It’s Thursday, so let’s get ready to “Play @ PPA!” I just love a good inspiration photo, don’t you? How about this one to get your creative juices flowing!
When I first saw this, I thought to myself…”Hey, I would love to have these pillows!” The colors were so relaxing. And then my creative mind started to work in its own convoluted little way. What you are viewing is actually card attempt number two. The original had a macrame hammock made from Stampin’ Up!’s Hemp Twine, which as you could guess was too bulky. So one hammock later, I scrapped that idea and took out my Paper Piercer and recreated the diamond effect of the hammock instead. Then I had another crazy idea…grab the Linen Thread and back stitch the entire thing! Now I must say that this was probably not the brightest idea I have ever had in light of the time that it took me to stitch the background. And the problem was that I wasn’t sure that I really liked it after I had it completed. Has that ever happened to you? But you know what? With several hours of piercing and hand-stitching already invested in this card…not counting the abandoned macrame hammock…I decided to stick with it. Sometimes when you have already traveled so far down the road, there is no turning back. So, relax, pour yourself a glass of iced tea, put your feet up, and enjoy this week’s Pals Paper Arts challenge!
The Stampin’ Schach Design Tips:
- Piercing dysfunctional? I used to be until I purchased Stampin’ Up!’s Mat Pack, complete with template. Punch perfect holes every time! And if you are also BPD (Brad Placement Dysfunctional), this is the tool for you. Perfect alignment every time!
- Yipes stripes! Strips of scrap card stock in hues of Bashful Blue, Cameo Coral, Basic Black, Certainly Celery and Going Gray were adhered to a piece of card stock using the Two-Way Glue Pen. This was the perfect adhesive for this task since it has a “slide factor” which allowed me to position the strips tightly together. Glue, let dry, and then cut to size. What a perfect way to use up your scraps!
- Pretty posies all in a row! The “Flower” image from Hello Again was inked using Stampin’ Write Markers. In each case, I used Old Olive for the stem and leaf, while the flower colors corresponded to the five stripe colors.
- Relax! Luckily for me, “relax” has five letters which just happen to fit perfectly as the centers of the five flowers. And relaxation is exactly the vibe I got from the inspiration picture. Rough Type, from the Summer Mini, coupled with the 1/2″ Circle Punch, was my alphabet set of choice.
When we put it all together…pillows, a hammock, a beautiful day…it’s time to relax and smell the flowers while getting inspired to play at the PPA! I will guarantee that this week’s Inspiration Cards are stunning! And be sure to take a look at Mary’s…I am! It is sitting right in front of me on the table. And what are we celebrating? My retirement, which becomes official tomorrow!
So please, let me know what you think about today’s card by leaving me a comment. And remember, if you ever have any questions about the cards that I create or the techniques that I use, don’t hesitate to EMAIL me. Until next time…
Click Here to Order Stampin’ Up! 24/7
Stamp Sets: Hello Again (113780), Rough Type (W 118659; C 120072—Summer Mini); Card Stock: Mellow Moss textured (108695—Soft Subtles Assorted), Bashful Blue textured (106549—Soft Subtles Assorted), Certainly Celery textured (108695—Soft Subtles Assorted), Cameo Coral (100475), Going Gray textured (108693—Naturals assorted), Basic Black textured (108693—Naturals assorted), Naturals White (102316); Inks: Jet Black StazOn (101406); Stampin’ Write Markers: Cameo Coral (100074), Certainly Celery (105106), Basic Black (100082), Bashful Blue (105111), Old Olive (100079); Tools: Paper Piercer (116631), Mat Pack (105826), 1/2″ Circle Punch (104390), Two Way Glue Pen (); Glitz and Glam: Linen Thread (104199)
