Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Rustic Friends


A bit of rustic. A bit of determination...that's about all I've go to say about this card, and that I didn't give up on it. Since I worked to hard to make it I decided to post it. Sometimes I like the cards I make, sometimes not so much. I might have to revisit this at a later date, when I'm not thinking so hard. Any suggestions would be welcome!

I started by stamping the woodgrain pattern in a mix of cream and brown inks onto a bright orange and earthy green panel and then added pops of the bright blue color. The layout is from a sketch by Skipping Stones Design and the colors are from the Embellish Magazine Color Trends Challenge with the twist to do some background stamping.
 




Ok, let's move on to what I really wanted to show you.
Here's a rustic friend that visited us this morning in our backyard. Isn't she beautiful? 



Supplies Used:
Cardstock: (Kraft) PTI, (Green, Orange) SU
Ink: (Vintage Cream) PTI, (Vintage Photo Distress) Ranger
Embellishments: (Twine) Divine Twine, (Rubon Sentiment) SU, (Ribbon and Rhinestones) Basic Grey
Tools: (Flower Dies) SU

36 comments:

  1. i think it's a good card. my favorite part about it is the orange flower part. maybe, make the flower the base of the card and have a circle card instead of a rectangle-just a thought :)

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  2. I like the rustic elements! What a cutie in the yard!

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  3. So glad you posted this--I love this rustic look with the pop of turquoise ribbon and bling. So unique, and it would totally work as a masculine card as well.

    Your woodland friend is so pretty! Makes me miss our rural home in Ohio. Thanks for sharing this great pic!

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  4. i see a great card--love the bright pop of blue:) our old house had a pond and cuties like this one showed up for drinks all the time--i miss that now.

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  5. awesome card and I'm glad to read that you kept at it :)
    What a beautiful doe!

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  6. Oh...love all the texture Karen. I think maybe two buttons versus the little ribbon tab might balance the flower circle. And wow...that deer is beautiful!

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  7. oh deer! she IS beautiful! how cool that you get to meet her in person. =) really like the rustic die cut piece on your card. beautiful work as always!

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  8. Wow! I can't believe you got that shot. It looks like you can reach out and touch the deer. So pretty! Love your card. The colors just pop right of the page!

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  9. Oh I like this, I think we should all accept that not all cards are going to be our favorite, but I'm confident someone would be just tickled to find this in their mail box. Fabulous deer photo, looks like it's talking to you with those big eyes.

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  10. Gees, you are asking us for input??? Forget it! Rustic is all good.
    What a photo too - I am a fan of Bambi in general and always think of how graceful a creature deer are.

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  11. Too hard on yourself. Love the texture- and the bling/ribbon with the rustic feel is unexpected! :)
    Your visitor is lovely- was she eating your pretty plants? I swear the plants that are the favorites must taste the best...! :D

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  12. I think it looks fabulous Karen! The colors just pop off the kraft. Love the woodgrain! :)

    Great shot of your rustic friend! :)

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  13. I'm impressed that she stayed around long enough for you to get a picture. She is a beauty. It's nice to hear that others struggle to make the card come together sometimes. I think your background stamping is divine. It really looks like a worn piece of wood.

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  14. I agree with Erin. Often my least favourite cards are the ones that people make the most fuss over. Go figure.

    Love your woodgraining and colouring. I thought you'd used that wood paper stuff that I keep seeing around - can't believe it's just good old SU paper!

    That deer is gorgeous! Would love to see that in my backyard! (And would love to see the looks on Atti and Jem's faces if one turned up!) :)

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  15. Utterly fabulous use of those colours. You made it look so easy. That flower is incredible, and the woodgrain.....yum!

    Your "rustic friend" is gorgeous! I ran into a couple in the park the other day, they are so graceful. I love watching them bound away. :)

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  16. Well I'd have never even been able to do rustic with those colours but you've certainly pulled it off! I love the shapes and woodgrain flower especially.
    Now I don't think I'd change a thing but when I feel like that about a card I find walking away and coming back to it much later helps loads! It's like getting a fresh perspective on it!
    Hugs,
    Aimes
    x

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  17. LOVE your take on the Skipping Stones Sketch...great teamwork with the Embellish Challenge....LOVE your woodland friend...

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  18. Karen this card is really. I love the rustic look, it's so unique. I am glad you decided to share it on your blog.

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  19. First of all, this card is way awesome! Love the colors & techniques you used. Thats so cool you had a woodland friend pop in today - must be a hint to get Lawn Fawny ;).

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  20. The card is fine as is. I wouldn't change anything. I see deer constantly and it's still a wonder every time. The little, tiny city I live in is adjacent to a state park and we get small herds of deer running through our yard to get to the wooded area behind our house. Across the street is a hiking trail and a large wooded area and they usually come out of there and gallop up our driveway. Oh, and I live on Deer Ridge Rd. LOL

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  21. Well I am impressed by your card if that means anything. But I totally understand how you feel. I had one of those nights last night too with the card I was trying to make, in the end it was small and simple but probably won't go down in the history books as one of my favorites. :) The wood grain is pretty awesome!

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  22. WOW, Karen, I wouldn't change a thing. I think it is fabulous!! I don't think I have ever seen anything from you that I didn't like. Great work!!!

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  23. Love the rustic feel of your card. I especially love that sweet deer. We use to get so many of them in our yard in Iowa. I miss them! :)
    Hugs~

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  24. This is so gorgeous, Karen! I agree with Kasia in that you make it look easy. Love the sweet deer!

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  25. I really love your card Karen, great use of woodgrain effect. Beautiful picture of your garden friend :)
    Jenny x

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  26. I love all the rustic woodgrain and that splash of blue with the Baker's twine is excellent. Thanks for playing with us again at Skipping Stones Design Sketch Tuesday.

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  27. I love the Woodgrain stamping on your card, Karen. And such sweet little friend!

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  28. I really like it Karen - glad you finished it and posted it. It looks like that woodgrain has a lot of depth.
    What a beautiful shot of that deer!

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  29. It's a great card! But I know what you mean. I don't always like how my cards turn out either. But hey, they can't all be favorites, can they?
    But I really like what you've done with this sketch and I'm glad you joined us at SSD!

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  30. Oh great card Karen!!! Thanks for joining us at Skipping Stones Design!!! Hope you will find the time to play along with us this week!!!

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  31. I love the way you modified the sketch! Great job! Thanks for playing along with us this week!

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  32. This card is super fun Karen! I think it has a masculine charm to it and the LO is fresh and fun! Love the pic of your friend, we saw many of her kind in the Smokey Mnts this past week.

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  33. See! I knew all your struggle was worth it! Congrats!

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  34. Great card! I love the wood grain stamped flower! Very striking! Thanks for playing along with us!

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  35. What a striking card! Love it! Congrats on your EM win!

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