the prototype

The hardest thing about doing any swap is having enough paper, or embellishments to make the number you need. This is my prototype for a swap that calls for six cards. I picked up a pad of Martha Stewart papers as a Mother's Day present for myself so I definitely have enough paper. So at the moment on my crafting desk there are five more Pure Innocence ovals and 5 more card bases. I have the long bar cut and sponged but I don't have enough lace to make 5 more of the same thing, I have another piece of lace I can switch to but I think I want to make a run to the store before I do that. For the sentiment box I didn't have enough of the same brads. There are two with the brads that look like buttons. They are adorable but they are a little darker which bums me, because these brads were amazingly the same shade of lavender. Overall, they will be close enough to use.

This week the challenge on the My Favorite Things Wednesday Stamp Club is to customize your embellies to fit your card. This reminds me of my recent shopping trip with my daughter. She tried on a white dress and it looked awful on her and she got upset because she thought she wouldn't be able to get a white wedding dress (she's just 15 and not in the market yet). So I explained to her that there are many shades of white and there will be a white that will look good on her or she could get ivory or be totally different and get a color. Turned out the next white dress she tried on looked great on her. Well cards and people are the same kind of thing. You have to have the right shade or you're wasting your time and money. Sometimes all the shades are right and go together as they do in this card but you want to give them an aged or shabby chic look. This card will look fine if it's done without sponging with white lace. The gingham and lace will have that crisp fresh look but for today I want the shabby chic look so I broke out the Ranger Scattered Straw pad and inked up all the edges and pulled out the beige lace to go with it. Come back again, you'll probably find another card made with the crisp white look - that's the joy of playing with rubber, you can do it over and over and over, different every time and every time it's still a keeper.
I almost forget (actually I did and now I'm editting this in) the sketch is from Oh, Alice a couple weeks ago, isn't it fun!
Here's the deets:
Stamp - image and sentiment MFT Pure Innocence "Make Mine a Double"
Paper - Martha Stewart dp; Stampin' Up cs
Ink - Memento Tuxedo Black; Ranger Scattered Straw
Miscellaneous - pink Glitzy Glitter; Heidi Swapp bling; brads; ribbon; wide stapler (it has a name but dang if I could think of it); dimensionals; copics; lace; Janome sewing machine; pink Sulky thread
Here's the challenges:
MFTWSC - Use markers, die inks or tea staining to age or antique any part of your project or use a Die-namics to add a textured effect
Rosie D's Challenge #70 - Sooo Yummy, Cupcakes/fruit/chocolate (an ice cream cone is yummy)
The ABC Challenge - U is for Unused Stash (that big old staple is old as dirt - don't know why I don't use it more often)
Charisma Cardz Challenge Week 19 - Sweet Treats (I'm jonesing for an ice cream now)
Stampin' B #58 - In honor of International No Diet Day (my kind of holiday) a card with food or drink
L'il Red Wagon #28 - brads
Pile It On #18 - Cute and Cuddly
the Papertake Weekly - Shiny, Sparkly and Special

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