For my card-making/stamping escapades this week, I sure was stumped on a color challenge.

I have been enjoying participating in various card challenges as a way to expand my creativity.  The challenges typically give you a sketched layout, an inspiration photo, a particular embellishment that must be used, or a grouping of 3 -4 colors to incorporate into your project.

So…. after feeling a little bit proud (woohoo! I’m easily excited) for being recognized as a “Cut Above” the past two weeks – last week for the Paper Players Challenge #207 Button Challenge (thanks Andrea!) and the week before in the Paper Players Challenge #206 Sketch Challenge (thanks Claire!), I just couldn’t figure out what to do with the Paper Players Color Challenge #208.  I actually made three different cards three nights this week until I settled on the watercolor swallowtail card above to submit.

The challenge was to incorporate 4 colors into your project:  Calypso Coral, Blushing Bride, Hello Honey, and Basic Gray.  Here they are:

I was having trouble being creative with these colors.

This was my first attempt:

Didn’t love it….

Then I made this one:

Used the same colors….  different techniques….

Didn’t love it….

Almost gave up…

Then this one came to me:

Still the same colors…. Yet more different techniques….

As I look at all three, I see such a vast difference in all three despite the same four colors being used.

For the one I chose, I watercolored the inks on water color paper with a water brush starting with the blushing bride on top, then calypso coral, and finally hello honey.  After it dried, I stamped the swallowtail on with Memento black ink, then outlined and shaded with some glittery dazzling effects.  I then simply mounted that on the gray card stock, and then onto a white base.  With all the glitz of the butterfly, I thought I should keep the rest muted and simple.

So now I have three cards I can use – all because I was seriously color challenged in this week’s color challenge.  Thanks Nance!

Cheers & Hugs,

Jodi