Thursday, January 31, 2019

Sunday Stamps Challenge #197 Pretty in Pink


Welcome to my blog post for Sunday Stamps Challenges #197. How pretty are these colors for the challenge? The challenge is to create a card using a minimum of 3 colors from this graphic below plus one neutral of your choice.
I started with a half and A2 size pieces of Shimmery White cardstock. This paper is not only beautiful with a shimmer but ink blends well. First I had to do some ink blending on the full half sheet with 5 Stampin' Up! colors that are close to the challenge colors: Lovely Lipstick, Fresh Fig, Cherry Cobbler, Rich Razzleberry and Melon Mambo . Using Stampin' sponges cut into 6ths and a handle for each made from the Circle Tab Punch, I just blended the colors in a circular motion on a diagonal from the bottom up. These allows me to see how the colors work together and which ones I wanted to use specifically on the A2 card.

Once chosen I prepared the A2 piece with the Embossing Buddy Powder and stamped with Versamark the large heart and 2 small hearts & flowers from the Ribbon of Courage stamp set. Sprinkled with white emboss power and finally heat set. I let the Heat Tool warm up for about 30 seconds before using it on the paper to help prevent warping. I also heat from both the front and back, starting with the back. The stamping has to be done in stages, since you can't really see the Versamark until the embossing powder is on it. Takes about 3 go-rounds.

Then the ink blending began on the card. I used Melon Mambo on the bottom right and worked my way up to the darker colors. Then I took a blue shop towel and rubbed the white embossed areas to remove some of the color and bring up the white.
The sentiment "love" was cut from the Sunshine Wishes Framelits out of Whisper White 3 times and glued together with Tombow. I used my Melon Mambo sponge to ink blend the bottom half of the "chipboard" word. "You" was white heat embossed from the "Sorry for Everything" stamp set on Basic Black cardstock and cut into a perfect frame using a framelit from the "At Home Framelits" set.

To finish, I cut a piece of vellum with a Rectangle Stitched Framelit and glued all with tiny specks of Tombow Liquid Adhesive. You don't want to be able to see glue through vellum. The Frosted & Clear Epoxy Droplets are becoming a favorite embellishment for me!

I hope you enjoyed this card and give ink blending a try!

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Monday, January 28, 2019

Top 4 – Summer Holiday Colour INKspiration Challenge


For those that follow Colour Inkspiration Facebook Group, one of the administrators, Bronwyn Eastley, a Stampin' Up! demonstrator from Tasmania, Australia had given us a summer challenge. The group is on a summer break until mid-February and she wanted to keep us creating! 

Here is what Bronwyn wrote on her blog: "Hi there. Welcome to addINKtive designs. In our Facebook Colour INKspiration Challenge Group, over 350 Group Members recently shared with us their favourite Stampin’ Up! ® Colour and I decided to compile a visual from the results – the Top 4 Favourites and then the most popular colours in each collection. 
Here are the top four favourite colours. It looks like we love our ‘blues’ and ‘purples’So here’s the challenge – Make a paper craft project using 2 or more colours from the Top 4 – Bermuda Bay, Blackberry Bliss, Coastal Cabana and Gorgeous Grape; you may also add the Basics such as Whisper White, Very Vanilla, Basic Black and/or Metallics."
I went with a simple ink blended background on Shimmery White paper using Stampin' Sponges and the 2 blues - Bermuda Bay and Coastal Cabana.
I die cut the floral focal point through the Big Shot 3 times. Twice in white and once in Highland Heather. I glued them together to form a type of chip board. Next, I mixed a few drops of Frost White Shimmer Paint in a Stampin' Spritzer and sprayed both the card and the Flourish White die cut for extra shine. When the background was dry, I ran it through my favorite Rectangle Stitched Framelit.

To finish the card I water colored some Shimmery White scrap paper using Gorgeous Grape reinker and a watercolor paint brush. Once dry, I punched 3 small butterflies using the Butterfly Duet Punch. The sentiment is from the Butterfly Gala stamp set stamp with Craft White Ink and then quickly sprinkled with White Emboss Powder and heat set. A few Frosted & Clear Epoxy Droplets on the butterflies was the final touch.

Simple card and ready to have to send to a friend when that occasions arises.

Thanks for staying to the end!

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