Hi, it's been lovely here in Scotland over the past few days. The sun has been shining and we've been going on some lovely forest walks.
We have a small flock of chickens and sadly lost Eggspresso to old age this week. They are all ex-battery hens, so they usually only last a while because of poor treatment. She was a very happy chicken that we had for two years and really enjoyed trashing our garden during her time with us! She also loved a little treat of bite-sized cheese from time to time. We love our chickens, they are such characters!
So, onto today's card which took FOREVER to make. Usually, when I make designs I list them for sale. I will not be selling this one. It's going to my bestie. I know she will appreciate the work I've put into it.
A little close up of the sparkle ...
I will share my process with you on how NOT to make this card. I learned a lot of things along the way, and will share those learnings so that if you decide to buy it you don't make the same mistakes as me!!
I chose the Freshly Made Sketches challenge sketch to make this card.
Mistake #1 - I started out by die cutting the Spring Shower cover panel in various colours, and then popped the pieces out.
Remedy #1 - Either stick the panel to some double-sided adhesive sheets or use Press and Seal. That way you can keep the tiny pieces in place and take them off as you go. While I like jigsaw puzzles, the way I did it was really frustrating as it took AGES to sift through each of the tiny elements. I had to make the card over a few days because it took so long.
Mistake #2 - I die cut the word 'Hello' three times, in navy cardstock. I then stacked up the three die-cuts to give it some dimension. I used some Wink of Stellar clear pen to add some sparkle before covering it completely with Glossy Accents. I left the word overnight to dry. My family said they thought the navy was too dark, and it took your eye away from the pretty floral design, so I made the same sentiment again in purple but it was completely lost when I added it to the card.
Remedy #2 - Don't overthink it. Listen to input from others, but go with your gut if you think your design needs to be how you've planned, i.e. in this case the sentiment needed to be bold for it to stand out.
Mistake #3 - I chose to add in every single element that the die created. This was incredibly time-consuming.
Remedy #3 - When I use the die next time, I will keep things much more simple by choosing elements of the die to use, and/or just use the entire panel and add some interest behind the open space that the die creates.
Mistake #4 - I used a liquid adhesive to add the elements onto the panel. This was like doing double the amount of work because I had to remove the elements to then glue them, plus the spaces were often tiny and the glue would seep out.
Remedy #4 - Using the adhesive sheets as I mentioned in Remedy #1 would have made the process so much quicker.
From the above, you could think that I hate the die! I don't. I just learned many ways of how not to use it. I have only recently started doing the die-cut inlay technique, so it was all very good learning for next time!
Next, I cut a strip of purple cardstock, that I scored in my Scor-Buddy to create a bit of interest. After adhering the Hello to the front right of the card, I stamped the 'Thanks a Bunch' sentiment with Altenew Lagoon ink, which I pop dotted over the 'Hello' sentiment.
To finish I added a white stitched frame that I created by using two rectangle dies taped together, and then I added some of Lucy's iridescent gems for a bit of sparkle. I then attached the whole panel to the front of a white card.
Finishing this card was definitely an achievement. It nearly went in the bin a few times! A test in patience for sure.
Hope you like it!
Supplies Used:
Thanks for popping by :)
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