Art with Heart Colour Creations Showcase - #44 Sahara Sand

Sahara Sand with Wrapped Bouquet and Kangaroo & Company

Hi. Welcome to Valley Inspirations with Andrea and the 44th 2020/2021 Colour Creations Showcase by members of the Art with Heart Team.

This week we are showcasing a great colour, Sahara Sand. It is one of Stampin' Up!'s Neutrals family of colours. It is a light sandy colour and can be combined with so many colours. Sahara Sand has been produced in Stampin' Up!'s card-stock, both A4 & 12"x12"; Classic Stampin' inks (ink pads & re-inkers); Stampin' Write Markers; Designer Series Paper including the Sand & Sea DSP; and the Love You Always Foil Sheets. While the Linen Thread is just described as natural it is brilliant with Sahara Sand.

I love Sahara Sand but my creativity has not flowed easily this week - more to do with other factors than the choice of focal colour. Given time constraints I won't be providing as much detail as I usually do. If you have any queries, please don't hesitate to make contact.

I have created 2 quite different cards to share tonight. Both had an element of inspiration from Emma Goddard, an amazing UK Stampin' Up! Demonstrator and a beautiful person. Emma recently held a Facebook Live where she used watercolour pencils on Sahara Sand card-stock after having painted a layer of White Craft Ink over the stamped images. I haven't painted a layer of Craft Ink but did use Stampin' Up!'s Water-colour Pencils on Sahara Sand card-stock on one project. The other project is based on a layout Emma used but is different in numerous ways - colours, stamp set, colouring tools and embellishments. While my cards are different from Emma's, her inspiration was a solid basis at the start. Thanks So much Emma. 

CARD 1: While inspired by Emma Goddard, with this card I decided to colour the white embossed bouquets using Stampin' Blends. When colouring with Blends over a coloured card-stock the card-stock colour impacts on the final colour. When using neutrals like Sahara Sand or Crumb Cake, colouring with Blends results in a more muted effect. The Blends Combos used were Petal pink, Calypso Coral, Poppy Parade (on the open flower) and Balmy Blue for the tiny sprays of flowers. The leaves were fully embossed so no green was needed.

The card front had a light blending of White Craft ink using a Blending Brush. Blushing Bride twine from the Snail Mail Twine Combo Pack was wrapped around the card front and tied in a bow near the top. Three fussy cut floral sprays were arranged to the right of the card front and then adhered in place with a mix of Dimensionals and Multipurpose Liquid Glue. The right edge of the card front was fussy cut, aligning with the edges of the floral arrangement. The card was adhered directly to the Sahara Sand card base. Again the right edge was fussy cut to align with the floral arrangement.

A strip of Fine Art Floral DSP was mounted on Petal Pink card-stock and this was adhered directly to the right inner card edge leaving a thin border of Sahara Sand. A piece of Basic White card-stock was stamped top and bottom with the some of the same bouquet in Sahara Sand Classic Stampin' ink. This was adhered inside the card abutting the Petal Pink mount edge for writing a personal message.

The fussy cut edge sits over the mounted DSP inside the card and so when the card is closed the edge of the patterned DSP adds to the design of the front of the card. In thinking of a sentiment, one of the sentiments from the Many Messages bundle suited perfectly. While it was longer than I was initially thinking of I was wanting to wish my friend a special day. The full sentiment stamp was stamped in Versamark on to Petal Pink card-stock and then heat embossed using White Stampin' Emboss Powder. A thin strip of the DSP peaks out underneath the sentiment card-stock. Using the Petal Pink card-stock and DSP for the sentiment brought this colour card-stock/DSP up from just showing on the right edge of the card.

Something else was needed so the other bouquet was stamped in Versamark and heat embossed with white emboss powder on Sahara Sand card-stock in the same way as the original floral sprays. The 3 flowers were coloured with Petal Pink and Calypso Coral Stampin' Blends and then fussy cut out. These flowers were added with Dimensionals. The Petal Pink Elegant Facetted Gems were perfect for adding a little sparkle.

The Basic White C6 envelope was stamped with the floral spray using Sahara Sand ink to link it with the design of the card.

CARD 2:  Kangaroos come in various shades of pale brown, to rust red and grey. I decided to build the colour of my Kangaroos on a basic of Sahara Sand using Stampin' Up!'s Water-Colour Pencils. I have both sets. Ever since seeing the cute Kangaroo & Company stamp set, I had in mind having the cute Joeys' and Mother Roo's heads poking out from die cut holes. Now was the time to give it a go.

A card front of Shimmery White card-stock was lightly coloured with Balmy Blue, Pear Pizzaz and Sahara Sand Classic Stampin' inks using Blending Brushes. A little water was sprinkled over that add textural drops. The leaf Meadows Moments Embossing folder was used at the base to add some subtle interest. (In hind site I probably could have omitted this process.)

Four circular holes were die cut using the 3 smallest Layering Circles dies. A piece of Forever Greenery DSP was layered at an angle onto the Sahara Sand card base. It was a bit strong in colour when it was seen through the holes in the card front so some White Craft Ink was added using a Blending Brush where the DSP was to be seen through the holes.

The Kangaroo, little Joeys and the flowers were stamped in Sahara Sand ink onto Sahara Sand card-stock. They were coloured with Watercolour Pencils, ie the pencil colours used for the Kangaroos were Whisper White, Early Expresso with touches of Cajun Craze. The different shades of brown were gained through different degrees of shading and addition of white. The flowers & leaves were coloured with Flirty Flamingo, Calypso Coral, Daffodil Delight, Melon Mambo and Old Olive. They were die cut using the Kangaroo dies.

The blended card front was popped up with Dimensionals and Mother Kangaroo and the Joeys were tucked in so they peaked out from the die cut holes. They are so cute and happy.

The floral sprays were added again using a mix of Dimensionals and some liquid glue. The sentiment also was stamped on some Shimmery White card-stock and it was die cut with the smallest circular die. So it blended more subtlety with the background a little ink was added to the edges. 

The Kangaroo and some little butterflies were stamped in Sahara sand ink on to Basic White card-stock to coordinate the card inner with the card design. A C6 Basic White envelope was similarly stamped. To add some extra character, I crumpled the lower left corner of the card front. We'll see if the recipient tries to straighten it out or recognises it as part of the design. Finally some self adhesive Artistry Blooms Sequins were added as the finishing touch.

I wasn't sure how my projects would go this week but after much faffing, I was pleased with the end results. I hope you like them.

Thank you for visiting. I really enjoyed creating these cards to share.

Catherine Proctor is the fantastic host of the Art with Heart Colour Creations Showcase. If you haven't finished visiting all of the team's colour creations, you can visit/revisit Catherine's page at What Cathy Made, where she hosts the links to the participating blogs so you can find everyone's Sahara Sand creations. Checking out everyone's creations and their interpretation of the amazing Stampin' Up! colours is always a treat. 

I hope to see you again next week when members of the team share projects that hero Seaside Spray, a delightful light blue from the soon to retire In Colours for 2019-2021.

Stay well, stay safe and be kind to yourself and others.

Andrea 💕🐾

Art with Heart Colour Creations Showcase - #42 Rococo Rose

Rococo Rose with Butterfly Brilliance

Hi. Welcome to Valley Inspirations with Andrea and the 42nd 2020/2021 Colour Creations Showcase by members of the Art with Heart Team.

This week we are showcasing a gorgeous colour, Rococo Rose. It is one of the soon to retire In Colours for 2019-2021. It's last day as a Stampin' Up In Colour will be 3 May 2021. I use this colour often so will miss it, however, my sneak peak of the new In Colours for 2021-2023 indicates the 5 colours are also gorgeous.

Please excuse the brevity of tonight's post. I have had numerous commitments this past week and with not feeling well, I have run out of "me" to create for this blog tonight. I had intended to message Cathy saying I would sadly have to pull out. I was soo disappointed but was trying to be practical. However, while I was out today, I realised I hadn't sent the message. Panic. 

Then I remembered I had just made a set of cards with the retiring colours, including Rococo Rose. As 6 cards were shown in the one blog last Saturday - 1 showing the continuing In Colours and 5 cards featuring each of the retiring In Colours I am taking the liberty of just focusing on the Rococo Rose card as, in effect, it was not discussed. Also, the close up photo was not shown in Saturday's blog. Here's my card:

The background water-colour wash used Rococo Rose Classic Stampin' ink on Fluid 100 Water-colour paper. There was some flicking of ink using the Rococo Rose Stampin' Write Marker as well as some Frost White Shimmer Paint. The little holes were die cut using one of the extra textural dies from the Butterfly die set.

A butterfly was stamped in Gray Granite Classic Stampin' ink using the Butterfly Brilliance stamp. The stamp is so gorgeous - really love the detail in the 6 Butterflies. The butterfly was coloured with Stampin' Blends, ie Rococo Rose, Petal Pink and Highland Heather with Gray Granite Combos (including both light and dark shades of each colour). While the detail of the colouring is not really noticeable when looking at the full card; if you take a peak from the side as seen above, the colouring does add to the overall design. The butterfly was die cut using the coordinating Butterfly dies. A detailed die from the same set cut a filagree version of the butterfly from Basic White card-stock. The two butterflies were adhered together just at the body, allowing shaping of the wings to add a sense of movement. A tiny butterfly was also die cut from Basic White card-stock.

The water-coloured background was mounted at an angle onto Rococo Rose card-stock. White twine from the Snail Mail Twine Combo was tied around the mounted panel and finished in a bow. Petal Pink Elegant Faceted Gems add the finishing touch - always love a touch of shimmer. The central panel was then mounted with Dimensionals onto a Thick Basic White card base. The sentiment is from the Many Messages bundle.

If you want to check out more detail on how this card was created you can visit my previous blog for Saturday 27 March.

I will create another Rococo Rose project tomorrow and include it in this blog over the weekend - stay tuned.

Catherine Proctor is the amazing host of the Art with Heart Colour Creations Showcase. If you haven't finished visiting all of the team's colour creations, you can visit/revisit Catherine's page at What Cathy Made, where she hosts the links to the participating blogs so you can find everyone's Rococo Rose creations. Checking out everyone's creations and their interpretation of the amazing Stampin' Up! colours is always a treat. 

I hope to see you again next week when members of the team share projects that hero Terracotta Tile, another one of the retiring In Colours for 2019-2021.

Stay well, stay safe and be kind to yourself and others as these strange times continue. Hopefully life with settle to an improved normality before too long. 

Andrea 💕🐾

Art with Heart Colour Creations Showcase - #41 Rich Razzleberry

Rich Razzleberry with Fancy Phrases

Hello. Welcome to Valley Inspirations with Andrea and the 41st 2020/2021 Colour Creations Showcase by members of the Art with Heart Team.

The week we are showcasing a deep rich colour, Rich Razzleberry. Rich Razzleberry is part of Stampin' Up! Regals colour collection and it is a strong red purple. Rich Razzleberry is produced in Stampin' Up!'s card-stock, both A4 & 12"x12"; Classic Stampin' inks (ink pads, re-inkers & ink spot); Stampin' Write Markers; Stampin' Blends, Watercolour pencils; Designer Series Paper including the Artistry Blooms DSP; and the Artistry Blooms Sequins.

Rich Razzleberry has not been a highly used colour for me, however, as I played with it for this blog hop it has found its way into my heart. It is amazing how water-colouring gives me a deeper understanding of the colour. For this week's card I water-coloured the flowers and leaves with a fine Water Painter. This technique requires a higher level of detail & I need to practice more.

I started by stamping the large floral arrangement from the Fancy Phrases stamp set in Grey Granite Classic Stampin' ink onto Shimmery White card-stock. This card-stock is an off white, that is not as bright a white as Basic White and not as cream as Very Vanilla. It has a delicate shimmer throughout. It is great for water-colouring where there is not an abundance of water. As I was water-colouring the image, I needed to do something to stop the stamped Classic ink from bleeding into the colouring.  I stamped in Versamark ink directly over the Classic ink stamped image (my trusty Stamparatus was brilliant for this) and heat embossed it with Clear Stampin' Emboss powder. This trapped the Grey Granite ink under the clear embossing.

The floral image was stamped four times - one for practicing and 3 for use on the card. I decided on a colour scheme of Rich Razzelberry for the roses, Flirty Flamingo for the open flowers and stayed with Grey Granite for the leaves/stems. As mentioned, I used the fine tipped Water Painter to colour the image, keeping the tip wet and just picking up colour from a large Block where I had added a light layer of ink by pressing my stamp pads on the block. I refined my colouring technique as I progressed. So glad I had stamped an extra image to practice the technique! When dry, the floral arrangements were fussy cut - as the stamp set has no coordinating dies.

For the background, I prepared a card front size of Shimmery White card-stock and laid a light water-colour wash using Seaside Spray Classic Stampin' ink. I didn't want the background wash to compete with the flowers so it was very light - so light in fact that you can hardly see it. Oops! (If you squint, you may be able to see a little of the water-colour wash in the photo below.) When almost dry, this background was embossed using a Painted Texture 3D Embossing folder.

The embossed background was mounted on a piece of Rich Razzleberry card-stock. Linen twine was wrapped around this background twice and tied in a bow. The water-coloured flowers were arranged over the background, with focal flowers being popped up on Dimensionals and other flowers adhered directly to the background. The arrangement needed something, so extra central flowers and some leaves were fussy cut out and layered on top with Dimensionals.

As I was thinking about the sentiment, I saw my bowl holding pre-prepared sentiments using the Many Messages bundle. This is such a handy bundle with a great range of sentiments. I decided to use the "Happy Birthday" sentiment which I had previously heat embossed with White Stampin' Emboss powder on Merry Merlot card-stock. While a different colour, it seemed to coordinate well with the overall colour scheme & design. The sentiment was mounted on a piece of Vellum that had been die cut using a small scolloped rectangle from the So Sentimental dies. I couldn't find my Artistry Blooms Sequins, so added some clear Elegant Faceted Gems as the finishing touch. So love these embellishments.

To coordinate the inside panel of the card with the front, some remaining small pieces from the water-coloured floral sprays were adhered to the card inner. After adhering another 2 floral images to a C6 Basic White envelope, there were only a few little leaves remaining. It was just the right amount although, I also used the "practice" water-coloured flowers.

Gemma, my companion & fur family, stayed close by as I photographed the card for the blog. Today she even let me take a photo of her with the card - she normally moves away.

I had fun creating this card and experimenting further with water-colouring. Time disappeared so ideas for a second card didn't come to fruition. I am sure the concepts will be used later. Thank you for calling by.

Catherine Proctor is the wonderful host of the Art with Heart Colour Creations Showcase. If you haven't finished visiting all of the team's colour creations, you can visit/revisit Catherine's page at What Cathy Made, where she hosts the links to the participating blogs so you can find everyone's Rich Razzleberry creations. Checking out everyone's creations and their interpretation of the amazing Stampin' Up! colours is always a treat. 

I hope to see you again next week when members of the team share projects that hero Rococo Rose, one of the retiring In Colours for 2019-2021.

Stay well, stay safe and be kind to yourself and others as these strange times continue. Hopefully life with settle to an improved normality before too long. 

Andrea 💕🐾

Art with Heart Colour Creations Showcase - #40 Real Red

Real Red with Love You Always Suite & Many Messages

Hello. Welcome to Valley Inspirations with Andrea and the 40th 2020/2021 Colour Creations Showcase by members of the Art with Heart Team.

The week we are showcasing a strong primary colour, Real Red. Real Red is part of Stampin' Up! Regals colour collection. This colour is a true red. Real Red is produced in Stampin' Up!'s card-stock, both A4 & 12"x12"; Classic Stampin' inks (ink pads, re-inkers & ink spot); Stampin' Write Markers; Stampin' Blends, Watercolour pencils; a number of Designer Series Papers, including Snail Mail & Playful Pets Designer Series Papers; Resin Hearts embellishments and Double Stitched Satin Ribbon and Red Rhinestones Basic Jewels.

Red is a great colour and one I used to love to wear when I was young. These days it isn't my "go to colour" especially when creating, however, I still love it as a colour. I have a bright red rose in my garden and it is currently flowering again (which is quite something as I hardly water my garden). This beautiful rose inspired my choices this week and led me to use the True Love Designer Series Paper with my Stampin' Blends.

I have created two cards using similar products, so they are similar but different.

CARD 1: I started by colouring flowers on one of the sheets of True Love DSP. This DSP is so gorgeous and only uses black and white. A number of the designs are great for colouring. I coloured a few groups of flowers using the Real Red Stampin' Blends combo, together with light Flirty Flamingo, dark So Saffron, light Mossy Meadows and Old Olive combo and of course, the Colour Lifter.

I coloured a piece of Basic White card-stock using a Blending Brush with Real Red Classic Stampin' Ink, giving an ombre effect. This sheet of hand coloured card-stock was then flicked with water. The effect isn't noticeable on this card but one of the photos of the second project provides a close up. A label was cut using the larger elongated die from Hippo & Friends dies.

A card front was cut from Basic White card-stock and de-bossed with the Dainty Diamonds 3D embossing folder. De-bossing means the "other" side of the embossed card-stock was placed up-ward to be seen. Both sides are equally gorgeous - it just depends on the desired effect for your design. I was wanting some subtle interest, so decided the flatter side worked well. The de-bossed card front was adhered directly to the Thick Basic White card base.

A background of a white with black dot design from the True Love DSP was mounted on a slightly larger Basic Black card-stock mount. This was centralised and adhered with Dimensionals on the de-bossed card front. The hand coloured die cut label was also attached with Dimensionals.

The coloured flowers were all fussy cut out and arranged over the label and card front. The flowers were shaped a little with fingers and a Bone Folder. This gives added life and dimension. The flowers were adhered with Tombow Multi-purpose Liquid Glue.

A previously prepared sentiment strip was added using Mini Dimensionals together with 3 Matte Black Dots as the finishing touch. The sentiment label was created at a recent card class on the Stamparatus using Versamark ink on Basic Black card-stock and heat embossed using a Heat Gun and White Stampin' Emboss powder. The Stamparatus is brilliant when stamping the Many Messages stamp as it is a large stamp and if all of the sentiments do not come out clearly, the Stamparatus enables the image to be stamped again in the same place over the initial image. A whole set of messages is created when the messages image is die cut with one pass through the Cut & Emboss Machine using the coordinating dies. All of my students went away with a set of sentiments to use on other cards. They were delighted.

The card inner was created from Basic White card-stock with a thin strip of Basic Black card-stock and a very thin strip that had been trimmed off when neatening the piece of red blended card. An arrangement of partial flowers from the edge of the DSP were fussy cut. They are perfect for the card inner.

A C6 Basic White envelope was stamped with flowers from the coordinating stamp set, Forever & Always stamps. I so love Stampin' Up!s coordination of products.

CARD 2: As mentioned, the same/similar products were used for this second card but he card layout is different. As with other strong colours, I wanted to hero Real Red but didn't want it to be overpowering. I added a second challenge to creating these projects, that is also working with black. For some reason in the past, I have avoided using black on my projects, instead using dark colours that coordinate with the projects colour scheme. Of late, I have consciously endeavoured to incorporate black. I really appreciate the dramatic effect of black in project designs by others, but for some reason, I have had an aversion. Basic Black and Basic White can be stunning with Real Red, so I decided to use this as the base colour way for this week's projects.

A Basic White card front was also embossed with the Dainty Diamonds 3D embossing folder. This was adhered directly to the Thick Basic White card base.

A strip of the hand blended Real Red card was adhered to the embossed card front and a thin strip of Basic Black card-stock was adhered over the edge. See below for a close-up of the effect of water being sprinkled over the Real Red blended card. I love the way the water droplets lift the colour and in this case, there is an orangey edge around the lighter circle. I find colour and the effects of various techniques fascinating.

A double flower spray, that had been coloured with blends (at the same time as flowers from Card 1), was fussy cut. Another leaf was coloured with light Mossy Meadow, light & dark Old Olive Stampin' Blends and the Colour Lifter. Leaves and budded twigs from the coordinating Always In My Heart bundle were die cut from Basic Black card-stock. The flowers, leaves and die cut pieces were arranged and adhered with Multi-purpose Liquid Glue.

A different sentiment from the pre-prepared sentiments using the Many Messages bundle was adhered with Mini Dimensionals along part of the black card-stock strip. Matte Black Dots were added as the finishing touch.

Similar to the first card, the card inner was created from Basic White card-stock with a thin strip of Basic Black card-stock. An arrangement of partial flowers from the edge of the DSP were fussy cut and adhered abutting the black strip. The perfect touch for the card inner and the partial flowers are not wasted.

A C6 Basic White envelope was stamped with flowers from the coordinating stamp set, Forever & Always stamps, as with the first project.

As i was taking photos of my projects late morning, my fur family, Gemma was relaxing watching me - from a distance. Normally she would be much closer, but she was reinforcing her earlier communication - that it was time for a walk. So cute. (Thank you for indulging me with a tale of my fur companion.)

I love colouring and enjoyed creating these two cards - and am becoming more comfortable using black. Thank you for spending time on the Valley Inspirations blog. I hope you have found something of interest.

Catherine Proctor is the wonderful host of the Art with Heart Colour Creations Showcase. If you haven't finished visiting all of the team's colour creations, you can visit/revisit Catherine's page at What Cathy Made, where she hosts every link to the participating blogs so you can find everyone's Real Red creations. Checking out everyone's creations and their interpretation of the amazing Stampin' Up! colours is always a highlight. 

I hope to see you again next week when members of the team share projects that hero Rich Razzleberry. 

Stay well, stay safe and be kind to yourself and others as these strange times continue. Hopefully life with settle to an improved normality before too long. 

Andrea 💕🐾

#colourcreationsshowcase