GDP78 and CI5

It's been a hectic time since school went back so I'm enjoying a quiet Saturday morning at last! I've made a card using two sources of inspiration. Firstly, the sketch challenge at Global Design Project.

Secondly, the supremely lovely colour combination at Colour Inkspiration, which I've been hoping to get to ever since the challenge opened almost a fortnight ago.

In this card, I've taken the change below the line in the sketch to be a change in texture, rather than a change in colour or pattern.

The bird is stacked on two other bird shaped to give him some depth and the branch on one. I've left the branch to hang over the frame a bit.

The sky background is sponged on watercolour paper and then it's been flicked with water to lift some of the colour.  The sentiment is clear embossed over Sahara Sand ink.

I had been thinking of a baby girl card as I was making it but now I think it could also suit an engagement or even a wedding or anniversary. One thing I do know for sure is that I don't use Best Birds enough!

Update: Utterly, utterly delighted to be a winner at Global Design Project this week!

Further update: So very delighted to be in the Top 5 at Colour Inkspiration as well!

Ingredients

Card: Sahara Sand, Blushing Bride, watercolour paper

Stamps: Best Birds

Inks: Sahara Sand, Blushing Bride, Soft Sky, versamark

Other: Falling Petals embossing folder, Birds and Blooms framelits, Blushing Bride twine, Layered circles framelits, Stitched Shapes framelits, dimensionals, pearls, clear embossing powder, aquapainter.

Retro Rubber Challenge 58 - DT card

Our new Retro Rubber challenge is sure to be a favourite - Anything Goes. As usual, you must use stamps that are at least a year old and tell us how old the stamps are. Other than that, the sky's the limit on this one!

Being able to choose anything was harder than it sounded. As I was looking through my stamps, I came across a couple of old favourites. Although neither is retired, both Wetlands (AC 2013-14) and Hardwood (OC 2014) have been around for a while. I always thought they worked well together.

I've also used the mini-netting stamp from Butterfly Basics to add some texture.

I wanted a small scale sentiment so I turned to another old faithful set, Clearly Besotted's Many Mini Messages. It looks like this one is still available too but I bought it online in 2015. Although it is hard to see in the photo, the birds' reflections are highlighted with Wink of Stella.

I'd also like to enter this card into the challenge at Fab Friday, since it was their sketch that I used as inspiration.

So, please, dig out your old stamps and give them an outing at Retro Rubber. You have two weeks to play with us. Entries will close on 24 March.

Update: So pleased to be picked in the Fab Four at Fab Friday.

Ingredients

Card: Soft Suede, Pool Party, Whisper White

Stamps: SU Hardwood, Wetlands, Butterfly Basics and Clearly Besotted Many Mini Messages

Inks: Pool Party, Crumb Cake, Soft Suede, Early Espresso

Other: Sponges, Burlap ribbon, Doily, dimensionals, clear Wink of Stella

Freshly Made Sketches 278

The weekend is almost over, and with it goes the rain. There was time for one more craft room turn this weekend. The challenge at Freshly Made Sketches was a fabulous one and I'm pleased to have made a card for it.

This was also the first outing for my newly acquired set from the Occasions catalogue, Custom Tee. So many choices in this set but I wanted to make a card suitable for someone young, fun and female - that's including both the younger in years and the young at heart. So, here is goes...

Ingredients

Card: Basic Black, Melon Mambo, Whisper White, papers from Pop of Pink

Stamps: Custom Tee

Inks: Tuxedo Black, Melon Mambo

Other: Sparkle embossing folder, Tee Shirt Builder framelits, copper metallic filament, dimensionals

CAS Colours and Sketches 213

Other people might be upset by a wet Saturday but not me. That's a free pass to the craft room where I made an entry for another favourite challenge site of mine, CAS Colours and Sketches. It's colour week this week and we have these three to work with...

They're bright and regal colours, so I thought they lent themselves to a birthday card.

The water coloured butterfly has a Smoky Slate shadow butterfly, raised on dimensionals to give some lift.

I sponged Crushed Curry onto water colour paper, deep at the bottom and then growing lighter. Then I sprinkled some water to lift some colour and give a mottled effect.  The butterfly is water coloured moving from Smoky Slate in the centre through to shades of Elegant Eggplant, with Crushed Curry at the wing tips. Once it was dry, I gave it a layer of clear Wink of Stella and some rhinestones.

Update: Delighted to be a winner at CAS Colours and Sketches with this card.

Ingredients

Card: Elegant Eggplant, Smoky Slate, Whisper White, water colour paper

Stamps: Papillon Potpourri, Delicate Details, Gorgeous Grunge, Timeless Textures, Special Reason (sentiment)

Inks: Elegant Eggplant, Smoky Slate, Crushed Curry, Black Stazon

Other: Elegant Butterfly punch, clear Wink of Stella, rhinestones, Layering Circle framelits. dimensionals, sponges, aquapainter

Just Add Ink 350

Work has really been interfering with my crafting life lately and, as it's also classes week for me, crafting time has been in short supply. I got to it straight after work last night though to make a gift and card for a friend. She's a crafter too and I always make her a card then give it to her unwritten in so she has the choice of keeping it or using it for someone else. It's a bit of a joke between us.

For inspiration, I turned to one of my favourite challenge sites, Just Add Ink, where there is a sketch this week.

I also got out one of the Sale-abration items I received that I hadn't used before, Avant Garden. Now that I've used it, I'm only sorry it has sat unopened on my desk for so long!

I wasn't quite sure what to make of the horizontal line in the sketch but I've made it the place where the stamping stops.

I've added some touches of gold Wink of Stella to the stamens but it is hard to capture in the photo. 

I also made wee chocolate box, just the right size for six of those delicious Lindor chocolate balls. The dimensions for the box I cased from Pootles' triple creme egg window box here. 

Then I had a problem because I wanted to give her some glue and dimensionals as well. It turns out that dimensionals are packaged in a very annoying sized package that means they will not fit into things made on a gift bag punch board, so I had to custom make a gift bag to fit the glue, dimensionals and the chocolate box. 

It was a lot to fit into an after-work-but-before-bed session but I'm happy with the results. And so, I think, was my friend!

P.S. I did tidy up the ends of the pink ribbon once everything was safely stowed inside the bag.

I cut the ribbons generously because I'm pretty sure they'll end up in her stash drawer.

Ingredients (card only)

Card: Very Vanilla, Blushing Bride, Pear Pizzazz, vellum

Stamps: Avant Garden

Inks: Blushing Bride, Pear Pizzazz, Early Espresso

Other: Natural trim ribbon, gold Wink of Stella, gold metallic shapes, Early Espresso marker to outline the sentiment, dimensionals.

As You See It 145 - DT card

The fortnight has rolled around quickly to a new challenge and Amanda has given us another sketch to work with.

What I liked about this one was that it suggested to me the idea of colour rolling gently across the page. The discrete elements she used got me thinking about a stencil I won from Stamploration last year. Retro Circles seemed just the right call for this design.

I've used Cucumber Crush, Bermuda Bay and Pacific Point through the stencil. It made for a very summer beach feel and I think this card could easily be given to a bloke.

This is how I saw the sketch but please join us and show us how you see it. You have until 11.55 p.m. on Wednesday 22 March PST to join us. We'd love to see what you do! 

Please make sure word verification is turned off as we love to leave you comments.

Ingredients
Card: Bermuda Bay, Whisper White
Stamps: Big on Birthdays
Inks: Cucumber Crush, Bermuda Bay, Pacific Point
Other: Stamploration Retro Circles stencil, Bermuda Bay thick bakers' twine, Bermuda Bay enamel shapes, dimensionals.

All products, bar the stencil, are Stampin' Up.

Global Design Project 76

Now that school is back, and in full swing, it's been difficult to snatch some crafting time. I'm very pleased to have found the time to do something for the current challenge at Global Design Project.
This week, the challenge is to CASE a card from the wonderful Kylie Bertucci.

I love this card. For my inspiration, I took the raised and off-centre panel filled with repeated images, the shaped but relatively plain sentiment, the top fold and the mat behind the panel. I liked the way one of the colours became the colour of the base and originally intended to do something similar but you will see that that was not what happened!

I started with a piece of Whisper White and sponged it in Real Red, Flirty Flamingo and Emerald Envy in order to give the impression of a field of vibrant flowers. After embossing the flower images and inking the panel in black I had my field of flowers, which were also a bit like fireworks - both celebratory images. I like that the oval sentiment is a quiet spot in the riotous background and so draws attention to itself.

Originally, I'd intended to use the Emerald Envy as a card base but really it looked a bit like a misplaced and mutant traffic light! After some experimentation, black looked the best.

The enamel shapes add to the party feel and help bring out the Emerald Envy since it had been sacked from being the card base colour after all.

Thank you Kylie, for such a wonderful card to work from.

Ingredients

Card: Basic Black, Whisper White

Stamps: Sunshine Sayings

Inks: Real Red, Flirty Flamingo, Emerald Envy, Tuxedo Black, versamark

Other: Clear embossing powder, sponges, stitched oval framelits, 1/4" Real Red cotton ribbon, dimensionals, Enamel shapes in Emerald Envy and Flirty Flamingo.