Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Love You, Mom

Who could resist Papertrey Ink's April Release? Not me. I received my order about a week ago and yesterday was the first chance I had to play with them. Well, maybe I should say I haven't dared to play with them 'til yesterday. That's because I'm a bit intimidated by how well some blogland friends have used them!

Normally when I make a card, I know exactly what I'm going to do before rubber hits ink but, in this case, I didn't even have a clue how I was going to use these sets when I bought them. This is the first time I'm actually 'playing' with stamps to get a feel for what they can do and what I can do with them. This card is far from perfect but I like how it looks and my mom certainly won't notice the imperfections so it's all good. ;)

This particular card uses Modern Basics, Grunge Me and My Hero, My Dad. I was inspired by the PDCC#79 colours of red, lime and grey but ended up adding yellow so I didn't link up to the challenge. I decided to try and make a custom flower from Modern Basics. I wanted to make a one-layer card but smudged the ink on the five-petal flower. I didn't want to waste the cardstock so I made another version on a separate piece of cardstock and fussy cut it. Then I stamped smaller flowers in different colours and sizes. I purposely adhered the layers off-centre toward the top right-hand corner of white space to draw the eye in that direction. Something had to balance out the large flower so I used various patterns from Grunge Me and My Hero, My Dad to create other greenery. I actually stamped off the yellow at the bottom because I didn't want it to compete too much with the flower itself. I extended the bird's legs but it ended up looking awkwardly long so I decided to create another leg as if it's walking but then I realized that birds' legs don't bend that way. Oops. Either way, it's still cute, right? I didn't have an appropriate sentiment so I created one using a couple of words from Modern Basics and hand-wrote 'Mom' except it ended up too small. When I rehearsed it, it was much larger! So there you have it. I played, I created and I made a lot of mistakes but, most importantly, I had fun and I learned a few things.

Sources: Gina K Designs 120lb pure luxury white cardstock; Papertrey Ink Modern Basics, Grunge Me & My Hero, My Dad; SU Basic Grey, Kiwi Kiss, Riding Hood Red & Summer Sun inks; SU Basic Rhinestones; Sharpie Fine Black Pen

41 comments:

Erin (Homemade Cards by Erin) said...

Wow, I'm in awe of the amount of thought you put into your crafty creations... I'm sure your mom will love it.

Virginia L. said...

Play more, play more, Emily!! Outstanding flower and design!! Love how versatile these stamps are (almost too versatile for me and I will be stumped!!). I hope you keep at playing with these stamps...so much potential!

Jennifer said...

Awesome card Emily!! Your mom will LOVE it!! (= Can't wait to see what other creations you come up with!! You are amazing with background stamps!! (=

kasia c. said...

Emily, too incredible! I LOVE that gangly bird. He looks totally happy and care-free romping through the grass! (?)
I adore the flower you created with the modern basics set. I too feel a little intimidated by other blogland uses of it, but I'm afraid you are included in that! :)

Hope you are having a great week. {hugs}

Wendy ten Hove said...

Hi Emily!

Woehoe, you already have the Grunge me in your home, lucky you, I'm still waiting for it to arrive at my door... Love how you played with these stamps, I do think that's exactly how to use these, just play and make patterns and then it turns out to this awesome card!! I love it! I love how you made the flower with Modern Basics, I love the walking bird!! It's just a new type of bird, don't worry, flamingo birds CAN walk like this!! ;-) And I think your handwritten 'Mom' is a good size, with this in grey it attracts more attention to me, than the other things! I love it!!! And loved reading how you came to this creation!
Wishing you a wonderful day!!
Hugs, Wendy

walchowDesign said...

You've underestimated yourself, Emily! You did it! Such a beautiful design and the colors are great! Love how your created the bottom layers!

Lynn said...

I love how you used the grunge set to create the greenery effect at the bottom...the entire card is amazing!

farmhouse-story said...

love the grunge me stamp along the bottom, emily! you took pti stamps and worked your style into them, instead of the other way around--i love that, too:)

Jen W. said...

Thanks for taking us through your process. It's fun to hear how cards come about. I think it's a great card - despite all the mistakes you think are there! That long legged birdie is too cute and I love the grass and flowers you created along the bottom. So cool!

Angela said...

Your card is very wonderland-esque, what with the big ol' flower, grungy greenery (and red-ery), and that strolling birdie. Fabulous.

Karin said...

I love your Modern Basics flower...I may borrow this idea, it's just so cool! Playing with stamps is just the best, and I think the funky walking bird fits right in on this card :)

Isha Gupta said...

Love the result of your play Emily, keep playing and of Coarse sharing...lol.
Gorgeous stamps....wish I was in US...it would make buying so much easier.TFS

Jen Carter said...

This is so adorable!! Love how you used these sets!! Cute, cute!!

Erin said...

I loved reading about the process for this card, I was beginning to think everything you touched turned to gold! hehe Though this is card STILL FAB :) The flower is incredible and your handwritten 'mom' looks like a stamp!!

Jen M said...

Lovely! Thanks for sharing your thought process... I never know how I'm going to use a stamp, LOL, so it's good to hear others thnking out loud!

Savannah O'Gwynn said...

LOL! I LOVE what Erin said--she doesn't know what everything you do touch really DOES turn into GOLD!!! LOOOVE it:) I love this card--how pretty! I LOVE that little birdie in the corner! SO FUN! You rock:) Blessings to you friend:)

Lindsey said...

Sometimes just playing with stuff is fun! It certainly paid off for you, because this is an awesome card! That flower is fab, and the bird is... funky! :P I, too, think the sentiment works perfectly.

Vicky Hayes said...

Thanks for sharing your creative process - it's always fun to hear how something came about. I love the bird with the comedy legs!

Cristina said...

Amazing! Rock on with that Modern Basics flower. So, so great. And I think your handwriting looks fantastic! Whenever I try to do that, I usually end up tossing the card, but then again, my handwriting isn't nearly as nice as yours.

Gina Lindsay said...

I really love the look of this card. The green stands out so well against that white. I love the polka dot layers too. I really, really love this!

Karen B. said...

Such a fun card, Emily!

Meg said...

I like your little bird on stilts! :) Sometimes it is fun just to play!!

~Tammy~ said...

ummm, I love how you have used the sets VERY WELL!

Emily Keaton said...

What a cute card, Emily. I love the colors you used, and your design looks so cool with the flower blooming off the page!

BabyBokChoy said...

absolutely adorable, wow!!! Seriously, I'm sold!

Tiffany Ervin said...

Aw...now this is just way too cute! Really love the images at the bottom of the card!

Sunghee said...

ummm..... your card is the bestest in the blogland. And you are so smart when it comes to tweaking things.

G Peplow said...

Well I can't see any mistakes either LOL It's lovely Emily and I love the fact that you played, that's what it's all about isn't it? Maybe I've been doing it all wrong, I love just playing LOL!
I think your Mum is going to love this card it's gorgeous, hugs :0) xxx

Unknown said...

WOW! WOW! WOW! I guess that says it all! Absolutely beautiful!

Unknown said...

love what you did with the new stamps!!! so pretty, and I thought that sentiment was a stamp, but YOU wrote it, sooooo cool!!! looks great:)

Amber said...

The colors, the flower, the handwriting - all perfectly paired! Great job, Emily!

Heather said...

So pretty, I can't see any flaws!!! Love the bird :)

Kirsty Vittetoe said...

This is stunning, love how the bloom stands out against the clean and simple background!

SeattleStamper said...

LOVE that big flower! Someone is going to be really happy to receive this card.

Scrapcollectr said...

Gorgeous flower and that bird is toooo cute. *smile*

Janna Werner said...

Yummie yummie colours and a pretty little scene! Love that little bird {heart}
Have a lovely day :)
Janna

Angie said...

Really cute card. Only you can see any flaws. I absolutely love the mix of stamps and colors along the bottom. I'm going to have to give it a try!

Amy Kolling said...

Emily, this is hands down FANTASTIC!! I used Grunge Me in a unique way too but I LOVE yours. It is so fun and colorful and great to see this stamp set used for a "pretty" card! BTW, I'm a new follower! :)

scrapsnsuch@gmail.com said...

LOL! The flower/grass effect is perfect. I don't see anything wrong with it :>)

donna mikasa said...

Such a creative card, Emily! The flower is gorgeous and I love how you used the grunge elements! And that tall bird makes me smile! Wonderful work, as always...

Brenda said...

You are just too clever with those PTI stamps! I wish I could think like that but it's great to ave you as inspiration! Thank you!