My blog is called "Creative Smiles" because my designs are the result of incorporating mistakes. With fumble fingers that drop whatever they are holding - repeatedly, it takes a lot of giggles, smiles and creative patience during my crafting process. xx

Monday, August 02, 2021

Color Yourself Happy with a freebie

 Greetings, Friends! Hoping you are doing well and keeping COVID-SAFE. I'm so grateful for your on-line friendship. 

Today we have a new Challenge happening at:

Inspiration Station


NOT just "another" inspiration board. 

It's entirely YOUR take as to what inspires you - 
it could be emotional, thematic, color, texture. 
What ignites your imagination today?


My thoughts went to Connie Griffin, with her daily coloring samples, and to my friends who do such beautiful shading and coloring in their art projects. I also liked that there were lots of colors, just like my coloring efforts below.

Crafter Extraordinaire Shandy gifted me with a fun Zen-style coloring booklet. 

Finished projects are intended to be mailed as postcards. In this instance, my Copic Markers bled through the cardstock, so I used it for card making.

Colored postcard is 5.5" x 7.5":


Then I cut the image in half:

A little embellishment with white gel pen and VersaFine Clair ink around the edges and framed with a 2 sided MS border punch, helped bring it to life. The sentiment is white embossing powder on turquoise vellum:


More white gel pens along the top and bottom:




Here is a plain white punched border:

Please join us this challenge with whatever inspires you!

Products:  Color Yourself Happy Coloring booklet of 5x7 post cards - Copic Markers - Distress Inks - VersaFine Clair inks - brads - White Gel Pen - Martha Stewart Geometric Frame border punch - Hero Arts CL342 sentiments, White detail embossing powder.

Challenges I would like to play in please:  

  1. World Wide Open DT Challenge Blog #7 (July 15) AG DT 8/15 (sep post)
  2. Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers #190 C is for Colorful (sep post) 8/6
  3. Inkspirational #244 Spots and Dots (inside images and on borders) 8/6 (sep post)
  4. Cards 4 Galz #152 Dies and/or Punches ( Martha Stewart Geometric Frame border punch) 8/11
  5. Aud Sentiments Challenges #280 AG plus a sentiment 8/8 (sep post)
  6. Here is a Place to Start #8 What's your style? (I am a long time user of colored pencils and vivacious colors. I especially enjoy mixing them with alcohol inks and dye-base inks) 9/6
  7. My Time to Craft #462 No Pattern Papers 8/6


My Gift to You

Please do not sell the Sentiments, but please Use on any of your projects, including projects involving any design teams you might be on.

Click on the image to bring it to full size. Because of the changes Google made, your image will appear to be solid black. Don’t panic. Right click and do a SAVE. Once it is saved on your hard drive, you can open it and it will have a transparent background. I create PNGs instead of JPGs so they can be placed anywhere on a scene or project, and so backgrounds can be made using them. Please let me know if you have any problems. I hope it serves you well!

Enjoy!





thanks for visiting today!


35 comments:

brenda said...

A fabulous burst of vibrant colours Donna, lovely work and a perfect welcome to a Monday morning in another wet cold (9deg at 6am as I type) in the UK, someone said it was August!!

B x

Crafting Queen said...

Wow, this is wonderful. Love the colouring. Anesha x

Jackie T said...

Hi Donna both of your cards are gorgeous. Your colouring is just amazing. Thank you for the freebies again. Take care. Hugs Jackie

Beebeebabs said...

Absolutely beautiful as always - thanks for sharing!!!

cotnob said...

These are beautiful Donna, your colouring is fabulous - you have created two super, bright and cheerful cards.
Pauline - Crafting with Cotnob
x

Lori m said...

Donna...thank you so much for sharing your beautiful sentiment. Your cards are beyond wow factor stunning. Love the coloring, shading and overall finished cards, hugs, Lori m

Shona Erlenborn said...

These are both fabulous! Such intricate coloring! Thanks for the freebies too!

Donna Walls said...

Absolutely beautiful Donna and I thank you for such beautiful team projects for the Challenge at Inspiration Station! And thanks for the Freebies too! Donna

Birgit said...

This is stunning! So colourful and full of life.

Chris said...

Wow! Such a wonderful combination of beautiful colours and perfect colouring! You have made such gorgeous cards from the colouring page Donna, I love them!
Thank you for the freebies too!
hugs
xxx

Zoechaos said...

It is such a pain when you solvent ink pens bleed through isn't it? This is a great save and you got 2 gorgeous cards for the price of one. The way you chose to colour this is so rich and organic it really is fabulous. then there is that turquoise vellum with the white ep how magic is that. Love love love xoxo

KraftyKoolKat said...

Such gorgeous colouring Donna, it must have taken you ages. My wrist would have been aching. lol!! Thank you so much for the freebie sweetie.
Hugs
Cathy
xxxxx

crafty-stamper said...

Fabulous colouring Donna and it made two beautiful cards
Carol x

Donna Phelan said...

So Gorgeous! I LOVE your colors! So bright and cheerful and happy!

Donna said...

How gorgeous, your coloring is just amazing Donna! And thank you for the lovely sentiment!

cuilliesocks said...

Two gorgeous cards, wonderful colours and designs, Kate x

Jean Bullock said...

Well done...as usual! Great idea to cut in half.

NanaConnie said...

WOW, Donna! Gorgeous cards, fab coloring, and I love the idea that you took a large image and cut it into 2 pieces, resulting in 2 marvelous cards. I'm definitely going to have to dig out one or two of my larger background rubber stamps to see if I can CASE this idea in some way. Thanks so much for the inspiration.

Conniecrafter said...

Oh wow your coloring of this is just gorgeous, such great rich color, so nice you were able to get two cards out of this one coloring :) Love the border you chose to go with the images, so pretty!

Sue said...

Hi Donna, Loving the card. The colours are fab.

Hope you have a nice day. Sue

Mac Mable said...

Amazing colouring and what a fabulous image Donna. Great you managed to get two wonderful cards from it. The addition of the turquoise vellum sentiment strip and the die cut edging looks so pretty x.

JulieP said...

Gorgeous, gorgeous coloring! Thanks so much for getting colorful with us at the Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers.

Anne Buckingham said...

The postcards are so fun. You have raised them to a much higher sophistication level. Lovely card.

Leslie Miller said...

I love this type of image with all its coloring possibilities! Your coloring and color choices transport me to a color lover's Nirvana! Wow! Your sentiment freebie is beautiful, too. You are so kind and generous, Donna!

SewPaperPaint said...

Such great free sentiments, Donna! Thank you! The coloring on your cards is out of this world beautiful. They are incredible. Big hugs, Autumn

Aimeslee Winans said...

Omg, I just now snapped that you list your challenges kind of like I do and I totally get your expiration dates! Well, I very much love your cards and now I'm wondering how you are taking all this coloring? Is it relaxing and not hurting you? Do you take frequent breaks? I have another friend in pain alot who colors. I get lost in it and do sometimes realize I cannot move hahaha. But I do think my frequent trips to the bathroom are like built in break protectors for me. See, blessings everywhere! {eye roll} Hey, hope you are feeling good and big hugs! xoxo

Bunny said...

Grand coloring, Donna. Plus, you made two cards out of it. Fabulous. [Bunny]

Margarets designer cards said...

Fabulous colouring, wonderful designs

Helen said...

Beautiful design and LOVE all those colours! Thanks for joining us at Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers!

Donna said...

Lovely cards!
Thanks for getting COLOURFUL with Edna and the sisterhood of snarky stampers!

Chrissy said...

WOW Donna, the colours here are just gorgeous, I love the pattern from your colouring book and your colouring is outstanding. I love to add white gel pen too and I love the pop yours has given this piece,love the frame and fabulous card design, just beautiful..

Luv CHRISSYxx

Shell Shearer Swinscoe said...

Just gorgeous hun, love the punch you have used

Thank you for sharing with us at 'Cardz 4 Galz' this fortnight
Hugs Shell xx

Pia S said...

A beautiful array of colors and your added dots have a big impact. Nicely done, glad you shared it with us at Inkspirational as well.

Colleen Dietrich said...

Such vibrant, beautiful coloring you've done, Donna! I am always bummed when my Copic coloring bleeds through cardstock, too, so you made a good choice to use these post card panels as card fronts instead.

Thank you so, so much for leaving me some love a little while back. Life has been much too hectic, and I'm finally getting a chance to come say thank you!!

Monica C. said...

Gorgeous cards, Donna! I love how you used the card here that was no longer usable as a post card. The colors are so bold and lush.
Thank you for the freebies.
Hugs Monica