Hello everyone! Today I'm sharing a post for a series of postings I've wanted to do for a while. I am one of those people who reads every word in a user manual and hopes there is one for everything, haha! While I am still learning new things everyday, I think I should go ahead and document what I've learned. I will share simple bite-size tips in the hope that they will be helpful to someone else too.
When I first stumbled across card sketches, I felt like that I found a piece of that missing manual for card making. A sketch takes out the majority of the "guess work". I believe limitation is what stimulates creativity!
The example I'm using today is the sketch for our current
Waffle Flower Challenge. It was based on the card on the right.
We can follow a sketch closely or give it a little twist to make our card standout. Stretch a sketch is as easy as 1, 2, 3!
1. Rotate the sketch
This should be the first thing we try whenever we get a new sketch. Rotate the sketch, see the options and discover the possibilities.
In my case today, I rotated the sketch 90 degrees clockwise.
2. Give it Meaning
I've found the most effective way to make a card standout in a sketch challenge is to give it meaning. Remember all the elements in a sketch can be replaced with other shapes, images or embellishments? When I saw these circles, I wanted to make them into balloons!
So I pulled out my
Flower Circles Stamp Set and picked a couple of circles to stamp on a scrap piece of white cardstock. I used both sides of the circle stamps. I then used a pencil to draw a little triangle tail for each balloon.
Cut them out as shown and I had my "meaningful" elements for the card.
3. Add a Special Touch
As I was playing with the layout elements, I decided to create a birthday scene for my card.
At this point, we were getting close to make a card that makes people wow. But it still needed something special. For example, the white piece of cardstock looked plain. So I replaced it with a cloud patterned paper (I think we need cloud stamps, anyone?). Balloons don't just float in the air, right? No brainer, let's add the strings!
The sentiment form our
Surface – Tag Stamp Set is just perfect for this card! I popped the pieces on with some foam adhesive to add dimension. I stopped here for a clean look but you can continue to add special touches here and there to make your card you!
- Add glitter to the balloons?
- Use a white pen to add highlights?
- Stamp some cloud with Versamark ink on the card base to create a subtle background?
- Add Enamel dots? Sequins? Buttons?
- Ink the edges? Round the corners?
The possibilities are endless, right? :)
Thank you for stopping by! I hope that you are inspired to create something with a sketch! Happy Crafting!
Great idea, Nina. Thanks for taking the time to put this together.
Nina you are so clever! LOVE how you made balloons, so cute
Yayyyy for the ‘manual’! I ‘need’ sketches to create cards, and find myself often ‘forgetting’ to look at them from different perspectives. Your ideas here: perfect! Your card: awesome! Looking forward to playing and especially to Manual Part 2!
~c
Very cool card! And I love the tips! Thanks for sharing! ;)
[…] The balloons are made from the circles in Flower Circles Stamp Set. Find out how in this post. […]
I love how you walked us through the “manual” for this sketch – great ideas you’ve shared!
Thank you for putting this together, it provides so much to think about and the little triangle is perfect for your balloons!
WOW Nina!! What a great idea!!
Also a fellow manual reader here – really like knowing what I am getting myself into and all the little tips and tricks you wouldn’t know about otherwise. Great idea for a blog series and cute card! :)
[…] before in [The Missing Manual for Card Making] Stretch A Sketch, I rotated the sketch, gave the elements meaning and added special touches with stitched […]