Fun Challenges

I love to play in the SCS challenges. There are so many opportunities to learn new techniques, to try different color combinations and sometimes the perfect thing to do to help get out of a stamping rut.

My friend and Rubbernecker DT teammate, Joan Ervin was honored on Sunday as the Featured Stamper. What a fun time I had going through Joan’s wonderful gallery and picking out a card for my inspiration.  I especially loved the layout of this card of Joan’s. I changed the theme and colors but tried to use Joan’s exact layout. 

I picked out some matching designer paper to work with and took my color inspiration from it and used the soft colors in my scene as well. I stamped the Chicken Coop images and painted with a brush and reinker.  I sponged in the ground and sky area and then filled in the grass with the little mini fern image from my Kittie Kits Outdoor Master. I cut the scene and frame with Nestabilities and layered. I applied the DP and ribbons to the card base and attached the scene.  The brads and knot was the finishing touch for this fun and simple scene.

Stamps:  Rubbernecker Kittie Kits Chicken Coop, Outdoor Master  Paper:  So Saffron, SU Designer Paper, Watercolor   Ink:  Brilliance Black, Bashful Blue, Saffron, Wild Wasabi   Accessories:  May Arts Grosgrain, SU Grosgrain, Brads, Nestabilities, Mounting Tape, Brushes, Sponges

Last night when I pulled up the Monday Technique Lovers Challenge I was intrigued by the name….Tri Shutter Card. I pulled up the tutorial by Bonnie Szwalkiewicz and thought it would be a fun challenge.  I usually don’t do to well with lots of cuts and scores as I always manage to get something a little off or wonky.  But……if I don’t try… I don’t learn. 

I found a Simply Scrappin kit in one of my drawers that had this lovely colored cardstock.  The matching DP is so pretty but unfortunately doesn’t show well in the photo. I went through the scoring and cutting part and actually found that I had done it almost totally correct. I thought it would be fun to try my hand once again at hand painting palm trees and creating a beach scene on the long center piece of the card. I sponged in the ocean and sand and used a small brush to paint in the trees.  I tried to make them look cartoony to go along with the cartoony lighthouse, girl and umbrella I was planning on using for the front and back columns. I stamped all the images on the designer paper with green as it, believe it or not, is one of the focal colors in the small design of the paper. I can’t say that this is one of my better projects and in the end….I can’t get it to fold into an envelope…  : )  but I did enjoy the challenge. Check out the challenge gallery to see some of the intricate and wonderful designs.  Mine looks pretty darn simple compared to some of the lovely pieces made by other SCS members.

Stamps:  Rubbernecker Kittie Kits Fun in the Sun  Paper:  SU Simply Scrappin Kit, Simply Smooth White   Ink:  Wild Wasabi, Caramel, Vintage Photo, Soft Sky,   Accessories:  Scor-Pal, Craft Knife, Brushes, Sponges