Summer Lovin' . . . .

"Amazing friends; Summer nights;

Chocolate ice cream; mud slide fights;

Half the Summer is gone already

So let's spend the rest of it; slow and steady."

-Anonymous

Thank You

For joining me in The Summer of Color 2! Believe it or not, we had an average of a 100 of us join in on a weekly basis this year and have amassed over 730 pictures in our Flickr pool! Crazy, right? Thank you for your time and dedication to this event, for sharing your art and heart with one another and for fostering such a beautiful community here and in our SOC playrooms, Facebook & Flickr. I also want to thank those of you who took the time to follow me personally. It has been a pleasure learning from and laughing with you all.

Before We Go:

We still have a Watermelon Winner to announce. The Random Number Generator was at it again and this time she selected . . . 

PAULA

Congratulations Paula! Please email me your address and I'll get your Watermelon goodies right out. 

2012 Artist Badge

I promised and Erika from The Fairy Blogmother delivered! Here is your 2012 Summer of Color Artist Badge. Please feel free to copy and paste: I hope you love it!

Speaking of 2013

Oh wait: we weren't saying anything about 2013! Oh well, let's talk about it anyway. . . .You saw this coming, but I am thrilled to officially announce our next play date, The Summer of Color 3: Artist's Choice!  

That's right, another Summer of creativity, community and connection based upon your favorite color combinations. Next year, we're going back to the original inspiration, Somerset Studio's True Colors, in which the artists at play pick their own color palettes! As with previous years, it will be a free event open to all styles of art and mediums. We will begin Monday, June 3rd, 2013 with an introductory week followed by six weeks of color prompts, blog hops and fabulous giveaways based upon the two-color combinations that you vote on. So get your minds a thinkin' and your wheels a turnin' 'cause I know that with your help, next year will be the best yet . . . .

Stay tuned,

Kristin xo

The Summer of Color 2: Fini!

"Summer" Banner

composed of 8 x 8 canvas flags

The Summer of Color 2: Ice Cream Inspirations

Before we close this chapter of The Summer of Color, I wanted to share with you what all The Summer Girls look like hanging out together. . . .

I've made some changes along the way; small adjustments that I felt needed to be done once I saw the banner as a whole. For example, I added a bit of tulle to Chocolate Chipy's glittery bow and a new hair accessory to little Miss. Wild n Reckless. I changed the eye color of Miss. Baseball Nut as, to be honest, she was giving my trouble the entire time and I thought that a pop of color might make her (okay, me) happy. I also added depth to some of the initials that seemed a little wimpy when compared to the ones done in the later weeks. 

With all that out of the way, it was time to string them together. I used three yards of iridescent white trim and simply glued the canvas flags from behind with E-600 (don't you just love that stuff?). I added a bit of stitching for stability and then finished it off with a blue satin bow and vintage tear-drop crystal to balance out the fabric flower on the other end. 

And there you have it: six weeks of Summer all lined up in a row! Wanna see more? Okay:

Thank you for taking the time to look, laugh and play! I've enjoyed "arting" with old friends and new and I look forward to more play dates in the future . . . .

Until then,

Kristin xo

The Summer of Color: Week Six!

Welcome to Week Six of The Summer of Color 2: Ice Cream Inspirations!

Can you believe that we're already on our last Flavor of the Summer? And really, what's more appropriate than "Watermelon Ice" to end our colorful play date together . . . . I can't wait to see what you do with the bold red sherbet as inspiration . . . .

Speaking of inspiration, if you haven't done so already, I would love it if you added your Summer of Color pieces to our ever-growing pool of fabulousness on Flickr. It's so exciting to see all of our work featured in one place, and with over 700 photos (and counting!) shared between this year and last, it's a place we can continue to visit time and again.

I'd also like to take a moment to thank you all for your time and dedication to this event. I'm continually impressed by your talents and creativity and am honored to be among such a beautiful group of artists. Thank you for sharing your love and enthusiasm on Flickr, Facebook and here. It's been a sweet ride, all because of you!

Now, let's get this Watermelon Hop going!
As of today, you may link your artwork inspired by Watermelon Ice. To do so, simply copy and paste the direct link from your blog or Flickr page to the widget below. You will have the entire week - until Sunday July 22nd (noon, Pacific Standard Time) - to get it in. Those who link their Watermelon Ice pieces will also be in the running for this pretty prize:

{3 pages of clip art from the TJ Designs Storybook Collection, 2 Martha Stewart craft paints in red and black, a Faber-Castell Stampers Big Brush Pen in red (now that looks cool ;), a Sakura clear glitter Gelly Roll pen (from the Ice Cream Smooth collection - a personal favorite), a pack of General's Layout pencils in Black Ebony, 2 4 x 4 canvas panels, a 9 x 12 pad of cold press watercolor paper and lastly, a hefty sprinkling of Swarovski crystals in red, black, iridescent and clear.}

Ready to Link Your Watermelon?

Okay, here we go. . .  

Oh! And what about our Wild n' Reckless Winner?

A lotta people wanted this one, but the Random Number Generator picked:

JEN

(Please note: Mister Linky was being ornery this week and would not let me adjust a couple of links I need to. The numbers here reflect the true count.)

Congratulations Jen! Please email me your address and I'll get your Wild n' Reckless right out.

And Now What?

Thanks for asking! Actually, next week's a big one. We'll see you here next Monday (July 23rd) for our last Summer of Color 2: Ice Cream Inspirations post where I will reveal the Watermelon Ice prize winner, my personal art banner all strung up in a row, your Summer of Color 2 Artist Badge (Yes, it's true ;) and a little something else . . . . Do you know what it is? Do you think? Okay, maybe you can guess, but, but . . . see you then . . . .

Sweet creating,

Kristin xo

Week Five: Watermelon Ice!

"R"

8 x 8 Canvas Flag

I can hardly believe that we're on to week six of The Summer of Color 2: Ice Cream Inspirations! Where did the time go?! I guess it really does fly when you're having fun. Hmmm, well, our last prompt is to create a piece of artwork - anything at all - based upon the Flavor of the week, Watermelon Ice.

I found myself wanting to add another hue to the mix - so that the red had something to pop against - and the natural choice was the color of a watermelon rind. I wonder how many of us will add green to our pieces this week? It will be a fun and interesting hop . . . . Please do join us if you'd like to take on the challenge. It's never too late to play along!

I'll be back next week at this time for one more Summer of Color post where I'll share some of the WIP shots I took along the way in addition to the completed banner as a whole. Oh, and in case you're wondering, I'll be making a special announcement then too. So, um, yeah, see you then . . . .

Ice Cream Kisses,
Kristin xo

The Summer of Color: Week Five!

Welcome to Week Five of The Summer of Color 2: Ice Cream Inspirations!

It's been a beautiful week perusing all of the artwork inspired by our latest flavor, "Strawberry Lemonade": I'm continually awed and amazed by all of the talent you possess and share and am thrilled by the enthusiasm and friendship found here, on our Facebook page and in our Flickr pool. Keep those pictures coming - if even for my own selfish reasons - as I get a little twinkle in my eye every time I see something new posted . . . .

You may have noticed that the Ice Cream flavors selected for the event seem a bit - dare I say - unusual. Well, I'll let you in on a little secret: I never expected to have such difficulty finding a variety of colors to offer! When it comes down to it, I've learned that although there are literally hundreds to choose from, most ice cream colors are, well, a bit similar to each other. In order to provide a varied group of color prompts, I rediscovered a childhood love of sherbets. They're cool, often translucent in nature but almost always bold and colorful. With that said, I bring you our fifth prompt . . . .

Wild n' Reckless Sherbet!
As of today, you may link your artwork inspired by the colors found in Wild n' Reckless Sherbet (check out this post to see the flavor up close). To do so, please copy and paste the direct link from your blog or Flickr page to the widget below. You will have the entire week - Until Sunday July 15th (Pacific Standard Time) - to get it in. Those who link their Wild n' Reckless pieces will also be in the pool to win this goodie bag:

{3 pages of clip art from the TJ Designs Storybook collection, 3 Martha Stewart craft paints in Pacific Iris, Pond and Spring Pasture, a set of liquid Pearls from Ranger (and I really want this!), 3 tubes of Stickles glitter in Lavender, Holly and Waterfall, 2 4 x 4 canvas panels, 3 Sakura metallic Gelly Roll pens (from the Ice Cream Smooth collection) and last but not least, a sprinkling of Swarovski crystals in purple, blue and iridescent}

Inspired?!

Okay, go ahead and link your Wild n' Reckless now:

Wanna know who won our "Strawberry Lemonade" giveaway?

It was none other than . . .

LYDIA

Please email me your address and I'll get the prize right out to you!

Are you ready for our LAST color prompt?

Your next challenge - from Monday July 16th - Sunday July 22nd - is the perfect Summer treat:

Watermelon Ice

(And I did actually try this one - the "seeds" are chocolate ;) 

"Summertime, Summertime, Sum, Sum" . . . well, you get the picture!

Have fun and happy creating,

Kristin xo

Week Five: Wild n' Reckless!

"E"

8 x 8 Canvas Flag

It's week five of The Summer of Color 2: Ice Cream Inspirations and our latest challenge is to create a piece of art based upon the cool and crazy colors found within Wild n' Reckless sherbet . . . .

I loved playing with these colors, and knew early on that I wanted to bring out the varied hues in the "flavor" through the strands of her hair. If she looks familiar, it may be because she was based upon this piece I recently did for Paint Party Friday. She was created using a combination of acrylics, Caran D'ache watercolor crayons, pencil and various metallic and gel pens. 

Can you beleive it? We're now on to our last color prompt, the bold and beautiful . . . . . okay, you can just look up . . . .

Ice Cream kisses,

Kristin xo

The Summer of Color: Week Four!

Welcome to Week Four of The Summer of Color 2: Ice Cream Inspirations!

The days are speeding by and I can hardly believe that we have only two more color prompts left in our colorful Summer together! As you know, our Facebook group is hopping with activity and our Flickr pool is the place to be if you want to see all of our sweet work lined up in a row. . . . and if you haven't posted any pictures to Flickr yet, there's plenty of time to do so. I'd love to see your art added to our ever-growing gallery of talent and inspiration.

I've been swooning over the beauty and variety of work showcased for "Baseball Nut" and, judging by the sneak peeks we've already seen (here, there and everywhere), it looks like our next "Flavor" of the week is going to be very popular. Here we come . . . .

Strawberry Lemonade!
As of today, you may link your work inspired by the color palette found in Strawberry Lemonade. To do so, please copy the direct link from your blog or Flickr page and paste it into the widget below. You will have the entire week - until Sunday July 8th (Pacific Standard Time) - to do so. Those who link their Strawberry Lemonade creations will also be in the running to win this sweet treat:

{3 Artist Papers from Stampington & Company, 1 jar of Martha Stewart flocking powder in Peony, 2 Craft Smart acrylic paints in Light Pink and Light Yellow, 2 tubes of Stickles glitter in Yellow (a personal favorite) and Cotton Candy, 1 package of Strathmore Bristol Artist Trading Cards, 2 4 x 4 Canvas Panels, 2 Sakura Gelly Roll metallic pens, a gorgeous package of decorative napkins (ready for your altering), an adorable cup of Juicy Lemonade Bubble Gum Balls and a sprinkling of pale pink, clear and iridescent Swarovski crystals}

Got Your Linking Fingers Ready?

Okay, show us your Strawberry Lemonade now:

And Who Won the Last Vintage Inspired Giveaway?
Congratulations go out to . . .

KATHY

Way to go Kathy: I hope this makes your Summer break from teaching all the more colorful! 

So, Are You Ready for the Next Prompt?

Your next color challenge - from Monday July 9th to Sunday July 15th - is the cool and crazy:

Wild 'N Reckless Sherbet

"A green apple, blue raspberry, and fruit punch flavored sherbet party. 

Fruit has never had so much fun."

- Baskin Robbins

Hmmmm . . . . Can't wait for this one . . . .

Thank you, good luck and have fun!

Kristin xo

Week Four: Strawberry Lemonade!

"M"

8 x 8 Canvas Flag

We're on to week four of The Summer of Color 2: Ice Cream Inspirations and our latest challenge is to create whatever our heart desires using the color palette found in Strawberry Lemonade . . . .

I have to admit, I was really looking forward to this one. The colors are feminine and sweet, and a nice departure from last week's more neutral tones. I wanted the "M's" to eventually face each other (Yes, it's gonna spell Summer. Well okay, you knew from the beginning ;), so I made the new girl facing the opposite direction of her "Baseball Nut" counterpart. I was inspired by a photo I saw on Pinterest to do a bathing cap sort of thing, and I love how the yellow ended up popping against the bright and pale pinks. In fact, I think I may have found my new favorite color combination!   

I can't believe how fast this is all going (only two color prompts left!) and I've had a blast so far. If you've considered joining in but have yet to do so, feel free to jump right in. We want you to come out and play too . . . .

Speaking of which, check out the next crazy color scheme. Now that's gonna be fun to see!

Ice Cream Kisses,
Kristin xo