Watercooler Wednesday Challenge – WWC53 – Balloons Aloft

WWC53 – Heidi’s Sketch Challenge

Welcome to this weeks Watercooler Wednesday Challenge.  Today Heidi’s provided us with a wonderful sketch to work with.  I’ve actually turned it sideways so for me it looks like this:

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Here’s my version…a tad different don’t you think?

Jean’s Balloons Aloft

Instead of copying the sketch exactly I took the elements and played around with them a bit.   Are you surprised?  LOL

They are still all there (I think).  The four squares were downsized and moved apart a bit for their placement and the center panel has a mat.  I tried it plain but it just didn’t pop – a different way to say…blah.

In my imagining, as I designed, I thought of a balloon seller or a child having just let go of the balloon strings and as they drifted up the strings began to go their own way preparing to drift on the winds.  Who knows where they will drift…perhaps over your own house?  Or all the way to China from Oregon?

As for the sentiment.  Let Us Celebrate…(and eat cake) I rather thought it would work for a number of events.  Birthdays of course but also Graduation, New Baby, Anniversary and so on.  After all…what celebration doesn’t do better with cake…right?

Thanks Heidi for setting my mind drifting along with the balloons with your wonderful sketch.

Supplies:

Stamps: Balloon Celebration

Inks:  Blackberry Bliss, Hello Honey, Lost Lagoon

Paper: Whisper White, Hello Honey Cardstock.  Perfectly Artistic Designer Series Paper (Sale-a-Bration Limited Time)

Punches: Balloon Bouquet, 1″ Square, Corner Rounder

Tools & Adhesives:  Snail, Dimensionals

If you wanted to step this design up or add more texture you could use Baker’s Twine or thread of some kind as the Balloon strings, add a bit of ribbon or twine and maybe a few sequins.  I even considered adding a small word to the top of the largest balloon or possibly a small image of sentiment in a circle backed with a scalloped circle and placed at a junction of the strings.  So many possibilities that I hope you will give this a try with your own CASE of mine or your own version of the sketch challenge.

Did you notice that once again I’m playing with the retiring In Colors.  Yep…can’t get enough of them.  I hope you’ve gotten stocked up on the inks and papers and any accessories you want.  They are going to go fast once everyone realizes they are leaving…you really don’t want to be left out either do you?  Feel free to hit the Shop Now button at the top of the right sidebar and add your In Color (and other) purchase.  And don’t forget that Sale-a-Bration is still going so you can earn wonderful free products with each $50 increment you spend.

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That’s it for this challenge.  To see the rest of the design teams Anything Goes Challenge contributions head on over to the Challenge blog website here.   That’s also where you can add your own creation with the linky doodad.  When you add your own design and there are more than three entries, one of you will be a challenge winner or runner up and have the option to place our new badges on your own site.  Of course…you’ll also win bragging rights!

Check here to see the winner of last weeks challenge.  And here to see all the other linky and Artist Team entries.  Check the challenge site for rules on competing for future challenges.

Stay tuned to the challenge site to see who answered the Design Team Call that was issued with last weeks challenge.  I’m looking forward to new playmates in the Challenge Sandbox.

I hope you’ll join us next Wednesday for yet another Watercooler Wednesday Challenge.

 

 

 

 

 

Watercooler Wednesday Challenge – WWC52 – Anything Goes when it comes to Angels

WWC52 – Anything Goes Challenge

Welcome to this weeks Watercooler Wednesday Challenge.  Today…Anything Goes.  Don’t you love days like that…when anything is possible?  Well…as far as the challenge goes…today…anything goes!   The rest of your day/week is totally up to you and the other rules in your life.  {grin}

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Since anything goes today….I’ve decided to spread my wings.  Literally.

Wings of Love – A Valentine Angel

Version 1

Version 2

Don’t you love my consistent photography?   Sigh.  That’s what happens when you take pictures on different days with different lighting available.

I’m not sure why, but I love to give my angels brown hair.  I know many artists show them with a more ethereal blonde but I like to think they get to choose their own hair color…or maybe even change it as the whim strikes.  😀

If you’ve seen my other angels you’ll know I generally leave their faces blank, like the Amish and Shaker dolls I grew up playing with.  Today I decided to get brave and try drawing in a face as many others do.  What do you think?  Face or no face?   And which ‘wings of love’ version is your favorite.  I’d really like to know.  One hint about these little winged wonders.  They are so easy to make and  work for any time of the year.  Christmas, Valentines, Easter and so on.  It’s all in the papers and accessories.  Just like the real deal…they work all year long.

Supplies:

Stamps: None

Inks:  Basic Black Journaling pen

Paper: Early Espresso, Very Vanilla, Cardstocks.  Real Red Glimmer Paper.  Gold Foil Paper (candle) .  Under the Tree Specialty Paper (ret.)

Punches: Party Punch Pack (Occasions Catalog),  Itty Bitty Punch Pack (ret. – hair), 1-1/4″ Circle, Word Window

Tools & Adhesives:  Big Shot, Circle Collection Framelit dies, Little Letter Thinlits,  Gold Metallic Thread, Metallic Foil Doilies, Fine Tip Glue Pen, Tombow Liquid Glue, Glue Dots.

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I’m trying to decide if I should be worried or not.  The last two challenge projects have had no actual stamping!  Sheesh.   Stampin’ Up may bounce me as a demonstrator if this keeps up.  Of course…I did use Stampin’ Up dies and punches…so they may forgive me.  LOL

In case you are wondering, the primary piece of the angel is a full large scalloped circle die cut.  The largest circle in the Circles Collection Framelits.  It’s cut into thirds (more or less).  The skirt is 8 scallops and the wings are each 11 scallops.  The cross point is about two thirds up to the top of the circle.  I’ll try to take some pictures later this week so you can see exactly what I mean.  The halo is the smaller of the two sizes of metallic foil doilies and the skirt trim/petticoat is a cut down piece of the larger doily.  I give the wings a fold at about the 3rd scallop so that when they are hung up they really do look like the wings are working.  Adds a bit more of a 3D look as well.

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That’s it for this challenge.  To see the rest of the design teams Anything Goes Challenge contributions head on over to the Challenge blog website here.   That’s also where you can add your own creation with the linky doodad.  When you add your own design and there are more than three entries, one of you will be a challenge winner or runner up and have the option to place our new badges on your own site.  Of course…you’ll also win bragging rights!

Check here to see the winner of last weeks challenge.  And here to see all the other linky and Artist Team entries.  Check the challenge site for rules on competing for future challenges.

I really hope you will add your own creations this week.  Really…this challenge is an easy one.  Anything you have completed that hasn’t yet been shared online qualifies.  Easy peasy!

I hope you’ll join us next Wednesday for yet another Watercooler Wednesday Challenge.   A little birdy tells me it will be a fun sketch challenge.  Shush..you didn’t hear that from me. 😀

 

 

 

 

Watercooler Wednesday Challenge – WWC51 – Bev’s CAS with a Star Challenge: Twinkle, Twinkle

WWC51 – Bev’s Clean & Simple with a Star Challenge

Welcome to this weeks Watercooler Wednesday Challenge.   Miss Bev, this weeks hostess, has given us a very fun and very simple challenge.  Keep it clean and simple with a star.   What a wonderful concept.  After all…stars are pretty clean and simple themselves don’t you think?  Unlike those very messy Black Holes that like to eat everything and crumble everything up into crumbs while doing it.

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Here’s my version….

Can’t get much simpler than this.  No stamps, a bit of ink and paper.  Lots of paper.

Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star

Coming off last weeks quilt based challenge I couldn’t help but add some faux stitching to the impression left by the framelit die.  A redo of my stitch in the ditch idea that I love so much.

My favorite thing about this card is that the stars and metallic thread embellishment are still there when the card is opened.   Of course that’s less room to write but with all that sparkle and shine that’s okay.   Also this is my first time working with the new Blushing Bride Shimmer Paper from the 2016 Occasions Catalog.  It definitely has a shimmer thing going on!   Hm…now that I think about it…I probably should have added a rhinestone to the end of the Hello swoop.  But then…I was distracted by the whole clean and simple concept.  Yep…that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

Supplies:

Stamps: None

Inks:  Blackberry Bliss marker

Paper: Basic Black, Whisper White (thick), Blackberry Bliss Cardstocks.  Blushing Bride Shimmer Paper.

Tools & Adhesives:  Big Shot, Star Collection Framelit dies, Hello You Thinlits, Gold Metallic Thread, Fine Tip Glue Pen, Dimensionals

The construction details are pretty basic:

The card base is the usual 8-1/2″ x 5-1/2″ scored at 4-1/4″ and folded in half.

Die cut the star window in the card base and then one step down star size in Blackberry Bliss and one step further down for the Blushing Bride Glimmer Paper.  Using Dimensionals attach the stars through the card base window.  Place a swirl of the Gold Metallic Thread under the Glimmer Paper Star.

Die cut your greeting/sentiment from the Hello You (or other) thinlits and attach using the Fine Tip Glue Pen.

And there you have it.  Very clean (unless you stick your fingers in the glue) and very simple.

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Can you tell I’m trying to get as much of the wonderful Blackberry Bliss color in (and it’s mates) my projects before it departs the stage in May/June?   Boy am I going to miss that gorgeous In Color when it goes (sigh, sob, weep).

If you haven’t ordered replacement ink (markers, reinkers, ink pads) and paper don’t wait.  Those retiring In Colors can go quick.  Last year a few were gone by February/March.   I’m predicting Blackberry Bliss and Mossy Meadow will lead the disappearances that we’ll shortly be seeing.   Hm…just how many reinkers do I need?  Lots! 😀

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That’s it for this challenge.  To see the rest of the design teams Clean and Simple with a Star Challenge contributions head on over to the Challenge blog website here.   That’s also where you can add your own creation with the linky doodad.  When you add your own design and there are more than three entries, one of you will be a challenge winner or runner up and have the option to place our new badges on your own site.  Of course…you’ll also win bragging rights!

Check here to see the winner of last weeks challenge.  And here to see all the other linky and Artist Team entries.  Check the challenge site for rules on competing for future challenges.

I hope you’ll join us next Wednesday for yet another Watercooler Wednesday Challenge.