Penguin Place Colour Challenge (#TGIFC328)

You may have noticed a lot of penguin cards lately....I just can't help myself!  This little guy is super cute and makes great birthday cards in addition to fun Christmas cards.  The #TGIFC328 challenge this week was the perfect jumping off point for this Coastal Cabana, Black & White birthday card:

I used Coastal Cabana ink, my Blending Brush, and the cloud die from the Basic Border Dies set to make my cloudy background.  Coastal Cabana is the perfect sky colour when you want a bright, sunny sky.  I also used a second die from the set to create the stitched grassy hill behind my penguin (shaded with Granny Apple Green ink).

I layered the cloud background onto a piece of Basic Black cardstock with a very narrow border, which I think really helps the background pop.  My card base is also made from Basic Black cardstock, with a piece of Coastal Cabana plaid DSP from the 6" x 6" paper pack cut to 4 1/8" x 5 3/8" to leave another narrow border of black.

Using the same paper packs I cut three balloons (from Coastal Cabana, Petal Pink, and Calypso Coral) and shaded the edges with matching inks.  I added a rhinestone to highlight each balloon too.  The Penguin Place stamp set actually comes with a balloon image you could use, but I wanted to have patterned balloons.  ;)

Some black and white twine (retired) made the perfect strings and ties for my balloons, and I added some across the bottom of my card as well to tie everything together.  The white-on-black heat embossed sentiment added the perfect touch.

This cute little penguin is so simple to make with the coordinating Penguin Builder punch!  I just stamped him in black on a scrap of white paper and added a Pumpkin Pie beak and feet.

I had to decorate the inside of my card too!  I stamped my sentiment with another penguin and then gently added some Coastal Cabana highlights around my penguin for some icy colour.  This is such an easy trick!  I punched the penguin from a sticky note and placed it over my stamped penguin, then added the ink using my Blending Brush.

I am really enjoying the TGIF Challenges these days--it's a great jumping off point for creating!  If you haven't participated in a challenge before you should definitely give it a try.  Click on the link or the graphic below to go to the site and be inspired!

Happy crafting,

Barb