Principles of Design & CAS

I have been thinking about "design principles" for some time but somehow there has always been a block to my understanding how to apply them in card making, so much so that over the last couple of years making a card has become a source of frustration for me - a card taking me a week or so to construct & much of it ending in the recycling. I've kept going, knowing deep down it was something to do with understanding design that was the block, for I could not let go of my NEED to create, but I'd approach making a card for someone with a sense of dread. A couple of years ago I took a design course specifically for card makers but somehow I wasn't ready to understand although I believe it laid a foundation so that concepts such as the Rule of Thirds weren't completely new to me. Learning is very much a cumulative process & we cannot predict how or from where the brain will absorb information. Sometimes it needs to be given the same information but presented in a slightly different format for understanding to be gained.

"Clean And Simple" or CAS has been totally outside my comfort zone, mainly I think, because I didn't understand what it entailed & I couldn't see what lay behind all that uncluttered space. However, when I saw that My Creative Classroom (MCC) was offering a Clean and Simple Card Workshop with the focus being on how to apply design principles it seemed an opportunity, not only to further my understanding of design, but also of CAS. I was explaining CAS to my husband when he remarked how sensible it would be to see design principles utilised in a clear uncluttered format & how that might facilitate learning.

The following are what I created for the 'homework' challenges set during the course.

Focal Point

Stamps: Chocolate Baroque Big Flowers & Celebration Words
Inks: Distress Inks, & Markers (Walnut Stain & Barn Door)
Die: Spellbinders Shapeabilities Framed Tags 3  Other: Lace & Gem

Single Line

Stamps: Penny Black Paisley Outline & Words Express
Inks: Emboss Tinted Stamp Pad with Steward Gill Ultrafine Clear Embossing Powder; VersaFine Majestic Blue
Die: Spellbinders Shapeabilities Framed Tags 3  Other: Floral Ribbon

Weight

Stamp: Penny Black Words Express  Inks: Distress Inks (Walnut Stain & Dried Marigold)
  Dies: Spellbinders Nestabilites  Standard Circles Small &  Splendid Circles
Other: Joanna Sheen Paper, Sizzix Embossing Folder, Woodware Butterfly Punch & Stickles Glitter Glue

Colour/Contrast

Stamps: Penny Black Air Mail  Inks: VersaFine Onyx Black
Die: Sizzix Tim Holtz Alterations Tiny Tabs & Tags
Other: Winsor & Newton Pan Watercolours, Salt, Derwent Coloursoft Pencils & Ribbon
Inspiration: Diana Nguyen - Yours Truly

Asymmetry

Ink: Pine Needles Distress Ink
Dies: Sizzix Tim Holtz Alterations Tattered Florals, Spellbinders Nestabilities Splendid Circles
Other: Woodware Flower Punch, Stickles Glitter glue, Ribbon & Gem
Inspiration: Jane - Purplejet Loves Crafts

Texture

Stamp: Chocolate Baroque Clear Fancy Flourishes
Inks: Emboss Tinted Stamp Pad with Stewart Gill Ultrafine Embossing Powder
Die: Spellbinders Shapeabilities Ironwork Motifs
Other: Woodware Butterflies, Inverse Corner & Corner Rounder Punches; Gems

I thought I would write of my own difficulties with design in case it might help someone else. I'm not saying that I have arrived at a magic formula for making a card: I still need to consolidate the principles I've been learning through working with them practically. However, I now feel that I am able to move forwards & approach making a card without it being the burden it had become for I have something concrete with which to work instead of reinventing the wheel every time.  I'm really surprised by how I can appreciate CAS cards now & I know that the principles that underpin their success are also at work in product/technique based cards which catch my attention.

Fluttering Flourishes

Brenda (Floral Fantasies) is hosting a blogaversary & 4,000 follower special celebration challenge based upon something in connexion with her artwork/blog (for full details see Brenda's post).

It was sometime in the early part of 2011 that I began to visit Brenda's blog - at about the same time as I was becoming more interested in the Penny Black stamp company. Since then I've learnt much from her artwork & so it wasn't difficult to think of a number of things when pondering over my submission for her challenge.

I have CASEd the first card in Brenda's post Cherish & Dream in such a way as to demonstrate what I see in Brenda's artwork. A particular feature of her work is the matting of the main panel - there are usually two borders; the outer one thicker than the inner. Flowers & butterflies are common components as are die-cuts, swirls & pearls. More often than not there is some kind of stamping & inking (frequently with Distress Inks) combined with dimension in the form of shaped flowers or decoupage.

front of card

close-up showing shine of wet embossing plus
shaped dimension of butterfly

close-up of  background tone on tone stamping upon
linen textured paper prior to card assembly

inside of card

Brenda & I share a fondness for Penny Black stamps & so I used these for all the stamped elements. She often creates an inky background or a scene but after my husband caught me 'red-handed' (his words) I abandoned my attempts & created a floral background using my favoured technique of tone on tone stamping.

Recipe

Stamps Penny Black 30-117 free flight (butterfly & sentiment), 4159K sundial (background & inside of card).

Inks Fired Brick Distress Ink (background), VersaFine Onyx Black (sentiment), VersaFine Onyx Black with Stewart Gill Ultrafine Embossing Powder (butterfly), VersaFine Satin Red (inside of card).  

Pencils/Markers etc… Memento Tuxedo Black Dual Marker (edging cardstock & sentiment border).

Cardstock Whites & assorted blacks in various finishes from stash.

Paper Textured red from stash.

Dies Spellbinders Nestabilties Labels 17 (sentiment), Sizzix Bigz Die – Elegant Flourishes (swirls).

The pearls are Papermania.

Fluttering Floral Frenzy with Virginia's View

front of card 

close-up to show sparkle & detail of  flowerhead 

close-up showing sparkle of inked & shaped
dragonfly & butterfly plus shimmer of grey-blue cardstock 

close-up showing paper piercing & texture of
die-cut mounting frame 

inside of card

close-up of message panel showing
texture of die-cut frame

close-up showing paper piercing of corner
& shimmer of grey-blue cardstock

This came together as a result of 3 challenges & my wish to use one of the Penny Black stamps I found in this year's Sales. The colour combination is from Virginia's View Photo Inspiration at Lily Pad Cards  & the flowerhead fitted perfectly with the Penny Black Saturday Challenge this week. I'd not decided about anything else but when Make My Monday's Challenge was posted it made sense to let some butterflies & dragonflies have a feeding frenzy upon the flowerheads.

Recipe
Stamps Penny Black 3820K a touch.
Inks Memories Dye Black (image); Aged Mahogany & Spiced Marmalade Distress Inks (inking some cardstock edges).
Colouring Faber-Castell Polychromos pencils with paper stumps & Sansodor (flower petals); Sakura Stardust Gelly Roll Pen (centre of flowerhead); Stickles Glitter Glue (Orange Peel); Copic Multi Liner Pen.
Cardstock An assortment of colours in various textures & finishes from stash.
Dies & Punches Spellbinders Shapeabilities Sprightly Sprockets, Woodware (butterflies & dragonfly, circle), EK Success (corner).

Challenges Entered
Make My Monday 34 - Nature: Butterflies & Dragonflies
Penny Black Saturday Challenge 186 - Floral Frenzy
Virginia's View Challenge 1 - Photo Inspiration

My Favourite Five Cards of 2011

Following on from my previous post I am joining in with Debby's Favourite Five Cards of 2011. Debby has in fact picked her Top Ten but she's keeping the challenge submissions to Favourite Five for this year. 

see HERE      

see HERE

see HERE

see HERE

see HERE

As we approach the coming year

Let us fill our hearts with cheer.

And if you're reading this blog

I expect you'll be all agog,

And very busy thinking

What you'll next be inking.

WITH MY VERY BEST WISHES FOR 2012

My Favourite Five Christmas Cards of 2011

Last year was my first Christmas in blogland & I joined in with Debby's Favourite Five Christmas Cards of 2010 post. This year she has again made a selection of her Favourite Five Christmas Cards & although it has been a bit of a lean year for me in terms of making cards - especially Christmas cards (checking back I only had to choose from a total of 7)  I didn't want to miss joining in with the fun.

see HERE

see HERE

see HERE

see HERE

see HERE

Finally......... A Card Simply Stamped

Our carpets have been laid, my craft room has been rearranged yet again (the wireless connection kept disconnecting itself) & I'm getting back into the groove of working with my stamps & inks. I had a bit of shock with Messrs Blogger & Google (Blooger & Goggle perhaps) - one moment I am following 69 blogs, & then it varies between 11 & 20! I've tried the new interface, switching back to the old one, unsubscribing/unfollowing & resubscribing/refollowing & as soon as I've got it all sorted - it changes!!! I really do not understand so I have resorted to keeping up with blogs/following via a mixture of RSS Feeds & the Top Sites on my Mac.

Although I still have some colouring homework to finish & experiments/testing I want to do I've been missing entering the Penny Black Weekly Reader Challenge. So, feeling rather out of practice (my last entry was in April) here goes.......

front of card

close-up showing embossed image & background

angled photo to show dimension of image panel

created using foam pads for mounting

close-up showing glittering of main image

inside of card

close-up showing tone on tone stamping

& paper pierced scallops

To mark the introduction of a regular feature (plus the new Designer Kelley Eubanks) on the Penny Black Blog this week's challenge is to create a simply stamped card based on the sketch provided.

I have tried stamping a one layer card - not for me as that little scamp of a Perfectionist Imp perches on my shoulder muttering into my ear & I become more anxious & tenser as the days go by with nothing to show but inky fingers & a bin full of rubbish. Seeing the inspirational samples by the Penny Black Design Team made me realize that I could actually have some layering & dimension incorporating some favourite  details (distressed edges & paper piercing) & my card would still  qualify as Clean And Simple.

Recipe
Stamps Penny Black 30-068 trims (image & background) &30-067 to you (sentiment).
Inks VersaMark watermark stamp pad with Stampendous Detail white Embossing Powder (stamping on card front) VersaFine Vintage Sepia (stamping inside card), Vintage Photo Distress Ink (distressing some cardstock edges).
Colouring Ice Stickles Glitter Glue (Crystal Ice).
Cardstock Craft UK Limited (card blank), an assortment of browns & whites in various textures from stash.
Punches EK Success (corner rounder), Woodware (circles & scalloped circles).

Challenges Entered
Penny Black Weekly Reader Challenge - Simple Stamping
Rainbow Lady's Challenge 180 - Cards for Men (the colours & CAS design make this suitable for a man)

Floral Easter Bunny & Gardening Companion

front of card

focal image panel

close-up of image showing brown leaves

 used to "ground" the image

close-ups of inked & shaped flowers

inside of card

close-up showing flowers & paper pierced

 scallops of message panel

(click on images to enlarge)

On Monday's Penny Black Post Jenyfur issued this week's Reader Challenge of "Flowers" writing:


"Flowers can be found on many of our stamps including our Mimi collection and hedgehog stamps. If it’s a Penny Black flower, it works for this challenge! "

Although I do have floral Penny Black stamps I wanted to do something with an Easter theme & to use the watering can shaped base card that I'd made for my earlier card but not used. This little rabbit with his feathered friend from the aptly named Garden Friends set fitted in nicely & I particularly liked the fact that the robin (I coloured the bird as an European Robin) on the spade added to the gardening idea already suggested by the watering can - & what else do people do during the Easter Holiday? Garden!


I'd have liked to have made some daffodils but nothing I tried looked remotely like them. I settled for making my own yellow fantasy flowers & inking the edges with red to tie in with the red-edged yellow roses the rabbit is holding.


Recipe
Stamp Penny Black 30-021 Garden Friends
Inks Memento Tuxedo Black (image), Memento New Sprout (inking the watering can cardstock edges; Fired Brick, Spiced Marmalade & Vintage Photo Distress Inks (inking various cardstock edges).
Colouring Derwent Artists pencils with paper stumps & Sansodor; Inkssentials White Opaque Pen.
Cardstock An assortment of colours in various textures & finishes from stash.
Punches/Templates Woodware (circle & scalloped circle, scalloped oval, brown oak leaves, green leaves, outer flower petals), Xcut (inner flower petals); WS Tempting Templates Watering Can.
The yellow gems are from stash.


Challenges Entered
Penny Black Weekly Reader Challenge 11 - Flowers (see above)
Penny Black Saturday Challenge 147 - Easter Extravaganza (see above)

Timbroscrapmania Challenge 24 - Self-made Background 

You Wouldn't Believe.......

ETA 17/4 - somehow I got my wheelbarrows & watering cans mixed up; I should have written watering can below; not until Deb left a lovely comment on my watering can card where I referred to this post did I notice. Thanks Deb.


....... I spent all morning making my ATC (see here for photos etc...) into a card. Excepting the Timbroscrapmania challenge which Gio suggested I enter, I had all of the Challenges listed below in mind when I made my ATC & thought that all I had to do to transform it into a card was to make a side stepper base, decorate that & add my ATC.  How wrong I was! The ATC was so complete in itself that it didn't look right with anything else; I even tried making a wheelbarrow shaped base card from a template & had it all cut out but that looked wrong too. A tag wasn't right either & since the Lily Pad Cards Challenge - whose colour challenge formed the basis of my colour scheme - deadline is imminent settled finally on this:

front of card

angled view

inside of card

close-up showing paper pierced scallops

& textured navy cardstock

(click on images to enlarge)

I have listed the items I used for the ATC element again but added in blue the extra items used to make it up into the card.

Recipe
Stamps Penny Black 30-020 Hugs! (image & sentiment).
Inks Memento Tuxedo Black (image) & Memento New Sprout (inking cardstock edges); Tumbled Glass, Mustard Seed & Spiced Marmalade Distress Inks, plus  (inking some cardstock edges); VersaMark watermark stamp pad with Stampendous Detail White Embossing Powder (sentiment).
Colouring Derwent Artists Pencils with paper stumps & Sansodor; Inkssentials White Opaque Pen & Uni-ball Eye Needle Point Black Pen; Ice Stickles Glitter Glue (Crystal ice) & Flower Soft (ivory).
Cardstock Textured navy (I've used the reverse smoother side for the small "hugs" tag); pearlescent turquoise & green; orange & yellow all from stash.
Punches Woodware (large tag, oval & scalloped ovals), Xcut (small tag), Fiskars (ornate corner).
The navy bow came out of a packet of pre-tied bows amongst my stash as did the floral & turquoise gems.
The miniscule gem above "hugs" is Papermania.

Challenges Entered
Lily Pad Cards Challenge 1 - Kathy's Color Throw Down (see above)
Penny Black Saturday Challenge Wk 146 - Say it WITH Flowers
Timbroscrapmania Stamping Challenge 24 - Self-made Background (thanks to Gio for recommending that I enter)