Whimsical Wednesday Back to Basics Challenge

I'm always anxious to see what the next Whimsical Wednesday Challenge is, even if I'm unable to play along. This week's was intriguing; create a card using "old school" methods (meaning NO Cricut!) My Cricut was the start of my paper crafting, so I really didn't have a stash of "old school" stuff before I bought it, but that didn't stop me from accumulating monstrous amounts of stickers, rub-ons, etc, just because they looked cool to me. One thing I do have a history of is decoupage, though. There was a store in my town, when I was in high school that sold multiple images of various scenes and objects to fussy cut and pop to make 3-D artwork and I bought several copies of a Model T car and spent hours cutting away and assembling the layers to mount in the lid of a jewelry box for my first love. I'm thinking that was the start of my infatuation with dimension. Although my card is not nearly as detailed, I used the same method with several copies of a botanical print from the Julianne Designer Mat pad from K& Co. The striped paper behind is also from that stack.

The color scheme and dimensional layers are quite subtle so I decided to make this a Sympathy card. I guess my "old school" element, besides the method itself, is the peel-off sticker sentiment that I colored with my Copic marker to match and mounted on Petite Scalloped and Petite Oval Nestie die cuts. The only embellishment are some adhesive pearls. Be sure to stop by Whimsical Wednesday to see what the fab DT has cooking, and remember, the challenges run for two weeks so there is plenty of time to play along. (OOOh, this makes 2 in a row for me, yahoo!)

The Cuttlebug Spot - Sympathy Cards

This week at The Cuttlebug Spot we were asked to do Sympathy Cards (or apparantly also Thinking of You cards, you lucky participants, because I had a hard time here.) With all of the cards I make, I just don't do sympathy. I can't, and I feel terrible about it too because I've had the occasion recently and just froze up. Had I made this one I probably wouldn't have sent it anyway because it's pretty darn foofy (suitable for the Pope? Ha Ha, Margie!) but I was determined to use a bunch of stuff I bought awhile ago and had yet to even open. Those things include the Spellbinders Cross set, the Lattice Pendant and Lattice Border and one of the 5x7 embossing folders from the Cricut Companion Sentimentals Cuttlebug set. The lacy corners come with the pendant, the rectangular panel behind the layered cross is the cut out center of the Lace Door Embossing Plus folder and of course the computer generated sentiment is on yet ANOTHER of the Fanciful Labels (that one's getting a workout!)

I layered up a storm and actually do think it turned out quite pretty. Maybe I'll just change the sentiment (First Holy Communion, Christening?). Be sure to stop by The Cuttlebug Spot for a glimpse of the more tastefully simple and elegant cards done by my DT sisters. And if you're not inclined to do Sympathy, you can still play along with a Thinking of You card as long as it's embossed and is NEW (come on you guys, back posting isn't fair to those who really take the challenge!) and you may win a $20.00 gift certificate from Custom Crops.