Today I have a fun project that was inspired by the "At Home With You" set. I was thinking the door motif in that bundle would be really handy for all sorts of cards. It was one of the first bundles I ordered from the new annual catalog and I couldn't wait to start playing. I have had a few miscues (see below) but I am convinced that is how you become better as an artist, especially with color combinations, design elements and style. The more ideas you try, the more great ones you stumble on to, "happy accidents", shall we say!
This card evolved because it was a door in need of a house. I had the idea of putting a "peak" on the flap that closes down and when opened, you have a house. Here are some pictures to help explain what I mean:
As you can see, even the door opens to reveal the sentiment of this card! It was a fun project. The trick was finding framelits to create windows that were the right scale to the size of the house, doors, bushes, etc. I used some retired tag framelits and hand cut some cross bar sections to further emphasize they were windows. Another feature is using the Hardwood background stamp on my card base to create some siding for my house. A quick tip about the bushes... I actually stamped them twice, once on Crumb Cake and once on Tranquil Tide. I cut the pot off the Tranquil Tide piece and glued the bush part to the Crumb Cake piece. I wanted them to look more realistic so used card stock to delineate between the bush and the pot, rather than just ink. My other tip is to use the Wood Textures Designer Series Paper for the door. It has a wood image on both sides, which a real door would so it works just perfectly!
Now, here's a "misstep" so to speak. Sometimes my attempt to work with a specific color fall very short. This is probably one of the ugliest cards I have ever made:
There are so many things wrong with this card but lets just say no one would ever paint their house Lemon Lime Twist. The rest of it is a train wreck as well, but I did learn some things. I learned I didn't like the bushes simply stamped on white paper. I also learned it is best to stamp the door before you cut it out and not after. We all need to try again when we have a train wreck, right?
There are some fun seasonal elements to this stamp set that will allow for creating a special "scene" at just the right time of the year. What a welcoming motif to share on a card with a friend, a beautiful front door which welcomes them into your home and your life.
The coordinating framelits really make this stamp set come alive and you don't have to cut all those detailed edges!
I hope you liked what I shared today and will come back for more ideas, inspiration and tips. It's still a little early, but we are coming up on the best creative time of the year... Autumn, Thanksgiving and Christmas! I think I'll be coming back to this set again and again!
Happy Stampin'!
Sarah
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