Keep Your Head Up

Have you ever created a card more for yourself than anyone else? Honestly, who makes a card to basically send to themselves, THIS GIRL!

I've been struggling really hard with some super deep emotional demons lately and I needed a pick-me-up. Crafting has always been my happy place but sometimes I just get lost in my emotions and the noise in my head and I can't make heads or tails out when it comes to creating something.

I knew I needed a direction or a jumping point and a card sketch always comes to the rescue, for me.

I found this sketch by getting lost in Blog-land. I viewed my blog post from Sunday and then clicked on the next blog and found a link to another blog and then another and another and finally I rested on The Paper Players and low and behold, they had a challenge going on with a sketch. Their challenge is a bit different than just a sketch challenge, they also challenge participants to use tone on tone stamping so I thought I'd focus my energy on trying this out.  (To check out the blog I'm referring to, please click here: The Paper Players)

To create the card I do something I'm not sure anyone else does, but I always sketch out the measurements on my SSS grid paper and pull dies out to fulfill the requirements and then place my stamps I'm hoping to use. It makes creating a card much quicker for me.

Then I either pull papers from my designer 6x6 pads and my 8 1/2 x 11 cardstock or pick my stamp set(s). Today I picked the background stamp first, then the papers and finally the image and sentiments I wanted to use.

I wanted to do this cool tone on tone stamping but I really didn't have any light blue inks and the SSS clear ink wasn't giving me the look I wanted, so I chose to heat emboss the chevron patterns with clear embossing powder by Ranger. The chevron pattern is a stamp in the GEOBuilders set by Stamp of Approval by Catherine Pooler Designs.

I adhered the strip of patterned paper to the background panel and then I did all my die cutting. I wanted the background panel to have a seamless look because of the stitched border. I had to run it through my machine twice to get a really clean cut with the die, but I think the extra revolutions of the handle of the Big Shot were really worth it. Patterned paper was from GCD Studios Pure Bliss 6x6 paper pad.

Then I die cut all the pieces I needed to create this card and even trimmed the black layer and folded a card base so all my pieces were ready to go. Dies used: A Muse Studio stitched circles, SSS Stitched Shapes, SSS Stitched Banners, un-named circle die.

The SSS stitched banner I used for the sentiment is much longer when originally cut but the SSS stitched shapes dies offers a straight stitched die I used to make sure the stitching was consistent and cut it at the length I needed.  My sentiment was stamped using Versafine Onyx Black Ink and comes from Create A Smile Bad Day stamp set.

I stamped the main image onto the vanilla A Muse Studio cardstock using SSS Intense Black Ink and colored it with a few Blue Copic markers to coordinate with the color theme, (B000, B00, & B01). The image stamp comes from the Create A Smile Bad Day stamp set.

I finished the inside of the card with an additional sentiment and two layers created from leftover cardstock and patterned paper, die cut with the SSS Stitched Shapes dies.

I'm pretty sure I forgot to mention the enamel dots came from Richard Garay's line of matte finish dots. I think they contrast with the gloss of the clear embossing to add another layer of dimension and texture fairly nicely.

I'd love to know your thoughts on my card, my process, the products used or even if you create cards for yourself, like I did today.