Thursday, October 15, 2015

Journey to the Sweetest Sound

Edited to add:

I am honored and humbled that this card was spotlighted at
Simon Says Stamp

designer-spotlight-badge
 **********

Let me tell you a tale of the making of a card.

This card.


Have you ever had one of those cards that kept going wrong?

And this was over a span of a couple of days!

The idea was to color the stamp with markers, spritz with water
and stamp on some watercolor paper.

That actually went well and I used my Aqua painter to move the color.

Then, I wanted to add some embossing.

So, I stamped the word love (this is to be an anniversary card)
above and to the left of the image.

I wanted to emboss a square frame around the word.

The die rearranged itself and the embossing was nowhere near
where it was supposed to be!
#*&*#

So I cut the offending embossing off.

Had to do it at a slant to keep the painting intact.

You can see how I dealt with that.

Saved!

Then...

Monday, Jack spent the day with me.

He wanted to go upstairs and play.

He loves the studio!

While he was busy with markers and a wet paint brush,
I thought I'd finish up this card.

I needed to get the love back on there.

Fortunately it was small and fit well in the bottom corner.

I turned the piece over to add adhesive,
flipped it back to stick to the card and
THERE'S A SMUDGE OF ORANGE INK ON THE EMBOSSED PIECE!
#@&)(%

Fortunately, I was able to pull the embossed piece off without 
destroying the painted image.

Bless his heart, Jack wanted to help and he took a baby wipe
and tried to get the ink off the previous embossed piece.
He was very disappointed that it didn't work.
But since I had it all fixed we were good.

THEN I NOTICED ANOTHER ORANGE SMUDGE ON THE IMAGE!
#%(*$*#

So the smaller branch came out and I inked with markers, spritzed, 
stamped over the smudge and blended.

If you see any smudges on this, please don't let me know.

I had stamped a second image back when things were going smoothly.

Jack thought he'd help me fix that one.


He did good didn't he?  It has pink (his favorite color).

And can you see how he highlighted the birds?

I will treasure this fix forever.


and this sweet boy.

This journey started because

Penny Black Saturday Challenge
asks for
EMBOSSING

and

Please do grab our logo to display on your own blog
is
*****WARM AUTUMN COLORS*****

and

has color

and

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog
WONDERFUL WATERCOLOR

If you're still with me, thanks for sticking it out.

I promise not to be so long winded next time.

Enjoy!
    **********
Card Recipe
Stamps:  The Sweetest Sound (PB),(Not sure where the sentiment came from)
Ink:  Cajun Craze, Markers (Crushed Curry, Pumpkin Pie, Cajun Craze, Soft Suede (all SU)
Paper:  Solar White (Neena), Watercolor (Arches 140 lb. hot press), Whisper White (SU), Gold Foil (SU)
Other: Square Lattice EF (retired SU), Aqua Painter

Note:  I didn't ink all the tails on these birds to make them look a bit like a Carolina Wren. I decided not to try to get that streak on their faces.  Sometimes enough is enough!




41 comments:

LeAnne said...

Ah, the journey of stamp to paper to a final card! This one had lots of twists and turns but what a fun (!!!!) journey it was! The end result is GORGEOUS, I love the diagonal, and you & Jack will both have a memory to cherish! The birds are just delightful, I wish I could "watercolor" like you do!

Paper Creations by Shirley said...

The water colour effect and colours on your card are beautiful. I love the diagonal cut. I play and play sometimes with designs that end up totally different from where they started...and occasionally end up in the recycle bin. I call it 'going with the flow' :) I don't see any smudges on your gorgeous card. Your grandson is adorable. xx

Barb said...

What a fantastic post Bonnie. I really did laugh - oops sorry! However you ended up with a gorgeous card. It really is lovely and what a dear little boy Jack is. Barbxx

My Card Attic: Hazel said...

Both you and Jack did great Bonnie my dear friend! I LOVE the layout so your save paid dividends, it's dynamic and fun! Have a lovely day! Hazel xx

Betty said...

what fun story and such a great card at the end - love it all!

Faith A at Daffodil Cards said...

Superb safe, love the birds and colour

Susanne Vargas said...

Such a gorgeous card - hard to believe it gave you so much trouble! The description was as intense as a mystery novel!

BożenA said...

Wow! Great watercolor card, Bonnie. Beautifully stained birds. I love the smooth connectivity with watercolor backgrounds and embossed texture. It looks amazing.
Regards,
Bozen

Sue - said...

Well despite all the smudges etc the card is great! Love Jack's fix as well, not surprised you're going to treasure it! Hugs xx

jimlynn said...

I don't see a thing other than a pretty, pretty card! You (and Jack) did a great job and love the embossing on the side that way.
Jack's "fix" is great and you'll treasure it forever!
Lynn

Victoria said...

Both your fix and Jack's are brilliant. What a fab post - loved reading it :)

alexandra s.m. said...

Oh my! That is quite the story!!
Your card is so beautiful Bonnie!

brenda said...

A beautifully elegant creation Bonnie and if it went wrong it certainly ended up very well, many thanks for joining in at Penny Black and More challenge this month.

B x

Anonymous said...

A funny story that we can all relate to! Love the card, it all came together in the end! Jack is a cutie. :)

Bluemac said...

What a wonderful card and how lovely to hear that even a very talented card maker like you can have a few "difficulties" at times. Gorgeous little boy who obviously is a huge help!

Gramma Sarah said...

Oh my, Bonnie. Such an enlightening saga... you are one of us! All kidding aside, your card is awesome. The diagonal with the embossing sets it off perfectly. Smiling ... I always enjoy your and Loll's descriptions and inspiring cards.

OH Babs said...

Oh Bonnie how I loved this story and what a wonderful memory for you, just you and Jack. It is a charming card and whoever receives it will be delighted.

denmo said...

Simply gorgeous cards (yes the one Jack helped is gorgeous too)!..Loved the story behind the creation made me laugh out loud

Keep on crafting...:-0) Hugs..Denise (UK) xx

Tracy said...

Gorgeous creation, thanks for joining Penny Black & More @ Allsorts challenge, good luck.
Happy crafting
Tracy x

Hettie said...

I am SO happy you shared this....I always thought you never had journeys like this and your cards always turned out perfick!!! I love how it has turned out and your little fixer really did a good job.
Hugs
xx

Brenda in IN said...

What a heartwarming story. Jack had to feel so good helping you fix your card. I would date the back and frame it and hang it up. I do love the card.

Loll said...

It's a beautiful card Bonnie ... and well worth the aggravation to get it finished. Your watercoloured birds are AMAZING! Bless Jack for trying so hard to help you out. What a sweetie! :) xx

Susan said...

Loved your story of making the card! It made me laugh as I've had experiences just like that - and I never want to just give up, toss it all, and start again - far more fun to keep trying to fix it, even if I curse along the way! It was definitely worth the effort as the final card is so lovely! And I like Jack's version too!

Maria Rodriguez. said...

The Journey to this final card was so worth it Bonnie, I've had this happened too, when you kind of keep adding stuff or ink to your card and can't seem to stop. But you saved this card beautifully, love the Lattice embossing and I honestly can't see any smudges anywhere!!
Now, Jack's version is priceless, I bet you are going to frame that card, children are such amazing artists.
Thank you for sharing.
Hugs,
Maria.

Marcia Hill said...

Beautiful card Bonnie with no smudges that I can see! I have this stamp too, but haven't used it yet...maybe Darnell will come out with another NBUS challenge soon! But anyway, your card turned out just lovely even though you had a few extra steps involved, and wasn't it great that Jack was there to help? Can't wait till Addy is old enough to help me out in my craft room! Have a great weekend Bonnie!

Linda W. (ScrappinBari) said...

What a great story, Bonnie - we have all been there and fortunately most of us are fix-masters! Just love your gorgeous watercolor and Jack's work of art!! A treasure!!

Susan Joyce said...

Your card is totally delightful Bonnie even with all the grief it gave you. You did well to stick with the process and finish it. It was well worth it!

kiwimeskreations said...

Ah yes, those cards that fight you all the way - don't you just love them!! This must have been a real character builder Kristie. but it was well worth persevering as is it beautiful.
It won't be long before I have my grandies helping to rescue my cards too!!
Blessings
Maxine

Emma Williams said...

What a wonderful blog post and a beautiful card...I think it's stunning! Thank you so much for sharing and for playing along with us over on the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog... :-)

Greta said...

You made me laugh--I can so relate! That sweet boy, Jack--treasure indeed!

Greta said...

Forgot to say thank you for joining us at PBSC!

Andrea Ockey Parr said...

There's nothing I love better than a good story and a good piece of art and this post had both! How sweet that you had a little helper there! And kudos to you for triumphing over so many bumps in the road. I have had projects like that where everything goes wrong, but when you can turn them around, they end up being worth that much more to you because you recognize the fight to get them up to snuff! You did a fantastic job and I love the fuzzy look of the birds and how half the card is embossed. It gives it a great bit of flair! Thanks for sharing this card and your story with us for this week's Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge!

Marybeth said...

Oh my gosh what a darling story and I love Jacks fix! For sure a treasure, your words or no words made me lol. In the end this is a stunning watercolor card!

MaryH said...

What an adventure on this pretty card. But it turned out splendidly and love the autumn tones. All of this effort was just to get your design juices going, so you'd end up with this beauty. What fun you & Jack had, and he's a little sweetie. If all had gone smoothly from the beginning, no memories would have been made! I did enjoy the fix-its, very creative. And, as I said, a final gorgeous card indeed. I like this image, and it watercolored beautifully. TFS & Hugs

Deepti said...

Jack is adorable to help you out, the card turned out amazing from colors to design and layout !

Anna-Karin said...

This is so beautiful!! The birds are absolutely gorgeous. How precious that he helped you fix the second one. Thank you so much for sharing with us at the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog!!

Whisper said...

This is simply stunning and thanks for joining us at Penny Black & More this month, Luv Sam x

Bobby said...

I empathize with you, Bonnie. Some days just go like that. Fortunately like you did, things can be fixed with a little ingenuity and selective stamping or embossing. I love those birds and your embossing is always fantastic.

Darnell said...

Bonnie, I just saw that your stunning card has been spotlighted at Simon Says!! Whoop!! Congratulations and well-deserved! Thank you for sharing the fun of creating with Jack and his sweet photo!! I'm jealous cuz mine are passed this age!! Hugs, Darnell

Tricia Coffin said...

Amazing work!

Princess Judy Palmer said...

I'm telling you, next think you know Jack will be taking over your blog to show of his artistic side and he truly does have one. Your card is fabulous and came out superb with all the changes and fixes. No one would ever know that that card almost drove you to drink.