Wednesday 19 February 2014

Frame it...

Hey, hey!

I hope this Wednesday morning finds you all well ;)  Can you believe we're half way to the weekend again?!  I mean seriously...I know time flies as you get older, but this is ridiculous!  Over half way through February too...how did that happen?!  The good thing about the weeks passing quickly however is that the new challenges come around sooner!  There's a silver lining to every cloud  ;)

Speaking of new challenges, I've noticed a (nother!) new one has cropped up and it's super cool!  It's called 'Cure For The Monday Blues' - how perfect is that!  Another challenge to look forward to on a Monday morning!  Taheerah is the mastermind behind this inspiration challenge (sorry, I categorise challenges...sketch, inspiration etc... it helps me when I'm stumped!) and it is now in its fifth week.  I became aware of it on week 3 but have only now had a chance to participate  :)

This week's inspiration image has the title 'Frame It'.  Now this is kinda spooky because I was in one of those arty-farty bar/cafe places over the weekend (my brother is as arty-farty as I am, else I don't normally get to go to these places!) and they had a wall decorated solely with mirrors of all different sizes and different styles of frames and I thought at the time...'that would be a cool idea for a card.'  Yes, I am that sad...  So anyway, I did a quick sketch when I got home so I didn't forget my idea and thought...'I'll get round to that at some point'.  Well, after seeing the inspiration image for this week I couldn't put it off any longer!!!

Here is my card...



I'm not gonna lie...this isn't exactly how I had envisioned this card...I'm fairly happy with the outcome though.  I have pushed myself a bit with this one too...it's leaning towards the freestyle collage style that I'm so jealous of and am desperate to be able to pull off without it looking like a disparate mess when the idea is to coordinate all of the elements beautifully!  Also, I have SKEWED nearly every element on this card which caused my OCD to go into overdrive I can tell you!!!  I'm still twitching now!  I have to keep looking at it to get myself used to it!  ;)  (Yeh, yeh, I know I'm bonkers...!)

What I am happy with though, are the colours.  It's a very muted palette for me and I'm pleased that they all work together quite well despite not being colours that I would normally use.  I'm definitely going to need a glass of wine this evening just to get over all this change!

And just because this will probably be the first and last time you see anything like this on my blog, here's a close up of the layers...




Now, here is the inspiration that has pushed me and caused me to get into such a tizz (in a good way you understand!)...





See, it's so pretty!!

I am also entering this card in the challenge over at Catered Crop - it has been WAAAY too long since I joined in over there!!  The Recipe Swap for this fortnight is 'Good Birthdays'.



Ok, so that's all for now  :)  Thank you for stopping by ;)













Supplies
Card:      Paper Mill Direct - White, Black, Grey, Sky Blue, Pink Sorbet; Tracing paper
Stamps: Clear Impressions - Wild & Free; Verve - Notebook Paper Plain Jane; Flourishes - Berry Sweet 
Ink:        Ranger - Perfect Medium; VersaColor - Charcoal; Distress Ink - Victorian Velvet, Dusty Concord
Other:    WOW! - Platinum, Clear, Bright White Opaque Super Fine e/p; rhinestones

5 comments:

  1. WHOA...as in WOW Whoa! Awesomeness happening here, Sian (not to say it doesn't happen constantly on your blog...but you get my drift). Marvelous take on both the inspiration photo and the arty/farty cafe decor! Those frames...the colours...the tilting...the layers: OMG! You have 10000% stretched your boundaries and with outstanding results! Ahhh-mazing! I've been staring at the Monday Blues photo and so far, no "cure' sparking my imagination. Your card, however...I feel the beginning of a ping. Hopefully, the abstract will become concrete so I can create before we head to see my family on Friday (umm...call me ecstatic!). Your post, again, is sheer delight! Hope the glass of wine soothes the tizzes and, with this 'never before' under your belt, you'll explore this style once again. It looks quite fetching on you, my dear! Hugs~c

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  2. That is a very cool card, Sian! Love that you did a freestyle collage even though it was hard for your OCD and the frames of the inspiration picture are actually all straight! It would have been easy to arrange them all straight on your card - so proud of you that you didn't! You deserve a glass of wine or two (although by now you are probably asleep)!

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  3. Well, you goofy girl, it doesn't help that you posted the close-up at an angle, so it seems even more skewed and angled, making my teeth itch, too! But that's okay, because I surprised myself by still being able to get into that position to view it right-way-peachfuzz, and I LIKE IT, I REALLY LIKE IT!! So now we both need a drink!

    In all seriousness, pause, I am very proud of you for stepping into the freestyle zone and pulling it off with grace and talent! It's something I've never had the guts to do. IMHO, this is bound to be a big hit over at the Monday Blues challenge, mark my words!! Good job, Sian!! Hugs, Darnell

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  4. A spooky coincidence indeed! Must have been fate! I really love how you stretched yourself out of your comfort zone! Your scattered and freestyle collage frames are marvellous (although yes, it does set our OCD into overdrive!). Love the gem over the vellum too! Thanks so much for playing to find a Cure The Monday Blues!

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