Creative Blog Hop

For those of you who regularly read my blog, you’ll know that this post is up early.  I blog in real time which for me usually means a new post is up between noon and 4 pm.  Unless I’ve been away at Leadership or Convention, etc., in which case my posts come late at night.  I was nominated for the Creative Blog Hop by Blythe Kipple a fellow Sudsol member.  To participate, I was asked to share one or two projects and then answer four questions.  Easy right?

Creative Blog Hop

Given my timeline leading up to this hop, I decided the best thing would be to share two of the swaps that I made for last week’s Leadership Conference.

My first card was for my participation in a shoebox swap.

I started by embossing Dotty Angles in gold on the Blushing Bride base.  Then, I used the new Ornate Tag Topper punch to shape the bottom of my large banner.  This piece was then run through the Tiny Triangles embossing folder and finally swiped with Crumb Cake ink.

Next, I added a strip of Brushed Gold that has been punched with the Hearts Border punch (save all the little hearts!).  And, you’ll find a strip of Stacked with Love paper from a designer series paper stack. Basic Black is punched with the Label Bracket and topped with a Very Vanilla 1 1/4″ circle punch that was stamped in black with an image from Countless Sayings 2.  To embellish, add a strip of Gold 1/8″ Ribbon through the hole left by the Ornate Tag Topper and a few of the Brushed Gold hearts from the earlier punch.

My second card was also for an organized swap.  For this one, I chose to use Butterfly Basics.

For this card, I started with a Crumb Cake base.  The fern leaves are inked in Always Artichoke and stamped on the base layer and on a 2″ wide strip of Crumb Cake to create a little dimension.  Also on the 2″ strip are the distressed honeycomb image in Basic Gray.

For my second layer, I stamped the flower image on Vellum cardstock and embossed in white.  After fussy cutting the flower, I added a bit of Dazzling Details to the center of the open flower.

Next I added a piece of jute, from the White Jute Ribbon, that I sculpted using this technique. And then stamped in gold along the right edge using the border image in the set.

Finally, I added the So Saffron butterfly cut with the Butterflies Thinlits and a few loose sequins from the Gold Sequin Trim.  Check out this video for a quick tip for easy cardstock release when using intricate thinlits.

As part of the Creative Blog Hop, there are four questions that all participants must answer:

1. What am I working on now?

Other than preparing my creations for the February 8th Creation Station Blog Hop, I don’t know.  That is the beauty of posting and creating “in the moment”.  You get to see what strikes my fancy on any given day.

2. How does my work differ from others in my genre?

My style is eclectic.  I like artsy, bohemian, elegant.  I think you can track my mood.  I’m a “what can I make this do that’s a little different” kind of gal.

3. Why do I create what I do?

Because it makes me happy!

While I love to share with others and love comments (hint, hint), in the end what I create has to please me.

4. How does my creative process work?

I usually walk up to a shelf of stamps and pick the one that calls my name that day.  Then, I pick up my cardstock ring and choose colors.  At this point, I have no idea what I’m going to make.  Then I start to play.  What you see in the end is the result of one take.  I never throw anything out and start over.  I play until the result satisfies me.  That means that I often add a layer or image, walk away and do something else for a while and then come back when the next piece pops into my head.  Sometimes I create from start to finish in a few minutes and sometimes it’s what I call the “all day sucker”, as I get to enjoy the process off and on all day.

To keep the blog hop going, I need to nominate two people for next week’s edition of the Creative Blog Hop. I nominate Mary Trautner and (I will fill this in later today) for February 9.  I met Mary as a roommate when I attended Stampin’ Up! Convention the first time.  We had the opportunity to room together again and catch up this past week at Leadership.  You can check out both of the blogs anytime by clicking on their names.  Then be sure to check back on February 9 for their additions to the Creative Blog Hop.

Thanks for stopping by.

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