Take 4 challenges and ...

I dilly dally around sometimes so much that someone gets in first with my idea. I'd decided I was going to combine Color Throwdown's latest colour challenge with Freshly Made Sketch's sketch using my old SU! set Watercolor shapes for the circle shape but Christy bet me to it. So back to "thinking" of a plan B. In the end I decided I would just go for it and use a circle mask and ink the peach and sage inks and see what it looked like

Once that was done, I then decided I would use a new stamp set I received from Pretty Pink Posh recently in a Virtual class kit as it had a nice flower plus foliage, and then the next bits fell into place really easily as that set has a Hello Friend sentiment which covered Addicted to CAS's and CAS on Friday's latest challenges too - the first one wants Friends and the latter Hello. Now that's what I call working smarter not harder. I used my Gina K Master Layouts to get my nice squares all matted and stitched. The coloured mat is just the Sunkissed ink swiped all around the edge.

Supply List:

Stamps: Hummingbird Floral (PPP)

Ink: Sunkissed (PFS), Sage (PFS), Versafine Clair Nocturne

Paper: Very Vanilla (SU!)

Other: Master Layouts 3 (GKD), circle masking stencil (TE), blending brushes (TE), Leaf Glitter drops (PFS)

Challenges: ATC#253, CAS on Friday #378, CTD#783, FMS#626

Well actually just starting on the first 2 challenges stopped me dillying dallying and my card came together really quickly.

Thanks for popping in.

EDITED 12/3/24: Gosh my entry at The Color Throwdown was the "lucky number" to join this very talented pool of ladies for a future challenge. Not sure if I should be scared or excited but probably a mixture of the two.

EDITED 12/3/24: Gosh this design and colours are on a roll, over at Freshly Made Sketches my card is Kim's choice :) " I love Karen’s fresh take on the sketch. The colors are lovely on the half circles and the simple image and sentiment fit perfectly!"

EDITED 15/3/24: This wee card is a real winner it's also a favourite over at CAS on Friday's site.

EDITED 21/3/24: I can't believe it my card made the Top 3 at Addicted to CAS this is the first time I've entered multiple challenges and all of the challenges have seen the card as "worthy". Big kudos goes to Freshly Made Sketches for the sketch.

✿Karen✿

Humming Good Time with Mindy

One of the things I really like about Pinkfresh Studios apart from their fab stamps, inks, stencils etc is that they are now inviting smaller Guest companies to their Create and Connect virtual cardmaking in a box events. Last year they invited The Stamp Market to their Holiday cards and I loved them. This year's first box the guest company was Pretty Pink Posh (PPP) a company I have always enjoyed their whimsical and cute stamps over many years so was really rapt with this pick especially as Mindy Eggen was teaching the class.

We received for this class a stamp set and matching dies containing Hummingbirds and Florals. We also received a fun Stacked Scallop stencil. All the coloured cardstock has been created by wiping our ink pads over white card, even the black strip was created this way. There seemed to be a real emphasis this event on doing this. It's really true we don't need all that coloured card and it would certainly free up some space in our craft rooms if we all stop buying it. 

I just love the colour palate for the first card and with this loose way of blending in the colours it really was very easy to colour up, die cut out and arrange the images in a "wreath".

The second card I can't believe how sharp and crisp the lines were and how effective it was just stenciling the background with the scalloped waves were. The images remind me of the transfers Hero Arts sell which are extremely crisp and black.

You can see Mindy with her banner and cards below at the time when we were swiping the edges of our card for card 2 with Cherry Blossom as we were following along I was thinking we should be using "Peony", she realised at the end she used a different colour than her sample but I think I like the softer pink more as the images pop more.

This was such a fun class and I really enjoyed it - this was Class 3 on the first day so it was a good one to finish on, as quite straight forward. Even for us in NZ in our schedule it was still Class 3 after dinner on the first day.

Pinkfresh Studios have by now announced publicly their collaboration partners for 2024 and WOW they're Spellbinders and Simon Says Stamp, you can check it all out HERE. 

✿Karen✿

Small and few and Spring

What a challenge over at AAA cards. I think subconsciously I have over the years been buying bigger and bigger stamps as it is easier to make an effective card easier when it's large and bold but I really liked the designers inspirational cards and a challenge should be challenging so have been churning ideas over in my head for awhile for it, when a distant memory came back about a teeny weeny stinkingly cute butterfly set from Pretty Pink Posh I used to own. Finding the wee stamp set was the biggest challenge. It is tiny 2" x 3" but it was found in my drawer with wee Gorguss gal stamps.

In hindsight I have the small and few (tick) and Spring colours (tick) BUT I didn't really get the CAS right as I ended up making a slim notecard as I felt that was more balanced but I really like the card so sharing it anyhow. The tiniest butterfly and matching die is so stinking cute. It's a shame the 3rd butterfly in the stamp set from PPP didn't face the other direction so I had to use another old set that hasn't seen ink for a long time from Lawn Fawn with it's wee bird. Anyhow it's great to have a play with some stuff I haven't inked up in over 5 years.

My top panel is 3 x 6" and I made a mask with Gina K masking magic to do my blending. I made a stencil with a really old die I have from Simon Says Stamp called Tri Square. I used Copics to colour in my wee butterflies and bird as that was the quickest.

Recipe:
Stamps and matching dies: Blissful Butterflies (Pretty Pink Posh), Gleeful Gardens (Lawn Fawn)
Black inks: Memento Black, Versafine Onyx Black
Distress inks: Dried Marigold, Squeezed Lemonade, Twisted Citron
Paper: Strathmore Bristol Smooth, X-press It blending card stock, Mango Melody (SU!)
Copics: 

Bluebird B00/02/05 and Y35/38

Red butterfly R81/83/85 and E35/99

Mauve butterfly RV23/25/29; YR20/61/02, and YR 21/23
Other: White Signo gel pen, dimensionals, Gina K Masking Magic, blending brushes, Tri Square die (Simon Says Stamp)

✿ Karen ✿