PDCC 126: taking on a colour challenge

I think I've managed to journal every day of the Easter hols so far -it's been great!  I'm working in my little A6 Moleskine look-a-like from Rymans and just going from page to page.  Yesterday I had a go at this week's colours provided by my fabulously talented friend Julie Ranae over at The Play Date Cafe...

[check out that gorgeous fabric featuring silver birch trunks!  LoVe it!]

I started with the grey, then added in the blue, but when it came to finding that green...

..it looked ok, but needed a bit of something else...

... a vibrant pinky purple!  So today I had another go, and just stuck to the three required colours...

The grey flowers are stitched on, and inspired by a card I had pinned in my studio by Angie Lewin whose work I LoVe, LoVe, LoVe!

[note: as co-creator of the challenge I'm not entering for the prize, just for the challenge of using the colour!]

my art journals IN PRINT!!!!

Oh I'm so excited, I still can't believe how much coverage the lovely Cynthia gave me in the latest issue of the stampers' sampler :) :) :)  I'm also very proud of myself that I kept it secret all this time ;)

I have to say a huge, huge THaNKYou to Julie Ranae because it was Julie who told me about the stampers' sampler artful envelope challenge earlier in the year (and sent me a punched shoe shape which I cut round to create the one featured below!).  I adore using envelopes in my journals, and to create journals from, so bravely trusted them to DHL and sent them off to sunny California!

Flicking through the magazine yesterday I could only find my work in pictures 4 and 6 above so assumed this was a heads up for the challenge being featured in the next issue.  Taking it to work to show my colleagues I discovered that the challenge was in this issue...

...and then even later (duh, I really wasn't concentrating), found the feature Cynthia had run on my 'Stamped Journaling' :) :) :)  I'm so happy, I still can't quite take it all in!!!

Thanks so much Cynthia for loving my work, and your sweet description of my talent too [whilst I describe myself as 'playing with paper, paint, inks and odds n ends', Cynthia says 'Sarah is clearly an artist and innovator as well as an experienced stamper' - how cool is that!!!!]

The Stampers' Sampler is available in the UK from Wendy at The Stamp Attic, and from Rainbow Silks.

Tomorrow I'm one of 120 bloggers taking part in a huge blog hop 'Operation Julie's Smile'.  There are over £1,500 worth of prizes in the prize pot and the hop runs the entire weekend so should be a good 'un!

PDCC75 inspired by US Monopoly

Julie's taken this week's colour inspiration from this gorgeous Monopoly photograph.  These seem to be such nice pastel colours compared to the bright, strong colours of the UK version.  And how cute is that thimble?  I was usually the dog, although I also liked the hat and the iron!!!

This week at The Play Date Cafe we're sponsored by WPlus9Designs who gave each designer their choice of stamps; and this week's prize is the winner's choice of stamps from WPlus9Designs :)

I chose these really funky flowers which stamp beautifully I have to say!

Whilst having a bit of a mooch around in Selfridges this afternoon I saw a lovely little A6 notebook in the Muji concession for only 60p!  They only used to have them in 'kraft' so I was really pleased :

I've gone for the 'less is more' approach again this week with my design:

Don't forget to check out this week's DT members pieces for inspiration, then get crafting (and remember, anything goes as long as it's created in turquoise, rose pink and silver) and enter your piece over at The Play Date Cafe ~ have fun!

Jaclyn Miller

Jinny Newlin

Libby Hickson

Michele Gross

TRacey Kuzniak

Colleen Dietrich 

Julie Ranae 

Savannah O'Gwynn 

Ruby2Shoes 

Andrea Ewen

Fiona Schultz

and this week's guest designer

Dawn, owner of WPlus9 Designs

finally got my hands on ...

... some coloured twine from The Twinery!!!  I've been admiring this beautiful 'string' on cards for a while and as Julie Ranae, our fabulous DT Co-ordinator and Senior Designer is also DT Co-ordinator over at The Twinery it will come as no surprise that they are sponsoring The Play Date Cafe Colour Challenge this week :)

I doubt it will surprise you either that I crocheted with mine!  I wanted to see how the twisted colours would turn out :)  This gorgeous bakers' twine comes in a rainbow of different colours and as it was scheduled a 'colour splash' week Julie had the brilliant idea of players (you guys) choosing your own colour splash colour ie make a project using mainly black and white with a splash of one colour of your own choosing.

My colour splash choice was Maraschino Red :)

Don't spend too long deliberating over a colour, just choose one and go for it ;)  But if you'd like to see some gorgeous inspiration, head over to the cafe to see guest designer Julie Ranae's stunning project, and hang out with our design team here~

Ruby2Shoes 

Andrea Ewen

Fiona Schultz

Jaclyn Miller

Jinny Newlin

Libby Hickson

Michele Gross

TRacey Kuzniak

Colleen Dietrich 

Julie Ranae 

Savannah O'Gwynn 

PDCC68 better late than never!!!

Apologies for the late appearance of my play date cafe colour challenge piece - I had to respond to a statement yesterday from one of the drivers that hit my car back in November and it sent me all of a wobble, and I ended up not being able to do anything!  The statement wasn't correct, and thinking it through so deeply took me right back to spending all that time in the centre of the M6, in the dark and wet, and on my own. :(

Julie picked our colours this week and I just LoVeD using them, especially that pink!  I made a journal page using Adirondack paint dabbers, a doiley and a white gel pen.

I then added paper hearts, stitched downt he middle, and tiny crocheted hearts, one of which I sprayed with pink Sticky Fingers ink.  These were so cute to do; I was out with my crochet bag and intended to make some more hearts for my heart garland but I'd brought the wrong crochet hook, so I made miniature hearts instead!!!

Think I'm going to be making some more of these!!!

This journal page is A5 in size and the hearts are about the size of a 50p piece.  Fiona's been crocheting with this week's colours too - the most gorgeous pair of baby sandals!  And this week we have our first guest designer of 2011 - the talented Kazan Clark (who co-owned 2sketches4you).  So please take a look at our designers' wonderful work over in the cafe, and visit their blogs to show them some love.

Kazan Clark - this week's guest designer

Savannah O'Gwynn 

Ruby2Shoes 

Andrea Ewen

Fiona Schultz

Jaclyn Miller

Jinny Newlin

Libby Hickson

Michele Gross

TRacey Kuzniak

Colleen Dietrich 

PDCC58 Christmas is coming

I love the Play Date Cafe challenges, because they vary between really challenging, ie unusual colours to work with so take a bit of thinking about, to less challenging where the challenge may be with more familiar colours so you can add your own personal challenge to it eg trying something new, or just getting something done in an already busy week.  This week Julie has chosen us some lovely Christmassy colours to work with:

Although you are right Paul, it is really only one colour plus a neutral ;)

For me, getting something done was the challenge recently, as I've been busy recovering from accidents and incidents, preparing and helping at Christmas fairs,  and travelling between Manchester and Birmingham to train teachers in teaching maths using a structured apparatus called Numicon.  

For me, free machining a pattern on a felt heart wasn't a creative challenge as such, but I think trying to use just red and white on a journal page would have been.  I'd love to know what makes a challenge a challenge for you - let me know ;)  

We have a smaller design team this week whilst we wait for our new members to be chosen, but their work is great so head on over to take a look and be inspired

Andrea Ewen
Savannah O'Gwynn
Ruby 2 Shoes

Julie Ranae - senior designer

And don't forget to head on over to the Play Date Cafe to see what's happening there this week :)  Take care if you're struggling in the snow, it's hit the UK hard this week.  But look who I found in the Manchester Christmas markets this afternoon...

Now he MuST be the real Father Christmas!  I think he's hiding so he can get a bit of a rest in before the big night!!

PDCC53 Into our Second Year :)

How cool is that :)  Thanks to all of you who joined in our celebrations last week.  This week is colour splash week, a favourite within The Play Date Cafe, and a great way to start our second year of the challenge :)

Whilst out hunting for a photographs for this week's colour splash I came across this image by trunkguy.  

He had been playing with a colour splash app on his iphone (so jealous, I so wanted an iphone!!) and produced this image.  I fell in love with the colours, and I just happen to love Acquilega too - gorgeous, gorgeous flowers!

This week the design team were all sent the above set of stamps from Mark's Finest Papers.  They are clearly designed for card making (or tags) so I decided to challenge myself - was it possible to use stamps such as these for a journal page?

I'm happy to say it is :)  I played with Black Soot and Aged Mahogany distress inks, stamping words repeatedly for texture then individually to show what the page is about.  It is good to be thankful for all the great things we have in our lives so I added a weeny envelope to the page so I can place 'thankful' tags in it.  This is my A5 Daler Rowney sketchbook.

We'd love to have you join us over in the cafe this week.  You don't have to make a card, or even a journal page, it can be aNYTHiNG you've made in the colours of the week - black, white and a splash of burgundy!

We've even had cakes lol ;)

There's some fabulous inspiration on our designers' blogs, so head over there for a lookie :)

Julie Ranae

Suzanne Czosek

Andrea Ewen
Savannah O'Gwynn
Lisa Somerville
Ruby 2 Shoes

Then stop by the cafe to link up your piece so we can all head on over to see your work :)

Christmas in the Play Date Cafe

Don't say I didn't warn you!!!  This week we are sponsored by the fabulous Elusive Images by Glenda Waterworth.  I have many of Glenda's stamps and am so pleased that we have another great British stamp company sponsoring the Play Date Cafe.

I received the GoRGeouS Frosty Trees set to play with and decided to go green with just a hint of watermelon using Julie's fabulous colour inspiration

Glenda is offering a tremendous prize this week.  The winner of the Cup of the Week will receive FouR sets of stamps, and each of our Fab Four will win one set of stamps each.  How cool is that!!!  Head over to The Play Date Cafe for more information on how to play along, and to see what you can win,  and don't forget to check out the inspiration from our regular designers, the Elusive Images design team, and Glenda Waterworth, our guest designer this week.

Julie Ranae

Suzanne Czosek

Andrea Ewen
Savannah O'Gwynn
Lisa Somerville
Ruby 2 Shoes

Glenda Waterworth
Elusive Images Design Team

Happy Birthday Julie!

It's a VeRY special birthday for my wonderful friend Julie Ranae today, so a few of us from the Play Date Cafe have secretly been spreading the word in blogland!

Happy Birthday Julie!

Julie and I met via blogland, and I still remember the 40th birthday card I sent her full of stars!  Julie LoVeS her papers, so I used some Graphic 45 to make her card.  It combines her love of papers, and my love of Steampunk :)

There are lots of birthday wishes out there for Julie, and on one or two blogs there's a chance to win a prize so please visit and admire Julie's cards and birthday wishes from

Suzanne Czosek

Andrea Ewen

Stephanie KraftSavannah O'Gwynn

Mona Pendleton
Ruby 2 Shoes
Lisa Somerville

and it would be FaBuLouS if you headed over to Julie's blog to wish her a very HaPPY BiRTHDaY!  But don't let on I told you ;)

a Crafty Individual Play Date Cafe

This week Crafty Individuals, a favourite stamp company of many of us here in the UK, is sponsoring the Play Date Cafe.  They very kindly supplied the design team with a stamp of their choice, and a wonderful prize package for this week's challenge winner.

Julie's chosen this week's photo inspiration.  I love this image.  I had a lilac and deep blue kitchen once, and love this combo with lime green, but there's too much metal to clean in this one lol!  

I chose to work with a deep blue and used Chipped Sapphire distress ink, with Peeled Paint providing the green.  My silver comes in via the diamantés.   I was tempted to use a grey inkpad somewhere,  I just couldn't decide how!

Head on over to the Play Date Cafe to check out this week's prize, and to see the other designers' stunning pieces using this week's colours.

 Julie Ranae

Suzanne Czosek

Andrea Ewen
Savannah O'Gwynn
Lisa Somerville