Sunday, July 12, 2015

A Card... and Something Different

The first thing I want to show you today is a card I made for a StampNation challenge this last week. We were given an inspiration photo to springboard from...


... and this is what I came up with:


As you can see, I was inspired by the colors, the zigzag pattern in the pillows, and the row of what I think is in part flowers down the center of the table. This is a little more "beige" than I usually do, but I thought I'd work out of my comfort zone. The cardstock is SU! Naturals in both white and ivory. I embossed the Vivid Vases image with detail gold embossing powder, and added color using primarily my Spectrum Aqua markers with a wee bit of Zig Clean Color Real Brush markers as well.

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My other project is from a Hunkydory Oriental Blooms kit, and the project is called a Lotus Blossom box. This is my first purchase of a Hunkydory kit, and I have to say I'm impressed! The gold foiling is exquisite, the Asian artwork is divine, and the instructions for this particular project in the kit were relatively easy to figure out. The lotus blossom easily folds up to fit under the lid. I think my next projects from the kit will be even better now that I know I need to smooth off the nibs that show from where I punched the project pieces from their original pages, and I need to do something (to be determined) to be sure the tips of the blossom do not get bent. I have three more of this project in different colors to make, and will post them when that happens.





As I confessed to my StampNation sistahs, I typically feel like I'm "cheating" if I use a kit rather than design projects from beginning to end. In the last year or so, though, I've branched out and used My Paper Pumpkin kits from Stampin' Up! as well as some other kits they've offered in their catalogs. As a result, I'm starting to lighten up on myself for using kits because I see that there is room for creativity because kit instructions are not written in stone, and in fact they often contain added materials to encourage artistic license. I've had some long spells of low mojo in the last year, and I think I'd rather use a kit to keep my hands busy (and possibly inspire me) rather than sit idle as my frustration grows.

How about you? How do you feel about using kits? I'd love to hear your opinion, so please leave a quick note in the comments below to weigh in on the subject.

Shiny Smiles,
Joyce Spear a.k.a. StamperJoyce
            

2 comments:

christina d said...

I love your card. No I never saw it. The box is great, wasn't it fun to do? I need to get going on more of mine.

Deborah said...

Love your card the gold embossing of the vases really add an elegant touch to the water coloring. The colors you chose for the vases are beautiful! A long time ago I felt as you did about kits. Now due to some health issues I'm all for them especially the items from Hunkydory. Their illustrations, colors and foiling are just so lovely. I usually go to PaperWishes.com to buy my kits because they have such a large variety and their prices are fair. You can also find great videos for kit instructions and card ideas there as well. I now believe handmade is anything I take the time to put together with my own hands. Crafting has evolved immensely ove the last few years and at first I resisted the whole kit idea. Now with all the wonderful kits available it is nice to have a few in your arsenal. Enjoy your day!