Purple No. 2

Here's the second in my purple series. Numbering them makes them feel so artsy. 

I can't remember ever thinking too much about purple, but it's a finicky color. Today's card uses two shades of blue-purple that don't look anything like yesterday's red-purples. I combined them with a happy lime for extra punch!

Originally, I had very thin mats under both of these panels, but the elegant thin-thick-thin matting I love so much didn't work with the folksy look of this design. One wide mat under a raised panel looked much more appropriate.

I hope you're holding together through all this. Today was a hard day, but tomorrow will be better. I just know it!

Mercy, grace, peace, love, and kindness,

Susan

Purple No. 1

Three of the four purple studies I did for my informal purple challenge definitely look like Simplicity cards, and today's is one of them (obviously inspired by Mia's awesome circle cards such as the ones on this post). 

For this card, I really wanted to spotlight three of the pretty stamps from a very old Technique Tuesday set, and circles seemed a really good way to do that. This gold-and-reddish-purple combination was inspired by this pin. 

 

Stay safe and healthy!

Mercy, grace, peace, love, and kindness,

Susan

"Has Susan Lost Her Mind?"

Okay, so yesterday's card was deeply atypical for Simplicity, and yes, the balloon shape of the butterflies was indeed a "happy little accident," not at all planned. It's fun to do the unexpected, so here is another non-LateBlossom card that uses *gasp* colored cardstock (base and mat!) and six colors of ink. 

Today's color challenge was similar to yesterday's...use as many different colors as you can. It was loosely inspired by a color combo on Pinterest. I do love using those pins as jumping-off points, even if I usually only pick two colors at the most! 

Next up...purple. I challenged myself to use every single Hero Arts and Archival Ink purple pad I own, which is way too many considering how rarely I use purple. The results were mostly fun although a few ended up in the circular file. Four cards made the final cut, and one of them made me happy as a kindergartner with a paper-plate-cotton-ball bunny!

In other news, one of my classes for fall now has 17 enrolled, so I'm pressing hard to get the class website put together. My syllabus is BEAUTIFUL. I created it in MS Publisher, and while it's not finalized quite yet, it's making me so very happy!

Stay safe, everyone. 

Mercy, grace, peace, love, and kindness,

Susan

So Many Colors

My next color challenge took the form of many colors--and dark ones, at that--on a card. I rarely use dark colors, preferring lighter or brighter shades, but the beautiful new dark red Light House from Ranger's Archival Ink made me want to play around. So to speak. And rarely do I use more than two colors plus a neutral on a card. Most often, it's one color and a neutral!

Anyway, after creating a rainbow of the larger butterflies, I filled in with the smaller butterfly and bling colored with Sharpies and Copics. The final shape reminded me of a balloon, so I added a birthday sentiment. 

So much fun! And such unusual--for me--layout and colors. 

What might you challenge yourself to do with color that you don't normally do? Consider taking some time this week to play. 

Mercy, grace, peace, love, and kindness,

Susan

Happy Summer Color Challenge

Let's talk about color prejudice for a moment. I really like blues and greens and grays and pinks and reds, but for no logical reason, the colors yellow, orange, and purple don't generally appeal to me. And don't even get me started on StampinUp's old orchid opulence, a.k.a. Fairy Vomit. 

Just. Don't. 

Feelings about color run strong in people's hearts...just check out the interweb chatter every year when Pantone announces its Color of the Year and seasonal colors. Everyone has feelings about them. Color prejudice really is a thing, and it's just first-world bickering. Nevertheless, it plays out in our craft spaces daily as we favor some colors over others. 

So, several stamping friends and I decided to challenge each other to use colors that we don't normally like or use. The yellow and orange beach card from Friday is one such challenge card. Today's mustard seed and gray card is another. 

And I'd like to point out for the record that just because I don't like certain colors doesn't mean I don't buy them. Today's card uses Distress mustard seed. I bought it because I can't have part of the color wheel not represented in my stash.

No. I don't have a problem. Why do you ask?

Come on. Admit it. You have the same need for completion. This unhealthy insatiable need for rainbows of every product imaginable is an inevitable part of crafting and took me to Marco's Paper on Saturday to buy red-violet Copic markers for coloring bling because all my purple Copics tended toward blue-violet and, when you need red-violet, blue-violet simply will not suffice. 

But I really like my mustard seed card. 

Today's card uses Papertrey's old A Wreath for All Seasons stamp set...a longtime favorite of mine. To get more berries on the card (because it didn't look yellow enough), I rotated the berry stamp, inked it up again, and stamped. The bird is from Hero Arts Color Layering Birds and Blossoms. This VERY yellow card makes me VERY happy!

Now, today's post has been a light-hearted look at color in crafting, but those of us here in the United States know that real prejudice--the kind that oppresses human beings--is no laughing matter. If you're like me and interested in learning more about how to grow your inner anti-racist, one place to start might be the book So You Want to Talk about Race by Ijeoma Oluo. That's where I'm starting because no matter what color we are on the outside, we all bleed red and are beloved children of God, worthy of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness...along with equity and equality. We need to remember that. 

Mercy, grace, peace, love, and kindness,

Susan

Embracing the Heat

It's been so hot and humid in Ohio (and will only get worse this weekend), so I decided it was time to embrace the heat with a beach scene (even though I'm in a land-locked state). I long for salty breezes and the peaceful sound of waves on the shore. 

The stamps are from Gina K's Hello Sunshine set, except for the star fish, which is from Hero Arts. The orange and gold Copic coloring was easy without shading, but masking the chair to stipple the sand was extremely fiddly. I don't really like orange (except for autumnal shades), so this card took me out of my comfort zone with color. It also gave me a chance to use some BIG bling. Yay!

What are your favorite calming sounds? For me, ocean waves are definitely in the top three, along with babbling brooks and humpback whale sounds. 

Stay calm and healthy, and love your neighbor!

Mercy, grace, peace, love, and kindness,

Susan

Journey Back in Creative Time

Sometimes, an inspiration piece leads us on a merry goose-chase for a satisfying design. Such was the case with today's card. The end, however, justifies the means, and the process was fun, too! 

First, here is the inspiration PIN. Mia's amazing. 

Next, here's the FINAL version of my card. 

The card is 7.25" x 3.75". The dies are by Inspiration Obsession. And I love the way this turned out! 

But the first version of my card flopped spectacularly, especially if you look at Mia's card first and then mine. I'd thought that since my dies didn't warrant as long a center panel as Mia's did, I could get away with shifting the dimensions. The shift to standard A2 card dimensions ruined it, however, and the single layer of the stamped panel, glued directly to the base rather than popped up as on Mia's card, looks terribly unfinished, flat, and blah. By returning to the original dimensions and matting the stamped panel, I was able to more effectively capture the spirit of Mia's lovely card with my different dies, theme, and colors. 

The creative process...sometimes you have to screw up to get it right. Persistence and patience and experimentation get us there in the end. But most important of all...I had a blast with this process. So yay, me! 

And many thanks to Mia for once again providing amazing inspiration.

Mercy, grace, peace, love, and kindness,

Susan