Grey Skies

I'm in an April Showers Bring May Flowers mode.  Here's the first of what will be many projects around this theme.  This one is entitled, Grey Skies Are Gonna Clear Up (lyrics from old song).

This is one of my Gecko Galz Design Team projects using the new April products.

I've been wanting to try the grey and yellow combo that I've been seeing.  I thought my grey skies concept was perfect for this.  Gloomy, rainy grey sky.  Bright sunshiny yellow.  Grey card, yellow mat, grey embossed clouds, yellow label mat.

I stamped the umbrellas in bright spring colors as a contrast to the grey.  I like to fussy cut but the umbrella shapes (the yellow one in particular) were a challenge for my trifocals.  I had to cut the handles too in order to place them on top of the embossed clouds.  But I'm never one to back down from a challenge!  

I have made them 3-D by stacking two Stampin' Up foam dimensionals in the middle, and then placing just one dimensional on either side.  When placing them on the paper, I scrunched the umbrella to create an arched effect.

I used the metal die to trace the label shape and then hand cut it to extend into the photo mat.

So the umbrellas and clouds are the showers.  The 3 gems on the label are the flowers.

Materials:

Gecko Galz Merry Fairies collage sheet:  ATC-sized image is cropped from sheet and altered to black and white

Stamps: 
Stampin' Up Rain or Shine stamp set
 
Inks:
Memento Dandelion
Ranger Distress Ink Picked Raspberry
Stampin' Up Tempting Turquoise
Archival jet black

Machine:
Stampin' Up Cloudy Day textured impressions embossing folder
Spellbinders Nestabilities Labels Eighteen die (used only a portion, traced and hand cut to create special mat for image)

Computer generated phrase from an old song.  I like spelling the word gray with an e -- it seems more grey.  Quirky, I know.

 Papers:
Stampin' Up Whisper White 
Yellow is Recollections from Michaels craft store
Grey from paper pack stash from dd2
Matte photo paper

Gems from stash for umbrella toppers and for label.

Ribbon trims from stash--I ripped apart, cut up, etc. to create the tiny bows.  


 Submitting to these challenges:

All Sorts Challenge Spring Has Sprung

The Paper Girls Challenge #29 April  Showers Bring May Flowers 

Paper Craft Crew Challenge #36 Card Sketch 
I made 3 bows on the umbrellas as they cascaded down the side rather than this ribbon in the sketch.  My 3 gems are on the label.

 


Since I'm on a few design teams, I thought I'd also feature one of the challenges they offer: 

Gecko Galz Papercrafting Ephemera Emporium Craft Challenges Yahoo Group: 
April Fools Challenge Create a card that has to do with trix. Place a photo in the album named April Fools Day. You have until the end of April to get your cards in. The winner will get 4 Gecko Galz Collage sets of their choice. 
Do you really think this tiny lace umbrella (er....parasol) is going to keep the rain off this fairy? I always thought an April full of rain was a mean trick to get to those May flowers.