Saturday, April 3, 2010

Inspired by Maile Belles

Maile Belles, whose blog Simply Stamped is on my must-read list, has such a distinctive style that when I went through the last issue of Papercrafts, I picked out her many cards without looking at the credits. One of those published cards inspired my card today. Maile used buttons rather than punched flowers and bling, her sentiment was blue rather than black, and her card was longer and thinner than my 4.25" square.




Maile's card is oh so pretty while mine is oh so cute. A small change like using punched flowers rather than buttons can completely change the personality of a card, even if the layout and colors stay almost exactly the same.

When you're copying someone else's card, small changes can lead to larger design decisions that make the card more your own. In this case, I had to cut the card down to 4.25" square because it looked horribly unbalanced after I added the sentiment. My sentiment, in black and slightly bigger than Maile's, had a bit too much weight to have all that white space stretching beyond it. Maile's card looks so fresh and pretty with a bunch of white space, but mine looked awkward. So I cut it down, putting the sentiment in the "sweet spot" for a focal point, and harmony was restored.

Why did I change the sentiment to black in the first place? Because, unlike the transluscent buttons on Maile's card, the punched flowers are densely colored and turquoise would have looked weak beside the more intense color. I contemplated using taken with teal, but generally, I prefer using black or dark brown for sentiments.

I hope today's post (like yesterday's) helps those who are frustrated trying to copy cards. Sometimes, your version will turn out a bit different but equally successful, as this one does (at least in my opinion), and sometimes, your version won't quite live up to the beauty of the original (as yesterday's did not). Either way, it's a wonderful learning experience. Copying great cards teaches you what works, what doesn't, and how to feel your own way to successful designs.

Have a blessed Easter weekend!

14 comments:

  1. Great tips. Thank you. I learn lots from you! Easter Blessings to you.

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  2. wonderful post!! your card is awesome. I love how you take inspiration and make it your own! I too am an avid Maile follower and can pick out her cards. Interesting thought ... I'm pretty sure I'd be able to pick out your cards if they were published too *wink,wink* Have a wonderful easter weekend.

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  3. I love Maile's blog and style too! You did a great job on this one too. I like how the flowers look on the card!

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  4. Thank you for the mini tutorial and the bit of confidence needed!

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  5. Very nice card --- clean but eye-catching. Love the colors of the flowers......are they on a paper-pierced line, or is that a dotted line? I like the flowers better than I'd like the buttons, I think. And it has nothing to do with the fact that I have the SU punch that cuts 3 different flowers at once! This is a great card for using up some scraps. Thanks!

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  6. I often copy cards I like in order to get my mojo back in working order. Just working with good materials without having to "create" gets the ideas flowing for me. Often the ideas I get use some of the same materials as the copied card.

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  7. This is a beautiful card and combination of colours! Funny, we both mentioned Maile in our most recent post. Great minds think alike! ;)

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  8. Easter blessings to you too ...
    I love the way your flowers appear to be floating on pierced 'strings' - very effective.
    Nice to have insight to your thinking processes too ;)
    TFS

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  9. Love this Susan! Really enjoyed reading about your thought process behind your creation. Thanks for finding inspiration through one of my cards and for your kind words, I am honored!

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  10. I absolutely ADORE this little thank you card! As a person who makes them frequently (mom often says, "now what's THIS for?"), lol...I'm always on the hunt for new ideas! LOVE it! :) tfs

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  11. Super Cute! Love the color combo. I made a card with blue, orange and green myself recently. I really like the piercing to connect the flowers. I have all those same flower punches. I may have to try this out.

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  12. I'm going to have to steal this idea. Love it!

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Thank you so much for taking time to comment!