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Have a tremendous Thursday!
We've been watching a show on Netflix called Abstract: The Art of Design ... and I have found it to be utterly fascinating.
It is a series of Documentaries about Artistsans and their craft. It is so fascinating to me to see how they chose their career (or in some cases how their career chose them) and how a person does art as a career. One of the individuals talked about how his best work never came from working on deadline ... but almost always from just playing and learning and going through artistic exercises. It's really made me think about my own creative processes.
This weekend during one of my crafty calls we were talking about knowing and learning how to combine different patterns and colors. For some people it's just innate ... for others it has to be learned through watching and copying ... and trial and error.
Tonight's card had absolutely no end in mind when I started (you may be thinking to yourself ... duh, that's pretty clear). I started with the Sketch from Crazy 4 Challenges which made me think of Washi Tape.
I knew I needed at least two widths of washi tape. I started with the orange tape that has three repeating patterns. Next I chose the thin Alexandra Renke Star tape. Then I picked third darker grey tape which I thought balanced out the two other choices (not from anything I learned in particularly ... just from feeling ... the combination of colors ... heavy and light lines ... and balance). When I was done, my only sadness was that the prettiest part of the orange washi (the oranges and orange blossom blooms) was ultimately going to be hidden behind my image.
Next I added a wrap of orange twine and then went hunting for my central image. Since I had absolutely no idea what I was going to make, I started by hunting through my sticker drawer (I wasn't really in the mood to stamp tonight ... some nights I just want to play with paper). I found this googly-eyed coffee cup at the bottom of one of the drawers, and I thought his colors worked. I initially planned to center him on a diamond of paper ... but then decided to just let him stand on his own.
The final step was a sentiment. This weekend I went down an Etsy rabbit-hole hunting for sentiment stickers. I found fewer than I thought I would, but I did find these cool Tim Holtz inspired Pink Song Lyric Stickers from KeTo Creations that I thought were super-fun (and they arrived super-quick), so I added one that I thought seemed appropriate.
As I said ... no intention for this card, but it was fun thinking about art, design and the creative process while I made it ... and it will be fun sending it through the mail.
My inspiration for this card started with the TGIF Challenge to Use Your Word Dies.
Last weekend when I was having trouble focusing, I decided to just play with alcohol inks and make some backgrounds. Those were perfect for the Scribbles, Drips and Splats Challenge at Less is More. I just dripped the ink and blending solution onto my paper and blew it around with air.
I used one of my favorite big Happy Birthday dies - the Die-Versions Solo Happy Birthday Die, so the card stayed clean and simple with a white background (I love how it die cuts in a single piece).
I love these vibrant colors for a masculine mailable birthday card designs, so I'm also linking-up at Cardz for Guys where they're using Dies as their main feature.
I had fun creating this card during a crafty video call this morning. I combined several challenges starting with the AAA Cards CAS Challenge, which was One Image Inspired by a TV Series.
I also took my inspiration from the Time Out Challenge and chose Sheldon's Couch from The Big Bang Theory.
I used the Bazinga Stamp set from Ink Road Stamps on an Ivory Card Base and paper pieced both the couch and the pillows on the couch.
I chose two scraps of paper that were inspired by both the picture above and the rug on the show using this week's CAS(E) this Sketch! I can only imagine how Sheldon would be reacting during quarantine ... but I do know he would not be letting anyone sit in his spot on the couch.
The current challenge at Impression Obsession is to make a Funny Card.
My sister's cat Simon often makes me laugh, so I made a card inspired by him. The Cat from Impression Obsession Introverting was Stamped on the Grey Card base and highlighted with Colored Pencils.
The sentiment is from Impression Obsession Introverting 2. Who knew these stamp sets would turn out to be oh-so-true for so many of us.
Simon would claim that the entire Couch belongs to him (as noted by photos 1, 3 & 6 below) ... and you can find your own place to sit.
Which version of Quarantine Simon are you?
I live across the street from a Donut Shop ... yes, you read that correctly, across the street.
When I was working from the office, I would stop in every other week or so and take a box of donuts to the office. Now I have to have a discussion with myself most mornings that I DO NOT NEED to walk over to the donut shop to get some breakfast before starting my day (so far I have successfully avoided weight gain during this work-from-home experience).
It is that self-conversation that inspired my card for the Hero Arts #staycraftywithhero Out of the Box Challenge.
However, when I showed my crafty friends my card during our Saturday afternoon crafty video call, they thought the Stop Sign was to tell my friends to STOP & STAY AWAY from my Donuts ... so I suppose you could take this out-of-the-box card either way (because trust me, if I do buy the donuts ... you better not eat mine).
I started by stamping the donuts from Hero Arts Food Puns on Pink Cardstock, and then I punched them out using a 1 1/2" Circle Punch. I used a smaller circle punch from the same light pink as my card base for the center of the donuts. Then I used Glossy Accents to "glaze" my donuts.
Next I due cut the stop sign from Hero Arts No Trespassing Stamp & Cut and stamped one of the Sentiments in Black Ink (looking at it now, white ink might have been better). I positioned my three elements using foam tape and then centered the two other sentiments from the same set above and below.
I think combining these two sets made a fun out-of-the-box card for today's situation ... and it will certainly make someone smile (especially if it comes with a freshly baked Donut).
At Jingle Belles we're creating with a Sketch for the next two weeks.
I started with my tag and this Grinch Stamp set from Gina Marie Designs.
I stamped his hand on the green tag and then paper pieced the ornament and sleeve.
I used a metallic pen for the ornament cap. I added some Eyelet Outlet Clear Swirl Bling flourishes and finished with some EO Holiday Bling in the tag corner.
One lucky participant will get the Laurels Dies from Paper Smooches. I hope you'll find the sketch inspiring and come join our fun.
Another week of skipping through blogland:
Have a tremendous Thursday!
I loved both of these cards ( Hey and Paper Hug) from SkyPaperScissors so much that it inspired me to buy the dies from The Stamp Market.
Then I combined the Modern Motif Die Cover Plate with the Paper Hug Die into my own design using a piece of Distress Oxide Sprayed Paper with an 80's Inspired Color Combination.
I stamped the sentiment from The Stamp Market Mini Hellos in White Craft Ink on black cardstock and embossed with White Embossing Powder.
The current Paper Smooches Challenge is Happy Things ... on my Happy Things list has always been having my own Vespa .. and the ones I usually dream about are Tiffany Blue.
I die cut my Paper Smooches Vespa from Tiffany Blue Glitter Cardstock (because if you're going for Happy Things, you might as well go BIG and go BLING).
Then then, since I'm dreaming wheels, I turned my Vespa Wheels into Sprinkle Donuts. I used the steam die from the Coffee for the smoke behind my Vespa.
I used a sentiment from the retired Scooter Set (the pre-Vespa) and another from Paper Smooches Inhale Exchale.
I'm also joining the Totally Tiffany Challenge at the Rainbow Card Challenge.
