CIE Red, White, & Blue

Hi, everyone! It's the third Monday of the month, which means it's time for another Cards in Envy challenge. Our challenge for the next couple of weeks, which starts TODAY, is to make a card featuring red, white, and blue colors.

Since I make cards for Operation Write Home, I typically make patriotic cards when using a red, white, and blue palette. However, I decided to mix things up a bit for this challenge. The card below is a birthday card for a good friend who shares the same July birthday as I do.  :)



Stampin' Up! garage-sale-find designer paper; SU core black
Hampton Arts image on Carson watercolor paper in StazOn jet black
image colored in Distress Inks with a Ranger watercolor brush
Really Reasonable Ribbon ribbon and lace
SU owl-builder punch (for circles in top right corner)
Simon Says Stamp gems
 

There are lots of things about this card that I like, including:

• the brightness of the colors and how they pop against the black elements,
• the stamped floral image paired with that pretty blue floral paper,
• the ribbon/lace combo, and
• the three elements in the top corner. It took me a while to decide on what to put in the top right corner. But, when I finally came upon the black circle/white gem combo, I really liked the look.

Notice the little specks of paint in the negative space between flowers? Those were born out of necessity. I'm not a good colorer and accidentally got some ink where it wasn't supposed to be. So, I filled in some of the other spaces with similar specks.


Even though this card probably will be hand delivered (with a cupcake, of course!), I stuck to the CIE guidelines.  The lace in the ribbon/lace element is whisper thin -- like crazy thin, and the ribbon/lace knot squishes down nice and flat. And, the gems are well below the one fourth inch guideline and are actually thinner than the ribbon.

To qualify for badge consideration, cards linked to CIE challenges should adhere to the guidelines posted on the CIE blog.

1. Create an A2 (4.25 inch x 5.5 inch) CARD that follows the current challenge theme.   
2. Keep the total thickness of your card 1/4 inch or less.
3. Link back to Cards in Envy in your blog post or online gallery.  Our blog address is:  http://cardsinenvy.blogspot.com/
4. Fill in the linky at the bottom of the challenge post with a direct link to your blog post that features your card for the current challenge.
5. No more than THREE entries per challenge.
6. No back linking, Cards must be posted to your blog or online album during the challenge dates.  If it was posted online BEFORE the beginning of our challenge, it cannot be linked.

 Hope you will all join us at CIE!

Parting Thoughts

This is my second post of the day. Please scroll down to see the Any Hero card I posted earlier today for the current OWH Sketch Challenge.   :)

Words 2 Scrap By   Did you see the prize Annie is offering this month at  Words 2 Scrap By? This month, W2SB is looking for cards for the men in our lives using "It's a Man's World" as our inspiration words. As an added bonus, Annie is awarding a $20 Simon Says Stamp gift certificate for one talented crafter who shares a manly card at W2SB! You have until June 26 to link up a card/project for a chance to win.  :)

Think that's it for now. Have a great week! Thanks for stopping and happy scrappin'!