For the past few months, I’ve been taking part in a chain mail card swap with fellow Aussie SU demonstrators. It reminds me of the childhood game Chinese Whispers, where the message never quite ends up the same as it started!
Cards in our swap can evolve in much the same way. The first card in each blog hop begins as an original design, which is then posted to the next person on the list. Each participant creates their own version by CASEing (Copy And Selectively Editing) the card they receive before sending it on again. This continues throughout the group, with each card changing a little along the way.
I’ve absolutely loved this challenge, there’s something so exciting about opening the letterbox every two weeks to find a new card waiting to inspire me. I must admit, I’m really missing that happy mail now that this round has come to an end.
For today’s blog hop, we’re starting with Tracy's card. I recommend beginning with her blog post, then clicking through the links to see how each card transforms along the way.
When I received Heathers card, I immediately envisioned creating a window card, so that's the direction I decided to take with my card for this round.
I wanted to create my own "timber boards" to give the card the look of weatherboards on a house. To achieve this, I started with Crumb Cake cardstock and dragged both my Crumb Cake and Pecan Pie ink pads directly across the cardstock to create a lovely, weathered timber effect. I then cut the cardstock into 1/2" strips and heavily inked the edges with Crumb Cake ink. To finish off the weathered look, I went back over each strip, very messily, with Pecan Pie ink. There was definitely no need to be neat and tidy for this part! In fact, the messier, the better.
For the finishing touches, I created the window using the Everyday Arches dies, adding fine strips of cardstock to mimic the window panes. I coloured the flower pots from the Artisan Sketched Garden DSP with Stampin' Blends and added a sentiment from the Sincerely Notes Mix & Match Ephemera Pack.
I love how the finished card came together. What started as a simple idea for a window quickly turned into a sweet little weatherboard house scene, and I just love the character those handmade timber boards add to the card.
Die Cutting/Embossing: Stampin' Cut & Emboss Machine, Everday Arches
Stampin' Blends: Crisp Cantaloue, Golden Glow, Hydranagea Hue, Peaceful Pine
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