So Many Steps...But Worth It

When I saw THIS PIN, it called out to me. Oh, my! It's simply lovely and begged for me to be inspired by it.

But there were so many steps. So many steps...and days of pressing the two wet-treated panels to flatten them out enough to use.

I adore the results.

The top left panel, obviously, was the easy one. The stamp is an old one from Hero Arts, and I used Ranger prickly pear ink. The top right panel took more time. First, the Happy Birthday sentiment (PTI, I believe) was heat embossed with white embossing powder, and then the panel was stamped with a water-spritzed acrylic block with Memento and StampinUp markers scribbled on it. The bottom panel was colored the same way with lighter shades of green.

I love how the original inspiration used black to anchor the design, but I couldn't bring myself to do that, using dark olive rhinestones instead. I also kept the bling to a minimum, with just three to keep the design from getting too fussy. Note how subtle the top left panel is in the inspiration piece...mine, not so much.

In all honesty, I'm blown away by the incredibly artsy, amazingly designed cards showing up on European blogs these days. The talent and skill and outstanding design represented there can be intimidating and overwhelming, I think. But it's just like 15-18 years ago when everyone started using prismacolor pencils and gamsol. I compared by work to theirs and felt bad about myself...until I woke up and realized this is a hobby. It's supposed to make you feel good and help you relieve stress and have fun.

So today's message is this: if you're feeling intimidated by other stampers' talent, get over yourself, dive in, and play around without comparing yourself or your work to them or their work. Look for ideas and inspiration, not a stick to beat yourself up with. Do stuff you don't normally do, throw away the messes (it's only paper, after all), and most important of all, have fun!

Mercy, grace, peace, and love,
Susan

PS This card won't be going through the mail. Hand delivered, yes. Or sent in a package, yes. But not put in an envelope and into the post office's brutal hands. Nope.