GCA #126 - Bring on the Colors!

Hello all!!  Are you tired of the cold, dreary days?  Snow, snow and more snow???  If you live any of the areas of the world where it's gray and dreary most of the time, then you are anxiously awaiting Spring like I am!!

This week we are going to help Spring along!!  Get out those bright colors, or any colors, and make your creations!!  Any theme, any style just use color!! Color must be the majority of your card.  Use the neutrals lightly.  Help infuse the world with some color!!!

I actually made this card last week, hoping for Spring.  I used the color combo from the RubberRedNeck color round-up:  #23 - Poppy Parade, Crumb Cake and Early Espresso.  A fun color combo.  My neutral is Very Vanilla.  I used two of the SAB set: Punch Bunch and So Happy For You.  I just love that owl!!

I also used the diamond stamp from Grunge Rock on the Very Vanilla strip, off-stamped in Crumb Cake.  It's hard to see, but it's there.  I also stamped it on the Crumb Cake crimped/Faux Suede panel.  Two Very Vanilla brads and one In-Color Poppy glimmer brad finishes it off!

The layout is from the Clean and Simple blog FTL #128.  Not sure how clean and simple I kept this card, but I was intrigued with the layout.  The goal was to get out your die cuts and use them!  No problem here!!  LOL!!  I used the Top Note die in Early Espresso and then just trimmed the edges to the width I wanted.  The trickier part was trimming the Very Vanilla layer!  The owl was punched from Early Espresso and layered with a chest plate of Very Vanilla stamped in Poppy Parade.  The leaves were cut with my Big Shot and then I spritzed them with my Early Espresso marker to make them stand out more.

The inside was kept pretty simple by stamping the diamond stamp in Crumb Cake along the edge and using an owl from my stash.  And more leaves!

Upload your creation to either your blog or to an online gallery and post a link to your creation to this blog entry by March 5, 2011 at 12 midnight. I will choose the winner the next day. If you upload your card to SCS, PaperCraft Planet, Stampin' Addicts, Stampin' Connection (for SU! demos) or Stamp TV, please put GCA126 in your keywords. That way everyone can see all of the wonderful creations at once!

Even if you can't make the drawing deadline, PLEASE feel free to participate in the challenges and upload your creations at any time. I would love to see it! And yes, my challenge is open to everyone who visits, even if you live outside the US!


Happy Stamping!!!!
~~~Ann~~~~ 

A Nature Thank You - DIC128

Hello all!!  This week the UDI inspiration piece is 3 very yummy looking cocktails.  Each in their own fabulous color.

I mainly went with the colors from the piece to build my card, but still not quite sure how the cocktails translate to birds!!!  Anyway, I love how this came out and I just love this new set coming out in the Occasions mini, January 4th!!!

While the overall look of the card is clean, it not necessarily simple!!!  I combined alot of techniques on this card, once again!

The first is using the dry embossed method with the new Framed Tulips embossing folder and Perfect Polka Dots folder.  However, the fun part is that I double embossed them!  To do this you run your secondary folder through first and then place your card stock into your primary folder and run it through the Big Shot again.  You will still notice the secondary embossing, but just not as pronounced.

The second technique I did was Out-of-the Box.  This is a fun and fairly easy technique to do.  The tough part is making sure you don't cut into your image when trying to trim part of the card stock away.  To do this you stamp your image onto the card stock and then trim away parts of it.  You should cut your card stock as close to the size you want to end up with.  The idea is to leave part of the image "cut out" of the card stock.

The third technique is watercoloring.  Pulled out my watercolor wonder crayons and blender pen, and colored away.  Not sure if there is a bird this color in real life, but I think it's pretty!  The eggs were colored with markers direct to the stamp and then cut out. 

I couldn't resist the fly on here, since the cocktails are fruity and flies also come around with the sweet things!!

If you have a chance to play this week, check out the UDI Blog and see what you come up with.

Happy Stamping!!!

~~~Ann~~~

GCA #97 - How Do You Dry Emboss?? And, Blog Candy!!!!

Hello all!!  Hope everyone is having a fabulous day!  Spent time with my grandsons this afternoon, developed a migraine, took a nap and now here I am!  Still working frantically on my convention swaps, but really now to have all the parts and pieces I need to take with me to finish in Salt Lake!  As my usual, I'll be working on them on the plane tomorrow night!  It sure does draw peoples attention though!

The GCA for this week is another easy, peasy one.  How do you dry emboss?  Do you use a Cuttlebug, Big Shot, Big Kick or Quick Kutz?  Or do you still like to do the stylus and stencil method?  Or have you developed your own way to dry emboss?  Whatever the method or manner you use to dry emboss with, the challenge is to have some type of dry embossing on your creation!

My card this week uses the Square Lattice eb folder and Big Shot from SU!  I love this folder and my Big Shot!!  I also made this card for the LNS weekly challenge 79, which is a sketch. 

I turned the sketch vertical since my card base, Whisper White, was already cut in the vertical way.  My top note layer was cut in Tangerine Tango and Whisper White, layered with Pear Pizazz and Greenhouse Gala dsp.  Love the bright, fun and sunny colors of this piece of the dsp.

To mimic the flowers on the dsp, I used the extra large fancy flower punch in So Saffron and Tangerine Tango, put them through the lattice eb folder and then curled up the edges.  Hard to see in the photo, but I also peeled the Tangerine petals apart some.  The entire flower is on a Daffodil Delight scallop circle, the new 2 3/8" one with dimensionals.  The sentiment is from the new hostess level 3 set, Occasional Quotes.  This is one set you need!!  It is stamped in Tangerine Tango and backed with So Saffron.  The petals/leaves are punched from the 2 step bird punch in Cert. Celery.  I used the branch and wing as leaves.

The strip under the top note layer is So Saffron with WW, after I ran it through the lattice eb folder.  I just love the look this folder gives to card stock.  3 silver 5/8' brads finish off the strip.  I used a piece of Old Olive satin to finish the card off with.  The top note panel is also up on dimensionals.

Upload your creation to either your blog or to an online gallery and post a link to your creation to this blog entry by July 24, 2010 at 12 midnight. I will choose the winner the next day. If you upload your card to SCS, PaperCraft Planet, Stampin' Addicts or Stamp TV, please put GCA97 in your keywords. That way everyone can see all of the wonderful creations at once!

Even if you can't make the drawing deadline, PLEASE feel free to participate in the challenges and upload your creations at any time. I would love to see it! And yes, my challenge is open to everyone who visits, even if you live outside the US!

And now for the blog candy!!!  Since I will be spending the upcoming week in Salt Lake city attending the annual Stampin' Up! convention, I am offering blog candy to pass on my excitement to you!  All you need to do to enter is either create a dry embossed card or leave me a comment!  I will draw the winner on Sunday, July 25th!  The blog candy includes, 5 sheets of chipboard letters/images, SU! jumbo wheel "Lot of Hearts", ribbon, Art from the Heart CD from convention 2007, several handmade cards, plus other items I can't remember!!


Happy Stamping!!!



~~~Ann~~~