Stepping Up a One-Layer Card

Thursday's post about saving a poorly-positioned design shows what to do when a one-layer card goes wonky, but of course I HAD to try again to make the design work on one layer...because, you know, I'm all about "less is the new more."

Let's start with the failed one-layer version of the reindeer card so the changes I made in the new design make sense.

As you can see, the scrap paper under the card shows how I experimented with the tree and reindeer stamps...various colors and types of ink, off-stamping, etc. The sentiments along the bottom of the scrap (which is just a low-quality copy paper I buy in bulk) are tests to make sure the clear stamps are aligned on my gridded acrylic block properly before I stamp them on a card. This extra step saves a lot in wasted card fronts!

Back to the matter at hand. This card uses Memento pistachio and Hero Arts wet cement inks. It's soft and dreamy, but also a tad boring. For the new one-layer attempt, I decided to go with darker colors, especially to create greater contrast between the reindeer butt and the tree, which sort of blend together in the first version. I really wanted the reindeer to be the focal point that draws you into the design.

Here's the revised version, perfectly placed on the card, using Memento Olive Grove and Potter's Clay

In retrospect, I wish I'd snapped a shot of the card before adding the bow so you could see the intermediate step in the design. Without the bow, the card was a big improvement on the first, softer version, but it still needed a little something. The color of the deer kept the eye on the deer, and the sentiment (in Memento Espresso Truffle) seemed stuck on as an after-thought. The design needed something to take the eye to the sentiment, and a twine bow seemed just the thing. I love how it anchors the whole design on the card...it really makes a huge difference!

Color and embellishment...if you have a blah design, try stepping it up by changing these two things!

Supplies
stamps: Hero Arts
ink: Memento
paper: Papertrey white
accessories: twine, glue, post-it for masking