Bits of Creativity in Word and Color
I have a quick card...hope I get it linked up on time! I am combining this week's SCS sketch with the Paper Players challenge...some soft spring colors this week! I love diagonal lines, so the sketch caught my eye. Plus, it's very unique from the usual, dontcha think? I have seen many cards recently with white on crumb cake, so I decided to try it with these colors.
And with that warm weather, comes some fun cards for spring birthdays. I needed a card for my brother. I was already late for his birthday, which is the norm for most years, but I am doing so much better this year! It's hard to make cards for him, so I figured these colors from the ColourQ would make a great gender-neutral card. I really didn't think I would get into these colors, but the design team had projects that were truly inspiring! The sketch is a few weeks old, but I am catching up on my goal to complete all of the SCS 2015 sketch challenges. Instead of making a square card, I stuck with a classic A2 size.
All of the supplies for this card are from Stampin' Up. My card base is crumb cake. I used my new vellum (a freebie from Sale-a-Bration) with the leaf pattern. There is no color on these vellum sheets, so I colored the back with markers. I combined lucky limeade and summer starfruit to mach the kiwi kiss card stock on my horizontal panel. The kiwi is embossed with the vine folder...I always forget the name! After coloring the vellum, I mounted it onto very vanilla card stock, and added some basic black, punched with the scallop border. My diamond is comprised of black and basic gray, and I added a bit of vanilla for the sentiment from "On Your Birthday." Two enamel dots wrap it up. Even though this is a color scheme I would not have tried on my own, I am really happy with the end result. (That's the whole point of these challenges, right?)
Next, I have another past SCS sketch, plus this week's color challenge from SCS: Lost lagoon, pear pizzazz, daffodil delight, and strawberry slush...Wowza! What an amazing palette for spring! I am not a huge pink fan, but combined with the other colors, this was fun! The sketch has a heart (it was before Valentine's Day) but I opted for a large flower instead.
I have a lost lagoon base, with a strip of daffodil delight pattern paper. The main image was lots of fun. This is a silhouette image from SU's "Upsy Daisy," but I opted to take my markers to it, to create a multi-colored field of flowers. Around the flowers, I lightly sponged the sky and grass. I layered it on daffodil paper, then onto strawberry slush card stock for more contrast. The sentiment is from "On Your Birthday." My big flower is from a package from Darice(?)...it had been unopened for YEARS! But I thought it was a perfect match to the stamped image, and for completing the sketch. Plus the challenge "dessert" was to include non-stamped flowers. Even my brad counts for that! The enamel dots are from an online store.
CQC281 sings SPRING! So I pulled out my nostalgic favorite set, "Best Blossoms." Non-SU embellishments go well with cool Carribean (I don't have any of the "real" stuff.) I should make a bunch of these...everyone needs a cheerful Hello when spring comes to town!
Now, here is CQC282, another challenge that leans more subtle...not quite monochromatic. These are tricky for me. I had a small scrap of brocade blue card stock, already crimped. I also crumpled and sponged my newsprint I stamped my butterflies using the Embossed Kisses technique for Lydia's VSN challenge. It's hard to see, but I used the hounds-tooth folder. The stamps used are "Blessings from Heaven" and "Flight of the Butterfly."
This week's Shine Your Light Challenge at the ODBD blog is a color challenge featuring pastels. I must admit, I was deep in my Virtual Stamp Night mode when I decided that I should try to complete this challenge also. The VSN challenge was called Hidden Treasures, and we were to think of garden things, like flowers that hidden in a bulb before they spring up. My card uses daffodils, but instead of coloring them, I used my acrylic blocks to make a color block background. This is also another Friday Mashup #200 card...as a reminder that YOU can play along! I combined FM 117 (Tic Tac Toe, using ribbon, pearls and flowers) and FM123 to use acrylic block stamping. 
I dug through a stack of card bases in retired SU colors, and found one in pale plum. I added a layer of wisteria wonder, which is embossed with the elegant lines embossing folder. On whisper white, I used various blocks to stamp pool party, pretty in pink, pistachio pudding, and crisp cantaloupe inks. My sentiment and flowers are both from a long retired SU set, called "Beautiful Life." They are stamped in Stazon jet black. I rounded my corners, and added basic pearls and some pistachio ruffled ribbon. I remember buying these stamps...I fell in love with the life-affirming sentiment. I do believe Life is Good...and it all comes from God! (There's my brief Sunday sermon!)
Next, I have a large and very different card. Sabrina gave us a VSN challenge to use a map. I don't have any map stamps. Since the overall theme is "I Treasure You" I picked a map of a place I really treasure...Rome Italy! I downloaded the map, and chose card stock to coordinate. I think this is ballet blue...maybe brocade blue? Not sure. My black is embossed with the square lattice folder. I used a strip of pear pizzazz pattern paper. Using my Word Bubble framelits and the Just Sayin' stamps, I added my true feelings...I do miss Rome! My husband and I went there in 2013 for our 20th anniversary. The red brads mark several of the places we visited, including St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, where i got a HUG from the Pope! Very fun to reminisce!
Last night, I made a BIG and fun mess, creating cards for Virtual Stamp Night! The over arching theme is "I Treasure You." I am posting the first 4 challenges here in this post, and will share the other 6 (if I get them all done) tomorrow. I also combined some of these challenges with the Friday Mashup 200th challenge celebration. YOU can still play along, and try to win prizes! 
The second challenge was one that I hosted...woohoo! I thought of a Scavenger Hunt, so I gave everyone 6 things that needed to be included in their project. Check out the details here. My card includes images from a brand new stamp set (for me) called "Life is Good" from Lawn Fawn. 
The third challenge is about treasuring our furry friends. I don't have any pets, but I do love this Chubby Chums set from Paper Smooches. Once again, I combined 2 Friday Mashups...the sketch found at FM180 and the birthday theme, plus twine at FM142. This card, featuring pretty in pink, wisteria wonder, and lucky limeade.
Earlier this week, I posted a card that I made quickly for the SCS color challenge (real red, coastal cabana, and daffodil delight)...but I wasn't thrilled with it. I decided to try again,and to combine it with the sketch challenge. I am behind on my sketches for the year already! I am also submitting this for The Paper Players challenge, to focus on spring. It has been bitter cold here all week. I am sooooooo ready for spring!