New Creative Crew and Cards

Hello, Everyone!
This is a long post so I will make my exciting news brief! I am honored to now be a part of the Ribbon Carousel Design Team!  Check out their website and the other team member blogs from the links in the side bar.  Please consider liking the Ribbon Carousel on facebook where you will be able to view DT member cards posted weekly.  There is also a monthly blog challenge; won't you join us this month?
There are new Creative Crew Challenges at SCS today and  I have 5 new Creative Crew cards to share with you!  Sadly, these will be my last Creative Crew cards, as this is my final design team month.  There is a whole new crew coming on and I'm sure they will provide you with loads of Stampin' Up inspiration! 
This month, we were to challenge ourselves and step outside of our stamping comfort zone.
Here is the first of the challenges-

DSP/Color Focus: It's almost time to say goodbye to the 2011 In Colors. This month, show us the beauty of Island Indigo, Calypso Coral, Wisteria Wonder, Lucky Limeade and Pool Party! To challenge yourself, focus on your least favorite of these colors.

 I used both Pool Party and Calypso Coral on this card. The robin is stamped in Stazon Black on Naturals White, and colored with Calypso Coral, Cajun Craze, Basic Gray, Crumb Cake and More Mustard.  I used the out of the box technique and cut out his tail.  The fancy lower edge of the image panel was made with an Apothecary framelit. 

 Wisteria Wonder, while I don't dislike it, is my least favorite of the '11 in colors.  I also challenged myself by using the heart dies, not my favorite shape to use, and created my own background.  I stamped En Francais in Crumb Cake on Whisper White, followed by stamping the small floral image from Bordering on Romance in Wisteria Wonder.  I inked the edges with So Saffron.  I die cut a heart out of the bottom right corner of this panel and also out of a scrap piece of Concord Crush.  I placed the Concord Crush heart above the die cut opening, overlapping it a bit at the top.  Then, using So Saffron again,  I inked the edges of the heart that was die cut from the back panel. I cut off the lacy edge of a doily and ruffled and adhered it to the back of the heart.  I placed this heart in the center of the two hearts already on the panel.
I die cut a smaller heart in Whisper White and embossed it with the Vintage Wallpaper ef.  Then I stamped the main flower image in Stazon Black and, using a blender pen, colored it with Concord Crush, So Saffron, More Mustard and River Rock.  The flowers were fussy cut out and they, along with the white heart were adhered to the middle heart.  Another smaller heart was cut in Wisteria Wonder and the sentiment was stamped on it in Concord Crush.  Two of the smallest hearts were cut and stamped with the En Francais background, sponged and adhered.  A white bow and pearl finish the card.  The card base is Wisteria Wonder. 

Holiday focus: Let's make cards for the men in our lives!  Challenge yourself by using a non-masculine set to make your masculine card or by trying a new technique.

  I used mixed media on this card, specifically following the Mix-Ability 7 challenge at SCS.  I started with First Edition dsp and covered it with gesso.  Once dry, I used a bit of watered down Real Red reinker and a paint brush and spattered the dsp.  I then inked up the lobster image; I brushed the watered down red on the stamp and stamped over the red spatter.  I then inked it up with Cherry Cobbler, and using the Stamp-a-ma-jig, I overstamped the image.  I used the Woodgrain background stamp and lightly stamped the image in Crumb Cake.  Finally, I used the Color Spritzer and spritzed Basic Gray on the image panel.
For the background paper, I wet a piece of watercolor paper with the aqua painter, then with Night of Navy, used the direct to paper technique.  I stamped the sea fan image several times over the dried background and then spritzed Basic Gray ink.

Here is another technique card.  I used the Wrinkle Free Distress technique; instuctions found on SCS.  The fish is colored with Basic Gray reinker, marker and aqua painter.  The sea horse is fussy cut out.  The sea fan is stamped in Cajun Craze, slightly overlapping the fish.  The right edge of the panel was cut down and the sea fan was fussy cut out along that edge. 

Creative Focus: This month, let's show off our new paper piercing tools!  Challenge yourself to add piercing to your card in a new way.

This cas card uses the square piercing templates, paper punches and the Beyond Plaid stamp set.The black square 'frames' are popped up on dimensionals.

Sorry for the length of this post; there was alot of technique in these cards this month!  For more inspiration, check out the Creative Crew Gallery at SCS.  

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog and have a blessed week!

Lee Ann :)

Supplies used:

Card 1-

Stamps-Nature Walk

Paper-Naturals White, Pool Party, Calypso Coral, Basic Gray, Crumb Cake, Natural Composition Specialty dsp, retired dsp

Ink-Stazon black, More Mustard, Basic Gray, Calypso Coral, Crumb Cake, Cajun Craze

Other-Apothecary Framelit, Little Leaves Sizzlit, pearls, dimensionals, Itty Bitty Punch Pack, Woodgrain ef, linen thread, Pool Party baker's twine

Card 2-

Stamps-Bordering on Romance, Field Flowers (sentiment), En Francais background stamp

Paper-Whisper White, Wisteria Wonder, Concord Crush

Ink-Wisteria Wonder, Concord Crush, So Saffron, More Mustard, Crumb Cake

Other- Heart Framelits, Doily, pearls, dimensionals, ribbon, pearls, Vintage Wallpaper ef

Card 3-

Stamps-By the Tide, Teeny Tiny Wishes, Wood grain background

Paper-Black, Naturals Ivory, Naturals White, First Edition dsp

Ink-Real Red, Cherry Cobbler, Night of Navy, Crumb Cake, Stazon Black

Other-Gesso, paint brush, circle punch, linen thread, Basic Gray marker, Color Spritzer, Natural Trim Ribbon, dimensionals

Card 4-

Stamps-By the Tide, Teeny Tiny Wishes

Paper-Cajun Craze, Island Indigo, Naturals White

Ink-Island Indigo, Pool Party, Cajun Craze, Basic Gray

Other-Natural Trim Ribbon, Spray bottle of water, linen thread, button from neutral collection

Card 5-

Stamps-Beyond Plaid, Teeny Tiny Wishes

Paper-River Rock, Basic Black

Ink-Stazon Black, River Rock

Other-Paper piercing pack, mat and piercer, dimensionals, 1" and 1.25" square punches