Challenged by the Color Challenge

I almost didn't post this card. I'm not sure if I like it or not. How 'bout I let you decide?

The last color challenge that Kristina Werner had was to use So Saffron, Old Olive, Not Quite Navy, Bashful Blue and Whisper White. I like this color combination, so I pulled out all the card stock and ink pads and thought this was going to be an easy one. I had a design in my head, but when it came to executing it with the stamp set I chose--Wonderful You--something just didn't gel.

I think the biggest problem came when the panels on which I'd stamped the main floral images were too big for the layout I had pictured. I began cutting them down, and ended up with what you see. I also had a background panel in mind, thus the OO pieces with the outline leaf stamp. This too had its issues.

I stamped the middle outline flower in SS and then used my pads and aquapainter to try to create a soft natural look. I curled the image around a pencil, just slightly, to give it some dimension.

Oh well...at least I tried, right? SAS is tonight and tomorrow morning, so I'm off to get dinner for the fam before my stampers arrive. I'm gonna sleep like a baby tonight...been up since 3:45am!

Color Challenge Inspired Birthday Card #2

As I said in my last post, I have 3 family birthdays in the next 7 days. Kristina Werner's weekly Color Inspiration Challenge helped me utilize my time wisely this afternoon by eliminating the dithering I usually do over color scheme. This week's swatches are: Real Red, Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive, So Saffron, and Tempting Turquoise. I also was inspired by an old layout created by Jen del Muro for her blog, I {Heart} 2 Stamp.

This is what evolved as I played with the shapes and colors. I used my 1 3/8" square punch and chomped out one of every color except TT, since it is the base. Then I set about coloring on the Sale-A-Bration set, Birthday Whimsy. I wanted details of the stamps--a popular trend called "inchies"--so I colored what I wanted to highlight and stamped each on 1 1/4" squares of Whisper White.

I took this picture to help me remember the placement positions of each of the pieces. I have a hard enough time creating a less than symmetrical look, and recreating it after I remove said pieces to adhere them is more stress than I need. Taking the picture allows me a reference point. I added the strip of WW with dots stamped from an old Hostess Set called Riveting to create some more whimsy and break up the TT base. This card will be for my brother-in-law, who is turning 43, and so there was no option for ribbon.

The interior uses the entire cake image--stamped off once--and the accompanying sentiment. Now all that remains is getting the family to sign it and it'll be off to him in the mail. Unfortunately, his is the last of the three, so it's back to the craft room to create one more so that my sister-in-law (or my sister, I haven't decided who's getting yesterday's card yet) has a card in time for her special day.

A Color Challenge

Kristina Werner has a wonderful blog, and every week she posts a color inspiration challenge. Didn't I just say yesterday that I was looking for inspiration? I love it when that happens. Kristina doesn't know it, but she's being doubly helpful to me, because I've been searching for blue and brown bedding for months now and have not found what I like! Perhaps my search is ended...

But I digress. Here's what I came up with. Since SU! doesn't make a Soft Sky marker, I had to improvise. I stamped the entire image in SS, then colored over the areas I wanted Chocolate Chip or Close to Cocoa for the flowers. After doing the largest one this way, I didn't add Close to Cocoa to any of the other flowers, because it was too difficult to differentiate between the two browns, seeing as they both were "diluted" by the SS already on the surface.

Originally, I had set out this morning to create a frame with my Dots jumbo wheel, which matches the Friendly Flowers set. This turned out to be a bit more challenging than I had anticipated. I ended up using it as the mat for the main image, but you can't see very many of the dots. Perhaps I'll attempt this look again another day.

Overall, I'm happy with it, and someone will be pleased to receive it. Don't know who it'll be, but that's why having a stash of cards is good! Thanks, Kristina!

Late Night Baby Card

I got a late start on this card tonight because Bob and I listened to audio from the Starbucks shareholders' meeting today. Some cool things are coming, folks! But that's not what you're here to read about and see.

Kristina Werner is a professional graphic designer who works at SU! and shares her wealth of design sense at her blog. Today, she posted a photo of a room and issued a challenge using this color combination: Groovy Guava, So Saffron, Blush Blossom, and Wild Wasabi.

I have a cousin whose wife is expecting their first child in a few months, and there's a shower in a couple of weeks. They don't know what sex the baby is--how refreshing!--so the card needed to be neutral. Since I'm not able to attend, I thought this challenge was the perfect nudge to create a baby card to send along with my gift.

What do you think? It seems a bit too airy in the middle for my taste, like the focal image is too small. I like how the letters on the large triangle corners give it a wooden block feel, and I'm pleased with my first attempt at paper piercing. It adds some nice detail. Like I shared a few days ago, I'm not a big pastels (SU! translation: Soft Subtles) gal, but this gave me another chance to work outside my comfort zone.

Stamp sets used: So Many Scallops (retired SAB 2008), Jumbo Outline Alphabet.

Check out Kristina's blog over the next few days and she'll post links to all the cards made using this combination!

Edited: Sorry! I used the wrong blog address for Kristina's website, but I've fixed it now.