It had been a long time since I had used my Stampin' Pastels and I had recently been wondering how they would be pairing with the emboss-resist Designer papers that Stampin' Up! has issued over the years. I've always used watercoloring or ink with them, but probably because the pastels were retired, I had never thought to give that coloring medium a try. When I saw the soft colours of the Color Throwdown challenge #403, I pulled out the pastels to give it a try. Verdict: it works wonderfully and looks amazing! It made blending the colors really easy, and I'm really happy with the result.
After my background paper was done, I started looking for a stamp set and landed on Fresh Fruit. It was a coincidence, since I just wanted something generic to make a "Good Luck" card (it was on my list of needed themes for cards), but then I realized I could use the Poppin' Pastels on the fruit image as well. I've always loved that technique with full images because it makes it really easy to do blending and shading. That was the case here, although I had to work with the now-retired colors instead of going for a true match, but with the pastels being pale and producing a smoky, faded look, it is easier to match up colors even if they are not the exact same shades.
Now, like I said, I needed a "Good Luck" sentiment and would you believe that despite my extensive stamp collection, I do not have a single stamp with those exact words? A little shocking, but thankfully, the Labeler Alphabet stamp set is perfect to create all the sentiments I want. I bought it the second it came out thinking I would love it for scrapbooking, but so far, I've used it quite a bit on cards as well.
The cute little flower was created with a die from the Flourish Thinlits collection, and topped with a 2016-2018 In Color Enamel Shapes. The Peekaboo Peach stripe was embossed with the Boho Chic embossing folder, and a piece of Blushing Bride Stitched Satin Ribbon was added as well. Sequins finish the look.
The card was also inspired by the Paper Players challenge #306 and I used Dies-cuts + Patterned Paper + Enamel Dots in the tic-tac-toe grid.
Stampin' Up! Supplies
Stamps: Fresh Fruit, Labeler Alphabet
Cardstock: Peekaboo Peach, Flirty Flamingo, Shimmery White
Specialty Designer Series Paper: Irresistibly Yours, Subtles Paper Stack
Ink: VersaMark, Basic Grey, Flirty Flamingo
Accessories: Envelope Punch Board, Flourish Thinlits, Copper Stampin' Emboss Powder,
Scallop Circles Dies, 2-1/2" Circle Punch, Stampin' Dimensionals, 2016-2018 In Color Enamel Shapes,
Stampin' Pastels, Sponge Daubers, Boho Chic Embossing Folder
This is wonderful! I was just thinking about my pastels a couple of days ago (and my watercolor crayons!) and it is nice to see them, especially with this soft color palette! Just a lovely card! Thanks for sharing it with us at the Players this week!
Posted by: LeAnne | August 01, 2016 at 14:33
Very soft and pretty! Love the pastels. Thanks for playing along with the tic tac toe challenge at The Paper Players this week!
Posted by: laurie | August 01, 2016 at 16:09
Such a pretty combination of textures and patterns! Thanks so much for playing along with us at the Color Throwdown!
Posted by: Broni | August 01, 2016 at 19:15
Lovely take on the throwdown colors! So happy you chose to join our challenge this past week!
Posted by: Wanda Cullen | August 02, 2016 at 21:50
I'd say they worked perfectly! Beautiful background! Love the soft colors! Glad you joined us at the Paper Players!
Posted by: Linda Callahan | August 03, 2016 at 11:27