Thursday, June 17, 2010

It’s Not That Difficult …

On Your Way Up_June 2010

… or at least it’s not supposed to be. You wouldn’t believe the time I had making this simple card. And it wasn’t a particularly good time. My inspiration was drawn from these cute cards on the StarLitStudio blog. For my card, I used papers from the new Splendor paper packet. Love them, too!

Problem #1: Coloring the hot air balloon to coordinate with the papers. Solution #1: Give up (after several tries with several coloring mediums) and paper piece the darned balloon with patterned paper. I used a Goldrush marker to color in the design. Result #1: A balloon that’s a little too matchy-matchy.

Problem #2: The card was close to being finished when I realized the band with the sentiment was crooked. Solution #2: Remove it and straighten it, pulling out the six brads that held the edge anchors that had been a pain in the you-know-where to get in to begin with and then (as if that wasn’t enough) tearing the paper. Result #2: An element that may or may not still be crooked. I can’t tell and couldn’t find my ruler (an indication of the condition of my desk).

Problem #3: The finished card was blah. Solution #3: Cut a cloud from white cardstock. Sponge it with a bit of Crystal Blue ink, and Pop Dot it to the card. Result #3: I dunno. I’ve lost my objectivity with this troublesome card.

That reads like a case study. LOL. And I think I’ll skip the materials & tools list, having named everything I used but the stamp set – Look Up! by Practicing Creativity Designs – and the Nestabilities Labels Eight set.

While I wouldn’t call it a bad day, it seemed like a long one. Work was one thing. The weather was another with storms and multiple tornados in the area (actually, much of the state) late this afternoon and early evening. It’s Dustin’s birthday today, and he and Miranda went to Grand Forks where they ended up sent to the back of the Target store during a storm that included a tornado warning. While I don’t know any details, I’ve heard there was a fatality in a small town about 35 miles from here. Sad. The whole thing was pretty scary, although in the immediate area, I didn’t see any clouds that looked too ominous. These types of widespread storms are unusual in Minnesota.

I hope you had a good day. Tomorrow is Friday, a fact that brings a smile to my face. Make yours a good one! See you again then.

6 comments:

Laurel said...

It turned out beautifully, I love that paper!

Jeanne said...

Well, goodness, you sure had a time of it creating this card! The end result is quite pretty, but I'm sorry you had such a hard time getting to that end result. Sure takes the fun out of enjoying it. LOL

What a scary time with so many tornadoes and storms flying close by. Amy has become quite interested whenever she hears the word tornado. Even if it's a watch. She informed me....I just want to be AWARE, Mom! LOL What's not funny is that tragedy you mentioned.

I hope the weather settles down and you can enjoy a nice, relaxing weekend, with hopefully the sun peeking out!

Alanna said...

Your card is so wonderful Kathi. I enjoyed reading your step 1, step 2, etc. I'm sorry it gave you such fits but the end product is definitely spectacular.

I'm glad you all were safe from the tornados. Blech. Blessings for a fabulous Friday.

Barb said...

Despite all you went through, the card is adorable...I live very near wine country and we often have hot air balloons flying over head...they are so awesome and so is your card...LOVE it!

Sparkplug17 said...

Sorry for the hard time, the but end result turned out great! Have a fab weekend!

Sharli Schaitberger said...

I think this card is wonderful, Kathi! It's well worth your extra efforts!

I'm glad you're safe - I heard there were LOTS of tornadoes in your part of the world - yikes.

Hugs.