Elements of a Card

I hope that your week was productive and you were able to find some time to craft.  And what ever that craft is: sewing, quilting, paper crafting, baking, canning, ceramics, painting, etc, just do it.  I believe that our lives are getting more and more stressful, and if we don't find time to do something creative, we won't be able to start to think clearly.  Work for me (Nuclear Medicine) has been brutal this week.  But, I didn't let that consume me.  I found time to make home-made dinners, work with my dog and her physical therapy, do some chores, and make some cards.  It is the sneaking away into my craft room, that allows my mind to 'be set free', to think creatively, to change my focus.  And it is these creative moments, and the rituals of taking care of my family, that keeps me grounded and connected to my 'life', to my family, to my friends.

The talented Maria, over @ the Sketch Frenzy Friday, has provided us with a creative sketch this week.  

Here is the sketch:

The sketch looks pretty much straight forward.  But, come on, you know me.  I can't (physically) put 4 circles in a row.  I want to show you something you don't typically 'see' in this sketch.  I want to inspire you!  To stir a creative juice that only you hold!  But at the same time, keeping the sketch true to heart.

Here is what I made:

See what I mean?  

I wanted to work with a color combo that isn't saturated by the internet.  So, I selected soft colors:  Baja Breeze and Perfect Plum.  I love how the colors look so rich and elegant next to each other.  I used two stamp sets: Teeny Tiny Wishes, and Elements of Style.  This card is pretty straight forward.  I stamped the floral image onto very vanilla card stock and used my blender pen to color the flowers and leaves.  I used a 1 1/4" circle punch to punch out three images.  I added half faux pearls to the center of the flowers.  I used a strip of First Edition DSP to cover the seam of the Baja Breeze DSP.  And then I wrapped a piece of perfect Plum taffeta ribbon around the center of the card.  The simple knot looked 'bare' and un-interesting.  So, I tied a clear tiny button to the knot.  I selected the same shape as the paper blossom I created with the text paper.  To keep the card stock from looking so flat, I stamped a flourish design in a water mark ink pad, in the same corner as the paper blossom.  I added a lone silver glitter butterfly to take place of the three brads in the sketch.  For my sentiment tag, I stamped the same flourish in the same water mark ink, then swiped a sponge over the pattern, to help bring out the image.  I stamped the sentiment in Perfect Plum classic ink.  I adhered the tag to the card front with foam tape and added half faux pearls.

Now, please continue on with our blog hop, and visit Tina's blog to see what she has created.  And, I hope that we have inspired you, to play along with us.