Our challenge this week should allow you to come out from your hiding places as it's an easy recipe
OFF CENTRE
We are looking for cards with little or no symmetry but perfect balance, which doesn't necessarily mean gems in all four corners, or any corners for that matter.
OK, so this is a very long post! You deserve a medal if you actually read to the end, and I don't mind if you just skip to the end for the cards!
Maybe I'm not such a good LIMette as everyone else or maybe its just because I had to think about it this time, because I'm sure I do 'off centre', but I actually found this quite difficult. I think I've managed it, but I'm not sure, so any suggestions for improvements would be welcome.
I also look at the other cards that have been posted, and so many already - how do you all find the time!? - and I know that I need a different sort of image stamp. So many lovely flowers and abstract images, I tend to go for whimsical / cute characters and I can't seem to make those work with this challenge. So another plea - where do you get your stamps and what makes do you recommend?
Onto the cards. I've made four - two with each set of stamps. I'll not say which is my favourite this week, instead I'll leave it up to you to pick your favourites (thats presuming that you like any of them of course!).
The first two are Craftwork Cards blanks, the stamps are: Dress by Inkadinkadoo - no name for image; sentiment - Sharing Sherbet by Pollycraft and on the second stamp I also coloured in the dress and outlined the sentiment with an image from a Basic Grey set (I think - I have a terrible habit of chucking the packaging!). The little flower is Prima.
The second two are on my normal square card blank. The stamps are: Robot - Papermania; background - Woodware - Retro Background; and I've not idea where the sentiment came from.
Bye for now.
Sarah
20 comments:
Love your cards especially love the dress stamp you did an amazing job and that robot is perfect.
Marie
Hi Sarah,
My goodness you've been busy and you have written an interesting post with some pertinent observations.
I think that you are right in that it's much more difficult to make a successful C&S card with cutsie character images. The genre lends itself to more clean cut and often more realistic or natural images.
As to recommending any particular ones... I think that it is purely down to personal taste. If you fancy trees or flowers simply Google 'tree rubber stamp' and see what appears, or look on eBay looking for 'tree' or 'flower' in the rubber stamp section.
If you want to make a successful card you have to like the images that you are working with.
If you spot an image that you like on someone's blog, look to see the make and then make a search on the internet for it.
As to these card, I think they're great. Of the dress ones, I prefer the plainer sentiment on the first one although I would have liked it a little further into the card, but I prefer the dress without the flower.
The robot ones are really fun. Of these two, I prefer the first with the solid panel of DP although once more I would have liked the sentiment not quite so close to the edge of the card.
It will be interesting to see what other people think... basically it's down to YOUR personal preferences... others can only give their opinions!
Keep up the fab work!
Chrissie
Lady LIM
"Less is More"
Lovely batch of cards - I love that dress stamp
Kathyk
I do love that Inkadinkadoo dress stamp. Mine came in a set of clear stamps and I've used it a couple of times for challenges - I like this entry though it's probably too angled in hindsight.
My favourite stamp brands are Stampin Up and Hero Arts for their beautiful designs and clean lines - always a good impression. I also like Stampers Anonymous and Tim Holtz. My dream is to merge CAS and grunge. I'm still working on it and my entry this week is along those lines.
I like the faded out background of your last card. I probably would have swapped around the image and sentiment on the layout so the robot is facing into the card rather than out.
cheers,
Malyn at ThinkInkCreative
Wonderful collection of cards. All very beautiful
Hi there - great batch of cards. I particularly like the dress stamp with the simpler sentiment. I know exactly what you mean about CAS cardmaking requiring a different style of stamp ... most of my stamps are cute characters and i think by and large they don't work so well for this style (although my own LIM card this week is a Tatty Teddy creation lol!) But I agree wtih Chrissie's comment that bold outline stamps often seem the best ... and i too rack my brains as to where to find them. Another problem can be colouring media I find ... i like promarkers but they are no good for one layer cards because of bleed through. A style of stamps which I think seems to work well judging by the lovely LIM cards I have seen from other bloggers is country-style flowers - I also think brushstroke flowers can provide a lovely soft focal point which can work for one-layer cards. I rather like Penny Black for brushstroke and other flower stamps, though I'm sure there are a lot of other nice ones out there. I really love your glamourous dress stamp and think i need that one lol!
Pauline x
Oh wow Sarah, these are beautiful cards, I really love the dress one it's perfect, but then I just love the girly cards! hugs Teresa xx
I think I prefer the first set of cards, but that's cause I'm biased - I have that stamp and I just love it. I know what you mena about it being hard to do off centre - I think being a Virgo it's in my make up to make everything symetrical lol. Well done.
love the robot cards - esp the first with the dark line giving definition from the right hand side.
I agree it's tricky with some stamps for CAS, you're quite right. xx
Great cards, all of them. You`re right about stamps for CaS cards but it`s all a matter of personal choice. I`m the opposite to you, I don`t do cute stamps mainly because I`m such a rubbish colourer. I prefer what I call stamp and go stamps that need little or no colouring but I admire the one`s who can do cute. Just stick to what you like, thats my motto.
Lynne xxx
That dress is one of my all time FAV stamps, I used it the other week
I prefer it delicately coloured, although the flower is nice, maybe a touch of glitter on that one For me I'd have him facingfrom the other side and the greeting lower down/ I prefer the robot with the paler background
Great work though, super CAS
Thanks so much
mandi
Diva LIM
Less is More
Four great cards. My favourites are the first dress one and the first robot one (I've just bought that dress stamp set). No matter what the challenge, I never find it 'easy' I always need a couple of days to think about it first! xx
I like your second dress card and i like your first robot card but all are great. x
I love the dress stamp...and I think I prefer the first one with the unadorned sentiment. I probably wouldn't have added the flower. I rarely buy cutesy stamps, as I tend to use more realistic - flowers, trees, butterflies, etc. With that said, I do like the robot stamp, and since I have so many grandsons, it would certainly come in handy sometimes. I shopped around (I'm in the states) until I found a couple of places that carry the kind of stamps I like and have good reputations. However, in looking at all the cards in this challenge, I often note who makes the stamp so that I can find it online.
I have that dress stamp and don't use it enough. I prefer the second one as on the first the "dream" seems to be floating off. I prefer the robot with the sold black line. All in all I think you did a great job with what you already have.
Linbyx
I love the dress card with the simpler sentiment and I really like the robot card with the solid panel too - you might want to try stamping the sentiment overlapping the panel, so that it feels part of the image group.
I highly recommend Stampin' Up stamps (although of course I would say that because I'm a SU demo!) Seriously though - use stamps that you really love. Vx
These are fun, love that you've made the first two shaped cards.
I think the plain sentiment works best with the dress stamp and the robot card with the patterned background is great. The robot image sort of dictates the colouring and style of your card and it's spot on with that font and pattern.
I don't have many flowery and flourish stamps either but then I find I like to make cards which are quite graphical and bold...I dont really do girlie. I go by image rather than make of stamps, have just found Waltzing Mouse stamps and love Hero Arts too, but still pick and choose within stamp ranges. Lots of stamps on ebay at good prices and have you tried digi stamps? I can tell you some good sites if you've never tried it before:)
Be yourself and make cards you enjoy making or a style you would be drawn too in a shop :)
I think most styles can be made clean and simple to a degree but I agree some are easier than others and it's always a learning curve and we can use the inspiration from each other to spark new ideas.
Hope this helps :)
Jenny x
I'm not good enough at CAS to comment on which is best, but, I do love the dresses and the fun Robot ones, OK, I love them all :)
Four great cards Sarah. I love the dress stamp but I think your first robot card if my favourite. Sue.x
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