May Design Team Work - Project #1

Hi Guys & Gals!!  I am so glad that you have stopped by today because you are in for a treat the next four days. Since it's the first day of the month, I can begin showing you my projects for the May CreativeCrew Design Team challenges.  Let's get started.

Theme:  
“Anything But Average” take inspiration from the past and show us something new! 

Catalog Focus: Daffodil Delight, Island Indigo, Gumball Green, Smoky Slate

Use a technique of your choosing that imitates our Watercolor Wonder Designer Series Paper.

Okay!!! Easy Peasy ~ I got this!! Well, wait a minute, maybe not!!! This just might  be a little more difficult than I expected, you know, like a challenge!!! Yep ... it definitely was a CHALLENGE and let me tell you why.  First, if you recall, the design team members have worked with the Watercolor Wonder DSP in two of our prior month's challenges (February & April) so this would be the THIRD time to create with it and we couldn't use either of our prior month's ideas or techniques <insert some panic, confusion, and defeat as I am at a complete loss flipping through the pages of the Watercolor Wonder DSP pack>.

Next comes the point when I have to admit that I am N-O-T a fan of the paper with all of the random watercolor circles on it but it appears that it is the only piece of paper that I am going to be able to remotely mimic even though I haven't a clue how to do it!! So as I sat blankly staring at the paper the wheels started to turn and smoke poured out of my ears I began to think of the various ways that I could possibly recreate the circles. A few minutes, and a short drive, later I found myself in the toy aisle at our local Dollar General Store searching for what would hopefully be my saving grace ... BUBBLES!!  

Now fast forward to me successfully finding and buying bubbles, returning home, gathering up my supplies (watercolor paper and reinkers), and heading to the kitchen where I mixed my magic potion bubble solution with reinkers and began blowing bubbles. It took a little practice to figure out how to make the circles, but it eventually worked like a charm and VIOLA! I had successfully created a very close replica of the Watercolor Wonder DSP!!

I quickly learned that if I would blow the bubbles and gently catch them on the watercolor paper and let them sit before popping, they created a nice circle; on the other hand, if they popped immediately when they contacted the watercolor paper, they created a splatter.  Either way, they both worked to successfully mimic the Watercolor Wonder DSP which meant SUCCESS for me!! Hallelujah!

When I finally had my piece of watercolor paper, complete with circular popped bubbles, it was time for me to assemble my card.  I knew that I wanted to have some of the original Watercolor Wonder DSP on my card as a point of comparison for my created DSP so I decided to use a small original swatch as my main focal point.  After that decision was made the rest of my card came together fairly easily and I am extremely pleased with the outcome.

(click photo to enlarge)

That wraps up today's card. Make sure and check back tomorrow to see my next project ... a gatefold card with a coffee cup.

Hugs, Smiles, Blessings, & Happy Stamping!!

~Hallie 

All supplies Stampin' Up! (you can order HERE) unless otherwise noted.
Stamp Set:  Four You
Ink: Tangerine Tango
Cardstock:  Island Indigo; Tangerine Tango; Gumball Green; Daffodil Delight; Smoky Slate; Watercolor Paper; Watercolor Wonder DSP
Accessories: Reinkers (Tangerine Tango, Daffodil Delight, Gumball Green, Island Indigo); Embossing Folders (chevron, square lattice, decorative dots); Punch (scallop border); Paper Piercing Tool
Non-SU!:  Nestabilities (circles); Machine Stitching

April Design Team Work - Day #4

Greetings Stamping Friends!

I can't believe it's already Thursday again!! The days and weeks seem to be flying by faster than ever, especially when I stop to think that 1/4 of 2014 is already gone!! My parents always said that time flies as you get older and I thought they were nuts! As I've gotten older I've come to realize that they weren't nuts, instead they were speaking words of wisdom! Wow!!

Since you didn't stop by to read a dissertation about flying pigs time, I will go ahead and get to the point of today's post ... the Scrapbook and More Focus challenge.

Theme:  
April seems to open the door and invite us outside! This month let's focus on welcoming spring's attitude back into our hearts.

Scrapbook and More Focus: Show us your take on the layout featured on page 13 of the March/April 2014 Stampin' Success magazine.

Let me just say, I was NOT a huge fan of the layout until I got a little ways into it. Although I knew I wanted my page to focus on the cards that I'd made for this month's challenges, I didn't have a clue of how I was going to make that happen. I was even more perplexed when I realized that I didn't have any of the products that were showcased on the layout in the magazine. Yikes!! After walking away from my desk a few times, my creativity started flowing and before I knew it, I had a bright and cheerful scrapbook page complete with a framed picture with diagonal stripes, a cattywampus background, a film strip full of flowers, some buttons, and an arrow made with the Chevron Punch. After that I threw in a page title, a scripture, and VIOLA! my page was complete!! Happy, Happy, Happy!!!

 (click to enlarge)

This wraps up the April CCrew Design Team Challenges so I will be back on Monday, if not before, with some regular stamping goodness!!

Hugs, Smiles, Blessings, and Happy Stamping!
Hallie
"The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.” Isaiah 40:8

April Design Team Work!

Happy April Fool's Day!!

April brings to us many things: a new month complete with a day to play jokes on our friends, a day to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, showers that bring May flowers, and the release of this month's Stampin' Up! Creative Crew Design Team projects!! Yippee!!

To be perfectly honest, I was going to play an April Fool's joke on you today; however, since I do not have enough creative juice left to pull it off I'm going to move on and show you the first of my four April CCREW projects. Each day, today through Thursday, I will add a new project to this post so make sure you check back.

Theme:  
April seems to open the door and invite us outside! This month let's focus on welcoming spring's attitude back into our hearts.

Designer Series Paper/Color Focus:
Watercolor Wonder DSP or the colors of Daffodil Delight, Gumball Green, Island Indigo, Smoky Slate, & Tangerine Tango.

Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love our Watercolor Wonder DSP; however, I'm becoming a little tired of it since we had to use it last month, this month, and (shhh!) again next month in our Color Focus projects. Nevertheless, after being stuck for a very long time I finally pulled off a bright and cheery spring card that I am pleased with. 

(click to enlarge)

That's all for today. I will see you back here tomorrow!!

Hugs, Smiles, Blessings, & Happy Stamping!

~Hallie