Back to School

In continuing with my "longing-for-autumn" theme, I have these sweet, adorable kiddos. I fell in love with "Greeting Card Kids" the first time I saw them, but then had to question, how in the world would I use them?? They are not my typical style and I knew I would struggle to make them work. And yet, how could I not get them? They were so stinkin' cute!


So, they arrived, I got out my watercolor paper, and I found the greatest form of stress relief! I always color when I'm stressed, and watercoloring proved to be just as useful. Only, this was more fun somehow. :o)

But, as I feared, they have been very difficult for me to make into a card. I have NO idea why, but I struggled like the dickens last night to make this come together. :shakes head: Things became somewhat easier for me once I began looking to the lace. Both the image and the lace practically scream "vintage".

And yet, I still struggled. UGH! I HATE it when that happens. But, I prevailed and these are the results. Not too awful, I think. :o)

This card uses:
Stamp Sets: "Greeting Card Kids", "Pocket Silhouettes" (sentiment), "Tiny Tags"
Ink: Early Espresso, Cameo Coral (retired), Blush Blossom, Pretty in Pink, More Mustard, Real Red, Sahara Sand
Papers: Cameo Coral (retired), Early Espresso, watercolor, Newsprint DSP
Accessories: Victoria lace, Early Espresso 5/8" satin ribbon, tiny tags punch, dimensionals, linen thread, sticky strip

Because the bottom of the image was popped up due to the runching of the lace, I needed to use the dimensionals at the top to adhere the image to the card in order for the image to be flat/level.

Overall, I'm fairly pleased with how the card turned out. In fact, I'm anxious to begin watercoloring yet more images. ;o)

--Rach

High Contrast

When I was an elementary schoolteacher, I enjoyed putting up bulletin boards. I changed them frequently and always made them interactive so that I could use them as teaching tools. During this time, I read about graphic design, and one thing I learned was that high contrast can create visual interest. One day, one a whim, I created a yellow and black bulletin board. My students loved it, and so did I. I've never forgotten this combination, and decided to use it to make a birthday card. Rachael and I recently talked about playing with the yellow/black combination, and it was fun to see how we each applied it.

For this card I used Crushed Curry and Basic Black . The layout is not unique, but I like how the card came together. The stamp is from a set called Pocket Silhouettes, and is often called "a beginner's set" because it is easy to use. I stamped the image in Crushed Curry four times. Underneath I stamped a very simple "happy birthday" in Basic Black. I punched the bottom of the yellow with a border punch to add interest, added black satin ribbon, and finished off the card with three black brads.

--Lissie