Orange?

I'm heading off to class this morning to give my final presentation. I'm looking forward to a break from classes (next ones start in June) and, to the end of my degree program later this summer. Before I go, I have a few things to share that I've worked on this week on breaks from finishing my coursework.

I admit, I am not generally a big fan of orange. It's a color I never, never wear and not one I'm usually drawn to. But lately, I've been using more orange in my designs, especially paired with other colors.

I used Julee's Mojo Monday sketch from earlier in the week for this card. Here, I paired just a bit of orange with blue. I've been wanting to use this cute KI Memories bird paper for a while and I thought the bird images on the paper would be fun paired with the bird from Verve Visual's Anniversary Birds set.

The cardfront is made from one of last year's retired SU! In Colors, Buckaroo Blue. I didn't buy a lot of this color and now that I've looked at it again, I'm kind of regretting it. I don't know why I didn't--it's a nice kind of slate blue. I guess sometimes it takes a while for a color to grow on you . . .

I stamped the bird, the branch, and the sentiment on a piece of Bashful Blue cardstock. I stamped the bird again on a scrap of white paper and colored it with Copic markers, then trimmed around it. It's attached to the "scene" with dimensionals.

The Pumpkin Pie band across the cardfront is accented with three Dew Drops from the Flame assortment and with an orange Prima flower.

Materials Used:
Anniversary Birds and Happy Thoughts stamp sets (Verve Visual); Brocade Blue Classic ink, Buckaroo Blue, Sahara Sand, Bashful Blue, and Pumpkin Pie cardstock, dimensionals (Stampin' Up!); Flame Dew Drops (Kitchen Sink Stamps); markers (Copic Ciao); white cardstock (Georgia Pacific); Graphite Black and Coffee Bean inks (Brilliance)

This card is based on a sketch from Mary Jo at Technostamper. This is such a great sketch--there are so many options for using it. I used it to make a bright birthday card that would fit pretty much anyone. The cupcake image from the Cause for Celebration hostess set is so cute and versatile, too! I haven't used it enough. Here, I stamped it with black ink and colored it with Copic markers. I added a bit of Yellow Stickles to the icing--yum!

I paired the Pumpkin Pie cardfront with a softer orange patterned paper, plus some shades of red and yellow. It's a little bright, but I think it would work for a child's birthday.

Materials Used:
Cause for Celebration stamp set, Pumpkin Pie, Ruby Red, and Summer Sun cardstock, corner rounder (Stampin' Up!); Yellow Stickles (Ranger); yellow acrylic dome floral embellishments (Michaels); markers (Copic Ciao); patterned paper (Scrapbook Wizard pad)