Saturday, August 4, 2012

Evolution of a Card

This was the first version of today's featured design.  We made this at one of my stamp camps in Oregon.  I liked it a lot back then.  Now that it has evolved, this design doesn't look quite "finished" to me.  A few notable differences between this card and the future versions are:  1) I used the Big Shot for a polka dot background on all versions, but this one--created by a Textured Impressions plate-- is not as pronounced as the dots created by the Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder.   2) Obviously, the colors are different.  I like these colors, but this card still needs something shiny, or something, right?  The paper button plus Linen Thread seems a little dull.  3) The butterfly that is "popped up" with Stampin' Dimensionals here was cut out by hand.  This was before I owned the butterfly punch.  It's so much easier (and nicer!) with the punch!

Version 2: made at a stamp camp in PA.  Much improved!  Still nothing shiny, but the individual features here are much more pronounced and bright.  The colors are Springy and have a nice contrast, the polka dots are poppy, and the butterfly punch just helps add to the "professional finish" feel.  At least to me, it does : ).
Version #3:  We changed the colors once again here for a special occasion.  By "we," I mean one of my best neighbor friends and I.  She and I together made 30 of these, in the form of an invitation to her mother's 80th birthday party.  We left off the punched butterfly just for the sake of time--we made 30 of these in just a few hours and popped them in the mail just in the nick of time.  I thought it was a fun/nice touch the way we dyed the string on the flower center to match the little green flowers (by pressing and pulling the string across an ink pad).  The best part of this project was... that we also made party favors to match!
Here is the most recent version.  My favorite!  This card was also created for a special occasion:  it was a wedding gift.  I made 12 cards just like this for the bride and groom, in their wedding colors, yellow and gray.  These were left blank inside, so that they could send them as Thank You cards, or whatever they choose.  I loved being able to add the silver embossing and silver cord for a the shiny effect! 


 I hope you enjoyed observing this design's journey with me!