Thursday, June 4, 2009

WANTED... two challenges in one!

How-DEE! Happy ALMOST summer! The wee-ones are getting giddy and my schedule is getting sticky... and so goes the season! Hope you all are making the transition nicely. Around here, in Northern California, it's unseasonably cold and gray, but it makes for great outdoor photography! Today I'm tossing out one card for TWO challenges! And to get me revved up, I went all WESTERN: my default creative mojo style! I walked my cute cowboy around the ranch for some fun photos.... Hope you've got your spurs on!



This little hunk-o-cowboy card features SO many wonderful materials I can't even stand it! If you read my blog often (and THANK YOU, if you do...!!!) you know that I am especially challenged by simplicity... With the exception of my previous post, it's practically IMPOSSIBLE for me. In fact, the more diverse the materials, the better I like my card AND THE MORE FUN I HAVE! And let's face it: making cards is a blast!

My inspiration started with ANOTHER fabulous sketch from CPS! Here's the "map":

If for some reason you're a non card maker (Hi, Mom!) and you're following my blog, you might wonder WHY this sketch sends me soaring into inspiration.... (Card MAKERS, stifle your snickers and snorts... )....!?! It's the POSSIBILITY! It's the imposition of a ROAD MAP towards unforeseen treasure: it may squeeze us into a unique direction that we might not ordinarily choose, but what emerges can be SO much more exhilarating than just a standard card! This is the case for me, anyway! I looked at this and saw: ENVELOPE! Envelope-o-possibility and goodness! Envelope full of TREASURE!

Here's some of the fun stuff I was working with:


Seeeeeeee the pretty vellum! That's card stock vellum if you're not "joined-up" up with that... Well, you simply CANNOT know what you're missing! I've never seen it (and I'm not saying this BECAUSE I'm a Stampin' Up! demo!!!!) anywhere, but through S/U!, and it's breathtaking stuff! So much so, that for this week, Lauren Meader has a challenge featuring use of CARD STOCK VELLUM! Check her out, and check out my AWARD winning friend who designs for her: DANA! {Did you know CUPCAKES could be THAT DELICIOUS and fat free!?!} Anywoo, I had those two challenges in my brain and SHOOK! If you can stand it: I'll share the details of my "journey!"




Lauren talked about stamping and embossing and some of the gals worked from the front or the back, both, you name it! It's such fun and versatile material: of course I had to do both! I love that it's transparent and that you can REALLY add to the depth of beauty by popping images BEHIND it! You can shape it, cut peek-a-boo-windows! Man, WHAT A GREAT TIME!

A fantastic compliment to card stock vellum and not too distant cousin, is "Clearly Heavy" by Hambly! Stampin' Up! now sells something similar and while I can argue where and when to use BOTH, I will admit that Hambly is the heaviest I've used and, consequently, I hoard it whenever I have the chance. I used it to add some strength to my flap and that way I could emboss on the smaller piece of card stock and not worry about the warping so much. I used adhesive metal tape (ala TIM HOLTZ!!!) to secure the vellum to the plastic without worry of adhesive "exposure"! (ohhhhh, the shame of glue showing where we don't want it!) This worked so well, that I got excited to do it again and thus emerged this star:




Yummy! (DON'T LOOK AT "Ranch Girl" hands!) Look at those stars! HAMBLY + Big Shot Machine and Sizzix dies = YEE HAW! I used the star in place of the "bow" element in the CPS#118 sketch and of course, tweaked things a bit.... But that's "legal!"


I used the horizontal stripe from the CPS#118 sketch and made it a closure element, secured with some Basic Grey magnets! Watch how it opens up to expose the "treasure" within!








It's a card, it's an envelope with memorabilia or journaling inside and it's INTERACTIVE! Oh, hey, check out my photography assistants!

Recognize "the spot!" wink*wink THAT'S my BEAUTIOUS paint mare, Shasta!




One last "ARTSY" photo to say "MAN, I love this sport!" I hope you do to! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR VISITING! I just can't share how much joy I feel when I receive your delightful comments! Thanks for making my day!

Supplies:

Card Stock - Stampin' Up!
Designer Paper - Moxie
Card Stock Vellum - Stampin' Up!
Heavy Transparency - Hambly
Stamps - Stampin' Up!
Ink and Embossing Powder - Stampin' Up!
Magnet Closure - Basic Grey
Metal Stars and Rivets - Joanne's Essentials
Metal Adhesive Tape - Ranger









11 comments:

Jenny said...

Oh! Oh! Oh! This is ADORABLE. As usual. Love you E-stir :)

Rosemary said...

HOLEY CRAP!! This card is AMAZING!!! And you think I'm your SHE-ro! Sista!!! YOU ARE MY SHE-RO!! THIS CARD ROCKS!!! So worth waiting for!

Karen said...

An Elise orginal!! Just love it! Way to go combining challenges, making that vellum shine, combining scrapping & card making, metal tape, and Basic Grey magnets ROCK!!!! Its just gorgeous!!! Oh yea....and for showing off that 5 in 1 template that I just HAD to have when it came out in some mini some time ago and have Not used once!!!! I'm too visual....think I just needed to 'see' it!! Thanks!!

Loved the shot of your assistants and seeing your reflection in the rivets!!!! :>

Dana Gustafson said...

Sweet little baby cowboy card! WHAT have you DONE?!?!?! Oh this is hallmark E-stir brilliance, only YOU can make this interactive card sing, er, yodel may be more appropriate!! That round flap magnet closure reminds me of every smart pressed cowboy in his finest duds. Had you added a pearl snap, I would have had to look twice! Oh the hambly + sizzix + foil tape! Oh the EMBOSSED buckle (I am so doing this!) and the stamped and embossed swirls. YOu slay me cowgirl! Oh yeah, and your assistants and wee boy are nice touch too! ;)

tg said...

This is great -- classic Elise. Beautiful.

AKiteFlier said...

Elise this is fantaastic! I love it and all the details on how you made it - SUPER DUPER. Thanks so much for playing along!

Linda aka Oz said...

Dagnabit that is one fine card there partner! Love the tutorial, bless you for sharing. Linda aka Oz

Andi (RrlScrapGal) said...

Love it to pieces!!!!

Unknown said...

VERY cool. Great use of the vellum...love what you did here!!

Edna Morrisedie said...

Love the dry embossing and the star treatments,they are very cool and make this card a stand out!

Shauna K said...

So gorgeous!!! I love how when you bring the vertical strip with the star down, in the photo it reminds me of a spur :) LooOVe the western theme :D