Monday, July 21, 2014

A mid-summer challenge

Hi everyone,

The summer is halfway, and Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge has a very fitting theme to go with it: a mid-summer's challenge.

A challenge this time of year would be to brave getting a heat tool involved when my crafting space is nearly hot enough to melt embossing powder on its own! Well perhaps not quite that hot, but mid-summer is a time of hot temperatures, long days, longing for more time spent by the water, and vacation. Whether your creative mind wants to take a vacation or be inspired by Shakespeare; play with a Farmer’s Market inspired paper line or stamp into a starry night frenzy - we challenge you to create and share with us.


When I think of (mid-)summer, I think of bright beautiful colors like in colors of flowers. That was my starting point. I almost never use Specialty Stamping Paper, and I wanted to experiment with. With this paper you can basically use any type of ink or paint. So why not play with Alcohol Inks?! Something I don't use often as well.



Since alcohol inks are quite intense, one drop is enough. I've used one drop of Raspberry, Sunshine Yellow and Gold Mixative Alchohol Inks. Along with Bleding solution. Andd mixed it a bit, not too much but enough that it's not concentrated just in one place.



I swiped the Specialty Stamping Paper through the colors and it doesn't look really nice yet. The special qualities of the paper is that it doesn't soak in the colors, and that it let you reactivate the inks with blending solution, so you can manipulate it a bit. It's tricky to know when to stop, I had that problem with my first attempt. This is my second.



It needed more yellow, the pink was a bit much. Therefore I applied some Mustard Seed Distress Ink with the mini bleding Tool to make it more yellow. This way  alchohol and Distress ink work perfectly together.

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To join in all you need to do is make a project that fits this weeks challenge and you can be the winner of the $50 gift voucher that our amazing sponsor Simon Says Stamp offers. This prize will go to a random entry. So go over to the Stamp and Show Monday Challenge blog, let the DT members inspire you and join in the fun!

Thank you for stopping by! Love to see you next time!

Hugs,
Sandra

17 comments:

Michelle said...

You are the queen of color! I love how you used color here. And the cork adds wonderful texture. Beautiful project, Sannie. Love it!

Terry said...

Wonderful card, Sandra! Really love those bright and bold colors with the "Hugs." Love this!

Andrea Ockey Parr said...

Very energetic background and I love those swirls of color in it! I also like your use of the graphic black and white elements. Beautifully done, as usual.

Unknown said...

LOVE THE COLORS... wonderfully bright and SUMMER colors... great piece.. .Love, Light and Peace...Bonnie

email: Steph@SimonSaysStamp.com said...

Love this summery color palette and the cork is fantastic!


*mwah*
Steph
Simon Says Stamp!

Mona Pendleton said...

Oh my! This is so beautiful! Love the burst of vibrant colors!

Linda Kunsman said...

yes, bright colors! Love this color combo!

Anna-Karin said...

This is so happy Sandra! Love that wonderful alcohol inked background, so vibrant. The cork word looks great too. Hugs! I hope you are enjoying summer time.

Anita Houston The Artful Maven said...

LOVE the cork word! That is too cool! Your colors are so fun and vibrant too!

Cocofolies said...

Gorgeous card and colours Sandra, love your card!! Great idea to try alcohol inks on specialty stamping paper mixed to distress inks and the blending solution, your result is fab!
Thanks also a lot for your lovely comment on my make today, much appreciated :) Have a wonderful summer, Crafty hugs from France! Coco

Marjie Kemper said...

Love that brilliant background! Congrats as well on the A Vintage Journey guest spot - I enjoyed reading your post over there yesterday!

Meihsia Liu said...

Such a sweet design! The background colors are fabulous! :)

Jenny Marples said...

Love the fluidity of this design Sandra. Great colours. Jenny x

Emma Williams said...

This is fabulous Sandra ~ bright, vibrant and captures the colours of summer perfectly! Wonderful work as always! Hope you have a lovely weekend, hugs! :)

Suzanne C said...

Yummy bright colors! Love the beauitful pops of color with the strong graphic words! Sweet!

barbarayaya62 said...

Wonder!! The colors remember me the summer sunsets! Beautiful work full of emotions! BArbarayaya

Anonymous said...

Love the vibrant colors!!!