Color pops! Or: thoughts on color-"rules"

Hello everyone,

I'm back with another bunch of cards and I'd like to talk about color today. You know I am crazy about colors - there are some colors I use every day (like aquas/turquoises) and some I hardly ever use (purples and soft pinks). So let's see what I put together today :)

1) Use your least favorite color in small amounts... But dare to get out of your comfort zone.

I got this super cute Monster at the Stempelbar in Berlin and the sweet illustrator who was working there that day said "You can put something in his mouth, too!" and at that moment I had to have it. I cut a slid and gave him a little envelope. :)

Hands down - I struggle with purple. I see it on projects and think it looks lovely, but I find it doesn't look too good on my creations. So I tried to just use a pop of it.

love bold yellow-greens with aqua and even if I don't like purple a lot - that little splash of seedless preserves goes so well with these! it's there, but it's not all over the card - one way to incorporate colors out of your comfort zone.

Pile it on - thinking of you


2) Reduce colors to small areas if they're super bright
I'm totally into yellow right now. I have to control myself to not put yellow onto EVERY SINGLE CARD. But well, it's summer, so maybe I should just let go and go for yellow all of the time :)
If you're combining suuuper bright colors your card MAY look a little wild in the end - reducing the color to only a small area can help :)
(Well, this is not a rule at all. I actually saw many cards with LOTS of bright colors, but this is an EASY way to keep a nice balance with bright colors)

Addicted to CAS - Chevron
Happy little stampers CAS challenge - Stamping
Less is more - Snippets


3) Make your image pop with a subtile background
Coloring images is so much fun - and I love this new stamp  So i had to color it with my new Copics on my way back from Berlin. /The sentiment is from Create A Smile and says "Oops, belated...")
If you have an image with lots of different areas and colors, keep your background pretty simple. A subtile pattern that coordinates with your used colors will help make your image pop!

Simon Says Stamp - Anything goes


4) Don't let color and texture compete against each other.
Competing design elements might be a problem when it comes to cardmaking.
I have this crackling paste and I really wanted it to shine. So I thought focussing one one color (I mixed that crackling paint with salty ocean distress ink) would help draw attention to that texture. Brown/wood/kraft is a nice contrast, but not as "In your face" as a bright pink would be - if that makes sense :)

Challenge up your life - wood/ cork


So these wer just some thought on color combinations - let me know what you think about it and what you struggle with most.
Do you have certain colors that you struggle with? Or do you struggle with a goof balace. I've been there. I still am, now and then. But I find that practice improves a good sense for balance and combos.

Thanks for taking the time to read this through and visiting my little blog!

Das doppelte Lottchen #137

It's sunday, that means it's Lottie and Lisa time!

That means Anni and I usually pick a stamp or stamp set or die that we both have (we nearly have the same taste!) and create a card with this product and another task.

Today Anni made a wish, and it is:

Papertrey Ink - Friendship Jar Holiday Fillers

&

White on Kraft

Sometimes I come up with an idea and when I want to make a card I'm like "Gosh, what was I thinking?

I made the first card and wasn't really happy about it, because I don't like the vintage style a lot.

So I made a second, more graphic card:

I felt better with than one, but still not happy. So I gave it a third try:

This one turned out more elegant but still modern, that might be my favorite attempt for today. See the enamel stickers? They're from the new Create A Smile release and I love them! They add the perfect finishing touch!

Now it's time to hop over to Anni's blog to see what she created.

Thanks for stoppin' by! :)
Christine

Das doppelte Lottchen #108

It's Lottie and Lisa time! We had a break because Anni was on vacation, but finally the Lottie and Lisa is back!

That means Anni and I usually pick a stamp or stamp that that we both have (we nearly have the same taste!) and create a card with this set and another task.

Today I made a wish, and it is:

Papertrey Ink - Tremendous Treat - Christmas

and

Watercolor pencils

Es ist wieder Lottchenzeit! Wir hatten jetzt eine Pause weil Anni im Urlaub war, aber endlich ist das doppelte Lottchen zurück!

Hier einigen die wunderbare Anni und ich uns üblicherweise auf einen Stempel oder ein Stempelset , dass wir beide besitzen und gestalten (unser Geschmack ist sehr ähnlich!) mit diesem und einer Zusatzaufgabe eine Karte. 

Ich durfte wünschen, und heraus kam:

Papertrey Ink - Tremendous Treat - Christmas

und

Aquarell-Buntstifte

I used a die from Memory Box and combined die-cut inlay with negativ space. I think it's neat:

Ich habe eine Stanze von Memory Box benutzt und die-cut inlay with dem Negativ kombiniert. Ichfinde, es sieht hübsch aus:

Now hop over to see what Anni created!

Challenges:
Addicted to Stamps and more - CAS
Friday Mashup - Bokeh + Die Cuts

Tickling Tuesday #18 - blowing ink with a straw

Hi everyone!

Time for a new Tickling Tuesday!

What's Tickling Tuesday?

Every tuesday I'll try to tickle your mojo with another video. Hope you like it and have fun!

Hallöchen!

Zeit für Tickling Tuesday! 

Was ist Tickling Tuesday?

Jeden Dienstsg werde ich nun versuchen Euer Mojo mit einem neuen Video zu Kitzeln.

Ich hoffe ihr mögt es uns habt Spaß!

Do you know that feeling when you come up with an idea and you really want to use a technique? Then you start to imagine the products you want to use and your finished projects looks different from what you had first thought of?

Well, this is what happened this time:

I wanted to use a  straw to blow ink around AND my new Paper Smooches First Aid Kit set. Now I have a bloody splatter card - oops! Well, I like it, but I know many of you won't.

So I'll share some more cards using the same technique today :)

Kennt ihr das Gefühl wenn ihr eine Idee habt und unbedingt eine bestimmte Technik benutzen wollt? Dann fangt ihr an zu überlegen, welche Produkte ihr benutzen könntet und am Ende sieht das Ergebnis ganz anders aus, als ihr Euch das zuerst gedacht hattet?

Nun, so war das dies mal bei mir:

Ich wollte die Strohhalm-Puste Technk audprobieren UND mein neues Paper Smooches First Aid Kit benutzen. Jetzt habe ich eine blutige Splatter-Karte - ups! Naja, ich mag sie, aber ih weiß dass sie vielen von Euch vermutlich nicht gefällt.

Also habe ich heute noch mehr Karten mit der gleichen Technik ;)

So, check out the Video to see how I did it. It's so much fun and the more you practice the better are your results!

Also guckt Euch das Video um zu sehen wie ich das gemacht habe. Das macht so viel Spaß und umso mehr ihr übt, desto besser werden die Ergebnisse!

I promised to show you a few more samples of this technique, so here they are;

1) Use your inks as a backdrop for your sentiment:

Challenges:

The pink Elephant - anything goes

Simon Says (monday) - the artsy stamp

2) Blend the background with inks on top of your splatter-pattern and use a die cut (I kept the cut out sentiment for another project, cause it looks awesome):

3) Use your splattered piece to frame your sentiment (or image!):

Challenges:

Addicted to Stamps - Anything goes

Okay this should have tickled your mojo, right??

If you use this technique, please leave a link - I'd love to hop to your blog and see your creation!

Have a nice (splattery) day ;)

Lottie and Lisa #100

It's Lottie and Lisa time! 

That means Anni and I usually pick a stamp or stamp that that we both have (we nearly have the same taste!) and create a card with this set and another task.
Can you believe we're doing it the 100th time now? Unbelieveable - we've been going a long crafty way together - I learned so much from Anni and she's always been my muse! Thanks, Anni, for 100 awesome Lotties!

Today I made a wish, and it is:

Papertrey Ink Friendship Jar Fillers

and

Pleating 

Es ist wieder Lottchenzeit!

Hier einigen die wunderbare Anni und ich uns üblicherweise auf einen Stempel oder ein Stempelset , dass wir beide besitzen und gestalten (unser Geschmack ist sehr ähnlich!) mit diesem und einer Zusatzaufgabe eine Karte. 
Könnt ihr glauben, dass wir das nun schon zum 100sten mal machen? Unglaublich - wir haben uns jetzt schon einen ganz schön langen Weggeteilt - ich habe so viel von Anni gelernt - sie war immer meine Muse! Danke, Anni, für 100 wunderbare Lottchen!

Ich durfte wünschen, und heraus kam:

Papertrey Ink Friendship Jar Fillers

und

Pleating

This is what I came up with:

I realised I missed the Lottie about 40 minutes ago, so I did something that was really quick: I stamped the lemon from that PTI Set in yellow and green, added some Washi, pleated it and stamped the sentiment from Lawnfawn along that tiny glass of lemonade. Done! (In time!)

Und das kam bei mir dabei heraus:

Ich habe vor etwa 40 Minuten gemerkt, dass ich das Lottchen noch nciht gemacht hatte, also habe ich etwas gemacht, das schnell gin: Ich habe die Zitrone aus dem PTI Set in gelb und grün gestempelt, Washi aufgeklebt und gefaltet und einen Text von Lawnfawn zusammen mit dem kleinen Limonadeglas hinzugefügr. Fertig! (Pünktlich!)

Now hop over to Anni's blog to see her fabulous creation!

Keep it simple #38 - bright spark

Two weeks are over again - time for a new challenge at Keep it Simple. This time we want to see what you can do with everything bright and / or sparkle. :)

Zwei Wogchen sind schon wieder um - Zeit für eine neue Challenge bei Keep it Simple. Dieses Mal möchten wir gerne sehen, was ihr alles leuchtendes und / oder glitzerndes macht :)

For this card I used my Papertrey Ink stamps, some Hero Arts inks (Mint and raspberry look so good together!) and a few sequins. The I added the sentiment using stickers. That's it. Quite easy ;)

Für diese Karte habe ich meine Papertrey Ink Stempel benutzt, ein paar Hero Arts Stempelkissen (Mint und rapsberry sehen super zusammen aus!) und ein paar Pailletten benutzt. Dann habe ich den Text noch mit Stickern hinzu gefügt. Das ist es schon . Ziemlich einfach ;)

Now check out what the other girls came up with - we have such an amazing talented team!

Und jetzt schaut mal, was die anderen Mädels daraus gemacht haben. Wir haben ein großartigen, talentiertes Team!

Das doppelte Lottchen #96

It's Lottie and Lisa time! 

That means Anni and I usually pick a stamp or stamp that that we both have (we nearly have the same taste!) and create a card with this set and another task.
Today I made a wish, and it is:

Papertrey Ink - Friendship Jar 

and

stamping on cork

Es ist wieder Lottchenzeit!

Hier einigen die wunderbare Anni und ich uns üblicherweise auf einen Stempel oder ein Stempelset , dass wir beide besitzen und gestalten (unser Geschmack ist sehr ähnlich!) mit diesem und einer Zusatzaufgabe eine Karte. 

Ich durfte wünschen, und heraus kam:

Papertrey Ink - Friendship Jar 

und

stempeln auf Kork

This is what I came up with:

I white embossed a Hero Arts Background on cork to have a nice backdrop for the jar which is filled with brushes. I kept the card mostly blue for the sentiment "Feeling Blue?" which was added on the tag that I had also stamped on cork. On the inside the card says "always here for you! Along with two cork hearts.

Und das kam bei mir dabei heraus:

Ich habe einen Hero Arts Hintergrund weiß auf Kork erbost, um einen schönen Hintergrund für das Glas zu haben, das mit Pinseln gefüllt ist. Ich habe die Karte hauptsächlich in blau gehalten, wegen des Textes "Feeling Blue?" (Bist du traurig?), den ich auf ein Tag geklebt habe, das ich ebenfalls auf Kork gestempelt habe. Auf der Innenseite habe ich den Text "always here for you" mit zwei Kork-Herzen.

I also have a second card,, that I made Inspired by the Sparks Challenge from Paper Smooches.  The have an inspiration photo this week, that I really liked, especially the colors:

In the picture it's hard to see, but I stamped a subtle background in very light grey using some of Paper Smooches botanicals.

Now have a look at Annis Blog - she always wowes me!

Das doppelte Lottchen #93

It's Lottie and Lisa time! 

That means Anni and I usually pick a stamp or stamp that that we both have (we nearly have the same taste!) and create a card with this set and another task.
Today Anni made a wish, and it is:

Heart Stencil (made with Silhouette)

and

no paste

Es ist wieder Lottchenzeit!

Hier einigen die wunderbare Anni und ich uns üblicherweise auf einen Stempel oder ein Stempelset , dass wir beide besitzen und gestalten (unser Geschmack ist sehr ähnlich!) mit diesem und einer Zusatzaufgabe eine Karte. 

Anni durfte wünschen, und heraus kam:

Herz Schablone (mit der Silhouette geschnitten)

und

keine Paste

This is what I came up with:

I wanted to try out a little flat bag made from Vellum (I need to get some white parchment paper!) and used the stencil with versamark ink to emboss the hearts. I used 3 colors of embossing powder to decorate that little bag. Then I used a journaling card with a tab to create a gift coupon. Put together with some patterned paper, a colored image and a sentiment - that's it!

Und das kam bei mir dabei heraus:

I wollte gerne eine flache Tüte aus Vellum (Ich muss mal weißes Pergamentpapier besorgen!)  ausprobieren und habe die Schablone mit Versamark benutzt, um die Tüte mit Embossing zu dekorieren. Ich habe 3 verschiedenfarbige Embossing-pulver benutzt. Dann habe ich eine Journaling Karte mit Tab  benutzt um einen Gutschein zu machen. zusammen mit etwas gemustertem Papier und einem kolorierten Bild - das ist es auch schon!

you can see the gift coupon here:

hier seht ihr den Gutschein:

Challenge:

Seize the birthday - anything (birthday) goes

See what Anni created, using the same stencil without paste!

I would also like to show you two more cards that I made yesterday. The first is my first attempt on making a pop-up card. This is so easy! I'll definitely do a lot of them now ;)

Ich würde Euch gerne noch zwei Karten zeigen. Die erste ist mein allererster Versuch eine Pop-up-Karte zu machen. Das ist so einfach! I werde jetzt definitiv häufiger welche machen ;)

Challenge:

Little Red Wagon - truly dimensional

The second card is a simple one-layer watercolor card.

Die zweite Karte ist eine einfache One-Layer Wasserfarben-Karte.

Challenge:

Virginia's View Challenge - Watercolor

CAS on sunday - one layer wonder

Paper Players - CAS Spring