H2H Challenge: More Inspiration

The Heart 2 Heart Challenges Design Team has some real challenges for you this week! Won't you play along? This week, we each picked an inspiration piece and then created something from it. Your job is to now use our inspiration piece as a springboard to your work! Remember, you need to use some Close To My Heart products to be eligible for this month's fab prizes. (See my side bar at right for all the DT members and our prize sponsors this month.)

This blouse has been begging me to try to recreate it! This card is actually my second project, with the first featured below. The print reminded me of the One of a Kind stamp set, and the best color matches were Cranberry, Sunset, Juniper, and Cocoa, with a touch of Colonial White thrown in too. To get the color on the dark background, I had to first start with a light background. Huh? You read right! I stamped my scene and then sprinkled clear embossing powder on it. Because I had stamped the Juniper leaves first, the powder didn't want to stick, so I went back over it with the stamp inked up in Versamark ink, added more clear EP, and then heat embossed. To give the focal image the rich Cranberry background, I brayered ink over the entire image, and then buffed it with a paper towel to remove the ink from the clearn embossed images. A little gem in the center of the flower and some ruffled paper finished off this card very nicely!

As I said, that was my second card. For my first card, I tried the emerging color technique and made a criss-cross card to mimic the bodice of my blouse. (I'm not sure that I like this one as well; hence it playing second fiddle.)

To create the emerging color background, I first stamped Colonial White cardstock with images from the One of a Kind stamp set (same color palette as above). Then, after it dried completely, I used my Versamark ink to stamp the flower and leaf images all over the top of what I'd already stamped. Then it was time to sprinkle on the clear embossing powder, dump off the excess, and then heat emboss. As I did on the first card, I brayered Cranberry ink over the entire piece and them buffed off the excess ink.

The card ended up a lot busier- and less "wow"- than I had pictured it, but it still turned out pretty cool. I think the addition of the Sunset strip (LOL!) and the Red sparkles along it really give the card some pizzaz.

Feel free to leave any questions that you have in the comments section. Go check out all the Design Team member's blogs and choose one to inspire you. We'd love to see your creations! You have all month to play, but what are you waiting for? Visit the H2H blog today!