Daring and Colorful Week!

Hello Stamping Friends!

It has been a long time since I have been here. Thanks to the Dare to Get Dirty challenges on Splitcoaststampers, I am rediscovering some mojo!  I made all 5 of Saturday's challenges that day, but didn't stamp at all Sunday.  I have made a few cards each day since.  I am hoping to complete all of the challenges; something I have never done before.  In addition to DTGD challenges, I am using this week to catch up on a boatload of (late) birthday cards and color palettes from The Color Throwdown (my personal 2017 blog challenge).  I will also be working on sympathy and praying for you cards.  My stash needs a boost!  I had started this post on Saturday, with last week's challenge, but forgot to finish the post before the Monday challenge.  So, I decided to do this week's throwdown and add a big batch of other ones!  Now, in case you don't know, the DTGD challenges are just for Fan Club members, so I can't say what those challenges were.

This week's Color Throwdown is a subtle palette, perfect for a get well card. A friend of mine had surgery, and is having complications.  I thought  she could use a boost.  I used crumb cake, whisper white, and kiwi kiss, plus a touch of basic black.  The stamps used are SU's  "French Foliage" and a sentiment from Stampabilities.  Striped ribbon, enamel dots and the SU Urban Vine embossing folder add  texture.  

Next, the card for last week's Throwdown has yummy summer colors.  I pulled out one of my oldest stamp sets, SU "Fanciful Flowers."  After clear embossing, I sponged with rose red, pear pizzazz, and daffodil delight ink.The butterfly was in my stash of die cuts, in strawberry slush.  The sentiment is from "On Your Birthday."  An enamel dot and polka dot ribbon finish it off.

This card uses a mystery stamp.  One of my nieces gave it to me for Christmas. I had not used it, but my grand-daughters did back in February.  The package is gone; I only have the acetate cover.  Any way, I don't do fine detail coloring well, so I did a watercolor wash.  I just loved this palette for a summer bouquet!  My ink colors are real red, daffodil delight, pear pizzazz, and bermuda bay.  I added texture with dry embossing on the daffodil layer.  I(f I wasn't so busy making  so many cards, I think I would have heat embossed the image in black to make it crisper.  But that idea will wait for another day. The sentiment is from SU's "Wetlands," stamped on a decorative label.  Seam binding and enamel dots add the final touch.  

Now I have a fun card for my oldest great-niece.  She had her sweet 16 birthday recently.  Each year during DTGD and VSN week's, I always look through old supplies that I sadly ignore.  This Stamping Bella image was in a swap baggie with this luscious, shimmery pink paper and the textured paper I used with my scallop punch.  The chipboard numbers are years old; I coated them with versamark and melon mambo embossing powder.  Gumball green ribbon goes with the ink colors: gumball green, blushing bride, pink pirouette, and melon mambo.  The sentiment is from SU's "So Very" on a small oval.

Many people have this crazy bird set from Tim Holtz; I just bought it last month at the local Jo-Ann's.  It finally came out of the package!  I colored it very simply with markers in crushed curry, pacific point, and cherry cobbler.  The background is made with the accompanying Tim Holtz stencil.  I wanted my bird to say something, so I used a word bubble (reversed, so it faces his beak) with a greeting from SU's "Just Sayin'."  Enamel dots wrap it up.










Now for a non-birthday card.  I need cards to send to my guy friends, and this palette works well.  I used baja breeze, not quite navy, and whisper white card stock.  NQN, baja breeze, crumb cake, and kiwi kiss ink were used with SU's "Clockworks" to make my own dp, plus a greeting from "Whimsical Words."  Some striped ribbon and burlap trim add finishing texture.





Sometimes, a card design gets carried away.  This would be one of them!  Too many shapes, in my opinion!  Any way, on a night of navy base, I have a vintage wallpaper embossed layer of white.  I created a background with navy, blushing bride, and both gold ink and gold (messy!) glitter.  I cut it out with a SU framelit.  The image is colored with markers; a favorite from SU's "Forever Friends" and the sentiment is from "Sincere Salutations."  Various punches, pleated satin ribbon, and an enamel heart add to the busy design.





Another messy card is next...this one was fun!  I made my background on watercolor paper, using real reed, elegant eggplant, and daffodil delight inks.  My sentiment is from SU's "Happiest Birthday Wishes," colored with those same colors, plus pumpkin pie.  My purple flower is from an old swap.  I added non-SU gems, plus scrunched daffodil satin ribbon.

Finally, since I had my gold glitter out, I decided to complete this other Color Throwdown challenge.  I think I will be cleaning up glitter for months!  I made my background using tissue with gumball green and basic black, plus some gold.  The sentiment is from "Delightful Dozen" stamped over a blob from "Extreme Elements."  A touch of gold cord finishes it off.

Whew!  I have a few other DTGD cards completed. but they don't incorporate any color throwdowns.  I have quite a few more to do if I am going to catch up with my goal.  Could be fun to see how far I get!  Thanks for stopping by!


Inky {{{HUGS}}}
Kim

I'm Back Playing with Paper

Howdy Strangers!!

On Sunday, I spent time trying to catch up my card making.  I should have posted these cards earlier, but I was really hoping to make one more for a past Paper Players challenge from early in the year.  As of this moment, that hasn't happened, so I am going to quickly post these cards so I can upload the current card before the Challenge deadline.  I'll have to edit the post this afternoon.  Even my photos aren't edited yet!  All fixed now. I am sooooooooooo far behind!

This was super quick for the challenge posted on Sunday at The Paper Players.  My leaves had been die cut and dry embossed before for a different card, but were leftover.  I love being able to pull out items from my stash!  My card base is cajun craze.  I have a layer of Comfort Cafe dsp, plus a layer of very vanilla.  The sentiment is from SU's "Wetlands".  I added garden green brads, and some non-SU bakers twine.  The leaves were cut with the retired Sizzix Leaves #2 die, in cajun craze, crushed curry, and garden green, embossed with the wood grain folder.

This card is for the FIRST Paper Players challenge of 2016!  At the start of the year, my blog challenge goal was to complete everything from The Friday Mashup.  After that blog retired, I switched to The Paper Players.  I have gradually worked on catching up (though I fell back behind this fall.)  I needed a special card for a special lady's 100th birthday.  She likes red, so I used real red card stock and satin ribbon.  The velvety pattern paper is SU's "Mocha Morning."  On a die cut framelit, I stamped the sentiment from SU's "Memorable Moments."  I added a scattering of gems from Recollections.  

I combined this Paper Player challenge with last week's Color Challenge at SCS.  I used a confetti white card base.  Using a Cuttlebug heart folder, I dry embossed a piece of sahara sand and strawberry slush.  I stamped the flourish from SU's "Baroque Motifs" in crumb cake.  The sentiment is from the same set.  After sponging with sahara sand and crumb cake, I added a bright heart from "Work of Art."  The ruffled ribbon adds the final girly touch.

This one was lots of fun.  I had some summer starfruit card stock out, since it goes with my Comfort Cafe dsp.  But I set the dsp aside, and opted to use basic gray and strawberry slush for a different look.  The sunbeams are from a Tim Holtz stencil.  I added rain drops and tiny hearts, pljs a sentiment from SU's "Rain or Shine."  The heart is dry embossed with the Cloudy Day folder, and placed over gray bakers twine.

This sketch gets a bit lost in the pattern paper, but I still like the final product.  The card base is cajun craze.  I used Comfort Cafe dsp for the full layer, large circle, and butterfly.  On a scalloped circle, I stamped the large F (from "Vintage Vogue") in summer starfruit, then used my cajun craze marker to add contrast. A cajun craze brad and pool party thick bakers twine finish this off.




It feels great to stamp and blog again.  It also feels good to work on my stamping goals.  Thanks for stopping by!!


Inky {{{HUGS}}}
Kim