Angel Paper

One key to successful clean-and-simple design is to do something unexpected. Of course, whatever you do that's unexpected also needs to belong to the design...in other words, it has to make sense.

For example, you wouldn't use the font comic sans on a sympathy card. Yes, it would be unexpected, but no, it wouldn't belong. Not one tiny bit.

When I found a scrap of white mulberry paper with gold metallic fibers in it, I knew it needed to be on an elegant card with gold embossing. This pretty, flowing angel stamp from PSX seemed a perfect match.

And it was. Notice the crisp lines of the oval are softened by the fringe of random mulberry fibers, and since straight lines love curves, the gold fibers belong as well...as a contrast for the curvy angel and her oval frame.

That paper is unexpected, unusual, highly textured on flat, matte card stock. But by using only a fringe of of mulberry, it doesn't overwhelm the design either. It complements it.

Go, me!

Also note that I need new embossing powder. This was the best angel I got out of about five attempts. Methinks the shelf life of embossing powder is shorter than anticipated by me.

Technique Tip: To tear mulberry paper like this, place the paper flat on a waterproof surface (I used a cutting mat). Use clean water on a clean paintbrush to "draw" where you want to tear. Saturate the paper along the lines you want to tear. Wait a minute for the fibers to loosen, then tear. You can easily pick the edges out when they are wet. Set aside to dry completely before adhering to your card with a glue stick.

And I mean it about the clean paintbrush. Mine still had some bright-red Twinkling H20 in it. What a bloody-looking mess.


Supplies
stamps: PSX
ink: gold pigment ink
paper: PTI white, white mulberry paper with gold fibers
accessories: glue stick, dimensionals, outdated gold embossing powder, heat gun, Embossing Buddy (a bag of powdered chalk that keeps embossing powder from sticking where you don't want it to stick), Creative Memories oval cutting system, wow that is a lot of stuff for one card by me, don't you think?

An Amusing Noel

One of my favorite A Muse sets is Nordic Noel, and this card shows why.

I just love these clean, solid images. For anyone wondering what a visual triangle is, take a gander at the placement of the leaves and berries. Draw lines between them and you get...tada!...a triangle. Those three points sort of unify the whole design, which is further reinforced by the placement of Noel where the deer is looking at it.

Always give your creatures something to look at.

And the nine tiny blings for the berries are just so festive, don't you think?

Of course you do.

Who doesn't love bling?

Exactly.

Supplies
stamps: A Muse
ink" SU cherry cobbler, old olive
paper: PTI white
accessories: dimensionals, rhinestones

Be Still, My Peaceful Pinecones

Today's Card

Okay, Peaceful Pinecones is my new favorite Christmas stamp set, for today's card alone. It's everything I love in a well-designed stamp set: pretty, simple images in a variety of sizes combined with useable sentiments in readable yet interesting fonts that aren't too big or too small. Plus, it's timeless and classic...nothing trendy about it. I'll use this stamp set as long as I can stamp.

Papertrey Ink, I'll expect my check in the mail soon. Seriously, you should be buying this sort of advertising.

Nichole, do you hear me? *tap, tap* Is this internet thingie on?

Oh well. Here's the card.

Let's spend a few minutes talking about floating images. You see, without the DMC floss bow on this adorable little pine sprig, this card, technically, wouldn't work. The sprig would be floating around on the card without anything to anchor it visually.

(And can we take a moment to pause and admire how perfect that little bow is...I've made precisely four perfect DMC floss bows in my life and this is one of them.)

Now, as a clean-and-simple stamper who loves, reveres, kneels at the altar of white space, I'm not too fashed by floating images. If they're cute enough or elegant enough or pretty enough or cool enough, they can float all they want and I'll love them anyway.

But the design gurus scorn floating images. This little bow makes the gurus happy.

Me, too.

And thus endeth the lesson on floating images.

Go forth and float if you feel like it.



My Birthday

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank Sue and Patti and Linda for sending me birthday cards. They are beautiful and I love them and the three of you. After my birthday, I'll share them and any others I receive because it's just so nice that some of you think to send me cards for my birthday.

Oh, have I not mentioned that my birthday is coming up? How remiss of me not to fish for birthday cards in advance! My birthday is on Thanksgiving this year. Isn't it cool that the whole country will be celebrating my birthday with the traditional birthday pumpkin pie?

I love America!

Supplies
stamps: Papertrey Ink
ink: Memento markers and pads
paper: PTI white
accessories: DMC floss, glue 

Miss You Birdie

Missing You cards are actually fun to make. Giving a visual representation to separation or absence is relatively easy and lends itself perfectly to CAS cards. After all, white space is absence, emptiness.

Consider something as clean and simple as this:

Poor, lonely little birdie! The line of gray connects the bird and the sentiment and serves the function of giving the birdie a place to roost. It's unified, makes its point visually and with words, and has high impact.

And nary a spot of glitter anywhere on it. Yes, it's going to Operation Write Home. I'm so glad I don't have to send miss you cards to my honey anymore.

supplies
stamps: Papertrey Faux Ribbon, Love Birds
ink: Memento
paper: PTI white
accessories: none

OLW News

No card tonight, but don't forget about the OLW challenge for tomorrow. It will be on Cheryl's Blog!!!!

No Glitter for the Troops

Several people have asked about the "no glitter" rule at Operation Write Home. Glitter on their uniforms can make soldiers targets for enemy guns, especially at night. Apparently, glitter shows up in night vision goggles really well.

Even though plenty of OWH cards go to troops who aren't on the front lines (naval ships, air force groups, etc.), an errant flake of glitter could possibly cost a soldier his or her life. And y'all know how glitter gets everywhere!

I lifted this directly from OWH's site:

 
No glitter. Really! Glitter is a safety hazard for our heroes, so no cards with any glitter that will flake off the card are accepted. Stickles or pens that apply glitter that will NOT rub off can be acceptable, but please check your cards by rubbing it on a sweater. If it flakes off, it cannot be used. Small gems are fine.


So I'm careful to clean up my area after using glitter (wet wipes are wonderful, but a damp Bounty paper towel over everything works well, too) and before making cards for OWH. I store those finished cards in a photo box that's never seen glitter.

So there you have it. No glitter for the troops. It's a matter of life or death!

Glitter!

I very deliberately haven't used glitter on Christmas cards for months, simply because I wanted to send lots of Christmas cards to Operation Write Home...and the soldiers can't have glitter (which seems mean but actually could be a matter of life or death). The other day, however, it occurred to me that the OWH deadline for Christmas cards had passed, and now I'm making for myself.

I can use as much glitter as I want.

So here you go.

I wanted to experiment with this layout, keeping everything on the bottom third of a portrait-oriented card. It was, quite frankly, boring before I added the glitter. (Click on the picture to see some of the sparkle.)

Glitter is good.

So very good.

YAY, GLITTER!


Supplies
stamps: Papertrey Pinecones
ink: Memento
paper: PTI white
accessories: glue pen, glitter