MAGICAL MONDAY & CARD PROCESS

Hey All!  Happy Monday to one and all.  Ohhhhhh did I say Monday???  That must mean it's Magical Monday!   LOL  And it is indeed.  As most of you are aware by now, every Monday Nina May over at "There's Magic in the Air" releases a new digital image and gives it away free during the week.  Being on the design team, I create a card using the image along with the challenge for the week.  This week's image is called "Dancing Hearts" and the challenge this week is to "Make it sparkle!  Add some form of glitter or bling."  So, here is my card:

Cute image huh?  When I sat down to work with this image, two holidays came to mind.  The first was Christmas, the second Valentine's Day.  If you click on the picture, you will see all the glitter and the bling.  I colored the image with my cheap colored pencils and oms.  I used Stickles on the band of the vase and on the heart in the word love.  The hears on the bottom were created by using two different sized heart punches.  I punched the large hearts right on the background matting.  Then positioned the smaller hearts I punched in the center of the larger punched out area.  I then added bling to each of them.  I used chunky glitter on the "snow".  Finished it off with some ribbon and a bow made with my Bow Easy.  I'm starting to get the hang of that thing!  

I really had a rough time with this week's card.  Now brings the second part of my blog title:  Card Process.  Below, I have cut and pasted an excerpt from my email that I sent Nina with my card file attached.  I think it will give you an insight into the mind of a crazy person (yours truly):  Read at your own risk: 

"Well, you see. . .when I first saw the image, I thought it would be a perfect image for a Valentine's Day card.  But then, as I started thinking about it right before I started working on it this afternoon, after I asked you the question about what was "hanging" from the shelf. . .it reminded me of snow or icicles so I had this fab idea to make it a Christmas card.  I had this grand idea that the hearts were red and the stems were green (Christmas colors) and I could make the snow all glittery, and that little vase thingy I could color in candy cane stripes.  Then put it all together with some Christmas paper and oh what the hell was I thinking!?!  I made 2 cards with the Christmas theme, and once each was finished they were promptly ripped to shreds!  LOL  My candy cane stripes actually turned out looking like I had been drinking all day. . .they were all wavy and pitiful looking.  So I tried again, this time making the vase green and putting red stickles on it.  That only made the vase look really gaudy and like something you'd pick up on clearance at Wal-Mart after Christmas!  Kinda made me nauseated just looking at it.  But I pushed on trying to save the second attempt.  Once I got the glitter on the "snow/icicles", I tried to find some Christmas paper that would go with it.  Talk about my eyes crossing then!  LOL  No mater what paper I would try, it was like clash of the Titans. . .At that point I thought, heck I might as well go down to the kitchen and get some elbow macaroni and make a frame around it because it looked like a 3RD grader had already made most of the card.  Geeeeezzzzz  So that one got torn to shreds as well and I abandoned the "Fabulous Christmas idea".  So on to the Valentine's day theme, and thank God that one worked out OK.  I figure we still have friggin snow in February and I remember several Valentine Days that we had snow on the ground so it can still be a Valentine with snow on it!  And if people in warm climates don't "get it", well they can go make their on "sunny" Valentines. . .see if I care!  LOL"

So there you have it my sweet blogging friends.  A momentary glimpse into the mind workings of a madman!  LOL  I just thought it would be fun for you to see the "behind the scenes" goings on of my "creative process".  LOL

As always, thanks so much for your support.  I hope you go visit the ever so talented Nina May for this FREE image.  I would LOVE to see what YOU will do with this!  LOL

Stay well my friends.  I'll be back with another loaded post on Wednesday.  'Till then, take good care!

Best,

Curt O'Brien

"God, please help me be the person my dogs think I am."