Better Together for GDP041

This week’s color challenge for the Global Design Project gets us playing with one of our 2016-2018 In Colors – Sweet Sugarplum.  This super-sweet, super soft purple is paired with the deep, right Night of Navy and Whisper White.  Lovely combination!  The real challenge (if you want my opinion – and I think you do want my opinion because you are reading all of these words I typed here) is to keep the colors balanced.  It is possible to have too much of the sugary Sweet Sugarplum.  I tried to balance the colors with a lot of Whisper White.  A lot.  I’m happy with that decision.  Here’s my card for this week’s Global Design Project:

Better Together, Fresh Fruit, Stampin' Up!, Brian King, GDP041And here’s the banner for the Global Design Challenge color combination that inspired my card:Stampin' Up! Color Inspiration: Sweet Sugarplum, Whisper White, Night of NavyTips, Tricks and Reminders

  • Better Together and Fresh Fruit.  I used two new stamp sets for today’s card – Better Together (this is a must-have stamp set with great outside- and inside-the-card sentiments) and Fresh Fruit (the little flower is not, technically, a fruit, but it sure is cute.  Although the sentiment that coordinates with “wishing you happiness on your special day” is “happy birthday,” this fun and playful sentiment can be used for almost any occasion – as long as it’s special and as long as it’s a day you want someone to be happy.  Check out these two sets:
    Better Together, Stampin' Up!

    Better Together, Stampin’ Up!

    Fresh Fruit, Stampin' Up!

    Fresh Fruit, Stampin’ Up!

  • Lots of White Space.  White space is both a friend and foe.  While I intentionally left a lot of it here to balance these colors (you already know that because you read the introduction to today’s blog post), there’s a part of me that really wants to add something more.  I fight that.  When I’m done with all the fighting, I’m usually happy that the clean-and-simple side of my put up such a good fight.  Not only did I resist the urge to add “more” to the main panel of this card (just look at all that white space above the sentiment!), but I also decided that the Whisper White background of this card felt better than a Sweet Sugarplum panel.  It was difficult, but I got there.  🙂
  • MORE White Space – and a touch of insanity.  My original design plan was to have the Sweet Sugarplum flower to the right of the sentiment and then to stamp the flowers along the left panel (to stamp the flowers with Night of Navy on the Sweet Sugarplum cardstock).  This is about the time that insanity took over.  I thought the panel left too much purple on the card and distracted from the sweet flower by the sentiment, so…I stamped the flower over and over on Whisper White and then snipped out all the tiny petals and glued them on top of the ones I had stamped.  Looks simple but is not simple.  Although the panel is small, it took a lot of time and effort to get those little pieces snipped and glued down.  Oh, the things I do for my art!Better Together, Fresh Fruit, Stampin' Up!, Brian King, GDP041

Stamp Sets:  Better Together, Fresh Fruit  Papers:  Night of Navy, Sweet Sugarplum, Whisper White  Inks:  Night of Navy  Accessories:  White Perfect Accents, Night of Navy Twine,  Stampin’ Dimensionals

I hope you’ll pop over to the Global Design Project site to see the cards by the design team members and to play along with this week’s challenge.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Brian

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20 Comments

  1. It is insanity but the outcome is stunning. Your sense of color and balance are outstanding. Thanks for another inspiring post.

  2. Excellent color combo and balance.

  3. Hi Brian, I know you put a lot of thought into your cards, but you make them all seem so easy and effortless. They always look so “well balanced”. I love the use of the two stamp sets.
    🙂

  4. Good morning Mr. King! LOVE this card. It is so fresh and fun. You are a saint for snipping out the flowers but I admit – it is A M A Z I N G !!!! I agree with you, oh the things we do for our art that we love! Thanks for jump starting my day with a a smile!

  5. Definitely like how Navy softens the “sweetness” of Sugarplum!

  6. A great mix of color and white . I like the Sweet Sugarplum in small doses (although I like it a lot) and you did a perfect job with your creation and Wow ! on the addition of those “snipped ” petals !! Love small details like that on cards !!

  7. Haven’t used my Sweet Sugarplum ink yet, thanks for the great inspiration Brian! I really like all your layers. : )

  8. Great card, Brian. I love all your tips on the thought process you go through to bring us your beautiful cards.

  9. Great design today, Brian. Love all the white space, and once again you had me fooled. I thought your sugarplum strip was DSP. I’m so impressed that you cut out all those petals and glued them down individually. Well dome!

  10. HI Brian:

    I have to agree with Sharon. I also thought you strip was DSP. I should have known better. You are the King of not only layering but snipping as well! LOL Gorgeous card as always. It must be difficult to keep posting one beautiful card after another but you are the master and for that we, your peons, are very grateful!

  11. Beautiful card Brian.

  12. You made a good decision, your card turned out fantastic !

  13. I am sitting here stunned in disbelief. You have dynamite skills! (Not joking.)

  14. Beautiful card, love the petal snippet flowers on the sugarplum!

  15. Snippy Mc Snipster strikes again!!! It’s been a while and a half Brian, but I remain a loyal & daily follower of your amazing awesomeness!!! Just when I start to wonder how the master of CAS cards put this stunner together (I was thinking, WOAH, I need to page through my new annual catalog again, how could I have missed this DSP, and where is it?!?!), you describe it pleasantly and perfectly!!! Phenomenal elegance, TFS!!!

  16. You. Are. Crazy.
    And it’s a great card!

  17. Stunning card! Thanks for doing the “insane” amount of work for us; I was hoping that strip was a DSP design that I hadn’t noticed. I’m thinking about how to imitate your look by either stamping on whisper white and coloring the background with Sweet Sugarplum, or stamping the outlines in night of navy on sweet sugarplum and stamping the solid with white craft ink, or white embossing powder.

  18. Insanity is right! I did wonder how the flowers remained so perfectly white!! BUT, it paid off Brian. Your card is beautifully balanced and so fresh. You nailed this combo, my friend!

  19. I cannot believe you snipped out all those little flower petals Brian. What patience (or insanity), but what a great effect. All worth it. xx

  20. I love your card Brian and you hit the nail on the head! Balance is the key – which is probably why I didn’t like my own card for this week’s challenge. It’s not balanced!! I can’t believe you cut out all the little petals but it was so worth it! I love the effect!

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