Blue is the Colour at Cardz 4 Guyz

Guess what!  I am happy to announce that I've joined the Cardz 4 Guyz Design Team.

This challenge, chosen by Cazro, is #235 - Blue is the Colour.  Please check out the blog for details and also to see the wonderful samples by the Design Team.

Since this challenge is all about the colour blue, I chose a gorgeous piece of background printed paper which is in countless shades of blue, from light to dark.  Since the paper has a lot of detail, I kept the design simple.  My base is a Heavyweight white cardstock.  Then I added a matte of Pacific Point cardstock and, finally, the lovely printed paper.

I had a die which I've been dying to use, of birds on a bare branch.  I thought it would be perfect against the background paper and cut it from Pacific Point cardstock.  To finish up, I added a sentiment stamped using my Pacific Point ink.

I hope you enjoy my card as much as I enjoyed creating it.  Have fun with our challenge!

I'm also entering this card in the following challenges:

Craftyhazelnut's Christmas Challenge CHNC 470 - anything goes with Christmas

Merry Little Christmas Challenge Blog MLCCB#17 - Anything goes with Christmas

WWC252 - Marsha's Special 3-Week "Anything Goes" Challenge

It's almost Christmas!  As a special gift to ourselves, we're taking a bit of time off and so have made this challenge a special 3-week challenge.  As a result, I've created a "twofer" for this challenge.  What's a twofer?  Well, you take a stamp set or dies and create complimentary projects.  Et voila!  A twofer.

 

My gorgeous daughter was a competitive figure-skater until she graduated from High School.  With that in mind and combining Stampin' Up!'s Free Skate bundle with one of the images from the Born to Shine stamp set, I set about creating this card and gift tag.

I began by sponging over my Silver Foil with Pacific Point ink.  Being foil, it did not saturate the paper, but after drying overnight and then rubbing the excess ink off with a soft cloth, I could see the soft blue colouring which reminded me of the ice on which my daughter skated.

I stamped the image of the dancer and added skates to her feet with my Journalling Pen.  Then I carefully fussy cut the adjusted image before colouring it using my Stampin' Blends.

For the holly garland, I used the die in the bundle, cutting it twice from Call Me Clover cardstock.  Then I proceeded to add a bit of Call Me Clover ink to the holly leaves using my Stampin' Blends, before crumpling it into a tight ball and then carefully pulling it into a long garland again.  I added the garland, one on top of the other, diagonally across the foil and then added berries with dots of Red Liquid Pearls.

I love the way my lovely skater appears to be doing some fancy ice work on her toe-picks, don't you?  I decided to have the skate from the bundle set diagonally across from my skater.  The detailing on the image is so beautiful.  For a person who was immersed in the sport for years and wound up cleaning and polishing skates thousands of times, it brings back some wonderful memories.

I love that the sentiments in this bundle lend themselves so perfectly to the card which I created.  The inside is simple but reflects the front.

For my tag I decided to use the fancy die version of the skate.  After cutting it out from a piece of Whisper White, I placed it over a matte of Lovely Lipstick.  This cherry red is repeated both in the tag and in the card.  I've also used the Call Me Clover for the holly image which I stamped, coloured and cut with the corresponding die.

I laced the skate using the retired Candy Lane Baker's twine.  I love the thin red foil running through the white cotton, don't you?  Finally, since I simply couldn't find a sentiment which appealed, I decided to write it myself using a Signo Pigment Ink white pen.  A perfect complement to the card, don't you agree?

I hope you'll check out the wonderful creations by the Watercooler Artists over at our Watercooler Wednesday Challenge.

I've entered my card into the following challenges: 

Lemon Shortbread Challenge #109 - Anything Goes

Jingle Belles:  Taking Back Our 9th Christmas

The Card Concept #HOL19 - Favourite card  (I chose this one because it brings back memories of        my daughter skating in competitions.)

WWC251 - Dawn's "All About Occasions" Challenge

I bought a die set a while back which I keep meaning to use but haven't yet.  It seemed like the right time to pull it out and create a card.  The die is simple.  It shows the silhouette of a wolf singing the song of its ancestors as a sliver of moon shines above him.

For my base I used the Heavy Whisper White.  I wanted a night sky behind my silhouettes but didn't want too dark a blue and so pulled out my Pacific Point cardstock.  To give it more of an effect of the moon rising, I used my Aqua Painter and added Pacific Point to the upper portion of the piece.  To the lower portion, I used some chalk pastels I had lying around.  A paler blue helped to lighten the cardstock without really changing the colour.  I did the same with the moon.  By that I mean I used chalk pastels.  I wanted to have a huge moon but still give the impression of the majority being the dark side, slightly illuminated.  Then I adhered the strip of moon and I think it worked out quite well.

The silhouette of the moon on a rock was perfect but I wanted him to appear to be way up on a mountain.  Having the silhouettes of the upper portion of trees helps give that impression.  After that, a scattering of stars, thanks to some retired Glimmer paper and another die and the card was ready for its sentiment.  The simple line from the retired Nature Sings stamp set is perfect, don't you agree?

I hope you'll check out the wonderful creations by the Watercooler Artists over at our Watercooler Wednesday Challenge.

I've entered my card into the following challenges: 

Cardz 4 Guyz:  Challenge #234 (Christmas Critters)

Simon Says Monday Challenge Blog:  Stars

Mod Squad Challenge Blog - Snowy or Starry Night

WWC250 - Helen's Feminine "Anything Goes" Challenge

I love the wonderful images which Bonnie Krebs draws for Art Impressions.  I own enough stamps sets with her images that choosing one for a card becomes increasingly difficult.  This set, however, the Woodland Holiday, reflects the season and allows me to use one of my favourite woodland animals, the fox.  Of course I haven't been delighted with the sight of a fox quite like this during my hikes, but one can hope, right?

For my base I used the Heavy Whisper White.  Then I added a matte of Highland Heather and, of course, the stamped piece.  I kept it clean and simple by stamping the image and sentiment and adding watercolours.  The only embellishment is a bit of Shimmery Crystal Effects gloss over the holly berries and silver bell.  I love the results and hope you do, too.

I hope you'll check out the wonderful creations by the Watercooler Artists over at our Watercooler Wednesday Challenge.

I've entered my card into the following challenges: 

Lemon Shortbread Challenge #108 - Anything Goes

The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge #61 - Anything Christmas Goes