Two Card Challenges in One

Today I'm combining two fun challenges for my project.  I chose the first  because of it's awesome sketch and the second challenge because of  it's fun and motivating theme. The end result is a very colourful Birthday Card that I think you'll like.

Banners are always an easy way to add interest and charm to a card face. I think that's what attracted me to The Paper Players #206 challenge. This wonderful sketch has three banners and an oval for the focal point.

Over at the SU Only blog they're holding a "theme" challenge called "Favourite New Toys"  102 All you have to do to participate is make a card or 3D project using something that's new to you in relation to stamping.  That's right, it's all about bringing out the unused toys ....you know, the stash of new stamping stuff that's gathering dust on your work table. What a great motivator!


Here's My Card: 
In my last order I'd purchased the Blended Bloom single wood mount stamp, some Stampin Blendabilities and the All Abloom Designer Series Paper Stack and they've barely been touched, so I think they qualify for the "new toys" category.

How I Put This Card Together:
Unless I've got something specific in mind or I'm creating with a colour challenge sketch I often let the designer paper I pick help me decide what the rest of the colours in the project will be. 

For this card I could have used almost any one of the awesome patterns in the All Abloom DSP pack, but when I saw this small bold print my decision was made. This particular print reminded me of old fashioned wall paper with it's big flowers and tiny background print.  I also really liked the blend of Island Indigo, Daffodil Delight and Mossey Meadow. 

With the All Abloom Paper Stack you get 24 sheets: 4 ea. of 6 double-sided designs. 4 1/2" x 6 1/2". Acid free, lignin free. These coordinate beautifully with Blushing Bride, Daffodil Delight, Island Indigo, Lost Lagoon, Mossy Meadow, Pistachio Pudding, Strawberry Slush, Whisper White, card stocks and inks.

Creating the card front was easy.  I made a standard A2 card base in Island Indigo, and embossed the front of it with the Fancy Fan embossing folder.  For the next three layers, I pieced together Daffodil Delight measuring 3 1/2" x 4 3/4", Mossey Meadow measuring 3 3/8"x 4 5/8" followed by the DSP which measures 3 1/4" x 4 1/2".

Originally I was thinking of colouring the Blended Bloom image with Blendabilities, but I'd only purchased the Old Olive and the Cherry Cobbler sets and they didn't work with my designer paper choice. So I had to put on my thinking cap at this point...... what to do? what to do?

The "aha" moment came when I remembered I had Island Indigo, Mossey Meadow and Daffodil Delight re-inkers and could use them with a colouring technique that works really well with line stamps.  Big grin here! 

The process is simple.  I began by stamping the Blended Bloom image in Versa Mark ink on Whisper White card stock and then heat embossed it with White Embossing Powder.  

Next I sprayed water all over the image until it pooled and then using my aqua painters added ink to the wet surface.  Like magic the ink flows around the embossed edges of the petals and the colours mix to give a vivid image.  I touched up around the edges with the lightest of the Old Olive Blendability markers and I also added some Pistachio Pudding ink on a few of the petals for a softer green look.  

This almost looks like an eye, but trust me it's just the flower center. To give the flower some added colour and dimension I stamped off two additional flower images in Daffodil Delight and Mossey Meadow inks. The Daffodil Delight flower center was cut out with a 11/4" circle punch.  I sponged around the edges with  Island Indigo ink.  I punched out the Mossey Meadow image with  a 1" circle punch, and then coloured in the circle with the three Old Olive Blendability pens.  I finished this image off with a large rhinestone and attached it to the Daffodil Delight circle with a dimensional. 

Before attaching the flower to the card face, I cut three banners from scraps of Island Indigo, Daffodil Delight and Mossey Meadow cardstock, and embossed them with the Fancy Fan Embossing Folder.  A couple of Rhinestones were added to the two outside banners to bring attention to the sentiment "A Birthday wish that's just for you".  This wonderful sentiment and the one on the inside of the card are from the Remembering Your Birthday Stamp set.

I stamped the Blended Bloom in Island Indigo ink on the inside of the card and added the sentiment "friends and fun and presents too! Happy Birthday".

 

 Blended Bloom line drawing stamp is only available in Wood Mount. 

Remembering Your Birthday is a fun sentiment based stamp set that comes in Clear and Wood Mounts and is also available in French and Spanish.

I hope you enjoyed both of these challenges today and will leave me a comment to let me know what your "new toys" you haven't played with yet.  Perhaps you could do one or both of these challenges too.  There's still time.

HAPPY STAMPING 
PENNY TOKENS 

 August 2nd, 2014  Just a Note:

Thanks to Mike Funk at the Paper Players, my card was one of ten cards chosen for the "Cut Above".  Congratulations to the challenge winner, Paula Sievers, from Austrailia,  and all the other noteables!