Four Contests, One Hello
Unlocking the Power of a Single Greeting Card
Good day, fellow crafters. In a world filled with countless creative outlets, the opportunity to showcase our artistic endeavors can sometimes feel scattered and overwhelming. However, what if I told you that there's a way to maximize your efforts and enter your masterpiece into not just one, but four separate contests simultaneously? Prepare to be amazed as we delve into the story of a simple Hello card that found its way into the Cupcake Inspirational challenge, the Allsorts challenge, the Polkadoodles challenge, and the ever-popular Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge. Join us on this exciting journey as we explore the power of a single greeting card and the endless possibilities that lie within the realm of creative competitions. I hope you enjoy.
I couldn't contain my excitement when I discovered the incredible opportunity to submit my card to not just one, but four of my all-time favorite card-making challenges. The thrill that my creation had the potential to captivate the hearts and imaginations of not just one, but four distinct communities of fellow card enthusiasts was a golden opportunity to showcase my creativity on multiple platforms, multiplying my chances to make a lasting impression was one that I couldn’t pass up.
To begin this card I choose a premium white cardstock and my Tonic Studios Spectacular Starburst Patterned Panel to create an embossed background. Pro-Tip, this embossing panel will create a deep embossing so be sure to lightly mist the back of your cardstock with water before running it through your embossing machine to avoid tear-out. I typically run my embossings through a couple of times because it tends to give really crisp edges if you do and the moisture in the paper really helps.
The next step in the process was to create the foreground. To do this I used a piece of white cardstock, black ink, and Sizzix’s Ink Blooms (664355) stamp and die set. I really like floral cards and this stamp set was one I had not used recently so I decided that since one of the contest themes was floral and another was with dies I would use it. For coloring, especially with florals, I really love to do water coloring since it gives such a light and vibrant feel to the design. However this time I decided that I would try and replicate the same feel by using my PrismaColor Premier colored pencils set and I feel that I pulled it off pretty well. Just like with watercolor, colored pencils let you work in the subtle shading that makes the object look more realistic. Once the image was colored they were cut with the corresponding dies then arranged onto the embossed background and adhered. To provide dimension the yellow Daisies centered at the top and bottom of the card as well as the purple flowers to either side are raised slightly with some pop dots.
The last step in creating this card before attaching it to the pre-cut A2 White card base was to create the sentiment. To do this I turned to a script font “Hello” die from Erin Lee Creative and some dark black card stock. I love their metal dies as they can always be counted on to provide good clean cuts and this one was no exception. I surface-mounted the sentiment and assembled the card.
I encourage you, if you were inspired, to check out all of the contests that I featured at the top of this post. All of them have been inspirational to me and provided a place for me to learn and grow and I think if you are reading this then you will be too.
