Hello with Blooms & Just Jade--#tgifc277

Back in April or May when I first saw the five new 2020-2022 In Colors, I would not have thought that Just Jade would be the one I would use the most.  But,  here I am with another Just Jade centric card!!!  Today's card is my entry in this week's sketch challenge from TGIF Challenges.  The sketch includes a watercolor background and a horizontal band.   My card is a pretty straightforward interpretation of the sketch:

My watercolor background started with a wash of Mint Macaron on Fluid 100 watercolor paper (#149612). I added streaks of Just Jade with the edge of my wide water painter (#151298) for a bit of depth to the wash.  Once the wash was dry, I stamped the small blooms cluster image from Bloom & Grow stamp set (#149229) randomly over the wash using Mint Macaron ink.

The focal bloom image was stamped in Just Jade ink on to Whisper White card stock. It was colored with So Saffron, Mango Melody, Magenta Madness, and Misty Moonlight Stampin' Blends Combos, then die cut with a die from the Budding Blooms dies (#149548).  This was arranged over a piece of Just Jade card stock with a scallop edge created with another die in the same die set, wrapped with a piece of Polka Dot Tulle (#146912).

The greeting is also from the Bloom & Grow stamp set.  The card is finished with a layer of Just Jade on Whisper White thick card stock and three Pearl Basic Jewels (#144219).

Want some ideas for wonderful watercolor backgrounds?  Check out the TGIF Challenges Blog here.

Have a great weekend!

--Sara Nell

Homage to Retiring Favorites--#tgifc262

This week's color challenge at TGIF Challenges is Calypso Coral, Coastal Cabana and Daffodil Delight.  It makes me think of the beach and when I think of the beach, I think of the Adirondack chair die in the Seasonal Layers die set(#143751).  It is retiring as is the coordinating Colorful Seasons stamp set (#143726)--two of my most used and well-loved favorites.  My card today is a homage to both:

I did a color wash of Coastal Cabana on one piece of Shimmery White card stock and an ombre wash of Calypso Coral on another.  The bottom of the Coastal Cabana piece was stamped numerous times with the texture image from Sea of Textures stamp set (#146488--another retiring favorite).  I used second and third generation Sahara Sand to create the beach.  I used the Stamparatus to stamp the "Just Breathe" several times in Sahara Sand to get a darker shade over the sand. 

I die cut the Adirondack chairs from the Calypso Coral piece.  Honestly, I do not think I would have even purchased this stamp and die bundle if it had not been for that chair.  I would have missed out on making all my favorite leaf and snowflake cards as well as the Spring and Summer ones if not for that chair.  So, it's fitting that I pay homage to this set with these chairs!

For the glasses of lemonade, I used the Sahara Sand Stampin' Write marker to outline the glass image and the Coastal Cabana one to color the straw.  Then I used an Aqua Painter to color in the Daffodil Delight lemonade.  I cut a little wedge out of the Daffodil Delight lemons to adhere them to the top of the glass.

You can't see the shimmer of the card stock that makes the whole card shimmer like the beach in the sun, so here is a close-up so you can get a sense of it:

Check out all the fun projects made with this bright and fun color combination over at the TGIF Challenges blog here.

It is hard for me to lament the retirement of my favorite Stampin' Up! stamps and dies, because I know wonderful new products are on the way in the upcoming Annual Catalog.

Old favorites will give way to new ones.  

Have a great week!

--Sara Nell