Thanks a Bunch!

I finally had a chance to spend some time in my craft room and boy, is my craft table a mess!  Looks like I will be doing some reorganizing this weekend.  Doesn't that sound like fun?!

I want to give a shout-out and thanks to my followers.  Some of you have just started following my blog, and I thank each of you for taking the time to follow and visit!

After a busy week without much creative time, I really wanted to get back to challenges.  I combined this week's Ways to Use It challenge at Splitcoast Stampers (make a "thank you" card) with this week's sketch challenge at Operation Write Home.  Here's the sketch:

I love the simplicity of this sketch!  I chose to make a few small additions but tried to stick closely to the measurements provided.  Here's my card:

(I apologize for the shadows on this card, particularly the one around the sentiment panel.  The shadow and the brown card stock really blend together and it's hard to tell where the paper ends and the shadow begins.  I didn't notice it until I had already deleted my other pictures...ugh!)

I really struggle with matching patterned papers, so I was pleased as punch to find this two-sided paper in my stash!  I used the flowery side for the larger panel and used the lighter side for the smaller piece.  I made a card base with Chocolate Chip card stock and added some brown and white baker's twine to tie it all together.  I stamped my sentiment in Rich Cocoa on Crumb Cake, used watercolor crayons and a slightly wet brush to color the image, then layered that piece with Chocolate Chip.  I had planned to simply attach the sentiment panel to the middle of the long strip, but I made an error as I was adhering my layers and tore the flowery paper slightly.  Thankfully there's usually a way to hide errors like this, and it often involves adding more layers or moving elements around.  I moved the sentiment panel to the left side of the card to cover my mistake and adhered it with dimensionals.  I knew I'd need some sort of embellishment on the right side to balance it all out, so I decided to fussy-cut two of the flowers from the leftover patterned paper (I am not a fan of fussy-cutting, so I did not come to this decision easily!).  After cutting out the flowers, I added a small white brad to the middle of each and attached them to the card with mini glue dots.  To add a little dimension, I lightly rolled the ends of the flowers so they would stand off the paper a bit.

This is a simple and quick card that could be used for many occasions just by changing the sentiment.  I am sure I will be using this sketch again!

Thanks for stopping by!

 

Products Used:

 

Stamp: Thanks a Bunch (Unity)

Ink: Memento Rich Cocoa (Tsukineko)

Paper: Chocolate Chip and Crumb Cake card stock (Stampin' Up!); patterned paper (unknown)

Accessories and Tools: Watercolor crayons (Staedtler); white mini brads, brown and white baker's twine

Clean and Simple, or Dirty and Frustrating?

This week's Sketch Challenge at Splitcoast Stampers *should* have been easy.  (You can see the original sketch HERE.)  The sketch requires a card base, one additional layer, one image and one sentiment.  Pretty straightfoward, right?  Well, it didn't come together easily for me.  I couldn't decide on an image, then I couldn't decide on a sentiment, and then once I settled on those I couldn't seem to keep my inky fingers from leaving stray marks.  I must have stamped at least 8 panels before getting one that was free of stray marks.  My "clean and simple" card became quite dirty and frustrating!  The final result is a card that looks deceptively simple:

Now that I've finished my card, I can see how versatile this sketch can be and I think I will keep working with it.  By changing the image and/or the sentiment, you can easily create a card for any occasion.  This card is great for mailing because it is lightweight and free of embellishments. 

I made a card base from a piece of textured Bazzill brown card stock.  I cut a panel of Ultrasmooth Vanilla card stock (Stampin' Up!) and stamped the mug and steam (from Close to My Heart) in Memento Espresso Truffle ink on the right side of the panel.  I added the sentiment (from the Elegant Greetings set by Stampin' Up!) using the same ink, then rounded the corners of the panel with a corner rounder punch.  I adhered the ivory panel to the card base and added a liner to the inside of the card.  (Whenever I use a dark-colored card base, I add a light-colored liner for writing on the inside.)  The sketch called for the sentiment to be lower on the card, but with my image it would put the card off-balance to have the sentiment in the lower portion.  In a sketch challenge you are allowed to make minor adjustments and changes to suit your project, which allows for some creativity while following a basic formula.

One thing about Clean and Simple cards: It's very, very hard to hide mistakes!  Most of the time when I'm stamping a card, an extra embellishment or an added layer can cover up mistakes, but a CAS card is just so...naked!  It definitely challenges a stamper to do her best work (and keep those fingers clean!).

Thanks for visiting!