Celebrate Everything Merry And Bright AYSI 284

by Joanne James23. September 2022 12:00

Today I'm sharing my design team card for our new challenge over at As you See It where it's time for my favourite, a sketch challenge:

    

I love a good sketch, but I don't mind admitting this week's card was a struggle! Too little craft time and a chaotic craft room are not a good mix, so with my card making deadline looming, I was feeling the pressure. A few failed attempts and I decided therefore that simple would be best. I had seen the inspiration photo earlier in the day over at The Card Concept (there are actually two now for their second challenge of the month - fun!) and whilst I wasn't inspired by the travel theme, I loved their first inspo photo of brightly coloured stylised prints and the one for Bali was the inspiration for my card design today. The bold colours on a dramatic black background with bright pink floral accents led me to grab another of the designs in the 'Celebrate Everything' designer series paper pack and pull together a simple clean and layered Christmas card - take a look:

  

Here's the low-down on today's card:

I cut a panel of this brightly patterned paper, double mounted it onto Polished Pink and Shaded Spruce, and added it to a Basic Black cardbase. I added a sentiment from the 'Candy Canes Christmas' stamp set that seemed to fit this bold, fun design and accented it with a couple of diecut holly leaves (taken from the retired Poinsettia Dies, as they were just the right shape and style). I added some detail to the embossed lines with a Shaded Spruce marker to echo the holly design on the paper and finished with a trio of large red glittery enamel dot berries, taken from my stash:

So what do you think? Are you a traditionalist when it comes to Christmas colour schemes or do you like to break the mold every now and again and go with something more contemporary? I admit a black card base is not my usual Christmas card 'go to', but I think it works. I'm not sure I'm going to win any awards with this one (haha!) and the design team over at As You See It have created some AMAZING cards with this sketch, so you should definitely check those out. One thing's for sure I love the 'Celebrate Everything' designer series paper pack - this is definitely the paper that keeps on giving!

Here is the visual summary of the key products used on today's project for you to pin for easy reference:

 

You can see all of my 'How To' summaries on my 'How To - Tips and Techniques' Pinterest board in case you've missed any. 

Here's a summary of our challenge rules:

  • Create any card, scrapbooking page, 3D project or packaging project that fits the challenge.
  • Please include the challenge graphic and link back to the challenge in your blog post. Turn off word verification so we can leave you lots of lovely comments. Make sure you link the post not the whole blog to the Linky. Use #AYSIXXX when uploading to a public gallery.
  • If you’re unsure about ‘the rules’, check the details under the Challenge Guidelines tab on the As You See It Challenge homepage.
  • In a sketch challenge, you are welcome to rotate or flip a sketch. You can replace shapes used such as substituting a circle panel for a square panel. However, we must be able to still see the basis of the original sketch in your finished product.
We look forward to seeing your creations in the AYSI gallery.

Enjoy your day; I'm off to a funeral - the wet and gloomy day definitely is reflective of that mood. I am hoping to be back in my craft room tomorrow though, so will hopefully be ready to share another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

 

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Table built using Product Table Builder by The Crafty Owl - Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator.

Hydrangea Haven Lilacs For CCS422

by Joanne James1. June 2021 12:00

It's Tuesday and time for a new challenge over at CAS Colours & Sketches. Shannon is hosting this month and our first challenge is a colour challenge: 

     

For my card today I decided these colours would be perfect to re-create those beautiful lilacs in the Inspired By challenge photo ... but I have no lilac stamps! So what to do? I decided to get creative - take a look:

 

Here's the low-down on today's card:

When Is A Hydrangea Not A Hydrangea? - When it's a lilac, of course! I decided that the die with the row of four-petal flowers in the Hydrangea Dies set would be perfect to create some lilac blossom too. I diecut a whole bunch of them in Fresh Freesia cardstock and added a little Fresh Freesia ink to the edges of some with a sponge dauber and added some Gorgeous Grape ink to others, along with a dot in the centre of each. 

A Stem Trick - The main thing that distinguishes a lilac blossom is its triangular shape. In order to get the shape I wanted, I used the berry die from the Poinsettia dies set and stuck two together to create a triangle shape, then added my petals to the berries. I love the way there is a hint of green peeking through between the petals, as it would with an actual lilac blossom in real life. I added a couple of Pierced Blooms leaves for some added extra greenery.

A Foray Into Stencils - I've seen so many wonderful examples of stencilling on cards recently I decided to dig out mine that I haven't used for ages and used an old one to create a background that mimics the shape of the Inspired By sketch to add some pale green dots, fading out from the bottom corner of my card. I finished with a sentiment from the Hydrangea Haven stamp set in Gorgeous Grape. Check out the detail on those blossoms - so pretty!

So what do you think? Did my hydrangea turned lilac tick the creative box? Do you ever look at your dies and see a different purpose for them?

Here is the visual summary of the key products used on today's project for you to pin for easy reference:

 

You can see all of my 'How To' summaries on my 'How To - Tips and Techniques' Pinterest board in case you've missed any. 

As a reminder, for our colour challenges, you must use all of the stated challenge colours. You may also use neutral colours; however, the challenge colours should be the most noticeable ones featured on your card. We use Stampin' Up! color names for reference, but you are welcome to use any other companies' products as long as you match the challenge colours as closely as possible.

Enjoy your day and I'll be back tomorrow with another project. Until then, happy stampin'!

 

Edited to add: I was the winner over at Inspired By with this card!

Sandi

Stampin' Up! Supplies Used:

Table built using Product Table Builder by The Crafty Owl - Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator.

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Hi I'm Joanne and live in Northampton and when I'm not looking after my husband and two beautiful children, am an avid crafter with a passion for all things Stampin' Up!

I must confess that I have never been a big rubber stamper - until I discovered Stampin' Up! that is. I love the fact that I can get such great results with co-ordinating stamps, inks, papers and punches - the possibilities are endless! Join me on my stamping journey as I share the things I love and be inspired to create amazing things yourself!

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