Not Too Shabby

I really love the shabby, vintage look, but find it quite challenging to execute in a clean and simple style.  So I have been playing.

Here are a few cards I made with my new Elizabeth stamp.  They are a wee bit vintage (only because of the style of the stamp), but not very shabby.  I wanted to make something more shabby, so today, I just started stamping.  I rarely start a card without having an idea of what the finished card will look like, but not this time.  I just let loose.  (That is downright scary for an AR/OCD perfectionist!)

And look what I made...

White cardstock - not the best choice for vintage/shabby-chic.  But then that's what happens when you just start stamping.  This card isn't too bad, but I knew I could do better.  (If I were to make this same card over again, I wouldn't leave as much space between the images on the lower part of the card.  All that white bugs me.)

And I did do better.

Vintage.  Shabby-chic. CAS.  *Shriek*  The more I look at this card, the more I love it.  I may never give it away.

Supplies:
Stamps - Bliss, Very Vintage jumbo wheel, Elizabeth, Happy Harmony
Paper - Baja Breeze, GKD PL white and ivory
Ink - Crumb Cake, Baja Breeze
Accessories - lace ribbon, half pearls, dimensionals

If you are trying to go for a certain look, don't give up if it doesn't come right away.  Keep playing, because you never know what will happen, and you just may learn something in the process.  (I learned not to use white for vintage cards - duh!)  Too many times I get caught up in the end result and forget to enjoy the process of getting there.  Some of the best opportunities for creativity present themselves in 'mistakes', so embrace the journey!

K

Sweet Baby

Today's post is my card for this week's Less is More week 5 challenge, to use pastel colors.  I finally used my Itty Bitty Bits set that has been sitting in my New Stamp basket for months.  This card also qualifies for the Ways to Use It challenge (WT312), polka dots.

I wasn't planning on making a baby card, but that is what this evolved to be.  Anyone having a girl soon?

The colors are a lot more vivid IRL; it was hard to get a good photo of this card.  The popped up images looked a little nekked, so I added a few half pearls and balanced them with a couple more by the sentiment, and the celery and daffodil images were stamped off once to make them more pastel-y.

Supplies:
Stamps - Itty Bitty Bits, Short & Sweet, Spunky Spots jumbo wheel
Paper - GKD PL white
Ink - Pink pirouette, celery, daffodil, Memento lavendar
Accessories - Scor-pal, mini pop dots, half pearls, Itty Bitty Shapes punch pack


Now that I've used my Itty Bitty set, I'm not so afraid of it anymore.  Have you ever been afraid to try or use something?  Please share.

K

Quick and Easy

I made a quick set of cards using my new Elizabeth stamp that I just got today.  The stamp is very Victorian-ish, but I went with very clean and simple cards.

The image is stamped so the sentiment is on the lower right 'sweet spot' of the card.  I felt this was the most visually pleasing of all the possible placements.  I could have fancied up the cards with bling or pearls, but really liked the clean look without any added embellishments.

I was just playing around with different color combinations, and this is what I came up with.

I used my Versamagic chalk inks and was reminded just how much I really love them.  The colors are soft, yet very rich.  They take a little longer to dry completely, but the look is worth the wait.

Hope you have a great weekend!

K

 

Birthday Greetings

My niece is turning 16 in a few days, so I thought I would make a card with a vehicle on it.  She is having fun driving with her learner's permit, and I remember how important it was to drive when I was her age, so in this case, a car is ok for a girl card.

Or a truck.

I had fun coloring with my Spica pens yesterday, so I used them to color this image.  Plus, having sparkles on the truck made it seem more girly.

Supplies:
Stamps - Loads of Love, Loads of Love Accessories, My ABC's wheel
Paper - GKD PL white
Ink - Memento tuxedo black
Accessories - Spica glitter pens, Copic markers, dimensionals

Thanks for stopping by.  Have a happy day!

K

Would the Real OLC Please Stand Up

Ok.  I'm back with a real one layer card for this week's ONE LAYER Wednesday challenge.  If you're not sure why I am yelling, just see my first post for today!

The challenge was to use shimmer on your card, but not in the form of glitter or rhinestones.  I wanted to use my Pearl Ex powders, but couldn't find them, so I decided to use my Shimmer Spritz again.

I actually have two cards.  I gave up on the first one after I had completed the image.  I was trying to put some shimmery organza ribbon on it, and it just wasn't working, so I made a different card.  Then when I was searching for a sentiment to put on my second card, I found the perfect finishing touch, a sentiment, for my first one.

I am lovin' life right now!

Card #1...

The sentiment looks much better on this than the ribbon I was trying to use.  Even though the ribbon was sheer, it was still too heavy.  I used sticky notes to mask off the left side of the card, and kept them in place while spritzing with shimmer spritz.  Only the image is shimmery.  I rounded opposite corners to balance all the straight lines of the card.

Card #2...

I made a template out of typing paper (did I just date myself or what?) to use for my mask.  A little repositionable adhesive kept it in place for sponging the background.  As with the first card, I kept the mask in place for spritzing.  All the corners were rounded to continue the curve of the oval for some added softness.

Supplies:
Stamps - Fast and Fabulous, PTI Simple Sentiments and Mega Mixed Messages
Paper - GKD PL white
Ink - Memento Rose Bud and Angel Pink for stamping, Soft Sky and Wild Wasabi for sponging
Accessories - sticky notes, petite oval Nestabilities, Big Shot, repositionable adhesive, daubers, Sparkle Shimmer Spritz

The shimmer on these cards was really hard to photograph, but it gives a very nice effect.

Hope you're having a happy Wednesday!

K