Concept Trio Challenge: Penguin 1

One of the crafty goals I've set for myself is to make use of the things I own, but I wanted to go about it carefully. I didn't want to make things just for the sake of saying I'm done and I can cross them off my list. I wanted to continue making things that I love, things that are still me - only without a weekly shopping spree.

Looking at all of the stamps I own and want to use was overwhelming. Do I tackle them alphabetically? By purchase date? By manufacturer? Or something entirely different? I've had this feeling in the past, and the way I'd get through it was to browse Pintrest or social media until some creative idea popped into my head. And, unfortunately, it usually also ended with a discovery of new products I just needed to have.

Since I'm actively avoiding Pintrest now, I had to think of something else. I grabbed my "idea" notepad and read through some of the recent entries. One of the things I'd written is that I wanted to make more Stamping Trio Challenge cards. Having a focus like that sounded right, but it didn't help me decide which stamp to use first.

It did inspire me, however, to come up with a brand new challenge - Concept Trio Challenge. Like the original inspiration, this challenge will require 3 different cards. The cards will share several common ideas, colors, concepts or layouts. But they will use different stamps.

For this challenge, my shared concepts are:
- skating penguin with pink cheeks
- circle elements
- palette: white, light gray, light blue, navy and dark purple
- same patterned paper

I started this card by stamping the penguin and ice from Mama Elephant's Arctic Penguins stamp set on a piece of Copic marker paper. I quickly colored them in with my Copics, then careful cut around the image.

I cut a 3 3/4 by 5" panel out of white cardstock. I masked off a large circle near the top of the panel. I knew I wanted the penguin to be on the left side, so I made the circle off-center and to the right.

I wanted to go with a darker night sky, maybe with a hint of northern lights. First, I blended in some Broken China ink all over the circle. I switched to Dusty Concord and blended some purple in, mainly focusing in the upper right area and the sides of the circle. Lastly, I switched to Chipped Sapphire and deepened the edges of the circle. Then I took the mask off (love that part!). I added some stars to the circle with a white gel pen.

I adhered the penguin to the bottom left edge of the circle with my standard adhesive.  Since Arctic Penguins has no sentiments, I chose a loopy and whimsical Christmas sentiment from Clearly Besotted All Occasion Sentiment stamp set, and stamped it in black.

I adhered a 2" strip of patterned paper to my card base. Then, I adhered the front panel with foam tape.

Lastly, I added 3 enamel dots to the upper right of the sky circle.

Supplies:
Mama Elephant Arctic Penguins stamp
Clearly Besotted All Occasion Sentiments stamp
My Favorite Things Hybrid Ink in Black Licorice
Tsukineko Versafine inkpad in Onyx Black 
Simon Says Stamp cardstock in Fog
Neenah Solar White cardstock in 80lbs
Copic Mini Marker Pad 70lbs
Copics (YR15, YR68,R22, B000, B00)
Ranger Distress Inkpads in Broken China, Dusty Concord and Chipped Sapphire
Tombow Craft Dot Adhesive Runner (pink)
Chickaniddy Crafts Jolly Good 6x6 paper pad
3M Double-sided Foam Tape
Studio Calico South of Market enamel dots