Color Throwdown

This week’s color throwdown has a group of very soft colors that can be masculine or feminine. Here’s mine:

I used a Concord & 9th Marbled turnabout stamp that I won in a generous giveaway from C9. Great company and great stamps!  The inks are lost shadow, pumice stone, faded jeans, and stormy sky oxides.  Here is the inspiration image from Color Throwdown:

Blue, Green, and Kraft

The Color Throw Down had a blue, green, and kraft challenge. Here is my version:

The ink blended oval is Concord and 9th inks Blueberry and Parsley. Gina K Silhouette, SU sentiment.  I recently won a Concord and 9th drawing and am loving their inks I chose!!!!  I layered kraft behind the cream layer to soften the transition to the black layer. Here is the inspiration image:

Be sure to check out the current Send A Smile 4 Kids Spring/Easter challenge!  

Winter Thank You

I always seem to need a lot of thank you cards after the holidays, and The Color Throwdown has a great combo that is perfect for a wintery card.  

Hero Arts background stamp heat embossed in silver on navy card stock, Hero Arts snowflake die cut, stash sentiment and jewel.  The sentiment is popped up.  I think the silver works as grey for the challenge!

Hello!

I have been spending a lot of time in my craft aka crap room creating Christmas gifts, but haven't been able to join in many challenges.  New year, new challenges!  

Silver doily and grosgrain ribbon for elements, and I love this color combo!  Sharing with The Color Throwdown and The Paper Craft Crew.  

So Happy We Are Family

 I am loving the Taylored Expressions Falling For You layering stencils for mini slimline cards.  Four different stencils layered together to make 3 cards at once.  

Fired Brick, Spiced Marmalade, Mustard Seed, Antique Linen, Weathered Wood, and Hickory Smoke Distress Oxides.  I layered a few of the colors together to get the right shades, especially for the grey acorns.  The sentiment is from my stash, not sure of the brand.  Sharing with the Color Throwdown:

Layered Stencils

 I participated in the Crop and Create online event last March, and was introduced to layering stencils by Taylored Expressions.  So easy, and I love how detailed they are!

This one is called In My Garden.  The stencil makes 3 mini slimline cards at a time, all of them different.  After I finished stenciling, I used markers and a white gel pen to add some highlights to the flowers.  

I love stacking multiple cuts of word dies.  Vicki Boutin used puffy foam to achieve the dimension.  Genius!  Much cleaner than trying to perfectly glue together a bunch of layers, and the foam I had on hand already had adhesive on one side.  

Sharing this with The Color Throwdown challenge #708:

The current challenge at Send a Smile 4 Kids is Fall Fun.  Join us!

Soft Ink Blending

 I love the colors in this week's Color Throwdown, and decided to take a little softer approach:

Pinkfresh stamp, stencil, and dies.  Taylored Expressions ink.  SU Subtle Shimmer sequins.  As Laura Bassen says, dimension is life.  Both the stenciled die cuts and the panels are popped up with dimensional tape. 

I think it is interesting how the different saturations of the same colors gives a completely different look!

You Are Mer-mazing!

 The  challenge from The Color Throwdown reminded me of the sea and mermaid scales:

Sizzix Scales & Tails cut and emboss folder, sequin soup mixed by me, air bubbles cut out of holographic paper.  I don't make shaker cards very often. They are a lot of work, and I'm not usually happy with the results. I am thrilled with this one!  Here is the inspiration photo:

Send A Smile $ Kids is having a Christmas in July challenge.  Join us!

Shaker Card - Celebrate!

 I am still having fun with all of the products I received in the kit for the March Crop and Create.  

I used the Taylored Expressions Create in Quad stencil for the base with Mint Macaron, Pineapple Punch, Blueberry Bushel, and Rose Red inks.  The sentiment was cut with a Honey Bee die.  I cut the frame with my Waffle Flower dies, used a variety of jewels and sequins from my stash, and layered it all together with a piece of acetate.  I am sharing this with The Color Throwdown:

Happy Day!

 Here is a super clean and simple card.  

I chose the blue and gold washi on the light grey panel and geometric design to work with this week's Color Throwdown:

My Missing Puzzle Piece

 I make a lot of love cards, but not many Valentines.  Cards for Soldiers can use love cards all year, not just in February.  The Color Throwdown inspiration is perfect for this type of card!

Kraft background layer, Berry Burst, Pink Passion, Pixie Pink paper for the puzzle, stash ribbon.  

Birthday Calories Don't Count!

 The Color Throwdown challenge colors are super fun:

I interpreted the colors a little softer than the inspiration image.  

Echo Park papers, Reverse Confetti sentiment and die cute.  

Soft colors for Easter

 I like to send a lot of Easter cards,  As much as I love this one, I don't have the patience to create very many of them!

Lots and lots of die cuts!!  Kat Scrappiness base die, I think the others are Gina Marie?  Anyone?

Sharing this with The Color Throwdown # 635.  I used the colors, but in a much softer palette:

 I can't believe how long  it has been since I posted!  We were fortunate to have been chosen to receive a beautiful furbaby from Lucky Tales Rescue in Kentucky  I forgot how much work a young puppy requires!  Here's Charli!  She is about 14 weeks old and as busy as a toddler.  Mixed parentage, some Lab, Mastiff, and who knows what else.  

I did find some time today to join in the Color Throwdown pink, red, and black challenge and The Paper Players Red, Pink, and metallic challenge.  

Here is their inspiration:

I replaced the repeating hearts with hexagons I cut on my Brother Scan and Cut, and added a SSS sentiment.  

Since I haven't been able to get up to my craft room, I have been doing a bit of beading, making and selling these cute glue fobs.  I got tired of losing my Art Glitter pin.  $6.50 + shipping, just let me know what color/style!

Autumn Blessings

I love using a lot of texture on my cards, but don't like to add a lot of bulk for mailing purposes.  Love this layout from Try Stampin' on Tuesday for adding a LOT of texture.  This version is a bit of an upgrade from my original posted here.  

Sharing with the Color Throwdown:

Distress Oxide Background

Although I have been absent from blogging again, I have been quite productive!  I made over 150 cards for Cards for Soldiers using Kristie Marcotte's 6 x 6 tutorial.  Challenge cards take a lot of time for me to formulate.  

So today I am playing with The Color Throwdown #606:

I started with watercolor paper, dabbed Dried Marigold and Evergreen Bough Distress Oxides, misted the paper, then dabbed off the excess color with a paper towel to make the colors softer.  I layered the kraft paper cut with a Concord & 9th die.  I don't know if I will include all of the tiny pieces in the middle of the letters next time I use this die!!!

Hello Friend

I broke out my Swirly Birds stamps and dies, and played along The Color Throwdown:

The sentiment is from an old Paper Pumpkin.  Old Olive, Rich Razzleberry, Cajun Craze, and Blush Blossom work well for this challenge:

Pastel Happiness

Playing around with Distress Inks this week.  They blend so nicely!!  

I inked a stripy background, then cut it into one inch diagonal squares.  Love how it looks layered on the grey base.  I tried die cutting the happy in the same grey, but it blended in too much.  The black pops nicely!  Sharing with The Color Throwdown #599:

A Forgotten Technique

I saw a tutorial recently that reminded me that I have an embarrassing amount of ink.  Reinkers, alcohol inks, tsukineko ink, etc.  Love them all, all are neglected.  When I saw the Color Throwdown challenge, I had to bust out the marbling technique.

I started with the one on the right, using SU! Tempting Turquoise ink spread through shaving cream.  I hate wasting stuff, so I smeared the leftover shaving cream on my mat, and added more ink to make the background on the left.  Despite being super careful, my fingers are stained!  Love this. Bonus - they smell good, too ;).  Sharing with the Color Throwdown:

Hello

Playing along with a couple of challenges today.  The Paper Girls have an inspiration challenge:

I love cards that use a bunch of tiny stamps, but I have never been able to duplicate the look.  Until I realized that I could use really tiny dies! 

I used a variety of neon adhesive paper and dies from the Sizzix Lace Heart set, the "Hello" is one of the Ranger Letter It sentiments.  I liked this one enough to try again, using this week's Color Throwdown combo:

I used Bermuda Bay, Coastal Cabana, and metallic gold paper surrounding the "Hello" stamped in Basic Grey.