More Challenges

As I've blogged about before the first of every month Hero Arts presents a monthly challenge, the great thing is they have multiple ways to enter and the winners get $50. This month I choose to take on the water coloring challenge.

My awesome Mother asked me to make a card for a friend of ours, Nancy. Over this past year she has been ill off and on... it's come to light she has a fungus in her lungs and the only way to rid her body of it is by removing that lob of the lung. Her surgery is later this month and my mother stated I'll buy what every you need make her something really special. So I got to work. Because I'm a good daughter I didn't need her to buy me anything as temping as it was.

This ended up taking a lot longer then I planned I started out with the Large Flower Pattern stamp and used my water colored pencils for color. I painted away and it was bland.. the colors just weren't bright enough. As an experiment I then took some green Copics over the leaves. The leave's looked great... however the flowers looked really icky.

Next comes the funny ha ha part cuz I like to digress... As I didn't know what to do with it I pushed the it around the desk for a few days. During that time Mom comes over and asks "Hows Nancy's card going?"..... er ah ... it's not done.. "well let me see it" she says. She didn't say it but the look on her face was... oh. "I told you it wasn't done.. we have time.. it will be great" I said. Mom agreed the flowers were to plain. One of Mother's traits I adore is how honest she is. If I ask her something she won't give it to me sugar coated. She'll tell me the truth. She won't pretend to like something cuz that's what mothers are supposed to do. Now don't get me wrong she will like something because I made it, because she's supportive. And she won't beat me down with how ugly things are.... she just gives me an honest answer to a simple question. I know where I got that trait from.

Anywho I set the card aside.. again... and played with Flower Bird Garden stamp and ended up creating this:

The background blue is distress inks Tumbled Glass, Broken China and Faded Jeans. I stamped the pads directly on my craft sheet then sprayed them with alcohol blending solution. Dragged a piece of glossy paper through it a few times... rinse repeat.. done. The birds and flowers were water colored with Jenny Bowlin paints. I sent a pic of it over to Mom she said ooooh I want that one for Nancy instead. Done! I decided to not put a sentiment on it.. that was a bit harder then I thought it would be but I took the plunge. I added the bling after I saw the photo of it on the computer as the flowers needed something. I've still yet to figure out if I love it or hate it, the bling that is. I am very happy with everything else.

Back to the first card. Here I had this painted piece I didn't want to throw away as I had put to much effort into it. But those flowers.. ick.. I ended up water coloring over them again with distress inks..mustard and marmalade much much better.

That bow kicked my butt. I started off with green but the ribbon was to thin and the proportions weren't right... I didn't have the right color... disagreeable (Note to self buy more alcohol inks.... if I owned more inks this wouldn't have been an issue :D)

Over at Simon Says Stamp and Show Challenge this weeks theme is torn paper. I had a lot of fun doing it previously and this card needed something else so I stamped.. tore.. colored (faded jeans) and then voila! The butterfly just makes it. I did the butterfly the same way I did the background of the other card. Inked the craft sheet sprayed and dragged. You can't really tell but the little white spots on the butterfly have stickles I added with a pin.

This card will make its way into Aunt Janet's box. (We the ladies in our family these last couple of years have gotten together at Christmas time making cards for Aunt Janet to use during the year... that is what got me started on this card making adventure.)

Feel free to chime in with idea's or suggestions. I'm a big girl I can take it. Mom's trained me right. :D