Colour Me 69

This week is a challenge with choice - two options with which to be 'creative'.

Tough choice; they're both delicious. I thought I'd miss out on playing this challenge - it's been a busy weekend - but a spare hour presented itself after an early dinner. So I've played along with option 2.

My ulterior motive was also to use my new stuff. Over the past few months, I've discovered the joy of on-line international shopping. I've been amazed that often stuff arrives from both the UK and USA in about a week. My first ever purchase from Winnie & Walter broke my run of fast deliveries although it was quite entertaining watching the various locations it went through via parcel tracking. But it did arrive yesterday. This lovely die and stamp set The Big, The Bold and Party was sitting there asking to be used. Just beautiful stamps to use - very crisp.

Update: Delighted that this card was picked as a Colour Connoisseur at Colour Me.

Ingredients

Card: Cherry Cobbler, Coastal Cabana, Whisper White

Stamps: SU Gorgeous Grunge and French Foliage. W&W Big, Bold and Party

Inks: Coastal Cabana, Rose Red, Cherry Cobbler

Other: W&W Big, Bold and Party die, Coastal Cabana twine, dimensionals

CAS Colours and Sketches 122

When there is a fifth week, CAS Colours and Sketches runs a double:  a sketch and colour challenge. I've never done one and was determined to do so next time it occurred. So tonight after work, I had to give it a go. I thought it was a bit of a tricky one - the sketch was a hard one and the colours a combination I wouldn't have normally picked.

So, a true challenge then...

It went a bit against the grain to rip the panel into two to get the wiggly line! I went for a "feel better" card because I liked the idea of something beautiful rising up over the cracked line; a sort of visual metaphor.

Ingredients
Card: Calypso Coral, Island Indigo, Wisteria Wonder, Whisper White
Stamps: SU Dictionary, Papillon Potpourri, Clearly Besotted Say it in Style.
Ink: Calypso Coral, Island Indigo, Wisteria Wonder, Black
Other: Elegant Butterfly punch, Bitty Butterfly Punch, dimensionals, candy dots, Island Indigo marker pen

AAA Challenge 38

The AAA Challenge has had some interesting challenges and this week is no exception.

Over the last month, I've been experimenting quite a bit with using layers and holes in my cards, so this challenge was a good chance to play around some more. I've made some cards using layers of off-set circles, creating a rabbit-hole kind of effect (see here) but this is the first time I've tried the idea with ovals. Originally, I had a more off-set layout for these ovals too but this centred arrangement was more pleasing.

I will also enter this card into Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes.

Ingredients

Card: Whisper White, Crumb Cake, Soft Suede, Early Espresso, Pool Party, Vellum

Stamps: SU Wetlands, By the Seashore, Hardwood and Butterfly Basics and Clearly Besotted Say it in Style

Ink: Crumb Cake, Soft Suede, Pool Party, Early Espresso, Black Stazon

Other: Oval framelits, dimensionals, Early Espresso marker, sponges

CAS on Sunday 57

The challenge at CAS on Sunday was to produce a CAS card using only white and one colour. I was immediately intrigued by this and for most of the day, it was bubbling away in the back of my mind. It's funny how your ideas can change. Initially, I was playing around with the idea of using lots of textures. While cooking dinner, I had an inspiration and the card ended up quite differently to how I'd been thinking.

The colour I've used is Night of Navy. I am especially pleased with the die-cut 'happy' because the navy 'happy' underneath gives a great sense of depth and life to the word. I'm also very pleased with the simple elegance of the card.

I really enjoyed this challenge - thank you!

Ingredients
Card: Night of Navy, Whisper White
Stamps: SU Flowering Flourishes, Crazy About You,
Ink: Night of Navy
Other: MFT Happy Birthday die, Circle punch, Pearls, dimensionals

Paper Players 242

This weekend is a long weekend for the commemoration of ANZAC day. 25 April is a day for remembering the sacrifices of war. This year was a special one since it is 100 years since the ANZAC landings at Gallipoli and it is also the first time ever that the holiday has been "Mondayised" so creating a long weekend when the day falls in a normal weekend.

So in the quiet of this afternoon, I have made a remembrance card, for the many occasions we want to remind others that, for whatever reason, we are thinking of them.

This morning, I saw the new, and lovely, sketch at The Paper Players and have used that as inspiration.

I liked it so much that I've been quite literal in interpretation and have used some old favourites of mine in the process. I love the Blackberry Bliss, Sahara Sand combination with one other (often Hello Honey or Lost Lagoon). I was sad to see that my favourite background stamp, Dictionary, is retiring. And although I was slow to like Kinda Eclectic, it has become a favourite go-

to, especially the butterfly.

Ingredients

Card: Blackberry Bliss, Sahara Sand, Whisper White, Moonlight DSP stack, scrap of Hello Honey.

Stamps:  SU Dictionary, Kinda Eclectic, Wetlands (for the sentiment), Hero Arts Dandelion.

Inks: Sahara Sand, Blackberry Bliss, Hello Honey

Punches and Folders: Elegant Butterfly punch, Oval framelits, CTMH Honeycomb embossing folder, Couture Charming Chevrons embossing folder

Other: Brad base, Sahara Sand candy dot, linen twine (another favourite!), dimensionals, Early Espresso marker.

Paper Craft Crew 141

This week's sketch at The Paper Craft Crew is another good one, which stimulated a few ideas for me, but I eventually settled on one to run with.

I particularly like the combination of Lost Lagoon, Cherry Cobbler and Sahara Sand and so worked with that again for this card.

In this photo, you can see that the Sahara Sand layer is raised above the panel of white, which has been stamped in Cherry Cobbler with a stamp from the retired Sweet Summer set.

I'm also quite addicted to the Papillon Potpourri set and you can see the layers of the butterfly well in this photo.

Update: Delighted that this card made Featured Artisan at Paper Craft Crew.

Ingredients

Card: Cherry Cobbler, Lost Lagoon, Sahara Sand, Whisper White

Stamps: Papillon Potpourri, Sweet Summer, Crazy About You.

Ink: Cherry Cobbler, Lost Lagoon, Black

Other: Decorative Dots embossing folder, circle punch, Bitty Butterfly punch, pearls, Cherry Cobbler baker's twine, dimensionals

Cas-ology 143 and SCYS 13

Today's card was a bit of an experiment.  I was aiming for a masculine, very clean, almost graphic card which is something I don't do a lot of. It was also an experiment in inlaying dies.

The stimulation for this card came from the challenges at Cas-ology and Showcase Your Style.

Ingredients

Card: Whisper White

Stamps: Altenew Label Love

Inks: Wisteria Wonder, Perfect Plum, Elegant Eggplant

Dies: SSS Stitched Rectangle, MFT Thank You.

Other: Enamel dots from Paper Vine, dimensionals