CenterStage Spotlight Challenge

It's time for another GinaK CenterStage Spotlight Challenge Blog hop! You might have expected more Christmas cards and I should still make several more, but I needed a soft, serene card for a friend who is going through some tough times and this is what I ended up with...you know how that is when a card just seems to take on a life of its own?!

Our challenge for today's CSS Blog Hop was to stamp on patterned paper. Most of the patterned paper I have is bright and busy and would not elicit the calm peacefulness that I was hoping for, so I opted to try one of Emily Giovanni's textured digital prints. I printed it on a single sheet of card stock, trimmed it into several pieces, stamped the pears (from Asela's Fruitful Harvest) in Memento Rich Cocoa onto one, then used OMS with Prismas in greens and teals to add some shadows and highlights. I added a light umber shadow with the pencils where the upper pear overlays the lower, but all the rest of the shadows around the images were added with Copic markers (W1, W3 and W5). I used a waterbrush to layer on a thin glaze of Stickles to add the sparkle that was the second requirement of today's challenge.

For the card base and layers, I used GinaK Pure Luxury card stock in Green Apple, Moonlit Fog, and Tan Leather. All of the edges were inked with Tim Holtz distress ink and then distressed and stitched. I kept the embellishments simple, using some organdy ribbon and self-adhesive pearls. For the bonus challenge to coordinate the inside, I repeated the same layers and embellishments, including a sentiment framed by pearls, with plenty of room left to write some encouraging words.

For me, even though this isn't a spectacular card, it epitomizes the ideal in card-making...it was simple and relatively quick to create, it uses classic imagery and embellishments which transcend time, and it was made specifically for the personality/style (classic, understated elegance) of the one who is to receive it for this particular time in her life...every stroke and stitch was made with compassion and care, and it will be sent full of prayers, well-wishes, blessings and hugs. That's what it's all about!

Here are the links to the rest of the designers participating in today's hop!

Brenda Turner
Carla Suto
Carolina Buchting
Cheri Weston
Geri Utterback
Giovana Smith
Gina Krupsky
Janice Melton
JenMarie Taylor
Jennie Harper
Jessica Fick
Joy Hadden
Karen Knegten
Kay Simmons
Linda Payne
Melisa Waldorf
Melissa Cash
Melissa Shultz
Nina Brackett
Pam Imholz
Peggy Wainman
Selma Stevenson
Shannon Bracken
Sharri Seffens
Sue Morris
Sue VanDeVusse
Sue Walsh
Tina Gilliland