Celebrating Curves!

It's finally stopped raining - so this card seems appropriate - a celebration of spring, in response to CAS(E) this Sketch's sketch #288:

and Just Add Ink's pretty inspiration photo:


My card ended up like this:

Ingredients: 

Stampin' Up card (Shimmery White, Mossy Meadow), ink (Basic Black, Rich Razzleberry) watercolor pencils (Rich Razzleberry, Old Olive), DSP (Share What You Love) Stamps (Detailed with Love, Petal Palette, Thoughtful Branches for sentiment), Detailed Trio Punch, dies (Petals and More, Layering Circles), Petals and more embellishments.

Other product: Faber Castell pink watercolour pencil

Autumn colours and Happy Birthday

It's spring here in New Zealand, but the colours in CAS Colors and Sketch's Challenge #288 (Crushed Curry, Gorgeous Grape and Night of Navy) made me think of autumn. Which actually worked out okay, because it's been pretty cold and miserable for the last week - the daffodils are bowing their pretty heads under driving rain and wind.
I used the latest Global Design Project sketch:

to give a form to those rich colours. I'm glad I bought the latest watercolour pencils from Stampin' Up, since they contain both Night of Navy and Gorgeous Grape - which meant I could use both colours on my flowers. Here's the result:

Ingredients:

Stampin' Up ink (Gorgeous Grape, Night of Navy,) watercolour pencils (Night of Navy, Gorgeous Grape) card (Whisper White, Crushed Curry, Night of Navy), stamps (Love What You Do, Happy Birthday Gorgeous for sentiment), dies (Petals and More)

Other: American Craft twine, francheville pearls, Die-Namics Horizontal Stitched Strips

Happy Yellow Flower

I just love the new Stampin' Up yellow - Pineapple Punch - so it was the first colour I thought of for Less is More's Challenge #379: Black, White and one other colour. I teamed it with CAS(E) this Sketch's #287:

It was good to use the Garden in Bloom stamps again - I love the delicate watercolour effect you get with this set. 

Ingredients:
Stampin' Up card, (Basic Black, Whisper White), In Color DSP, ink (Basic Black, Pineapple Punch)

Daisies

Fusion's latest image is gorgeous! I wanted that beautiful jug of daisies on my dining table.

At first, I struggled with the sketch component, but then I remembered the lovely floral wreath die  I have by Kaisercraft, and that gave me a starting point. I enjoyed my first go at using Stampin' Up's Garden Impressions DSP, as well. It's such a dark and gloomy day here it was difficult to get a photo - but here's the best of the bunch:

The card:

Ingredients: 

Stampin' Up card: (Soft Sky, Sea Foam, Whisper White), DSP (In-Color, Garden Impressions), Stamp (Label Me Pretty)

Other: Kaisercraft Floral Wreath die, My Favourite Things Upsy Daisy dies, Die-namics Stitched rings dies.

In colour Christmas

I feel like I'm cheating on my previous favourites, but Stampin' Up's 'Making Christmas Bright' is such a cool stamp set! Especially when paired with the Christmas Bulb Builder Punch (and ESPECIALLY when you succumb and get the 'Making Every Day Bright' stamps as well).
Here's As You See It's sketch #183:

In my version I used the latest In Colours to give a bright, Southern Hemisphere feel to the card:

Ingredients:

Stampin' Up: card (Whisper White, Blueberry Bushel), DSP (In Colour), ink (Basic Black, Blueberry Bushel, Call Me Clover, Lovely Lipstick, Pineapple Punch), Stamp sets ('Making Christmas Bright, Making Every Day Bright), Christmas Bulb Builder Punch

Other: some random silver fringing that was in the cupboard!

Cut out flowers

I was struck by the pleasing symmetry of 'Less is More's Challenge #378:

 and 'read' the image as two rectangles rather than four squares. I combined it with the rich colours of CAS Colors and Sketches #286: Mango Melody, Poppy Parade and Merry Merlot. I haven't yet acquired Mango Melody ink, so made do with my closest match - Peekaboo Peach. I stamped the flower image, in black, on the main card, and then (in Merry Merlot) onto card sponged with peekaboo Peach and splashed with water drops for texture. Then I mounted the coloured card onto the plain, matching the images. I used vellum for the sentiment so it would 'float' above the card. 

Ingredients:

Stampin' Up ink (Merry Merlot, Peekaboo Peach, Basic Black), card (Shimmery White), stamps (Awesomely Artistic, Big on Birthdays (sentiment)).

Other Products: My Favourite Things dienamics (Vertical Stitched Stripes), francheville pearls, Derwent watercolour pencil (Poppy Red)

Christmas in the Antipodes

When I saw TGIF's Challenge #173:

I thought of Christmas - because, since I'm in New Zealand, it could well look something like this. I loved that rainbow umbrella and wanted to use those uplifting colours, as well. 

Ingredients:

Stampin' Up! ink (Real Red, Tangelo Twist, Pineapple Punch, Call Me Clover, Pacific Point, Gorgeous Grape, Highland Heather, Pool Party), card (Crumb Cake, Pool Party, Whisper White, Gold), Stamps (Making Every Day Bright), Punch (Christmas Bulb Builder).

Other: Simon Says Stamp Merry Christmas Dies (SSSD111305), Kaisercraft DSP (Coastal Escape)