Wednesday, January 25, 2012

XOXO Smitten–Papertrey Blog Hop

Hello everyone! I hope everyone is having a great week. I have a card to share with everyone that kind of grew from my rosette making spree on Monday night. I made some in various colors and patterns and I didn’t have a definitive plan of what I was going to do with them.

I was in the mood to make something Tuesday night and after a little brainstorming, I came up with a plan with the help of Sara and the challenge at Papertrey Ink for this month’s blog hop. Nichole is challenging everyone to pick their favorite card from 2011 and improve upon it.

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I made this card in December, and I liked it so much I decided to make it a second time in a more traditional color palette for Christmas. You can read all about it, here. It would been really easy for me to case the card and change a few things, instead, I decided to take elements from the card and make it as new as I could. Here is the result:

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My card is made from Aqua Mist cardstock and is a standard A2. I am so in love with this color right now. I found some light grey cardstock in my file cabinet. I honestly didn’t know I had it and I’m so blind I couldn’t make it out from white. Anyway, I used the brown polka dot patterned paper and the grey to make a background mat. I stitched around it with some dark brown Coats & Clark thread.

Next, I cut 1/4” strips of the grey and 1/2” strips of the pink and adhered them to a 3” x 4.5” piece of cardstock. I toyed with the idea of embossing the pink, but in the end I decided against it. I used the largest die in the Spellbinders Label Four set to give the striped mat a decorative edge.

Now, here’s where the big changes from the original came into play. Even though I am certainly happy with the original card, I felt like there was a bit of a balance issue. So, I decided to make sure the eye honed in on one spot – the rosette. However, I wanted to bring in the felt. I happened to have a white diecut from the Spellbinders Classics Scalloped Hearts Nestabilities set on my table. Well, the white wasn’t working. I felt the card could use a bit more brown so I cut another scalloped heart and stitched them together (right down the center). I adhered the felt hearts to the card with some 3-in-1 adhesive from Beacon and then I adhered the rosette on top and offset it a bit.

I used some Aqua Mist Saddle Stitch ribbon to tie a simple knot, and I then adhered the entire piece to my card base with dimensional adhesive. Originally, I planned to only use the XOXO stamp. But I decided to see how the Smitten stamp would look layered on top and I really liked the result. I adhered it to the rosette with hot glue and a dimensional circle in the center. And, to give the card a touch of embellishment, I took some heart gems and adhered them to the felt hearts. I would have preferred buttons, but I didn’t have any that coordinated.

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That’s about about it! I don’t think I left anything out, but if there are questions, feel free to email me or leave a comment. I thank you for coming by and I wish you a blessed day!

25 comments :

  1. Love your Christmas cards, and your new card is so pretty, Trell!

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  2. Love this one too Trell. Love the added hearts. Bought the same little smitten stamp yesterday!
    Judy

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  3. The Christmas cards are great, but the new one is superb! Love the colors and patterns.

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  4. Wow!. all the cards are stunning/ Love all the elements on the valentine card.

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  5. Really love the christmas ones,as well as the new one!! Very pretty design here! Great job,Trell!

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  6. All your cards are fabulous. Love both your new and old.

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  7. Absolutely incredible. I will need to CASE

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  8. I'm smitten...with these cards! Just love them!

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  9. It's beautiful - they all are!! I love the layout, and I think you're right about the new one! It works so well :)

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  10. Hi Trell! So glad to see you on the hop today!! All 3 of your cards are really fantastic, but I am certainly most smitten with the smitten one! You are so right, my eye went right to your perfect rosette (and it's GINGHAM, squeal!). Love how you layered your elements and the color scheme is so fun for a Valentine...can't wait to see what you make NEXT month! PS...Sorry I abused the exclamation point on this comment, hee!

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  11. love your "smitten" card, the color combo and embellishment arrangement are wonderful!

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  12. Me too -- SMITTEN with that 'Smitten' card you re-created!!! LOVE the gingham rosette and those felt hearts -- BEAUTIFUL!!! And I ALWAYS 'abuse' the exclamation point and rarely apologize -- LOL!!!

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  13. gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous!!!!!
    love the pinwheels!

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  14. Very nice Smitten card. I think the heart balanced this card more so than your first cards. I agree with you it is more balanced. A great re-make, Trell.

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  15. Trell, this is awesome. My eyes move all around this card to see all the splendor. I'm quite impressed. :)

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  16. Trell this is fantastic! I am insanely jealous of your sewing and bow-tying skills... Love the layered elements, a great remake - but the originals were just as good :-)

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  17. WOW! I love them all. You did a fabulous job with the rosette flowers.

    I see you are in AL. I just moved back to IA from Madison, AL. I lived there for a year and a half. Small world. :)

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  18. I just think all these cards are fabulous. But today's creation is uber fabulous - I love it! Love the big polka dots with the stitching around the edge, and the color combination is so delightful. Love that beautiful medallion, especially with the 'smitten' banner and the felt flower and gems next to it. A fabulous, beautiful creation. ;-)

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  19. Very pretty! I love the colours and the layering you did!

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  20. Such pretty layers! Love the BIG polka dots and the little smitten banner (love that word!). Very nice ;)

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  21. Wow! All are wonderful cards, you do amazing cards!

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  22. I love that you took elements from the first to create a whole new card! The smitten one is definitely my favorite...love that "smitten" sentiment for sure! The colors you chose are great, too.

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  23. Love, love, love all your cards, but your smitten card is absolutely fabulous!!!!

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  24. What pretty cards! Love the paper rosette and bedazzled heart!

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  25. i love the transformation from Christmas to Valentine-or any time! I'm a polka dot fan any day of the week so the bold dots and contrasting colors and yummy layers all fit together for a great card. Love it!

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Thanks for taking the time to comment on my blog. I sincerely appreciate it. Have a super blessed day!