Color Challenge that was very challenging

I entered a Color Challenge that was very challenging today.  The Challenge is over at The Kraft Journal blog.  The plan was to also enter the same card in  the challenge at Our Daily Bread Designs  ODBDSLC232 using a lovely new scripture stamp  

I won from one of their challenges a few weeks ago.

That all sounds simple enough and it was until I looked at the colors used for the challenge! We all have colors and styles that we like / love to work with and tend to stay within those comfort zones.  

Here are the colors - I am not at all happy working with: yuck, they remind me of the old Necco candy wafers.  I couldn't stand those either.  It is me,  I know..

But this is why participating in challenges are so good, they force you to expand you self and work with colors and styles you normally wouldn't.

I've taken a couple of color theory classes, one for embroiderers - no mixing of colors there and one for painters - all mixing.  Card making is somewhere in-between these two mediums and having knowledge of color and composition only makes this mini art form more exciting. 

Having a color prompt with definite guidelines is good training. Entering challenges is also a skill builder and sometimes you can even win a nifty prize!

Here is the first card I made, 

Honestly I felt it was pretty boring and not really in the color palette of the challenge. 

I didn't do that on purpose , it is just how the card ended up.

I decided to try another one

The rubber stamp is an ODBD stamp , the one I recently won (15.00 blog challenge certificate covered the cost  of the set of 3 stamps!) I love this verse and the other two that went with it!)

The second card 

I like this one better and the colors are more on target.

I love these on the Kraft bases too!!

Both cards are 5x7

The challenges are open and the info is linked here:

The Kraft Journal

Our Daily Bread Designs

Simon Says Color Challenge Pastels

I hope you give it a shot, why not at the very least you will have a beautiful new card to send out!

Thanks for stopping by,

Ginny M

First card from the color play challenge

Yesterday I left off at step 6, Building a swatch pallet:

6. Make a swatch sheet with your papers of the color key.

 The Key:

 Using the solid color pad

I began to build my swatch sheet

This pad was sort some of the right shades, So I had to use paper in the stash

after about 15 minutes I had it as complete as I was going to get it:

Checking it with printed papers

My solids lined out

So from there I grabbed the papers and pulled a few colors to make my first card

7. Start playing with your papers, pull them out of the pad and start matching colors with patterns. Use your phot'd fabric as an example

I used 6, 3, 4, and 7.  I added an additional color a grass green that was in the print stack

Okay, here it my card:

Whatcha think??   I like it, I added the flowers and bow and butterflies all in the pallet colors

This card is 5x7

I am also entering this card in the  Our Daily Bread Designs , Shinning The Light Challenge.  The scripture is one of their beautiful rubber scripture stamps!   This is for their Spring religious Easter themed Challenge.  This is also a personal favorite verse!

One little trick I use to stamp

my sentiments straight when I use a die, I leave it in the die and then stamp.

This really works!! 

The Last part of the challenge is to make your cards!  On the group we each have an album and we are posting our photos as we go along to see our progression in color play!!

On a personal note I pick a group of colors that were not in my normal comfortable color range at first glance.  But when I got to the Key, I realized half of these colors are regular players for me.  So no wonder I was drawn to it!!  I am choose to go the more pastel route  in an effort to make myself try something new!

I will keep posting as I work my way through the papers!

Thank you for stopping by and I hope you get to check out Our Daily Bread Designs!

Ginny M

A color challenge for the month of April

I've put up a new challenge for my facebook group 'Christian Card Makers'

This challenge involves a new way of looking at color and using it in card making projects.

I thought I'd  blog this challenge,  you might like to give it a try

This involves using the color key registration of fabrics.

Here is how it works:

1. Go to a fabric store and a quickly look the fabrics

2. Find a few fabrics that you are drawn to.

I like this one in the group, When I pulled it out I wasn't to crazy about it, plus it did not have a color registration key!  This is the first bolt  of fabric I have seen without one!!

I thought this might be interesting and it had a color key

Then I thought , no I really don't want to make cards with this palette

This was really pretty in fabric

But then I thought to little color to make a couple dozen cards with.

I left the home decor fabric section and went over to the quilting fabrics and found something that I liked:

3. Unwrap the bolt a bit and look for the color fabric key, take a photo of the fabric and the key.

4.Narrow this down to one fabric /key, photo the fabric and the Key.

 The color is off on this photo but the color key is correct:

I printed this out to build my swatch sheet

5. You will need find a pad or stash in the colors with your key. Purchase or use stash paper - I am using a patterned paper pad and a solid. I purchased this to match my key. both were on sale 3.00 each

So that is where I am right now!  

I think this will be a fun exercise in color use, play along if you can!!

next.... , to be continued!

6. Make a swatch sheet with your papers of the color key.

7. Start playing with your papers, pull them out of the pad and start matching colors with patterns. Use your phot'd fabric as an example

8. Start making cards, if you can take your fabric shot and show it with your cards or buy a 1/2 yard of the fabric to back drop your creations.

As always, photo this as you go along!! You have the whole month of April!!

Have fun!

Thanks for stopping by!

Ginny M

Word Art Wednesday

Today is my last day as a guest Design Team member over at  Word Art Wednesday, What a great time I had too!!  This wonderful blog bring s a new Bible verse and lots of inspiration every week. It is a labor of love by many hands on deck.

The week the verse is from Psalm 18:46

Such a beautiful verse in a perfect font!  

Here is my card

This card was made with a digital frame and lots of liquid pearl dots!!  

I also hand painted glitter on the  lattice of the image.

I can't wait to send it , I know it will make a smile happen!

Click over to Word Art Wednesday, Enjoy the devotion and make a card for the challenge!

Thank you for stopping by

Ginny M

Osa Swap for March

I had an Oriental Swap art Swap to mail out for the March ACE-16 swap today. 

I wanted to do something completely different.  So I picked a color I rarely  work with - pink!

I used a yummy paper pad  called Blush Glam by Craft Smith.

These images are printed on Neenah  Solar white laid finish, with a little distressing. I also added pink glitter to the cherry blossom trees.  

I have found using textured papers work really well at grabbing the ink and getting a good print.

With these two card, one I modge podged and one I did not.  I am not sure which I like better.

Pretty papers!

These have the feel of what in the printing world is called 'calendar paper'.  A very velvety finish, lovely for card making!!

Thanks for stopping by!!

Ginny M

A few fun cards I made tonight

A few fun cards I made tonight

For and Oriental Stamps Art Swap

Koi Card x4  Oriental Stamp Arts swap

Thanks for stopping by!

Ginny M

Simply Sepia

I made this card for a flower card swap in a group I'm in.  I wanted something simple for this swap.

I thought this image looked so peaceful.

Such a beautiful stamp made by Our Daily Bread Designs of this powerful verse!

Thanks for stopping by

Ginny M

This card has been entered in the ODB anniversary challenge

Flip card revisited

A couple years ago flip cards were all the rage and they really were very nice.  I made a half dozen that  I hand cut and scored.   I also  tried using my electronic cutting machine  with SVG files.  I had some many problems with that I decided that  there was no reason I really needed to continue the craft disaster, plenty of other things to do without so much waste and frustration. 

I quickly forgot about it.

Two Weeks ago Kathy Godwin made so many beautiful flip cards for my scrap challenge I really had the unction to revisit the process!  Here are a few of Kathy's Flip cards:

Aren't they great!!

This time I am using a Sizzix die , my thought was this would be simple and I would be cranking out cards by the score!!

Not Quite!

On my first few goes at this I used my Ebosser electronic embossing and die cutting machine.  It works a great and never gives me a problem

Using a K&Co paper :  two sheets adhered together to give me pattern on both sides.  This paper I think has the weight of about 40lbs. 

It didn't work, the die cut right through the folding lines of the paper.

Well those things happen.

Next I tried a basic grey double sided paper.  about 40lbs , still not heavy enough for a card so I also cut a piece of 65 lb white Card Stock  with the the plan to glue it together in sandwich form.

This was starting to get more complicated and I didn't want complicated.

Ouch, right through everything!!

I resorted to using my CuttleBug and cut another piece to hold the other pieces together.


That required a little experimentation too, the standard sandwich parts still cause the die to cut through the paper

So I made a shim out of three pieces of chip board and used that with a base plate and cutting plate.

And that gave me the cutting results I was striving for!

I glued the pieces together primarily because I did not want to waste this pretty BG paper.

It worked as far as holding together but it will need some cosmetic work before I can actually turn it into a card.

Next I tried a new set of BG papers, cut and glued after cutting.

                              It came out so-so,  I'm afraid I over pressed the score and "broke" it!

Back to the K&Co papers that I really wanted to make a card out of in the first place.

This time I glued the paper before I cut and it worked beautifully!! I finally had a base and a recipe that works for future flip cards!

Yay!

I made this card for a special lady who is about to have her 90th birthday. The CCM group is showering our friend and co members' Aunt.  how fun to receive a stack of cards from people you don't even know !  We love Shelly and now we love her Aunt Patty!!

I'm also entering this in Simon Says Stamps blog challenge, you should take a peek over at SSS, they have some great stuff - And Our Daily Bread Designs  Blogaversery challenge, Love, Love their Scripture stamps!!!

Thanks for stopping by!

Ginny M