Bugs and Kisses Color Challenge

It’s been a while since I’ve had time to play along with one of Kristina’s color challenges.  So today, on this gorgeous day outside, the baby and I stayed inside.  Good and bad.  Sure would’ve loved to enjoy the  beautiful weather and watch my hubby do the yard work (yes, watch, I do the flowers and he does the rest) and play with the older kids, but the baby needed me inside and so ‘we’ stamped and it was great fun. 

I have a few little boys birthdays coming up so with that in mind I went to Kristina’s color challenge and began playing.  I decided right away that I wanted to do an unusual layout, use the circle scissors plus, and use the Bugs & Kisses stamp set.  I pulled out the colors of cardstock and inks from the challenge and sat and sat and sat.  I just couldn’t decide where to start with the layout!  I finally decided to just go ahead and cut a circle, which led to stamping the bugs in rows, which led to layering the circles, and then I sat and sat and sat.  Remember that unusual layout I wanted?  Ya, wasn’t feelin’ it.  So I turned my focus onto the background and challenged myself NOT to use Designer Paper (I seriously have an addiction to DSP!) so that left me where?  I wanted to incorporate some kind of round aspect to mimic the bugs circle.  But my go-to fave background stamp (Polka Dot) has retired, so I decided to keep thinking.  That’s when I decided to do the Big Shot texturz plate but knew I wanted more.  That’s when it hit me to make my own DSP with a baby wipe and reinkers and Whisper White CS.  Hence, the stripes.  I grabbed an envelope and striped the bottom inch of that and then grabbed an inside layer for the card and striped that!  Fun!  The rest of the card came together pretty easily and an hour and a half later (yes, I know it doesn’t look like a card that should take an hour and a half but remember all that sitting and thinking I was doing?!?!) I had this simple layout, bright and fun birthday card!  Hope you like it and I hope the recipient and his mom do too.  So T.R. pretend you didn’t see this post! 

The colors for the challenge:

My creation:

Supplies
Stamp Sets:
Bugs & Kisses
Paper:
Real Red
Tempting Turquoise
So Saffron
Chocolate Chip
Whisper White
Inks:
Tempting Turquoise marker,  pad, & refill
Real Red marker, pad, & refill
Chocolate Chip marker, pad, & refill
So Saffron pad & refill
Accessories/ Embellishments:
Tempting Turquoise brads
large oval punch
circle scissors & glass mat
baby wipe
paper snips
Big Shot
Texturz Plate
blender pen
dimensionals
 

Kristina’s 33rd Challenge

(Originally posted on December 4, 2008)

I wish I could say I’ve participated in all 33 of her Color Challenges, but alas, I have not.  But I did put some ink to paper tonight for the first time in two weeks! (And unfortunately you can tell I’m a bit rusty! LOL)  Oh well.

Here are the challenge colors:

 And here is my card.  I used the Emboss Resist Technique.  I embossed the groovy flowers (for lack of a better term) with craft ink and clear embossing powder.  Then I ran my brayer over it with Chocolate Chip ink.   On the hodgepodge brad I simply dabbed some Taken with Teal craft ink in the indented part of the design and wiped it off the raised part.  The colors just seemed kind of 70’s to me so I went with a ‘groovy’ looking image and wanted it to stand out from a dark background.  I think I achieved a 70’s feel, what do you think?

And once again, I’m cutting it just minutes from her deadline! Eeek!

Another Color Challenge

(Originally posted on November 6, 2008)

Okay, I think I just made Kristina’s deadline.  Boy, these colors were fun to work with once I finally got an idea!!!!!  It took SEVERAL tries and several stamp sets before I finally did this one.  It’s a litle bit simpler but I like how it turned out.  I CASED the layout from page 19 of the Holiday Mini Catalog.  And I cheated a teeny tiny bit and used Glossy White CS instead of Whisper White CS like Kristina put forth in her Color Challenge.  I used the Glossy White because I really wanted the cupcake to be bright and colorful and with such dark colors it just wasn’t looking right on plain Whisper White.  Plus I love the way a blender pen glides over Glossy White CS.

So, what do you think?  I know the blue watercoloring looks the same but the cupcake base was done in Pacific Point and the candle and sprinkles were colored in Taken with Teal.  And like how I snuck in a touch of Pumpkin Pie with the flame?

Supply List

Stamp Sets:
Crazy for Cupcakes, Polka Dot Background
Inks:
CLASSIC: Taken with Teal, Pumpkin Pie, Pacific Point, Elegant Eggplant, Jet Black Stazon
Card Stock: 
Elegant Eggplant (8.5" x 5.5")
Glossy White (2.25" x 3")
Pumpkin Pie (2-3/8" x 3-1/8")
Taken with Teal (2-5/8" x 3-3/8")
Embellishments:
Pacific Point Striped Ribbon
Punch:
My Way
Accessories: 
blender pen, dimensionals

Let them ‘Eat Cake’

This is one design of the five we made at our Oldies but Goodies stamp a stack.  Not only is this super versatile birthday set retiring but the card features many retiring accessories as well (sniff, sniff).  These include Wild Wasabi CS as the card base, East Coast Prep designer series paper, and the Wild Wasabi striped grosgrain ribbon.

By the way, the Oldies but Goodies class was a blast!  We (well, some of us) enjoyed RootBeer floats and my homemade chocolate chip cookies.  Everyone made 10 cards, 2 each of 5 designs.

What I love about this card is creating the scalloped look without having an oval scallop punch!  The look is easy to create.  I used the coluzzle to achieve the oval layers and the 3/4" circle punch to create the scallop.  In this card we simply punched out twelve 3/4" circles and glued them behind the oval layer, one at a time, always checking from the front to make sure the ‘scallop appearance’ is even.  Then I mimicked the scallop with one single circle and the ‘eat cake’ sentiment on it, popped up on a dimensional.  Fun!  Anyone, from age 1 – 100 would love receiving this handmade card!