A Real Challenge

So, the challenge at Crafty Cardmakers this time around is to do something that challenges you. To use something you've bought and then consigned to a drawer or cupboard where it hasn't seen the light of day. Well, there are a few of those - I'm thinking specifically of some collage stamps I have, but in truth I have used those - just now the way I expected to. So, what haven't I used at all?

Well, in Hobbycraft a while ago, they had reduced a thing called a 'wire designer' and I really liked the idea of making wire patterns to add to cards, so I splashed out and bought it, along with a selection of beautiful, jewel-toned wires. There were some patterns supplied with the designer, but every time I tried one it was a complete failure. It's about that time that I consigned it to my bedroom - where things I don't use so often tend to be put.

Anyway, after considering this challenge for a while, I managed to find the various bits I'd need and tried the supplied patterns again. I wasn't any more successful than before, so I had a play on my own and came up with a basic flower shape that seemed to work. Four more and some freehand writing later, I came up with this:



I've also used my trusty Wizard to cut my layers and a tag, and all have been textured using a Spellbinders Impressability. I love the way you can emboss the die shape at the same time as you get the texture with these - it looks so much more 'finished' as a result. I attached the flowers and word to the card using a few single stitches and anchored the thread on the back with standard sticky tape.

I've also come away from my comfort zone as far as colours are concerned. I looked at the colour wheel and decided that since my flowers fell into the red/red violet/violet area of the wheel, I should go for a contrast and went for a green for the background then matted that onto some very dark purple, green again, and then found some paper I've had forever which is a rose pattern with dark green and dark purple. It's not a colourscheme I've tried before - not that I've got a problem with green and purple - it's just that I'd normally stick to pastel shades and not go so dark. I was really quite pleased with the result, and can definitely see me using something similar again - especially the greeting. It looks better (to me) than hand-written, but you can basically do whatever you want to which is quite liberating!