Saturday, October 31, 2009

Just us Girls - WILD CARD Challenge #5 (and Blog Candy!)

It is already Just Us Girls Challenge #5! WOW - seems like only yesterday we were planning and discussing and launching our new site. You ladies have made this challenge ROCK! I love the players we have seen coming back - it's so GREAT to have a group of "regulars" already.  We have quite a group of followers, too! Be sure to pop over to our DT blogs --> see sidebar --> and follow them (and me) as well!

OK let's get to today's challenge - since this is the 5th Saturday in the month it's a WILD CARD challenge. (Anything the hostess wants) and we are delighted to have the very talented Kristin Bueter as our hostess with the mostest this week.

OK - so your challenge for this week is stated above - you are to create a holiday card that incorporates a photo. Oh - so you also noticed that there is some Blog Candy, too eh? (grin) Well, I TOLD you that Kristin is highly talented and she has created a set of DIGITAL IMAGES and EVERY participant who follows the rules this week will receive this special digital image set as our thank you for kicking off a fantastic first month of challenges!!!!! Is that COOL or what:!:! We will also, of course, have our top pick, "Chic of the Week" award for someone as well!

Here's my rather long explanation of how my card came about  - I really had fun (and frustrations) trying to create what I had in my head but I was struggling to get onto paper. I fell IN LOVE with Kristin's lamp post image and immediately thought of a street scene with several of them. SO that's what I was trying to capture - it's the beauty of digital images - being able to size them as you want but it's also the frustration of trying to be artistic and clever when I don't have that kind of training. I knew WHAT I wanted to make but the actual making of it was hard.



The idea here was to create a "foggy" scene of several lamp posts along a sidewalk. I created the "scene" with the images on my computer then printed it out on good quality white cardstock. I chose to use my gold Jelly Roll pen for goldish/bronze lamp posts instead of black or gray for a touch of elegance. I colored the images with my Copics then used a versamark pen and clear embossing powder and embossed all the lamp posts. Next up was to sponge a "fog" scene - I used Bashful Blue, Almost Amethyst and London Fog inks to create mine. A touch of barely banana sponging on the lights themselves to make the lamps "glow". The sentiment mentions "quiet" and "peaceful" which fit my scene (or the scene in my head at least). I added a few pearls to the wreaths for that elegant look as well.



Next up is layer ONE of the inside (yes there is more than one) - I wanted to showcase the lamppost again - it's SO beautiful and I also wanted to include another sentiment here as well.  I wanted you to see the gold post but that caused a bit of a glare on the wreath when I photographed it - so the wreath looks washed out but it's not IRL. It's really beautiful if you see it in person.

 

Here you can see that there is more - there is another layer under the lamp post layer - and THAT is where I put my photo.  We traditionally take a family photo every Thanksgiving so this is actually last year's photo since we have not yet done one for this year.



Just HOW MANY of us can we fit in the Mini Cooper!?!? Looks like we got SIX of us in. What a lot of fun this was.  SO - I will admit - this challenge was really hard for me because I don't do handcrafted holiday cards - I send WAY too many to do that so I still use the photo card and computer generated labels and letter but I do try to write a personal note in each card. The only handcrafted holiday cards I usually make are thank you cards. Maybe someday I'll get ambitious enough to make all my holiday cards by hand, especially with the kids moving out on their own.

Remember, if you play along with us this week and post your creation to Mr. Linky you, too, can receive this digital image set! 

Our special GUEST DESIGNER for this week is Tammy Hershberger - Why do we have a guest designer? Well the sentiment "Happy Holidays" in our digital stamp set give away was written BY Tammy in her handwriting (Oooh a teacher's delight that writing!) and then made into a digital stamp by Kristin - now isn't that just the best???

Ok - hop on over to the rest of the Just Us Girls Design Team and see what they have cooked up for you for our WILD CARD week.







BE SURE to go to Mr. Linky on the JUGS site and provide a DIRECT LINK to the project on your blog or online gallery (use keyword JUGS5).   We can't wait to see what you come up with!! Have a wonderful and safe weekend and week ahead.


10 comments:

Mona Pendleton said...

Oh My Goodness Pam! You surely have blown me away with your card! Where should I start? I like how you created the feeling of walking down the street on a foggy cold wintry night! Your gold lamp posts are GORGEOUS! You really captured the shimmer of them with your photography!! ALL that shimmers is gold! Those pearl berries on your wreath's add such a rich, elegant touch! I am sure Kristin will be so proud!

Alicia Weiman said...

Very nice card Pam. You captured how versatile digital stamps are...you can resize to make them any way you want them! Love your picture....that is too cute!

Selma said...

Hi Pam. You sure did a great job sizing the digital stamps to create your scene. This is a gorgeous card. Your lamp posts are beautiful. My gold Jelly Roll pen doesn't look that shiny. Love how you completed the inside of your card. Fun picture.

Kim Marie said...

Gorgeous lamp posts Pam! Are you sure you don't want to consider making, oh, 80 of them?! LOL! We send out close to 100 ourselves, but we are still crazy enough to make them...sick, I know!!

Thanks for your comments on my blog, too....my cruise pals are from our cruise...my once in a lifetime adventure!! It's incredible that a year has flown by but some of my favorite cruise pals stay in touch...including you, my friend!!

Here's hoping for time to play this challenge!
Kim Marie

Dana Gustafson said...

Pam! How COOL! I love your street scene vision! You totally pulled it off while highlighting the best part of digi elements....that you can change the sizes. The tri-fold card is fun too. WHat a great family photo last year.

Kristin Eberline said...

Omg Pam...let me count the ways that I LOVE your card! I think your design is so clever to house your photo! I LOVE the idea of folding the bottom panel up to cover your picture! I might have to try that! I also LOVE how you used the lamp post to line a street by decreasing the size subtly and adding the embossed layer that almost looks like a little stone wall next to your posts! So clever!!! Your coloring is fab, and I like that you used a gold/bronze color in stead of black! Very elegant...

Such a great idea to add the lamp post next to the sentiment on the inside as well! LOVE that! Oh and your family picture from last year is classic! Ha ha...who needs a studio?! I'm definitely going to plagiarize that concept!!

Thank you so much for using my very first digi set! I'm so glad you did...because I can't say I ever would have thought about lining a street with the lamp posts! Oh, and you are so right about Tammy's writing...I'll bet her teachers LOVED receiving her work in school! LOL

Maria said...

How awesome is that card? fantastic idea with a great picture. Your lampposts are perfect!

Deanna said...

Wow, it is so pretty Pam! Thanks for all your inspiration!

Lisa Kind said...

I'm sorry I didn't reply sooner on this absolutely GORGEOUS card! I thought I had, but I guess not! I love the three graduated lamp posts on the front and the inside is such a surprise! And I LOVE the fun picture of you and your family in the Mini Coop! Such fun!

Charlene Austin said...

Holy Cow! Pam your photo card is AWESOME! That is the coolest idea ever!!

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