I was a bit stumped with this colour combo

I have to admit the latest colour combo challenge at Just Add Ink had me a bit stumped: Coastal Cabana, Starry Sky and Berry Burst - these are all Stampin' Up! colours and I have in my stash the first two. I thought Dragonfruit (C9) looked pretty close to Berry Burst so that's what I used instead. Often when I stumped I will just watercolour something up using the reinkers and as I had recently received a hydrangea stamp I thought that would be a great flower to colour as hydrangeas often have a real range of shades.

I also wanted to play along with the latest Tic Tac Toe challenge using the first column (flowers, embossing, gems). I have dry embossed with an embossing folder plus white embossed the sentiment and added lots of gems.

Of course the flower I coloured doesn't have a die so I ended up fussy cutting it out and as it was watercoloured I used my 100 Copic black marker to try and blacken the edges and tidy the cut edges up a bit, this worked fine apart from where the marker went for a skid on the petal!!

I've also acquired from the SU! retirement sale the Dots & Spots coverplate die, I was so happy they reduced it finally to a "real price" as it retired. I wasn't prepared to pay $72 (kiwi dollars I'm talking about) for a coverplate die no matter how cute it is, when most companies charge half that price and I added a really old SU! embossing folder for some more dots (Perfect Polka Dots).

Supply List:

Stamps: Paint-A-Flower: Hydrangea (ALT)

Ink/re-inkers: Versafine Clair Nocturne, Versamark, Coastal Cabana (SU!), Starry Sky (SU!), Dragonfruit (C9)

Paper: Coastal Cabana (SU!), Starry Sky (SU!), Dragonfruit (C9), Neenah solar white #110lb, Watercolour (Fabriana Artistico cold pressed)

Other: Dots and Spots die (SU!), Perfect Polka Dots EF (SU!), white EP, no. 4 round paintbrush, Magic Potion Ombre glitter drops (PFS), 2mm foam squares (SP), Copic 100 black marker

Challenges: JAI #699, TTTC #246

I'm really happy how my card turned out - I don't make enough flower cards, so it's nice to tuck one away in my stash. Also, again those colour combos that stump me always look fab when KReated too, Thanks for popping in.

EDITED: 2/5/24: Really happy to be chosen as the JAI Winner and big thanks to them for pushing me outside my comfort zone. This was the kind comments from their DT:

Striking combination of dotted background and

beautifully soft hydrangeas

Beautiful hydrangeas are a lovely way to use

the challenge colours in Karen's fun design

Such a pretty use of the challenge colours.

✿Karen✿

AAA Card Challenge 264: Sketch Challenge

Hi everyone it's time for another fun sketch this week at AAA Cards and if I'm honest I've emulated the sketch pretty good IMO. It reminded me of a wreath with a wee butterfly. So that's what I have created.

I'd forgotten how much fun or how effective it is using Gina K's Wreath Builder system. I have to be honest this is the first time I've done an A2 panel rather than a square. Gina has a video showing how to create an A2 Card which you can watch HERE if you're like me and have her wreath builder. Also I blogged HERE how you could make a wreath without a wreath builder.

I used the 4" template for my wreath builder and chopped a 1/4" of each side of an A2 panel. I also lightly blended Ocean Breeze on my wee butterfly die-cut. 

Supply List:

Stamps: Original Wreath Builder (GKD)

Ink: Ocean Breeze (PFS), Mint (PFS), Versafine Clair Nocturne

Other: Intricate mini butterflies dies (Memory Box), Aqua Glitter drops (PFS)

Challenges: AAA Cards #264, Colorful Options

Definitely check out the fab cards from the Design Team and others , I am always constantly amazed at what clever concepts my fellow DT came up with for the sketches. Hopefully something will "turn on a light bulb" and inspire you to play along too. Just a reminder AAA Cards is a CAS challenge site:

Well I hope you have time to join in with us, as always you have 2 weeks to play along. I'm also playing along with the Colorful Options challenge for April which is PASTELS, so I feel my colours are cool pastels.

✿Karen✿

It's bright and sunny...

at my place today, it truly is a perfect Autumn day. I think this may have influenced me what challenges I had a play along with as I had different ideas when I went into play.

So I ended up playing along with Color Hues (pink and yellow) which made colouring up my scene very easy with minimal Copics. CAS on Friday would like some sunshine and Just Us Girls would like a stencil; so sunshine was added to my wee scene with a stencil. I love it when the challenges direct how the card is created.

I chose this really cool sentiment so I had to change the orientation of my card. I actually stamped the sentiment first then stamped the bunny, then masked the bunny, stamped the towel, masked the towel, then stamped the beach umbrella, masked the umbrella, then did my ink blending through the stencil. Removed masks and Copic coloured up quite simply as a 2 colour challenge at Color Hues. I even coloured up my bunny with light pink E's.

Supply List:

Stamps: Beach Day (EE), Let's Chill (EE)

Inks: Versafine Clair Nocturne, Detail Black (PFS), Lemon Whip (PFS), Sunshine (PFS)

Paper: Neenah Solar White #80 and #110lb

Other: Copics, Sunray Background stencil (LF), Inside Out Stitched Rectangle die (LF), blending brushes, masking paper

Challenges: TCH#85, CAS on Friday #282, JUG #724

Well I think that's a trifecta when the sum of the three challenges makes it better than if I did them as stand alone. Thanks for popping in.

EDITED 1/5/24: My card was a runner up at the Color Hues Challenge which makes me really happy as OMG there were some lovely yellow and pink cards entered.

✿Karen✿