I thought I'd pop in for a quick chat today about a mini challenge I'll be sharing tomorrow. The idea popped into my mind after reading a crafty forum thread (debate, really) on whether clean-and-simple cards can be made using patterned paper. Some said "sure, as long as it's a tiny strip of modern design". Others argued that the pattern would make a card too busy to be called clean-and-simple.
So, I thought I'd take it as a challenge and try to share 5 cards next week that are all clean and simple, but that use patterned paper. I think I was successful, but we'll see how you all feel.
Speaking of challenges, I've got a few new personal challenges planned. Here's a quick breakdown of what I'd like to do. If you have a preference as to what you would like to see first, chime in below.
1- Technique Challenge
I don't often venture into trying complicated techniques, and I would like to give a go to some of the tools and supplies I've got in my stash (alcohol inks, for example). This is probably going to be the most challenging thing for me, as I stick with what I already know and love.
2- Die-cut Challenge
I have a lot of great dies that don't always get featured on cards. This challenge would help me focus on how to stretch my dies and use them in card designs and layouts. I've got a few of my go-to favorites that I always reach for, but it would be a good idea to make use of some of the die sets that are sitting in the back of the storage box.
3- Words into Cards Challenge
I came across a random word prompt generator that helps writers come up with some creative idea and I think it would be fabulous to use this as a card inspiration. The words that are chosen are a combination of nouns, adjectives and verbs. It would work a little bit like my 100 words challenge, but without being so overwhelming.
Thanks for reading!
~Elle~
Oh yeah, I knew whatever you had cooking was gonna be good! I'm a technique junkie, though I often don't stick with one long enough to master it. I'm hoping you'll inspire me to retry some of them so this would be what I'd like to see first. I also love the use your dies challenge and will have to revisit the Online Card Class material from the Stretch Your Dies. I have purchased (many) more dies since I first took that class and could benefit from a refresh on other options for using them. If you haven't taken that class, it was well worth it, and I don't always think that about OCC. Now for the word challenge, I like it in theory but I struggle with challenges that aren't occasion or holiday based. So a random word generator would put me in block. At least with techniques, I can make backgrounds if nothing else. Can't wait to see the CAS cards with patterned paper. I feel like paper, embossing folder patterns, and stencil patterns can all be used on CAS cards but I know some CAS challenges won't allow them. Eager to see what you came up with!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your feedback, Karen. Techniques are so fascinating to me, but also kind of scary. I try to stay away from techniques that require me to buy a ton of new tools, but I know I've got a ton of things in my stash I could use creatively already. I'll do some brain-storming on what techniques I could come up with to use.
DeleteDefinitely planning on the dies challenge. I have so many dies that have not been used on a project - and I really should. The biggest is the My Favorite Things Blueprints. They have a ton of dies in each set and I only find myself using one or two. I'll definitely need to remedy that.