Color Throwdown #392 & Fusion Port of Call

This afternoon I am working on a couple of Challenges that I wanted to combine. This first image is from the Color Throwdown Challenge #392 and I think must have been photographed somewhere in Greece. When I saw the colors I immediately thought it would be good for a more masculine card.  That ocean, those blues... where else could it possibly be?

Then over at The Fusion Challenge they gave us this image for our inspiration.  While I didn't use the same color scheme, I tried to create elements that followed the same shapes as in the photograph, all the way down to the life preserver by using square, rectangle and circle die cuts.

To begin this card, I started with a Smoky Slate Top Folding Card Base, a 4.25 x 5.5 Kraft panel cut down with the largest Simon Says Stamp Stitched Rectangle, a square frame, a circle frame and the sentiment in Stamper's Select White. Both frame dies were included in the Don't Forget to Write Kit by Papertrey Ink. The sentiment is from Color Pop Butterflies Kit. I used Sahara Sand and Pacific Point Stampin' Up! Inks for my stamping.

The cobalt paper is a shimmer cardstock from Recollections.  I love the color and I don't have much of it, so I tend to use it pretty sparingly.  I wanted to frame the Cobalt rectangle using the square die, so after stamping the corner flourishes in Pacific Point Ink, I cut the square in half and then lined it up and adhered the top and bottom pieces to the blue rectangle.  For the circle frame, I stamped the flourishes in Pacific Point and the inner striped circle using Sahara Sand.  The circle frame hides where the middle section of the square frame is missing. This was really fast to pull together once I had my design figured out.  

Everything is attached using my ATG Gun except for the sentiment and the tiny banner.  For the sentiment, I used Multi Medium Matte and for the Banner I used some Thin 3D Foam Adhesive Squares.

I think the colors and bold graphic style of this card would be great to give to a graduate.  In have a graduation invitation sitting on my desk for a cousin so I'm thinking I might just send this to him.  

I hope you enjoyed this card.  I have many projects on my desk right now, so be sure to stop back by or subscribe to get e-mail alerts when new projects are up. Have a great weekend everyone!