This week's Colour Creations blog hop is all about Gray Granite. This Stampin' Up! Neutral colour is what I like to call "elephant grey"; it has brownish undertones. There are only a few of us taking part in this week's blog hop, so it won't take long to "hop" around all the blogs. I searched online for colour combinations including Gray Granite, and settled on this one: After deciding to use the Quiet Meadow stamp set, and Meadow Dies, I wasn't so sure about the inclusion of Calypso Coral for the soft look I was after. I did, however, incorporate it, in the flower centres (very subtly!). The background of my card design is a piece of Earthen Elegance Designer Series Paper, matted on a Gray Granite piece of card. I die-cut two stems from Gray Granite card, using Meadow Dies, and glued them to the Designer Series Paper. On a piece of Basic White card, I stamped the floral image using Gray Granite ink. I used Stampin' Blends markers in Gray Granite, Pool Party and Calypso Coral to colour the stems and flowers. I also used the Color Lifter to lighten the colour of the flowers and flower centres. After cutting out the stamped and coloured piece with a Deckled Circles Die, I trimmed the right-hand part of the circle, to allow it to be tucked underneath the sentiment strip. At this point I decided to add some Pool Party ink, using a Blending Brush, around the stamped flowers. The sentiment, from So Sincere, was stamped in Gray Granite ink on a strip of Pool Party card. I added a thin strip of Basic White card to the sentiment piece, for a bit of contrast. Truthfully, this decision was prompted by my smudging some Gray Granite ink alongside the sentiment! Rather than discard the smudged piece, I just added a "design element". The sequins started off as matte silver, but I wanted to colour them with my Dark Gray Granite Stampin' Blends marker, to tone in better with my card. The alcohol marker actually lifted off/dissolved the matte coating on the sequins, so they ended up shiny silver. Not the look I was going for, but they work! 😄 The bow is Pool Party Grosgrain Ribbon (so pretty, don't you think?). I share this close-up pic, in the hopes you can just make out the shimmer on the right-hand flower. After colouring the flowers, I added Wink of Stella to give them some sparkle. Next up on tonight's blog hop is Catherine Proctor, who does a fantastic job of co-ordinating our Colour Creations blog hops, all throughout the year.: Listed below are all the products I used to create my card. If you live in Australia, and would like to shop with me for your Stampin' Up! supplies, you can get to my online store by clicking on any of the thumbnail images below. Product List Quiet Meadow Cling Stamp Set [155082] $37.00 So Sincere Cling Stamp Set (English) [162283] $42.00 Basic White A4 Thick Cardstock [159230] $15.75 Gray Granite A4 Cardstock [147008] $17.50 Pool Party A4 Card Stock [124391] $17.50 Basic White A4 Cardstock [159228] $18.50 Earthen Elegance 12" X 12" (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Designer Series Paper [161503] $21.75 Gray Granite Classic Stampin' Pad [147118] $15.75 Pool Party Classic Stampin' Pad [147107] $15.75 Gray Granite Stampin' Blends Combo Pack [154886] $17.50 Pool Party Stampin' Blends Combo Pack [154894] $17.50 Calypso Coral Stampin' Blends Combo Pack [154881] $17.50 Stampin' Blends Color Lifter [144608] $8.75 Clear Wink Of Stella Glitter Brush [141897] $14.00 Stampin' Cut & Emboss Machine [149653] $223.00 Meadow Dies [155852] $67.00 Deckled Circles Dies [162286] $65.00 Pool Party 3/8" (1 Cm) Grosgrain Ribbon [160430] $14.00 Neutrals Adhesive Backed Sequins [161627] $13.25 Blending Brushes [153611] $23.00 Sponge Daubers [133773] $9.75 Multipurpose Liquid Glue [110755] $9.75 Mini Glue Dots [103683] $10.25