CCMC233 - Butterflies fix everything

Recently, I've been getting bursts of creative energy around 11:00 at night. While I love it when I actually feel creative, it could definitely come at a more convenient hour. Here's my latest midnight creation:

I based my card on this week's Create with Connie and Mary sketch challenge (CCMC233). Their layout is fun and inspired all sorts of fun ideas. Here's the sketch:

After looking through my stash of stamp sets, I decided (once again) to go with the Everything Eleanor set, and the words from My Friend seemed to fit well with the swirly elements. I got the panels and the green stripe in place, and got the little banner placed just so, and it looked AWFUL! It was totally bland and boring and not at all cohesive.

It needed something to tie in the Old Olive from the "Hello" stripe. Something small and cute, something that fit with the swirly elements going on in the background. But what? I thought of using the bird from the Everything Eleanor set, but it just looked funny wherever I placed it. So I dug through my supplies and tools, and I found my Beautiful Butterflies Embosslit. Aha! Eureka! I cut some cute little butterflies out of Old Olive cardstock, found the one that was the best size for this card, and added a little touch of a pearl in the middle. I love the way the Old Olive with the pearl just ties everything together and makes the whole card make more sense.

What are some of your favorite ways to tie a color scheme together? Buttons? Die cuts? Ribbons, jewels, or other "bling"?

Card Details:
Stamps: My Friend, Everything Eleanor
Ink: Soft Suede
Paper: Old Olive, Soft Suede, Crumb Cake, and Very Vanilla CS
Tools & Accessories: Finishing Touches Edgelits, Beautiful Wings Embosslits, Dimensionals, Basic Pearls

"Love is in the Air" Blog Hop (and RS#44)

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Welcome to 2013! And welcome to our second monthly Blog Hop! We've chosen for our theme "Love is In the Air" and were told to just run with it. So here's what I came up with -- an elegant card perfect for Valentines Day, or just because you care:

Now, I have to give a little background. I don't really "do" Valentine's Day. It just isn't my thing. I don't particularly like the over-the-top romantic gestures, and I really am not a fan of pinks and reds and whites being thrown all over the place (not my favorite color combo). So when our group of Demonstrators decided to go with what first struck me as a VERY "Valentine's Day" theme, I was a little worried that I wouldn't like my project or that it would feel too "forced" or even too "cutesy."

But I love this card! I was inspired on the color palette by this card by Amy White. In fact, I set out to pretty much replicate her card - it's just so cute! But then I realized: Oh yeah, I don't really "do" the whole Valentine's thing. Which meant I didn't have any heart stamps, or any lovey-dovey stamp phrases, or even a heart-shaped punch! So instead of CASE-ing her card (Create And Share Everything--stampin' up lingo for ya), I took her idea and made it my own -- combined with this week's Retro Sketch Challenge. And the result is a card that I absolutely LOVE!

This week's Retro Sketch layout.
I just did mine sideways and flipped horizontally.

Be sure to check out the rest of our "Love is In the Air" blog hop! 

Hop Back: Julie Davidse 
Hop Forward: Kris Kilkenny

Thanks for visiting my blog! Feel free to stay awhile and check things out. As always, I love comments, so let me know what you think of my card and the blog hop!

Gone Vintage

Lately I've noticed that my style of cards has been drifting. Instead of bold, more modern designs, I've been doing more of a style I thought I could never pull off -- vintage! Gasp! For so long, I'd look at cards that other people have made, and I'd "ooh" and "aah" over their gorgeous, vintage designs, then sign and resign myself to the "fact" that I simply couldn't make those cards work.

Well, was I ever proven wrong!

I LOVE doing these vintage style cards (especially the Christmas ones I posted a while ago -- gorgeous!, if I do say so myself). I love the texture and the colors. And the stamp designs that Stampin' Up! has are just fantastic! Can ya tell I'm kinda loving this whole vintage kick? Yeah? Ok, good; I was worried I was being too subtle about it all.  ;)

Anyway... moving on to the card! Inspired by a similar project I saw by Jeannine Tarrio, I made this card for my mother-in-law's birthday, using the Everything Eleanor set. (Which I got for free, btw -- gotta love Stampin' Up!'s reward system, eh?) So check it out: what do you think?

Some of the lovely details - roughed-up edges,
delicate pearls, faded ink. Love it!

 I also stamped some "wrapping paper" to match the card. (Yes, this is the back side of a brown grocery bag. And yes, it is WAY cheaper than wrapping paper.)

Card Supplies:
Stamps: Everything Eleanor, Birthday Wishes
Ink: Cherry Cobbler, Soft Suede
Paper: Very Vanilla, Soft Suede, Crumb Cake, brown paper sack
Tools & Accessories: Apothecary Accents Framelits Die (Big Shot), Finishing Touches Edgelit (Big Shot), Paper Snips (cutting out flowers, placing pearls), Basic Pearls, sponge


So what do you think? What are some of your favorite design styles?