We're The Perfect Pear...

It's no secret that my favorite color is green. I love all shades of green--but honestly, I tend to really love the odd end of the scale--olive, chartreuse and lime. Last night while keeping tabs on the all-absorbing Winter Olympics from Vancouver, I worked on this card. I was ready for something Spring-y and Kermit-y.

The base cardstock is Papertrey Ink cut at 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" and scored at 4 1/4" with the Scor-Pal. I used my Stampin' Up! ticket corner punch to shape the card. All along, I knew I wanted to make this wonderful Unity Stamp Co. pear stamp the focal point of my card. But, I also knew I was going to need "something" more to keep the card from swallowing up the stamped image.

I stamped the image with a Versamark pad onto Stampin' Up! Whisper White cardstock and then heat embossed it with a fine black embossing powder. I used my Stampin' Write markers to color the embossed image and then trimmed around it. (TIP: I found through trial and error that sometimes using Copic markers to color a heat embossed image is a bit tricky. The alcohol based ink can tend to smear some embossing powders, putting unsightly black streaks into your coloring. However, the Stampin' Up! Stampin' Write markers do not smear any embossing powders that I have tried thus far.)

To set-off my pear image, I decided to use a Cricut cut from the 'Picturesque' cartridge. I chose a swirled tag image cut at 4" from some dark green textured Bazzill cardstock. I used another piece of Papertrey Ink pear colored cardstock to create a backing shadow cut for the open swirl tag. For the hole in the top of the tag, I chose a polka dotted Making Memories brad, cut off the backing prongs, and used Stampin' Dimensionals to adhere it to the tag. Finally, I found a piece of scrap Stampin' Up! designer series paper in a green houndstooth pattern and cut it down to creat a horizontal mat to break up the tag and add another layer of visual interest. Now, it was time to put everything together using my ATG714 adhesive gun.






After I finished the card, I was getting ready to pull and envelope and a poly storage bag to file it away. But, I decided to try something a bit different--and I have to say I really like this idea for presentation purposes. Instead of using an envelope, I chose a glassine envelope/pouch to put my card in. It fits perfectly and I love the fact that you can see some of the card detail through the glassine paper. I picture this stuck in a wicker basket of fresh Bartlett pears as a wonderful neighbor/housewarming gift.





As always, thank you for taking the time out of your busy day to stop by and see what's crafting on my blog. Wherever the day takes you, I hope you have a pear-fect one....

Keep Crafting!

Quick Tip: Paper Perspectives

There are so many wonderful artists out there who design decorative papers for all the big name crafthouses. Many times, when I discover a new collection or artist that tickles my fancy, I have a hard time using some of the papers on my projects. You almost feel guilty about using the "pretty" paper. But, eventually, the creative juices usually win the battle and you end up creating something beautiful from it. (Though, I will admit that I do have certain paper designs that I tend to hoard for truly special projects.)

While I'm not as much into scrapbooking as I once was, I do enjoy working on and designing layouts for various projects. Many times these designs and techniques transfer over into my cardmaking--only on a smaller scale.

One comment I hear often is that sometimes a background paper is "too busy" or "too intricate" to use in a scrapbook layout or card. But, I say it's all a matter of perspective and thinking outside the box. Just because you have a 12" x 12" sheet of paper doesn't mean you have to use the entire piece in a card or layout. Sometimes, you need to put your designer's cap on and utilize your resources to fit your project.

For instance, I found this piece of lovely hibiscus paper in a Basic Grey paper pad from their Mortifica range. It is truly a piece of artwork.




I had an idea for a layout, but I honestly needed a little more contrast and focus for the project I had in mind. As I had several pieces of the same paper design, I thought it would be interesting to modify a piece so that it would work for my project. So, I found a piece of 12" x 12" black Bazzill cardstock and grabbed for my scissors and played around for a bit. After looking at potential cuts and layouts in my mind's eye, I found a combination that I liked. I carefully cut part of the hibiscus paper design out and adhered it to my black cardstock. The result is a piece of paper that combines two different ranges and design aesthetics--but works.



The lesson is to let your papers work for you. If they don't work the way you want them to, change it up and create something unexpected. Sometimes, it may not be a resounding success. But, in crafting, they are no failures. Expressing your creativity and resourcefulness can never be a losing proposition.

Create...and keep crafting!