Another Challenging Challenge

I always try to play along with the Fab Friday challenges, but this week's challenge almost stymied me. I was thrilled, thrilled, I tell ya, to see that Minders announced the sex of her baby via this challenge. What a sweet idea! Congratulations, Mindy! I'm sooo excited for you. New baby. New home. So fun!!

But the sketch. Hmm, I had almost decided not to play along this week even though we were given loads of latitude with the sketch. It just wasn't coming to me. I had kernels of ideas, but I never seemed to get them to pop! (See what I did there?) I finally got an idea by starting with my color pallet first. I choose the Retro Fresh DSP for my background and went from there. I think I may have pulled it off. What do you think?

Here's the sketch:


And here's what I came up with:

(Stamp Set: Perfect Pennants; Inks: So Saffron, Tangerine Tango, Baked Brown Sugar, Coastal Cabana; Card Stock: So Saffron, Tangerine Tango, Baked Brown Sugar, Coastal Cabana; DSP: Retro Fresh; Accessories: Banners Framelits Dies, Retro Fresh Washi Tape)

It's Time for a Fab Friday Color Challenge!

I'm so bummed that I couldn't get my act together quick enough to play in last week's Fab Friday sketch challenge. I mean, the whole reason I started this blog was so that I could play along on the Fab Friday challenges. And then I started playing in other challenges (cuz I need inspiration every day) and then I had loads of projects, and well, the last Fab Friday challenge got away from me.

But that's not gonna happen this time. No siree!! I'm on it. On the day the challenge came out. If I'm fast enough I think I'm going to be the second person to post a project for the challenge. Perhaps if it wasn't almost midnight, I could have been the first person. But whatevs. I was instantly inspired by this challenge and knew immediately what I was going to do. How often does that happen?!

So here's the Fab Friday color challenge #36: 

 

And here's the design I came up with.

(Stamp Set: Six-Sided Sampler; Inks: Crush Curry, Strawberry Slush, Bermuda Bay; Card Stock: Bermuda Bay, Whisper White; DSP: Kaleidoscope; Accessories; Bermuda Bay and Basic Black 1/8" Taffeta Ribbon, Hexagon Punch, Honeycomb Embossing Folder)

I think this turned out pretty spiffy. I like all the geometric designs in the DSP, the embossing folder and the hexagons. I originally had only the Bermuda Bay ribbon wrapped around the DSP, but it kind of got lost there. So, I added another piece of Basic Black Ribbon and tied the knots together.

The Fab Friday Challenge Is Back!!

The wonderful and creative hosts of the Fab Friday challenge blog took a much deserved break during the holiday season...but they're baaack!! This fornight's challenge is a color challenge:

 

These are great colors and they're the same as those used in Stampin' Up's Fresh Prints Designer Series Paper Stack (item #132996) in the Occasions mini catalog. I thought about using some of that gorgeous DSP, but in the end, I decided not to.  I did use a few items that I earned free during Sale-a-Bration--the Decorative Dots embossing folder, the Banner Blast stamp set, and the Banner punch. I also used the "Miss You" sentiment from the Lacy& Lovely stamp set--I had it out on my desk for another project and I thought the "Hi" from the Banner Blast set and "Miss You" went together nicely.

(Stamp Sets: Banner Blast, Lacy & Lavely; Inks: Crumb Cake, Real Red; Card Stock: Crumb Cake, Real Red, Coastal Cabana, Very Vanilla; Accessories: Decorative Dots, Banner, Scallop Oval, Oval Punches, Crumb Cake Seam Binding; Real Red Candy Dots)

Fab Friday Color Challenge

Welcome to day three of my series on stamping challenge blogs.  I hope you'll play along with me!   

Today I'm playing along with the Fab Friday gang and this week's challenge is a color challenge!

 
These colors are great for Halloween and the Fab Friday design team did either a Fall or Halloween card (or muslin bag with awesome tag) with them.  You should check them out--their designs are awesome, as usual!  I decided I wanted to stray from the "obvious" and see if I could use this color combination on an "everyday" card.  Here's what I came up with: 

(Stamp Sets: Pleasant Poppies, Teeny Tiny Wishes; Inks: Rich Razzleberry, Tangerine Tango, Old Olive; Card Stock:  Basic Black, Rich Razzleberry, Tangerine Tango, Old Olive, Very Vanilla; Accessories: Stripes and Square Lattice Embossing Folders, Labels Collection Framelits, Word Window and Modern Label Punches, Brights Candy Dots, Basic Black 1/8" Taffeta Ribbon; Festive Paper Piercing Pack, Blender Pen)

Also in keeping with this week's theme of trying things outside my comfort zone, I colored the image.  I hate to color.  I never have liked it--oh, maybe when I was a kid--but now that I'm grown I don't like to color...because I'm not very good at it and I'm never satisfied with the results.  This card turned out right cute, if I do say so myself. 


REMINDER:  I'll be selling new and used retired Stampin' Up stamps, inks, papers, tools--and other non-Stampin' Up items at the 3rd Annual Cropmania Fall Scrapbook Indoor Yard Sale on Sunday October 13.  Details below. Hope you'll come out and get some great deals!

HUGE MARKDOWNS AND GREAT DEALS AND BARGAINS!!!
Sunday October 13th
9am-2pm

Elks Lodge #622
2 Pythian Dr (off Rt 2)
Edgewater, MD 21037

51 Tables of Marked Down Scrapbooking/Stamping Supplies!
5 online stores (2-3 tables each), 8 Consultants,  30 ladies with way too much stuff!!!!

$5 at the door to get in

Bottled water and snacks available onsite for purchase.

For more info and directions, go to www.cropmania.com and click on Yardsale.

It's a Fab Friday Color Challenge!

The design team over at the Fab Friday Challenge blog have come up with another color challenge.  This time the challenge is

I knew right away what I wanted to do when I saw these colors, but I had a little trouble with the final design.  I hadn't used the Ovals Collection Framelits before and I was hoping that the largest plain oval would fit right inside the large scalloped oval.  Well, it doesn't.  The large scalloped oval is ginormous IMHO and so there was too much crumb cake showing.  I cut down the stamped image and used a mat of pistachio pudding.  That helped, but a girl can still wish the ovals fit together without such a big gap.  Oh well.

Here's my creation for the Fab Friday Color Challenge #24.

(Stamp Sets:  Wildflower Meadow, Teeny Tiny Wishes; Ink: Crumb Cake; Markers: So Saffron, Crisp Cantaloupe, Pistachio Pudding; Card Stock:  Crisp Cantaloupe, Crumb Cake, Pistachio Pudding, So Saffron, Whisper White; Accessories:  Perfect Polka Dots and Wildflower Meadow Embossing Folders; Ovals Collection Framelits; Modern Label and Word Window Punches; Crumb Cake Seam Binding; Basic Pearls)

Yippee-Skippee! I'm Playing Along with the Fab Friday Sketch Challenge!

The Fab Friday Challenge Blog is hosted by a group of Stampin' Up demonstrators who run a stamping challenge every other Friday.  I was THRILLED to meet some of these men and women during the 2013 Stampin' Up convention this year--and I even got to swap with several of them!!!  Some of my fave stampers belong to this FAB group.  I think you'll enjoy viewing their creations--be sure to visit their individual blogs for stampin' inspiration--and you'll also enjoy playing along with the Fab Friday challenge.

I have a confession to make:  I started my own blog for the express purpose of playing along with the Fab Friday challenges! 

The current challenge is a sketch challenge.  Here's the sketch:

Fab Friday Sketch Challenge #23

And here's the card I created, using one of the stamp sets we got as an all-attendee giveaway during Stampin' Up's 2013 Convention:  Yippee-Skippee!

(Stamp Sets:  Yippee-Skippee!, Lacy and Lovely; Ink:  Island Indigo; Card Stock:  Island Indigo; Daffodil Delight, Whisper White; Accessories:  Argyle Embossing Folder, 2-1/2" Circle Punch; Circles #2 Originals Die; Very Vintage Designer Button; Crushed Curry 3/4" Chevron Ribbon; Linen Thread)