip using more than one stamp

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes

Enjoy!

Pink and Pink ...

Last day of my week off work and the sun finally decides to shine with attitude!  At least I'm getting the washing dry!

I've been struggling this weekend to find my creativity - I've dabbled with inks, cut up pieces of card, failed to create a stencil, struggled to find colour combinations that work!  I have succeeded in creating a lot of  scraps/off cuts that may or may not end up in the bin!

I wanted to enter the challenge at Uniko Studio but I didn't feel I could continue my obsession with the Gerbera Stamp set (I do still really like it and enjoy creating with it!!) as luck would have it I treated myself to a new set from the lovely Beverley (thanks for the discount!) - Today, Tomorrow & Always TIME - so I thought I would give it a go!

My next problem was colour matching, the theme for the challenge - Thinking of You with the following colour combination



This is where my problems really started - in a desire to be as close to the colours as possible I seemed to go round and round in circles.  I've decided that I really do not like Pink!  I had to resort to mixing a couple of shades of pink with my water colour set and came up with this:

Apologies for the jaunty angle of the photograph!

I heat embossed the stamps and then coloured with water colour paints, cut the panel up into strips and the mounted on the card base using dimensional adhesive.

I used:
Uniko Studio - Today, Tomorrow and Always TIME
Stampendous Embossing Powder
Simon Says Stamp - Handwritten Borders Set

I'm going to enter

Uniko Studio
"Less is More" - it is Lucky Dip week and the challenge is to 'use more than one stamp'

Finally I would like to thank the designers over at Addicted to Stamps for giving one of my cards an Honourable Mention - this is the card they liked:

Enjoy!