Before I share today’s project for The Paper Players, I want to offer a big THANK YOU to Nance Leedy, who chose my Western Congratulations card as her Cut Above at the Paper Players last week. I love playing along with challenges to get my creative juices flowing – but it’s always nice to be recognized. Thanks, Nance! Not only did I create a bandana-styled background for the challenge, but I created a video to go along with hit – if you missed those, you can see the card here and see the video here.
Joanne James is hosting this week’s Color Challenge for The Paper Players – and she’s selected FOUR colors to challenge us – Melon Mambo, Soft Sky, Mossy Meadow and Pumpkin Pie. What a combination! I used the colors to create a super-fun background on this bold, modern card. Here’s my card:
And here’s the banner for the challenge that inspired my card:
Tips, Tricks and Reminders
- Bold Stripes. You already know how much I love to play around with backgrounds on my cards, right? To create this bold, graphic background, I simply cropped 1/4″ strips of cardstock and then glued them to a piece of this Whisper White cardstock. I used a 2-way glue pen to add glue after each panel so I could easily add the next. The hardest part? Spacing out the colors so I could achiever a random look while still balancing the weight of the colors. This was such a fun technique to execute and a great way to use these three, very different colors.
- Perfect Flower. While playing around with the Tree Builder punch for another project, I realized that this tiny flower is a perfect accent for a bold sentiment. Pair it with White Perfect Accents to double the perfection. This Melon Mambo flower not only accents the Mossy Meadow circle but pulls from the Melon Mambo base of the card.
- Pops of White. I do love a fun background and a bold circle, but those needed to be separated from the backgrounds that each was placed on. Because I used all four colors in the background, I separated the layers from the layer behind with a thin border of Thick Whisper White. Not only does the white separate the layers, but it adds a huge pop! The white sentiment (embossed with White Stampin’ Emboss Powder) really pops here, too. If you missed my Heat Embossing Tips video, check it out here.
Stamp Sets: Suite Sayings Papers: Melon Mambo, Soft Sky, Mossy Meadow, Pumpkin Pie, Thick Whisper White Inks: VersaMark Accessories: White Stampin’ Emboss Powder, Heat Tool, 2-1/2″ Circle punch, Circles Collection Framelits, Tree Builder punch, White Perfect Accents, Stampin’ Dimensionals
I hope you’ll pop over to The Paper Players site to see the cards by the design team members and to play along with Joanne’s colo(u)r challenge.
Thanks for stopping by today!
Brian
Hi Brian, Great idea. I’ve seen the herringbone and the sun burst using stripes, and this looked wonderful too! Thanks for sharing. Congrats on your “Cut Above”.
🙂
Thanks so much, Nancy! I had a lot of fun with these little strips. 🙂
Love this card Brian-highly striking design.
Thanks, Lisa! The brilliant collection of colors helped me get there.
Brilliant idea for combining colors Brian!
Thanks, Dawn! I tried a couple of other projects, but this one made sense.
Stunning…simply stunning…I bow to thee. 🙂
Thanketh thee, Nance! I returneth thine bow.
Wow, Brian! This card is fabulous! I bet it took a long time to put this beauty together. Time well spent!!!
Thanks so much, Robin! I’m glad you like it. Didn’t take as long as you might think – but it was a fun process.
Great job, Brian, using the challenge colors in such a stunning way. For me it would take hours to get the arrangement right, but with your great eye for color and balance, you probably did it in a few minutes. I love the little Melon Mambo flower for the finishing touch. Thanks for the embossing tip. That is a new one for me. The PC pizza stone is too heavy for wimpy me to hold, so a cookie tin lid is perfect.
Thanks, HJ! Glad the tips work – they definitely keep the paper from curling. That little flower has helped me out of a couple of jams recently. 🙂
Hey Brian, this is another masterpiece. Love the colors and how you staggered them. Splendid! … and congratulations on your “Cut Above”… so well deserved.
Thank you, Debbie! I’m so glad you like it – I know how much your appreciate bold and graphic, so that’s quite a compliment.
Awesome handmade background Brian! LOVE IT!
Thanks, Tonya! I’m happy you like it.
Gorgeous background and colors, BK!
Thanks, Mary! I would have never put these colors together without Joanne’s inspiration.
Beautiful card Brian and I love the colors. Thanks for sharing.
Linda D.
Thanks, Linda! Glad you like it.
WOW Brian – This would be such a great way to use up all those scraps of card stock I have. It isn’t that I’m so frugal I won’t throw any leftover paper out, it’s that I love the card stock colors so much I don’t want to waste a single scrap. I’m the same way with leftover fabric from cutting quilt pieces. I just love the way you think! Have a wonderful day my friend and thank you.
Thanks so much, Grace. I’ve seen quilts that use pieces like this – works great with almost any pattern or color. Thanks for your kind words.
Brilliant! The bold strips of color are beautiful. Your sentiment is a perfect balance to the strips. I would love to see a video on how you determined which color goes where. You are a master at balancing colors and shapes. Very, very nice Brian
Thanks, Bobbi! The assembly involved looking back and laying layers according to the patterns that were created with the colors – weighing each carefully. At the same time, I had to just put some down to create a random look. No science to it at all. 😉
Brian, your talent and patiences has no end! Wow…the colors and pattern is great!
Thanks, Katrina. I’m not a very patient person, but I have all the time in the world for cardmaking. 🙂
Way to go Brian! This is a super duper card!!!!!!!!
Thanks so much, Sue! It was super fun to make.
I am virtually standing beside Nance Lempenin-Leedy, BOWING to thee!
Awww…thanks, Sandra! I bow right back at you.
So that’s where you got that cute little flower! Happy I already have that punch!
Yay! It’s a cute accent, huh?
I LOVE IT!!!! ? So very colorful and just perfect for spring.
Thanks, Brenda! These colors play well together.
I absolutely love this card! The colors are great and the clean graphics look amazing!
Thank you so much, Sharon! <3
I love the beautiful background you created! It’s like designer backsplash in a dream kitchen!
It does resemble that, doesn’t it? Good eye!
Very cool technique for the background, Brian….although I think you have a wee bit more patience than I do! The end result is fabulous though! Thanks for sharing your creativity with us this week!
Thanks, LeAnne! Always a great challenge at PP. Glad you like this card.
Oh you have a lot of patience for sure! That background is wonderful!
Thanks, Linda! It took time but not a lot of patience. It was fun!
Wow, was my first thought when I saw this card. The pattern is stunning and using up scraps – brilliant once again. You have inspired me once again Brian.
Thanks so much, Michelle! I’m so glad you like this pattern. It’s fun to make.
What an awesome card with my four colour combo Brian – and only one itty bitty flower in sight, complete with white accent (I am in love with those!) I love the bold, graphic modern feel to this card – the lovely Nance Lempinen-Leedy needs to get in line, I am totally taking my hat off to you for this one! Thanks so much for playing along this week!
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