Colour INKspriation's new challenge

Did you know, Colour INKspiration is on Facebook and this is the eleventh Colour INKspiration Challenge – CI11

This fortnight we have 3 colours Marina Mist, Early Espresso and Soft Suede to use to create our projects. Other neutrals are welcome such as Black, Whisper White, Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla, Sahara Sand and Metallics.

So would you like to join the challenge? Then jump right in and get your creative hat on, make something with these colours and upload your picture at Colour INKspiration.

This coffee inspired colour palette stumped me for a while as I was wanting to continue on my own personal challenge, by trying to recreate the inspirational piece. The last 2 Inspirational pieces had been a collage of images. These images made it easy for me to create a collage to put into a frame.

Well I couldn't create a collage so decided to just make a card. I brought out my Large Letters framelits and with Washi Tape to hold them in place I cut out the word love on my Whisper White card.

Then I tapped the Marina Mist ink pad on one of my very old and crinkled Big Shot plates, I then tapped the Early Espresso on and finally the Soft Suede.

Then I spritzed the plate and let them run into each other. It actually made some interesting colours. I then smooshed my card onto the plate.

I then cut out several LOVE pieces and adhered them together and popped into the the LOVE opening. This raised them up quite substantially from the base card. Then I came to a road block. I didn't like it as a romantic style card. Um, what to do!! I cut it and mounted it on a piece of Marina Mist card. I also mounted the off cut on to Marina Mist. This looked wrong as well, so I rubbed up the edges with my scissors to make a shabby frame. All of a sudden the "lightbulb" moment happened. I had a very old retired Coffee cup stamp set Coffee & Friends the perfect blend in my stash and the words on one of the sentiments was "Coffee & Friends are the Perfect Blend" I decided to create a frame after all and have the words LOVE IS COFFEE & FRIENDS THE PERFECT BLEND.

I cut out Whisper White card for the base, stamped the coffee cup stain from the Timeless Textures stamp set randomly over the card. I stamped "IS" by inking up in Marina Mist and then using the rock and roll technique to add some Early Espresso. Below this I stamped the words Coffee & Friends in Early Espresso (I masked the rest of the words out)

The cups were stamped, one using a Whisper White base, the other using a Soft Suede base. The white cup was water coloured softly with Marina Mist and Early Espresso, then a vellum band was added and coloured with Wink of Stella. The Soft Suede cup had the band stamped with the words "the perfect blend" All the rest of the wording was masked.

3 vellum daisies were punched out, with the Daisy Punch, Early Espresso ink was tapped over one and Marina Mist over the other. I pinched the petals and rubbed with a stylus. One I left plain and just used my stylus to create some shape.

The beans, I drew freehand and cut each one out, gee, I wish I had the new stamp set Coffee Break it has coffee beans in the stamp set.

The Whisper White base looked too sterile even though it had coffee stains over it, so I sponged with Early Espresso and Soft Suede. I screwed it up and sponged on the creased bits to make it look really messy. The last touch was to scrape up the edges.

Now I was happy with the shabby look. I needed the black frame hidden, it looked too stark, so I cut strips of Early Espresso Co-ordination card and sanded it.
The corners, I mitred and adhered to the black photo frame.

So finally my Colour INKspiration #CI11 is now done and dusted and I like it. I am so pleased I managed to make this project and not the card that it started out to be. I am also thrilled that my last project was selected in the Top 5, thank you to everyone that voted for me.

My husband has already decided that it is going to go on our kitchen wall above the coffee machine.

Don't Quit Your Day Dream

The third Colour INKspiration Challenge is a fun beach themed, colour palette. I knew exactly what I wanted to make...

One of my ladies in a bikini at the beach...

I was going to hand draw her and then I took a closer look at the Beautiful You stamp set and thought, mask the hem line, mask the bust line, mast the sleeves and I have myself a ready made body to work with. All I had to do then was sponge her skin and dress her.
I had no problem using the Marina Mist. My little lady has her bikini and hat using the Marina Mist florals from the Subtles Designer Series Paper Stack. I wasn't keen on drawing in her feet (not good with feet and hands haha) so decided that the puddle from the other stamp would work beautifully. So she is up to her ankles in water.

I used our water colour paper to put a wash of Soft Sky, Marina Mist and Soft Suede. I stamped the puddle in Soft Suede from the Beautiful You stamp set, I then cut a slot in the puddle for her legs to go through.

The sentiment was one of the Free stamp sets that we are getting from Sale a bration at the moment. It coordinates with the Custom Tee Photopolymer Stamp Set I love the words, "Don't quit your day dream"

The clouds I hand drew them in Soft Sky, after looking at the shape of the biggest one from Up and Away Thinlits Die . The surf board was hand cut and then stamped in Peekaboo Peach with the Watercolor Words Photopolymer Stamp Set.

I ripped a piece of Marina Mist for the scene to sit on and then decided the scene should also be ripped. What do you think, is she living her Dream?

How do you decide on your colours

Yet another thing I love with Stampin' Up! is they have a Colour Coach. How many of you stand in front of your stash of card and can't decide on what colours to put together? Yep that used to be me, then  I invested in the Colour Coach.

It is such a great tool and I don't think we take advantage of it enough. I decided to challenge myself today and try and put together the same card design using the Colour Coach and use card colours that I seem to overlook. Here is what I came up with.

Always Artichoke and Cajun Craze

Bermuda Bay and Crushed Curry

Rose Red and Marina Mist

Pink Pirouette and Crumb Cake

What a great day

My day was so full today and now I am so exhausted I can't even drag myself off to bed. BUT what a great day. Started off with a ladies class this morning and made a couple of nice cards. Then a quick lunch and tidy up for the Children's class. Then worked on the Craft and Gift Fair we are  organising for October. Phew can someone carry me to bed.

These are a couple of the cards we made this morning. Really great what you can do with the leftover scraps of DSP. I think I will make a pack of these and use up all my offcuts. Just another reason why Stampin Up card is so good to use, it all coordinates!

The children's class was fun fun fun. We started out with this cute butterfly card and as there was a boy attending he used the dinosaur stamp set.

 

Then we moved on to another butterfly card and of course another dinosaur card.

I was holding back on the fun one for the last card and WOW were they thrilled with it. This little owl was created between peals of laughter as they added funny cross eyes and raised eyebrows. The children are so creative. I love how they put their own personality into the cards.

Here are two of the little munchkins proudly showing off their masterpieces, they sure look happy with them. Not sure what his mother will think of this photo, it's one of his favourite poses.

Oops I forgot to tell you what I used

Cardstock:  Pacific Point, Crumb Cake,Early Expresso, Whisper White, Certainly Celery, First Edition Specialty Paper, Always Artichoke, Very Vanilla, Midnight Muse, Gumball Green, Summer Starfruit, Calypso Coral
Ink: Early Expresso, Marina Mist, Gumball Green, Perfect Plum, So Safron, Wild Wasabi, Pink Pirouette, Bashful Blue
Stamp sets: Dinoroar, Papillion Potpourri
Accessories: Fancy Fan embossing folder, Manhattan Flower embossing folder, organza ribbon
Punches: Postage Stamp, 1" Square punch, Butterfly, Heart to heart,  Small heart,   Build a bird, Curly label
 .

Now for faux Flower Soft

Make your own Flower Soft.
How?
Easy peasey.
Choose the colour cardstock, open up your Stampin up snips and grate the edge of the card. You will soon have a little pile of fluff. Squeeze out some Tombo glue and sprinkle the faux  flower soft over it. Once the glue dries just tidy up the edges. The Easter card with the little fluffy chick was made at our last Paper Angels demonstrators meeting. Isn't it just the cutest? The little boys romper suit card was made from  the Nursery Nest DSP. I freehand cut the Teddy and then applied the Flower Soft. I think I'll be using this technique lots.