2016 Holiday Card Series: Card #3

Hi ya!

So let's talk about card #3...I enjoyed making it, Stamping Bella is ranked in the top 10 of my favorite stamping companies so I get pretty darn excited about most of their stamps. Most of the time when I am making cards I don't typically do the same card in mass production, unless I am making cards for a client. ( I find that unless I am getting paid for it repetition is not my friend.) I like the process of making cards and when I finish one card I feel like the slate has been wiped clean and the next one has the potential to be anything!

I also do something to the inside whether it be generation stamping (this is where you ink up your stamp & stamp it off onto scratch paper one or two times & then add the image which gives you a lighter image that can be written over & still easily read). Adding small stamped images in the bottom right hand corner such as snowflakes or one of the characters from the front of the card or adding some strips of paper that coordinate with the front as well. I feel this gives the card a finished feel while still allowing most of the inside to be a blank space for the giver to write their message.

On this particular card I chose to go with the strips of paper that match the front AND a stamped image on the inside. This is what I would like to talk about...typically when I create something and I am finished with it, I let it be. I enjoy it for what it is and remind myself that this craft is handmade and perfection is not the point and not to bash your own work. I'm gonna deviate from this little rule for just a sec...because I REALLY don't like the inside of this card!!!!

The stamp image is from Stamping Bella, the paper is from Doodlebug Designs, the ribbon is from my stash. I colored the image with my Copic Markers. I may still add some more sparkle to it, I am pretty sure that I added Wink of Stella in Clear but I think that Spectrum Noir Sparkle in Clear shows up so much better.

I don't normally cover up this much of the inside so that more a message can be written but when I was making this card I just love that sentiment and I was thinking that that sentiment says it all. Looking back I wish I had stopped with the center white piece, I like the image stamped in the middle and the sentiment it is the other two pieces of patterned paper that are distracting to me.

Ok that's all, thank you for allowing me to vent and I can now move on. Don't get me wrong overall I like the card and I WILL be giving it to someone for Christmas but I won't be putting this final touch on any future cards. I think for me this falls under the "sometimes more is just too much" category.

I share my thoughts on the inside of this card because I think it could be helpful to you should you see this and haven't yet made this same mistake it could be the thing that keeps you from making said mistake. OR if you have made this or any other creative choice that in the end you decide you wish you hadn't you won't feel the need to trash your creation but will be able to focus on what you do love about it realizing that "this is how we grow". (Insert best impression of an art teacher's voice here.) OR should you find yourself not making anything even though you think you would like to give it a go but don't want to disappoint yourself, LET YOURSELF PLAY! After all it's a card people! It's not going to the Smithsonian, it is not going to represent paper crafting in our time for the future generations. Truth be told it might not even survive the trash can before the calendar flips over to 2017. The best part you will most likely never know what happens to your creation once it leaves your hands and that is perfectly okay. No really it is.  :)

So create with abandon! Try new things, different things, odd things because this is how we figure out what we like and discover new things we like. My go to store for most of the items I use is a well loved FaceBook group Scrapping For Less where you can pre-order new released product and find the best prices on everything. Whether it is brand new items or essentials you won't find a better deal or better customer service. Can't stand to wait? You don't have to, just head over to scrappingforless.com where we have in stock items at fantastic prices and these items ship next day!

Looking for more inspiration? Head over to Fresh and Renewed and check out Teresa's Holiday Card Series!

Wishing you sunshine and smiles,
Kim :)