The Summer of Color 5: Week Two. . .

"The setting sun burned the sky pink and orange in the same bright hues 

as surfers' bathing suits."

- Michael Connelly, The Black Echo

That Was Pretty Fabulous!

Well now, it looks like this little party of ours has hit the ground running. I've been a-ma-zed at all the bold, ethereal, glittery & altogether gorgeous blues n' green pieces that came pouring in here and in our Facebook group last week, and am genuinely honored to be the host of such a beautiful group of kind, helpful and not to mention incredibly talented people. You make a mama proud!! 

Now, If You're Just Joining Us. . . 

No worries! Each week stands on it's own, so like any other party, just come when you can. If you want to learn more about the event, pop over here for all the details. Also, I've loved hearing the stories of those who've wanted to play over the years, but had not done so until now. Please, if you're reading this and have ever considered jumping in, make this your time. I promise, promise, promise that you'll be glad you did.

This Week:

We'll be working on our second - of six - weekly color palettes. And, it should be said, it also happens to be one of the most popular combinations we've played with. Ready for it? Okay then, our palette for Week Two of the SOC 5 is . . . .

1 Pink + 1 Pink + 1 Orange

Wheeeeeeeeee! Remember, which particular pinks n' orange you choose is entirely up to you but I for one, can't wait to see what you do with it! Did you like the little PDF? Okay then, here's this week's installment:

Get Your Copy Here

What Did I Do With It?

Another textural piece on black canvas. Check out my adventure into pinks n' orange on YouTube and below:

And The Next Giveaway?

Here it is, all dressed up for the party!

{Two Jumbo Bistro Chalk Markers, two Gel Xtreme Pastel Rollers in pink and orange, one package of rosette ribbon in a gorgeous pink, one bright orange burlap flower, three rose embellishments, two Caran D' Ache Neocolor 1 (water-soluble wax pastel) crayons, two Caran D' Ache Neopastel oil pastels, two leather-bound Poppin mini notebooks, two Gouache Acrylics in Pink and Orange Yellow, one (love this!) Golden High Flow acrylic in Fluorescent Pink, two Lumiere metallic acrylics in Pearl Magenta and Halo Pink Gold and lastly, a couple pages of vintage children's word mastery lists, several pink decorative napkins for collage and a sprinkling of iridescent confetti stars.}

Hey. Who Won Last Week's Prize?

Oh yeah, that! Last Week's prize is going international! Please help me in congratulating. . . . 

Ulrike from Ulaku Cards and More!

(please note: all winners will be selected at random via a Random Number Generator. 

The photos / proof of each week's winners will be on file and happily sent to anyone who would like to see them.) 

Congratulations Ulrike! Please email your street address to Kdvanvalkenburgh@msn.com and I'll get your goodies right out!

Now, Let's Get Going!

You may link your 1 Pink + 1 Pink + 1 Orange creations to the widget below. To qualify for the pinks n' orange giveaway, simply copy and paste the direct link (from your blog, Facebook, Flickr, Instagram - or any other feed that can be linked here) to the widget below. You have until this Sunday (10:00 am, Pacific Daylight Time) to do so. Only one link per person, please.

Ready, Steady, Go!

We'll see you back here next Monday, June 22nd for Week Three's pretty, pretty Palette, Giveaway, PDF, Video and Randomly Drawn Winner. Until then, have fun, good luck and get your arting on!

With Colorful Kisses,

Kristin xo

The Summer of Color: Week Five . . .

"My Mother warned me to avoid things coloured red"

- Claes Oldenburg

Where has the time gone?! I can hardly believe that we're heading into Week Five of The Summer of Color 4: Smudge, Splash & Pop! I know a lot of us are already dreading the end, but not to fear! There are still two weeks left of challenging color prompts, colorful giveaways and time together in our amazingly creative community. And as far as fun things are concerned, two weeks left is quite a lot indeed. So keep the creativity flowing and the love going 'cause we're headed towards another color conundrum. . . 

This Week:

We'll be working on our fifth - of six - color palettes. Your prompt will include two main colors along with a Smudge, Splash or Pop of a third. Feel free to create anything at all that you'd like, as long as it's based upon the colors of the week. And if you've just found us, welcome! You can read all about the party here, check out our Facebook page here and see all SOC photos in one place over here. Oh, and if you're into social media, please use the hashtag #TheSummerofColorFour so we can all find each other out there. 

Yeah, Yeah. We Wanna See the Colors!

I gotcha. Although I know it looks as if this week's palette was influenced by last week's holiday in the States, I promise this has been in the kitty for a while. Having said that, it is a cool combination, one which I hope you'll love. Ready? Here we go:

Red & Royal Blue

with a Smudge, Splash or Pop of Light Blue

To see examples of the color Red, click here.

To see examples of the color Royal Blue, click here.

To see examples of the combination of the two, click here.

Okay, Cool. Now What?
Now you create! When you're done, you may link your Red & Royal Blue (with that Smudge, Splash or Pop of Light Blue) to the widget below. To qualify for the Red & Royal Blue drawing, please copy and paste your direct blog link or direct Pinterest, Facebook or Flickr feed by this Sunday, (10:00 am Pacific Standard Time), July 13th. Only one link per person, pretty please.

Ready? Okay, Link:

Oh! And What About the New Giveaway?

Right! I think it's another pretty cool one, yes?

Two Craft Smart ink pads in Red and Blue, one set of 10 (adorable) red notecards, one large Recollections stamp in a lattice pattern, three PanPastel Artists' Pastels in Permanent Red, Phthalo Blue and Turquoise, one gorgeous Fabriano 5.8 x 8.25 red journal, two Martha Stewart high gloss multi-surface craft paints in Habanero and Indigo and, for the vintage fans among us, two child's toy blocks (from my personal stash) in the colors and, naturally, a sprinkling of both clear and light blue Swarovski Crystals.

And Who Won Last Week's Giveaway?

I hear tell that it's a birthday girl! That Random Number Generator really knew what it was doing this week. Happy Birthday and Congratulations to:

Ariel

Please email your address to Kdvanvalkenburgh@msn.com and I'll get your goods right out.

And Now?

Ah, you know! I'm looking forward to seeing what your creative minds do with this one. Have fun!

Colorful Kisses,

Kristin xo

The Summer of Color: Week Two . . .

"Sunset is still my favorite color, and rainbow is second."

- Mattie Stepanek

Welllllll now, I don't know about you, but I think we've got something pretty special here with The Summer of Color 4: Smudge, Splash & Pop! 

Isn't it ever so much fun? The creativity and connection you've fostered in our first week alone is nothing less than spectacular. Thank you for your kindness, genuine support of one another and for sharing your colorful work with us here, on our Facebook page (which, as I'm sure you've already noticed, is where a lot of the real action takes place) and in our Flickr pool. Your work is beautiful, incredibly varied and an inspiration to see. As far as I'm concerned, we're off to a colorful summer indeed! 

This Week:

We'll be working with our second - of six - color palettes. Your prompt will include two main colors with a Smudge, Splash or Pop of a third. As always, feel free to create anything your little heart desires, as long as it's based upon the colors of the week. And if you've just found us, please do jump in. Each week stands on it's own so feel free to come and go as your schedule permits.

Okay, Okay. So the Colors?

Oh yes, that! The color palette for Week Two of the SOC is. . . .

Coral & Teal 

with a Smudge, Splash or Pop of Bright White

To see examples of the color Coral, click here.

To see examples of the color Teal, click here.

To see examples of the combination of the two, click here.

Now What?

Now you create! You may link your Coral & Teal artwork (with that Smudge, Splash or Pop of Bright White) to the widget below. To qualify for the Coral & Teal drawing, simply copy and paste your direct blog link or direct Flickr, Pinterest or Facebook feed by this Sunday (10:00 am Pacific Standard Time), June 22nd. Only one link per person, please. 

Ready. Set. Link!

Now What's Up for Grabs This Week?

Um, you're gonna like this one:

Iridescent beads in both Teal and Coral, A package of 4 Loew Cornell white nylon brushes, Heidi Swapp Color Shine sprays in Coral and Teal, 2 yards of Recollections burlap ribbon, 1 yard of Recollections fabric ribbon, a set of General's drawing pencils in HB, 3B, 5B and 6B, Tim Holtz idea-ology Fractured Dolls, 3 large Liquitex (8-15 mm) Paint Markers (and let me tell you, I sooooo want these! They're brand new on the market and you'll be one of the first to try them) in Cadmium Red, Cobalt and Titanium White and, naturally, a sprinkling of large iridescent Swarovski crystals.

But, But. . . . Who Won Last Week's Giveaway?

Oh, yes! The winner of Last Week's giveaway including all those lovely Aqua & Yellow goodies is:

Gina Sismilich of Bellefrogworks

Congratulations Gina! Please email me your address and I'll get your goods right out.

Now, Get Your Art On!

I can't wait to see what this week brings us . . . .

Coral Kisses, 

Kristin xo

The Summer of Color 2014!

"Just Play. Have fun. Enjoy the game." - Michael Jordan

And. Play. We. Will.

Hellooooooooo and welcome to The Summer of Color 4: Smudge, Splash & Pop! Whether you're an SOC veteran or if you're joining in for the first time, I promise this will be a summer event to remember. So get your party supplies out and your creativity caps on: it's gonna be a colorful ride. . . .

What. What?

That's right: we're gonna have a party. Think of it as a blog block party featuring six weeks of luscious color prompts, weekly linking opportunities, beautiful giveaways, creative inspirations and an amazing artistic community. (It's the kind of thing we arty people dream of).  

Oh, Fun! How does it work?

So glad you asked. From next Monday on, there will be a color palette announced here on this blog. As you may have guessed from the name, this year, our color prompts will have a little twist. Or perhaps I should say a little smudge, splash or pop: 

That's right, in addition to a two-color combination that I know you'll love, there will also be a third color thrown in for fun. Your goal will be to create whatever you'd like using the combination of 2 main colors and 1 accent color that I assign. And whether you smudge, splash or have a pop of that third color on your piece is up to you. As always, you'll work in your preferred mediums - creating anything your little heart desires - with color being the only stipulation. 

What do you mean by our "preferred mediums"? 

There are so many ways to participate in The Summer of Color. You can create anything that you want, as long as it's based upon the colors of the week. You may choose to develop a body of work using the same materials each week or mix it up and create something new each time. The sky's the limit. 

Ok! But what kinds of things will we be seeing?

Oh my. There's so much. In years past, we've seen jewelry to journals pages and everything in between. If you're not sure of what you want to do, check out the following links for inspiration:

Altered Books

Art Jewelry

Art Journaling

Assemblage Art

Artist Trading Cards

Bunting Flags

Canvas Art

Collage Art

Digital Art

Greeting Cards

Inchies

Knitting

Makeup Artistry

Moo Cards

Nail Art

Needlepoint

Origami

Photography

Poetry

Postcards

Project Life

Scrapbooking

Sewing

Quilting

Did I miss anything? Surprise me! The thing is, if you have an art form you love, play with it. If there's something new that you've always wanted to try, perhaps now's the time. 

I've got it. Now, how does it all go down? 

Good question. Every Monday from next week on, I will provide a color prompt here on this blog. You will then have until Sunday of the same week to complete your piece based upon that prompt. You can share your work through your blog or via Flickr and then copy and paste that direct post or flickr feed here. Mister Linky will be up as of next week. There will also be a rather fabulous giveaway each week for those who participate. The winner will be selected at random (via a Random Number Generator) from the link list and announced the following week.  

Is there a time limit?

Kinda. You're welcome to share your work at any time, however in order to qualify for the weekly drawing, you must link your pretty little things to this blog by Sunday, 10:00 am (Pacific Daylight Time). Also, this is meant to be fun. If you're away or can't participate every week, please don't worry about it. Each week stands on its own, so like any other party, just come when you can.

Who can participate?

Anyone who has a blog, Facebook or Flickr account can play along. You may even want to include the kiddies. Also, this is an international event. Should your name be selected for a drawing, I will happily mail it to you, no matter where you live.

Um, what about the cost?

Silly you! There is no cost. Just a lotta fun.

What about social media?

Oh yes, glad you mentioned that. There is a Facebook group and a Flickr pool created especially for our event. I've also created a hashtag that you can use for all other social media outlets. Just tag #TheSummerofColorFour to keep us all on the same page. And if you're as addicted to Instagram as I am, you can check out my page for colorful quotes, giveaway hints and basically all things related to the SOC. 

So what do I do now?

For this, the introductory week, I'd be so grateful if you'd help us spread the word about The Summer of Color. Since the whole idea is to foster creativity, community and connection, the more of us who come out to play, the better. And guess what? This year I've created a little You Tube video that can be shared! Check it out:

I know, right? (Gets me excited every time I see it)! I know some of you have already started to share the news, but I want to thank you formally for doing so. Soooooo, please let me know how you've helped spread the word (either by posting the SOC button on your blog, mentioning it in a blog post, by letting your Facebook friends know or discussing it on Instagram, Twitter, You Tube or whatever social media that you love) in the comment section below (only one comment per person, please) and you will be in the running for our first (of seven) giveaways:

Eeeeee! My favorite new obsession: Montana Paint Pens! 

Up for grabs: a complete starter set in extra fine as well as three other colors in the line (Shock Brown, Shock Pink Light and Shock Lilac) so that you don't miss a thing. Also included is an art mug of mine, based upon the following painting, so you have something cute and quirky to put them in.

The winner will be announced here next Monday, June 9th.

Speaking of next Monday, June 9th:

We'll see you here for our first color prompt! Until then, I wish you luck with the giveaway, fun deciding on your projects and camaraderie within our colorful community. It's gonna be a hot summer indeed . . . .

Kristin xo