Friday, September 12, 2014

Very Special Card for a Challenge

Awww.....This is sweet!  
"Perhaps a child, like a cat, is so much inside of himself that he does not see himself in the mirror."
                                                                             ----------------Anais Nin

Hi, Friends.....

I am here today with a special card for someone who is ailing and could use some encouragement.  Her name is Edith and I found out about her through Donna Ellis' wonderful blog:  Creative Smiles.  You can learn more about Edith's struggle with cancer HERE.  Perhaps, you would also like to send her a card.

I already had in my stash this lovely butterfly image I had heat embossed in white on vellum.  I do try to stamp a few extras when I have my sets out.  It is nice to have them on hand and often is just what I need to inspire an entire card! 

I put the vellum over the aqua polka-dot paper (yes, it really is aqua, not sky blue....darn camera!!), added a scrap of doily beneath, and mounted it on kraft.
  
I serendipitously made sort of a wood-grain looking background with some lined DCWV paper.  I used my HA Pattern Stripes background stamp inked with SSS Khaki.  I'm positive this paper wasn't supposed to be wood, but I think it kind of looks that way with my subtle stamping.  LOVE when something like that happens!!  :)

 
I clustered some Prima and Petaloo flowers together and glued on beads for the center of one.  



Then I got this wild idea of gluing beads on the stems of the side panel.  I probably should have quit before my brain got this far....

Actually, I really like this effect, but it is hard to keep the glue where you want it.  I laid down a line of Alene's Jewel-It and set on the beads.  It looks hard and tedious, but what I use is the tip of an unfolded paper clip that has a bit of sticky on it from the glue.  I touch it to the bead, which picks up easily, and then set it in place, oriented in all the same direction (in theory).  After they are all lined up to my satisfaction, I lay a line of glue over the top of them for additional security.  The glue dries clear, so you can't tell it's there.....except where I got some smears of glue on the paper.  Please don't look too closely!!  The process is actually quite easy......otherwise you wouldn't be seeing it on my blog!  Ha.

I once again used some of Joanna's lovely color palette from HERE.  There's only a day or two left on this color challenge and I will be so sorry to put those papers away.  It has been such an awesome combination to work with!!


Also, I got totally brave and decided to participate in the Taylored Expressions - Sketch, Selfie, Share Challenge.  Did you notice that there is a $250 TE Gift Voucher Random Draw Prize up for grabs????  Wowza!!!  I am soooooooooo in!!!

Here's the sketch she provided: 
One of the requirements of this challenge is to post a selfie of you and your card!  EEEEEEK!!!!!

I couldn't get one of my cats to pose with the card (the ingrates, after all I do for them!), so.........at the risk of being the sole cause of the entire world wide web crashing, here is my selfie with my card: 

Arrrrrrrrghhhh.....I can never get a decent selfie!!  (cringe)

Edith, if you are feeling up to reading this, please know you are in my thoughts and prayers!!  Peace, strength, and comfort be yours.  

Thanks, everyone, for stopping by.  Hope your weekend is lovely!!!

<3
Janis


Thank you for the honor of entering this card in the following challenges:
1. Taylored Expressions - Sketch, Selfie, Share Challenge
2. Inspired by Stamping - IBSIC #85 - Color Challenge
3. DL.ART September Linky Challenge - Anything Goes
4. Stamp and Create - September Challenge - Circles or Dots
5. Butterfly Spot Challenge - Ugly Bug Ball - Use any Winged Insect

17 comments:

  1. Beautiful card great color and design.
    Thank you for joining my DL.ART Thankful Thursday Anything Goes September Linky Party. Have a blessed day
    DIANA L.
    http://dianamlarson.blogspot.com http://dianamlarson.ctmh.com

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    1. Thank you, Diana! Love your Linky Parties!!!

      <3
      Janis

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  2. Wow, I was going to give you a heads up on the posts for Edith on Donna's blog but I see you were already on board! Edith is going to just love that card. The heat embossing on vellum looks so pretty and is something I need to remember to do more often. I certainly have enough plain vellum to last me for years...may as well use some of it! The pearls, flowers and bit of doily look wonderful against the kraft card stock and oh my goodness, that stamped wood grain background is so perfect. Shabby chic all the way! Seeing your gorgeous card with your BIG SMILE in your selfie is the icing on the cake! Shame on your kitties for being so uncooperative and making you pose AND take your own photo...haha! I wondered myself if having a cat pose with your card would disqualify your project in the challenge....that is, unless your cat also MADE the card.

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    1. Hi, Karen....

      Hey, it looks like a bunch of us have heard about Edith....Lis, too! I am so glad about that....even though I have gotten in a bit later than others!!

      Thanks for your sweet comments. I was esp pleased and surprised with that wood-grain look on the background. It was not at all what I was expecting! When I *do* have an idea in my mind's eye, it rarely actually works out. So go figure... Ha.

      The internet is still up today, so I guess my selfie didn't make the world end, after all!! Ha. LOL @ my cats making a card!! They are not very good at choosing colors or patterns, although by the amount they knock onto the floor I can tell they are determined to keep trying. However, they absolutely excel at paper piercing and distressing!!!! :D

      <3
      Janis

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    2. You're lucky your cats stick to piercing and distressing! My cat, Teddy, is not even allowed anywhere near my craft room anymore after he got it into his mind that vellum was an evil entity that must be vanquished. Even though he is a neutered male, he left his special mark on my stash of vellum...and that was that!
      As for your accidental wood-grain effect, I find that some of my best results came of experimenting and going where the supplies take you. That khaki ink was just perfect for the subtle pattern!

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  3. What a super pretty card! LOVE the beautiful soft colors and the embossing on vellum is awesome! Thanks for joining us at Inspired By Stamping! HUGS! :) Mynn xx

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    1. Thank you, Mynn!!! I love vellum, but for some reason I don't go to it very often. I need to do that more!

      <3
      Janis

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  4. I have been sending card to Edith for several months now and I can tell you they are appreciated both by Edith and her care giving sister Sue Your card is lovely , thank you for sending it to her..............Lis

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    1. Lis......I'm so glad to know you have been sending cards to Edith! I'm sure she has really enjoyed your lovely cards with your handmade papers!!!

      <3
      Janis

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  5. Hi, Janis! Your selfie is sweet and HAPPY! am glad that you took it! I'm not photogenic at all. Your card is amazing. Question about the Aleenes Jewel It adhesive: Does it dry quickly? Are you happy with it? I've never tried it. Usually, I blunder along with her Quick Dry tacky, but would love something for the plastic-ky jeweled bottoms. Even the self adhesive jewels do not stick well to non porous surfaces, so I end up using the Quick Dry glue to adhere them. I apply glitter to them so that it sticks to any surface area that adhesive or glue might otherwise show up. Your wood background is soft and pretty, and the vellum over the dotted papers looks great! so pretty! Edith will be very encouraged by your lovingkindness. hugs, de

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    1. Thank you so much, Donna!!! I had to have a huge smile in my selfie or I looked (even more) like Bride of Frankenstein!! Ha.

      Aleene's Jewel-It is my go-to liquid glue for almost all applications where I am using a liquid product! I love it because it stays flexible when it dries, so I don't have papers separating from each other or embellishments popping off in my somewhat dry Idaho climate. It is a white glue sort of product, so it doesn't dry any faster than regular white glue. One thing I like about Beacon 3-in-1 is how It sets up really fast and hangs on tight!!! You have to be quick working with it. The Jewel-It gives me more time to position my items. I snag Jewel-It with JoAnn's half-price coupons. Yay!!!

      Thanks so much for visiting and leaving such a nice comment!!!

      <3
      Janis

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  6. I love the shabby chic look to your card. Edith will love to receive it as she loves flowers. Welcome to The Ugly Bug Ball. Thankyou for fluttering along. hugs Mrs A. (butterfly challenge).

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    1. Thank you for your kind comment. I just wish it had arrived in time for Edith to see it.

      <3
      Janis

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  7. FIRST of all, that's a fantabulous selfie, Janis! Most of them I've seen, including the only one I've ever taken, have the viewers looking up the selfie's nose and somehow you managed to get your's straight on and it's a great shot!!

    Secondly, that bird photo just took my breath away! You always have the sweetest bird pictures!

    Thirdly, thank you for the reminder about Edith! I have a note to send her cards, but I haven't in too long because my note has gotten shuffled down to the bottom of my "do this NOW" pile. Haha. What a joke that is!!

    Fourthly (I guess I should continue, right, even tho it seems too professorial now!), your beaded butterfly card is really pretty! I love how the lined paper was turned into woodgrain with your help!

    Lastly, thank you so much for referring Karen Ladd over at Flickr to my NBUS Challenge! Hugs, Darnell

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    1. Darnell,
      Thank you for your nice comments!! With as many cats as I have, I do not also have pet birds. But I do love birds and their gorgeous colors and intriguing qualities! I enjoy seeing your bird photos on your blog.

      <3
      Janis

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  8. Beautiful card. I love the pearls and embossed image. Thanks for joining us at Inspired by Stamping.

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    1. Thank you so much, Donna!!! I really enjoyed pulling out those pearly beads to play with!

      <3
      Janis

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THANK YOU so much for taking the time to leave a comment. Your kind words encourage me so very much!!!

Have a lovely day!
<3
Janis