Chocolate Pear Parade: Color Dare {80}

It's Color Dare time again and the Design Team has a gorgeous color combination to inspire you: 

CD 80

Chocolate Chip

Pear Pizzazz

Poppy Parade

Very Vanilla

Pretty simple card to share with you today using one of my all-time favorite stamp sets that returned for another year in the catalog...Inspired by Nature.  The beautiful flowers were inked with my Stampin Write markers in all 3 of this week's colors and stamped onto a Naturals Ivory cardstock Top Note.  I just trimmed off part of the Top Note to allow more room on the right side of the card.  I really like this layout.  Next, I stamped the grass from the Inspired by Nature in Chocolate Chip on a Chocolate Chip base.  The grass was stamped again in Pear Pizzazz on a strip of the same cardstock and then lined up with the grass image on the base card:

I inked the large flower again with my Stampin' Write markers and then fussy-cut the flower to pop it up for some added dimension.

I hope you've enjoyed my card today--be sure to check out the inspiring projects from the rest of the Color Dare Design Team.  Then try your hand at this week's colors.  If you don't have these exact colors, a similar match will do.  We can't wait to see what you create!

supplies:

stamps: inspired by nature; because i care

ink: chocolate chip, pear pizzazz

paper: chocolate chip, pear pizzazz, poppy parade, naturals ivory CS

xtras: antique brads; hemp twine; top note die

Vanilla Chocolate Delight: {CD78} {JAI36}

Doesn't that sound like a wonderful dessert?  Hmmm.. some Very Vanilla, a lot of Chocolate Chip with a dash of Daffodil Delight.  What do you think?  I think Riley was eating dessert when she chose these colors for us this week at The Color Dare!

In addition to desserts, these colors make me think of elegant stationery and hand-written notes.  I tried to convey that mood with my choice of paper and stamps.  I started with this wonderful sketch from some talented stampers at Just Add Ink:

Love this layout--isn't it great?!  It's a good one for featuring our beautiful designer paper such as this damask beauty from Greenhouse Gala DSP.    There is perhaps no other stamp in the current SU catalog that embodies the elegant style than Elizabeth--even the name is perfect!  ;-)  I stamped it in Chocolate Chip onto the Very Vanilla panel and then again with Daffodil Delight ink onto a scrap of Very Vanilla.  I used a sentiment from the level one hostess set Because I Care in Chocolate Chip and then hand-cut the oval and popped it up on dimensionals.  Unfortunately, the oval does not fit with any of my oval punches but my paper snips made quick work of it!

Lastly, you just have to see a close-up not only of the detail in this stamp but the pretty little basic pearls I added.

I hope you will consider joining us this week at The Color Dare--we would love to see your creations.  Here's what the rest of the design team has created for you:

• Riley Fitzgerald - our leader
• Glenda Wyatt - Papers, Scissors & Rocks
• Heather Prince - Princess Scrapper Stamper
• Joan Jeffery - JJ Creations
• Melissa Hubert - My Paper Obsession
• Marisa Ritzen - Rosemary Reflections

We hope you'll join us!

supplies:

stamps: elizabeth; because i care

ink: chocolate chip, daffodil delight

paper: very vanilla, chocolate chip CS; greenhouse gala DSP

xtras: chocolate chip 1/4" grosgrain ribbon (retired); basic pearls; ticket punch

Shabby Vintage: {PPC9} & {CCCC41}

Tonight I have an entry for two of my favorite weekly challenges to share with you. Lesley and the design team over at Paper Players challenged us with a "vintage" theme and boy, is that ever a challenge for me! Is there such a thing as too much vintage?! This card has been distressed, smudged, spritzed, shimmered, embossed and stamped within an inch of it's life! I'm not sure but...I think I like it!

The color scheme was inspired by another favorite over at Stacey's Stamping Stage. I did take a little artistic liberty and changed the neutral from Whisper White to Very Vanilla to better coordinate with this lovely bit of Victoria Crochet Trim from the new SU catalog. Otherwise, the colors stayed true using Night of Navy, Marina Mist and Crumb Cake. What a beautiful
combination!

At stamp club with my upline this week, we made these wonderful flowers with the Scallop Circle Punch. I don't know where this technique originated...if anyone knows please tell me so I can give proper credit. You can use as many layers of scallop circles as you wish depending on how full you want your flower to be. For this one, I used 5 Marina Mist scalloped circles--4 punched with the 1 3/4" Scallop Circle punch and 1 using the 2 3/8" Scallop Circle punch (new). The technique is super simple:

1. Punch desired number of scalloped circles.
2. Punch a small hole in the approximate center of each circle. I used my 1/16" circle punch but you could also use a Crop-o-Dile or even pierce a hole. Don't worry if the hole isn't in the center--you want each layer to be a bit wonky so it looks more natural.
3. Using a regular spray bottle, spritz each circle with water so it is covered. I just held it in the palm of my hand and sprayed a couple times.
4. Scrunch each circle in your hand.
5. Unfold each circle and layer them one of top of the other, aligning the center holes and with the largest circle at the back.
6. Place a small brad through all layers of the flower.
7. Starting with the top layer, scrunch up each scalloped circle until it looks the way you want it to look. You can spray the entire flower with water a few more times to get the desired effect.
8. Set your flower aside to dry--should take about 15 minutes or so. You'll be amazed at how quicky it dries and how beautiful it is when finished! Leave me a comment if you would like me to post a photo tutorial on how this is done. I've been thinking I need to start doing some tutorials so this might be a good place to start--let me know if you're interested.

Before my flower dried, I used SU's Color Spritzer and an Early Espresso Stampin' Write marker to give it an aged, vintage look. After color spritzing, I sprayed on a mixture of Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint and rubbing alcohol for some extra sparkle and glitz! I warned you this one was spritzed within an inch of it's life! LOL. (click on the photo above to get a better look at the shimmered spritz!)

Finally, the inside. A piece of Very Vanilla was stamped with the En Francais background stamped I used on the front. Also stamped in Crumb Cake but this time I stamped off twice so it looks almost like a watermark. I wanted a soft and washed-out image that wouldn't compete with any writing on the inside. The little piece of Marina Mist is punched with my new favorite punch--Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border--and the Night of Navy flower is from Charming. And because I couldn't let well enough alone (!), I sponged the edges of the inside with Crumb Cake just as I did on the sentiment oval from the front. That little background stamp in the oval? It's from Charming too and is also stamped in Crumb Cake...pretty, eh? Maybe I do like this vintage thing after all...what do you think? Don't forget to go check out all the other vintage entries at the Paper Players Challenge and the beautiful colors at the Curtain Call. It's always fun to play along...cheers!

8/8/10 edit: I'm so excited! Stacey chose this card as the LEAD in the Curtain Call Color Challenge {Act 41}. I just can't believe it...I'm thrilled...thank you!

8/9/10 edit: WOW! Just found out that this card also made it as a Cut Above at the Paper Players...a big thank you to Lesley and the design team! Hmmm, maybe vintage is my style afterall. :-)

supplies:
stamps: en francais; charming; because i care
ink: night of navy, marina mist & crumb cake
paper: crumb cake, night of navy, marina mist, very vanilla cardstock
xtras: vintage wallpaper impressions folder; 1 3/4" scallop circle, 2 3/8" scallop circle, wide oval, 1/16" circle; dotted scallop ribbon border punches; lots of tags & little leaves sizzlit dies; victoria crochet trim; basic pearls; champagne shimmer paint; color spritzer; early espresso stampin write marker

Spotlight Gala

Spotlight on Greenhouse Gala, that is! The star of this card is the beautiful new Greenhouse Gala designer paper (available July 1st). As a demonstrator, I am able to pre-order select items from the new catalog and when I saw this paper, I had to have it and I think you will too! The colors are so opulent. It's some of the prettiest dsp we've had in awhile. Credit for this fantastic layout goes to Jaydee @ Stampin' with Jaydee. I saw her Neopolitan card and I knew I wanted to make one highlighting this gorgeous paper! This is such an quick layout and I was so inspired, I made two!

The first uses chocolate chip, daffodil delight (new core color) and real red. Aren't these colors gorgeous together? Do you remember Reese Whitherspoon's yellow dress and red pumps at the Oscars a few years ago? Wasn't that was a fresh and unexpected color combination? This paper makes me think of that fabulous outfit. The flower stamp is also a sneak peek from the new Friends Never Fade set and the sentiment is a new hostess level 1 set, Because I Care.

The {signature} inside with the same flower stamped in daffodil delight and chocolate chip. Those cute little real red dots are part of the level 2 hostess set Punched Posies (available now in the summer mini):

Here is the second one also featuring Greenhouse Gala paper--isn't it beautiful?! I know I am repeating myself but you've got to see it! Chocolate chip, baja breeze and pumpkin pie are featured here with another flower stamp from Friends Never Fade:

A close-up of the flower detail:

The inside using baja breeze, chocolate chip and pear pizzazz (new in color) markers to color the flower and the same Punched Posies dots in pumpkin pie:
So does that get you ready? If the sneak peek goodies are this good, wait until you see the new catalog! That's all for today--thanks for stopping by...cheers!