Eclectic Blooms CI#21

Colour INKspiration is a group of Stampin' Up! demonstrators from the South Pacific, all through Australia and New Zealand. We love to get together for these colour challenges, to inspire each other, and you, to create. We love it when you join in with our challenges to share your work and all you need is a Facebook presence. You can link in here on Facebook.

I thought about this challenge for a while as I could only see the obvious, perfect colours for a flowery card. While I have chosen a favourite flower thinlet, Eclectic Layers, it has been paired with an older technique, which we have the opportunity to explore now that glossy paper has returned to the Stampin' Up!® inventory.

The black layer was cut much smaller than the polished stone layer to show more of the pretty colours, but with my other cards I've kept the two layers even. The black layer was diecut with the flowers but not using the outer edge which cuts them out. For the stems I turned a die upside down and only partially rolled it through the Big Shot. After die-cutting, the black layer was raised on Dimensionals. The Glitter Enamel Dots seemed close enough to the challenge colours to include, for a touch of 'bling'!

This technique is called Polished Stone and to do it - it's very easy! - you need glossy card, rubbing alcohol and reinkers in your chosen colours. I taught this in a class several years ago, and I think it might be a fun one for early 2018, what do you think? I cut the card to 10cm X 14.3cm and coloured in a variety of combinations. Each one turns out differently, even if you try to get the same result.

For these big butterflies the totally pink, peach, yellow piece was perfect, with a sentiment from Butterfly Basics.

Another one using a two-tone polished stone piece for a dragonfly and butterfly combo. This is one-with-the-lot! The pieces have been re-inserted, there is the lovely lacy border, Decorative Ribbon Border Punch and layers - lots of layers, inside and out!

Now it is time for you to head on over to share a project made by Jackie Aitken.

ZTQVTQPR

Any orders in my online shop with the Host code receive a gift from me in the post. Since November is my birthday month, I am adding a handmade birthday card as well, for you to send to someon else. 

Midnight Inspiration CI#14

Colour INKspiration is a group of Stampin' Up! demonstrators from the South Pacific, all through Australia and New Zealand. We love to get together for these colour challenges, to inspire each other, and you, to create. We love it when you join in with our challenges to share your work and all you need is a Facebook presence. You can link in here on Facebook.

It took a while for inspiration to strike for this colour combo. Smokey Slate, Rich Razzleberry, Soft Sky and Night of Navy are the four colours, seen above. Suddenly, at midnight as I lay in bed sleepless, my mind drifted to the amusing sight of cars, trucks, buses and bikes hurtling around the Arc De Triomph in Paris.

The recently-retired Chase Your Dreams stamp has contributed the Arc, and "Bonjour", while In the City provided everything else for this scene. I began by stamping the Arc de Triomphe, and then masking it with a post-it note. I didn't take it off until the stamping was all finished and it was a lovely surprise to see how beautifully the Arc stands out in this scene.

Using a stitched oval, I pencilled a guide line around the base of it, as it is IRL.Then it wasn't too difficult to fill in that oval with the cobblestone stamp. When the traffic hurtles into the roundabout, there appear to be no rules, nor traffic lanes. There should be multiple pile-ups all day (and night) long, but I haven't yet witnessed one. We stayed nearby on our last visit to Paris, and it was the first landmark we visited that time, and passed it many times over the week.

You may wonder how you cross the road in this situation? Well at 9.30am on a Saturday morning, there weren't too many cars, and we could cross in the usual fashion, but there are tunnels under the road for you to get out to the centre island where the Arc is situated. You can pay an entry fee, and climb to the top of the monument (324 steps) where you can get a magnificent view all around Paris. Look down Champs- Elysèes, out to Sacrè-Coeur in Montmartrè on a distant hill, and then swing around to get an eyeful of the Eiffel Tower. I highly recommend it!

Enough of my nostalgia, it's time to head on to Nikki Spencer, her card is out of this world!