COLORED RAIN FOREST

Have any of you embraced the adult coloring trend that is flooding the market lately? Seriously, everywhere you turn, there are all sorts of varieties to choose from, including offerings at the dollar stores, to the quite expensive collectors coloring books found in art stores, to those dangling enticingly from racks in the checkout lane in the grocery store. There is definitely something for anyone who wants to drain away unwanted stress through coloring.

In the Sale-A-Bration brochure, Stampin' Up! has also jumped into the fray of the coloring phenomenon. On page 11 of the brochure, you can find the 12" x 12" pack of Inside the Lines Designer Series Paper. The 12 sheets, three each of four beautiful designs, are black on white, acid free and lignin free, perfect for coloring. Or they can be used as is for a classic black and white creation.  

Thanks to Pinterest, I have been enjoying lots of projects made with this paper. No longer able to resist, I got a pack for myself. 

Anxious to have my monthly class attendees be able to experience this paper, I chose two of the designs and cut them up into smaller pieces for use on cards. After cutting up these two sheets, I was left with dribs and drabs that were oddly sized, and that I grabbed for my own use.

One of the pieces measured 2 1/4" x 12". I trimmed it to 2 1/4" x 5 1/2" and went to work with my Stampin' Up! Colored Pencils. Because this paper is thinner than the traditional DSP, I didn't want to get it just too wet. So I proceeded carefully. I started by adding a soft line of color to each of the leaves, then gently dragging the color with an Aqua Painter. 

Put together into a card, this is how it ended up looking:

I have the card sitting atop the four designs of the pack so you can see the luscious line work.

A close-up of the coloring I did:

With the Colored Pencils, I am frustrated at the very limited color palette. There are only 13 pencils in the pack, and two are them are black and white. Unfortunately, there is only ONE green, Old Olive, which makes it sort of limiting when coloring something as lush and varied in green tones as a rain forest scene. Thus, I was forced to use blues, yellows, reds and purples. Not bad, but I would have liked to add in a more vivid green, like Garden Green. (Stampin' Up!, are you listening?)

 Once the coloring is finished, it is quick work to put it together into an effective card:

I am doing another card design with a different paper. I will have that up on my blog on Wednesday. Stay tuned!

Have any of you used this Sale-A-Bration pick personally? How did you use it?

Speaking of Sale-A-Bration, I should explain what this 3-month selling period with Stampin' Up! is all about. In the U.S., for every $50 you spend (before shipping and tax), you are able to choose one free item from the 12-choice selection in the Sale-A-Bration Brochure. In addition, On March 1, they will be adding another three choices, for a total of 15 to choose from! 

If you are interested in taking advantage of this huge special that runs through March 31 -- and maybe get your own pack of Inside the Lines Designer Series Paper, click on the catalogs on the right column of my blog, and place your order, naming me as your demo! 

Colored

Smiles.