Today I’m taking the opportunity to share some projects that were originally shared on my old Stampin’ Up! blog.
These cards just feel like summer even though they were originally shared in January of 2017 for the Color Fusers blog hop and monthly color challenge. Since Stampin’ Up! is taking down the blog portion of the site, I’ve picked some of my favorite posts to bring over here to my new site.
The colors in today’s projects are Crushed Curry, Tangerine Tango, Sweet Sugarplum and Very Vanilla. Two of these colors are now retired. It’s such a happy, cheerful color scheme! Check it out…

This color scheme immediately makes me think of a bright sun on the horizon and a colorful sky… sort of a variation of a red sky at morning theme.
So, I started playing with inking my acrylic blocks to create a background and I was not disappointed. I hope you will agree.
I have two cards for you this month that are variations on the same theme.
My first card here uses the Beautiful You Stamp Set:

I’ve used an acrylic block with ink pads to create this background. Click HERE to see a previous post which includes a tutorial, for how to do this technique.
I have used Watercolor Paper for the focal piece. It truly is the best option in my opinion although you can also use the Shimmery White cardstock and even Very Vanilla or Whisper White Cardstock in a pinch. The Watercolor Paper and Shimmery White Cardstock, handle the water much better than regular cardstock, and the inks move in more interesting ways on these first two options.

In the photo above, check out the cool organic shapes and textures created with the ink and water on the watercolor paper. I just love this effect! In the photo below just above the words, there’s another really interesting texture created at the top edge. I promise I did not plan this… it just happened.

When you use this method expect the unexpected as no two backgrounds will turn out the same!
The amount of ink you use, and how much water you spray on your block will change the outcome significantly. The beauty of this technique is that each background you create will be special and unique.
The card below is the same focal piece placed on a Basic Gray card base instead of on the Sweet Sugarplum base. In the end, I attached my focal piece to the Sweet Sugarplum base but thought it would be fun to show you this other option. Do you prefer one over the other? Please comment below if you have a preference. I’d love to know what you think.

For the second card, I simply placed my background colors and image in the portrait orientation and used the High Tide Stamp Set for the images. I also chose to use a Basic Gray Background, which felt more fitting for the lighthouse image. The colors in this next watercolor background turned out so rich and pretty!
Here’s project #2:
In this close up you can see the dynamic movement of the colors in this background.

Another closeup that I love…

Here’s one final photo of the pair. With these two photos side by side, you can really see how the watercolor background is very different on each card. With this method, no two backgrounds will ever be the same, and that’s a lot of the fun!!! I hope you’ll experiment and play with this technique and let me know what you think! For instructions on how to achieve this effect click HERE for more details.

I hope you’ve enjoyed these projects and have found some creative inspiration here. A complete supply list and project dimensions are included at the end of this post.
Make sure to continue on the blog hop to check out all the fun projects created by the Color Fusers Team.
I’m sure you will see some great projects and ideas! A complete list of participants is included here:
- Patty Bennett
- Paola Phillips
- Jo Anne Hewins
- Melissa Kerman – You Are Here
- Robin Messenheimer
- Pat Ertman
- Debbie Henderson
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Lighthouse Card Dimensions:
- Basic Gray Card Body 5-1/2″ x 8-1/2″”
- Basic Black Layer 3-15/16″ x 4-15/16″ (use dimensionals to attach to card base)
- Watercolor Paper 3-3/4″ x 4-3/4″
Live, Laugh, Love Card Dimensions:
- Sweet Sugarplum Card Body 4-1/4″ x 11″
- Basic Black Layer 3-15/16″ x 4-15/16″ (use dimensionals to attach to card base)
- Watercolor Paper 3-3/4″ x 4-3/4″