Colour Me...! Guest Designer Week 4

It's my last week as guest designer with Colour Me...!  :(  Here are this week's colours:

I watercoloured some images from Neat & Tangled's Just For You set and stamped the sentiment in Versafine Onyx Black, then added a few splatters (of course!).  I'm entering this into Little Tangles Watercolour,

and Less is More where the theme is also Watercolour.

Thanks so much for having me as Guest Designer at Colour Me...! girls, I've really enjoyed it :)

Balloon Rainbow

I'm playing along with One Layer Simplicity challenge again, where the theme is I've Been Framed.

I've used the challenge theme from Little Tangles, which has this inspiration photo:

I coloured each balloon with two shades of Tombow markers and huffed and puffed then stamped.  I've got to admit to a little enhancement with the markers and a water brush, but who says you have to accept the first impression?  I stamped the bows (don't they look like dicky bows?), strings and sentiment in Versafine Onyx Black then doodled a border to match the sentiment.  I pencilled the border first so that I would get the curls where I wanted them, then went over it with a 0.3 pen, thickening the line in parts to match the style of the sentiment.  I added some square dots of colour with one of the smaller stamps.  All stamps from Neat & Tangled 'Just For You'.

Birthday Stripes

I'm catching up on my homework for Online Card Class, and I've combined two techniques.  The coloured stripes are faux letterpress, but it's not easy to see in the photo (fine in IRL).  I also liked Shari's graffiti stamped card which is why it's all on an angle.  Shari's had different sentiments and fonts, but I've stuck with one word and used it - a lot!

I'm also entering this into Little Tangles where the challenge is to continue your theme onto the inside of the card.  Here's my insides :)

I'm also entering it into Keep It Simple, where the challenge is Stripes.

How Many Shades of Grey?

Not fifty, anyway!  The challenge at the new-format CAS-ual Fridays is to use at least two shades of grey, and although you can use other colours as well, I chose not to because I'm also entering this into the Little Tangles challenge, Monochromatic.

The challenge at CASology is Paint, and I've used the sketch from CAS(E) This Sketch:

At The Card Concept, the challenge is to use a floral theme (clean and simple in my case), and at Seize The Birthday, it's anything goes with no toppings.

I masked an area off and stamped the images in Memento London Fog, then picked up some grey marker colour with a water brush and added shading to the images.  As I was painting a border around the area I decided that the right-hand flower should escape out of the border, so I had to mask the left-hand side of the partially-stamped flower and stamp the right-hand side of the flower.  I wish I had these afterthoughts beforehand.  I stamped the sentiment in Versafine Smokey Grey.  Danielle has made it easy to space the words in the Everyday Labels set - you just butt the stamps together and you get the exact spacing you need because it's built in to the sides of the stamps.

I added Stickles around the border but I was too impatient for it to dry before I took my photo.  (I actually wish they dried raised, because it would add dimension.)  So I took my photo and left everything set up while the Stickles dried.  When I went back, the backdrop (12x12 paper) had decided to fall over which knocked the card over onto my camera, so I had a lovely stripe of dried Stickles on the camera, and some smudgy sparkly bits on my card.  More haste, less speed!

A Word for the Year

The challenge at CAS-ual Fridays is to create a project using a word that represents what you hope for the new year.

Instead of a resolution, choose a word that describes what you hope for the new year.

maybe it's LOVE if you want to work on your relationships, or DO if you want to challenge yourself to something, or LAUGH if you want to lighten up, etc.

Use that word as the inspiration for your card, and keep it Clean And Simple

Have you guessed what my word is?  Thought so.  So why hello?  It's about communicating.  Keeping in touch with those you already know, saying hello to new people you'll meet through the year, and saying hello to new opportunities.

Coincidentally, the challenge at Little Tangles is Saying Hello ;)

I tend to buy inks a couple at a time, but today I went a bit mad and bought ten.  As I was playing with them on my desk, making pretty patterns with them, my card design suddenly came to me.  I would do ombré.  Or rainbow.  Or maybe combo.  Ombrow?

If the labels actually matched the ink colours, it might have been more ombré than rainbow.  (Starting at New Sprout, I used them in order anti-clockwise.)

The square blue sequin is part of my winnings from years ago for runner up in a cardmaker of the year competition.  There were a couple of tubes of large Gutterman sequins - these square ones and some large purple flat ones.  I could never foresee a use for them in my card making, and even tried to sell them twice, but no takers.  But the blue one was just the right size to cover up a mark on the card panel.

Because I've used new inks I'm entering it into Simon Says Wednesday Challenge, something new.

Stamps: Neat & Tangled On The Strip
Sequins: blue - Gutterman; others - Neat & Tangled

Thankyou Roses and Day 1 Advent Village

This is my second post today.  Click here for my Let's Go Shopping post.

So this next card is for Little Tangles where the challenge is a thank you themed project.

I die-cut the Memory Box Large Circle Burst from two pieces of glitter card - one dark pink, the other with a rose design, stuck the rose design panel onto the card front, then painstakingly stuck the dark pink circles back into the holes.  I've had the glitter card in my stash for years and years.  I stamped the Thanks stamp from Neat & Tangled Everyday Circles onto a circle of white card then popped it up on foam dots in the centre.

Remember my Advent Village?  I'm planning to post a close-up of each house every day till Christmas Eve. Here's No. 1, Advent Village:

This Ol' House

So I've been seeing things again with Neat & Tangled Stamps.  I thought the positive and negative presents from this set would make excellent windows and doors, and there just happened to be a little roof tile stamp in there too.  And a straight line which did nicely for the chimney.

And what about that little splatter top right in this set?  Don't you think it could pass as a flower?  I did, especially with the long splat inked up as a stalk and a sequin added to the centre.

So I had all the images for a little house, and it just so happens I had a shaped card in the form of a quirky house, so I'm entering into the Little Tangles Shaped Card challenge.

And this ol' house as a triangular roof, so I'm entering it into CASology where the cue word is, yup, triangle.

It's also a one layer card, so I'm entering it into CAS on Sunday, where the theme is one layer CAS cards.

ETA: I've realised it's also eligible for the Stamps and Sequins challenge over at Stamplorations:

Stamps: Neat & Tangled Just for You, Ink Splash
Sequins: Neat & Tangled

Birthday Bag

I've been busy hopping my way through the Moxie Fab Blog Hop in honour of Cath - only 82 hops to go!

The challenge at Little Tangles is to make a shaped card.  I've had some handbag card blanks for a while so I thought I'd use one for this challenge.  I stamped the flowers and sentiment in Versamark and gold embossed them, then used Distress Inks and a water brush to add colour.

And because I've used Distress Inks, I'm also entering it into Simon Says Monday Challenge, Got Ink?:

Neat & Tangled: Fresh Blooms, Everyday Circles, sequins

Celebrate Dolly Mixtures

I'm playing along with this week's Muse, where the fabulous Darnell is guest designer with this fabulous card:

But it's not just a fabulous card, it's also very symbolic.  If you read Darnell's post, you will see the thought that she put into making this card, and the symbolism of the different elements that she has incorporated.  Told you she was fabulous - the hamster wheel in her head never stops.

I've used the sketch from the current Little Tangles challenge which, spookily (and that's as close as I get to Halloween) is very close to Darnell's design:

I just got this set from Neat & Tangled.  See the bow there?  I saw a flower.  See the curly swirly balloon strings?  I saw leaves.  See the straight line?  I saw a stem (so I bent it).  See the crescent?  I saw the whole of the moon.  Oh no, sorry, that last one belongs to a song.

See the little shapes?  I saw Dolly Mixtures, so I used Dolly Mixture pink and green to keep in with Darnell's Breast Cancer Awareness theme.

Stamps: Neat & Tangled Just For You, On The Strip
Sequins: Neat & Tangled
Song: The Whole of the Moon by The Waterboys

Grungy Chevrons

The challenge at Little Tangles is to create your own pattern paper.

I used the chevron strip stamp with Salty Ocean, Ripe Persimmon and Evergreen Bough Distress Inks.  I inked my craft sheet then spritzed with water, and then stamped rows of the chevron strip, reversing each row.  Because the ink had pooled more in some places than others, it loaded unevenly onto the stamp and blotched onto the card, but I really like the effect.  I like looking at that grungy pattern.  I'm happy with grunge.

The challenge at CAS-ual Fridays is to use sequins and chevrons.

And the challenge at Simon Says Wednesday Challenge is to use a rubber or clear stamp.

Neat & Tangled: On The Strip, Everyday Circles, Fresh Blooms, sequins.

ETA:  At Jenny's suggestion, I'm also entering it into Moxie Fab World Tuesday Trigger.

Apache Tears in the Key of Autumn

Pink Yellow and Grey

The challenge at Little Tangles is to use the colours pink, yellow and grey:

And I used the beautiful inspiration card at Muse by this week's guest designer, Karen:

This week's One Layer Wednesday is hosted by Karen - no, not that Karen, this Karen - and it's a free for all:
Free for All- you choose any theme for your one layer card

And at Simon Says Wednesday challenge, it's Anything Goes:

At Addicted to Stamps and More, the theme is Addicted to CAS.

And finally, I'm playing along for the first time with Seize the Birthday (without the toppings), Anything Goes.

This is the first card I've made in my new craft room! I'm surprised I managed to achieve it because I'm spending most of the time arranging things, then re-arranging them, moving things in, moving things out (they've got to earn their place in that room cos it's so tiny), and mostly looking for things in their new environment (I knew exactly where they were before!).  I'm going shopping for more storage boxes tomorrow :))

I'll post some pics soon on how to craft in a tiny room without banging your knees, or nutting the cupboard, once I've mastered the art.

Stamps: Neat & Tangled Fresh Blooms, Everyday Circles