May 2020 Inspiration Challenge

Hey guys! Amber here, and I'm delighted to host my first Inspiration Challenge. This month's color scheme is bold, bright, and perfect to celebrate sunshine, clear skies, and happy days.

Santorini, Greece has the most breathtaking skylines with its crisp white buildings and blue-domed rooftops. Do you know the ones? Now, I don't have a personal photo of those striking rooftops to share, so think of this as my version.

To jumpstart your creativity, I combined this vibrant Inspiration Challenge with a new episode of Color Connection with Amber.

FIRST CARD

I encourage you to interpret the photo inspiration loosely and creatively incorporate the colors and shapes. The large expanse of blue and white called to me like a siren. That's why I created the blue waterfall background first.

Watercolor Brush Markers and Liquid Watercolor Refills create a smooth vibrant color payoff. To create a waterfall background, hold a piece of Watercolor Paper Set at an angle, and drip clean clear water down the card. The water tracks give the pigment a place to run.

Next, squeeze drops of Turquoise Watercolor Brush Marker or Liquid Watercolor Refill onto the wet paper. Tap to get the drops to slide down the card. Splatter a few drops and set aside to dry.

Let's look at this gorgeous bloom. Build-A-Flower: Peruvian Lily is a fan favorite for a good reason. It's one of the most realistic floral layer stamps I've seen. While 10 layers may seem daunting, Altewew made this stamp easy to layer!

The stamping process is in the video and I'll list the individual colors here. The dye inks below are from the Summer Afternoon, Warm & Cozy, Pocketful of Sunshine, and Tropical Forest Crisp Dye Ink families. I stamped the sentiment with Obsidian Pigment Ink and popped up the lily on orange fun foam for extra color.

Build-A-Flower: Peruvian Lily

• Layer 1 | Warm Sunshine
• Layer 2 | Orange Cream
• Layer 3 | Autumn Blaze
• Layer 4 | Citrus Burst
• Layer 5 | Maple Yellow
• Layer 6 | Honey Drizzle
• Layer 7 | Caramel Toffee
• Layer 8, 9, 10 | Obsidian Pigment Ink

Leaves

• Layer 1 | Bamboo
• Layer 2 | Olive
• Layer 3 | Moss

SECOND CARD

Now let's shake things up and create a blue flower with an orange watercolor background. The modern pop art style of the Floral Art Stamp Set is perfect for bright blue blooms. If you're looking for a stamp set with minimal layers, this one is for you! Although these flowers only have 2-3 layers, they pack a punch!

First, I stamped the largest flower from Floral Art Stamp Set with Obsidian Pigment Ink, Tide Blue Crisp Dye Ink, and Fresh Lemon Crisp Dye Ink. Look how the flower center overlaps the blue and creates a touch of green. Love it!

Now, I know what you're thinking, why are there extra background panels in the first picture of this post? Guys, I could not decide on a watercolor background so I just kept making them. Ultimately, I landed on the simplest background of them all. LOL! Learn how I created all the backgrounds in the video below.

For this card, I painted a 1-inch stripe with Warm Sunshine from the Spring Garden Watercolor Brush Marker Set. Wait for the paint to completely dry before stamping the sentiment. Mine is a bit blurry because it was still damp. Lastly, I hand-drew a line under the orange stripe and popped up the flower on white foam.

Here is the coordinating Color Connection video with more project details. You can watch it below or watch it in HD on Altenew's YouTube channel:

I hope you are as inspired as I was by the photo and color scheme and I can't wait to see what you make!

~SUPPLY LIST~

Build-A-Flower: Peruvian Lily [ ALTN ] Watercolor Brush Markers – Tropical… [ ALTN ] Floral Art Stamp Set [ ALTN ] Floral Art Die Set [ ALTN ] Tropical Forest Oval Set [ ALTN ] Jet Black Ink Spray [ ALTN ] Watercolor Brush Markers – Spring… [ ALTN ] Summer Afternoon Oval Set [ ALTN ] Warm & Cozy Oval Set [ ALTN ] Pocketful of Sunshine Oval Set [ ALTN ] Deep Blue Seas Oval Set [ ALTN ]

• Altenew products should be the focus, but other companies’ products can be used.
• Make sure to use our challenge image above in your blog post.
• Include a link back to the ALTENEW INSPIRATION CHALLENGE POST.
• When uploading your project, make sure you link your entry post, not your entire blog.
• You may enter as many times as you wish!
• Challenge ends on May 31st, 2020, at 11:55 PM EDT.

After the challenge ends, FOUR WINNERS will be selected. Each will receive a $30 gift certificate to spend at www.altenew.com.

Winners will be announced on 07/10/2020.

WAIT – there’s more!

If you use #AltenewChallenge when you share your challenge entry on social media, you are instantly entered into a raffle to win a $15 gift certificate to our online store!

Feel free to use the banner above and let everyone know that you are participating in our Inspiration Challenge!

Please click on the blue button below to link your challenge entries. We cannot wait to see where this month’s inspiration takes you!

Good luck and happy crafting!