Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Riding a Bicycle



This afternoon my oldest and I went to the church parking lot where he worked on stopping while on his bicycle. His previous way to stop was to lean his whole body to one side, fall and skin associated knee. After a considerable amount of time he has since graduated to putting a foot down and...then falling and lightly scratching such sided knee. The things we grown-ups take for granted is infinite.
For this card I started with a digital image of a vintage bicycle, removed the spokes in my editing software and printed it and the sentiment on cream colored cardstock. I took a strand of DMC black floss and threaded the spokes of the tires, as the current challenge at Everything but the Kitchen Sink is to use string- I think it adds a sophisticated and unexpected element. I then distressed the edges, stitched with regular thread the absolutely fabulous silky ribbon and accent line on the base and added some pearl embellishments. Simple but effective?
I chose the sentiment with my son in mind, after our adventure this afternoon, but my father often takes this course in life as well and it has proved to be successful. Cole is a bit too young to appreciate cards so I think this would work for a graduation, or someone starting their career.

Image Before String:

Image With String:

Supplies Used: Cream Cardstock from Georgia Pacific, Black Textured Cardstock, Digital file from keepdesigning.com, SU More Mustard Ink, May Arts Ribbon from Practicing Creativity Designs, DMC Embroidery Floss, Queen & Co. Pearls in Nightfall, Thread, Foam Adhesive

17 comments:

  1. FABULOUS idea! I'm sure the card looks even better in person! Beautiful job you did! It's a timeless sentiment for anyone regardless of age.

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  2. this is amazing, Karen! i love how your used your embroidery floss on the wheel! so creative and inspiring! fabulous card!!

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  3. You are right. Your Dad has always followed his heart...I think Cole will follow in his footsteps too. I really like the card and especially the story.

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  4. OH MY WORD!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You are totally speaking my card making love language. This is so gorgeous. LOVE LOVE LOVE.

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  5. Awesome idea Karen!! I'm still working on my EBTKS card--trying to do something different too!

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  6. This is just fabulous! You are so creative to edit your image. I don't know how to do that stuff as I am not very tech savvy. At any rate, your efforts paid off because this card is a stunner.

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  7. Karen, this card is just stunning. I love your creative idea to remove the spokes (although I would have no idea how to do that as I am not very tech savvy). At any rate, your efforts paid off with this gorgeous card!

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  8. That is a fantastic sentiment!! A wonderful grad card surely. I love your black and cream colour palette. A very handsome card. Love it!

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  9. Creative genius! Those spokes are off the charts!!

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  10. WOW is all I can say I just love this card and everything about it!!

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  11. Oh Karen... this is soooo fab! Love Love love love love love love it!! Seriously!

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  12. super creative...love it...such a neat vintage image to work with! I cringed when I read how your boy use to stop on his bicycle..ouch.

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  13. Absolutely gorgeous!! I am in love!

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  14. Love it! You did the spokes so perfectly, I thought they were stamped. Great story, too. I still remember learning how to ride a bike and how I used to jump off the seat to make myself stop. We all learn some things the hard way.

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  15. Seriously. good gravy! This is amazing!! A winner for SURE!! Your creativity never ceases to amaze me!

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  16. WOW! You are so clever! I love it! Thanks for playing with us in the EBTKS challenge! :)

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  17. This is so creative and clever!!! And I love how you shared the story of your inspiration with us!

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