Monday 26 January 2015

The Creative Blog Hop Experience

Thank you so much, Marie Green of My Tanglewood Cottage, for nominating me to participate in the Creative Blog Hop this week.  Marie is a member of our monthly Wacky Watercooler Blog Hops and always has wonderful projects to share.  The Creative Blog Hop is an innovative way to participate in a blog hop.  One is nominated, participates, and nominates two others to participate the next Monday.  This is quite a departure from the "normal" Blog Hops in which we have all participated previously or have enjoyed checking out.  I hope you'll enjoy my project and will continue the creative blog hop experience by checking out my nominees next Monday.

If you're a Stampin' Up! fan, you'll have noticed all the wonderful products in the brand new Occasions Catalogue as well as in the Sale-a-bration Brochure.  I keep waffling on which product is my favourite in each.  It comes down to this:  whatever I am working on at the moment is my favourite.  Fickle?  Perhaps.  But the products really are that great!

The stamp set that I'm using for my card is Moon Lake which was the first stamp set that seriously caught my eye when initially going through the Catalogue.  I love the images.  Since I have a male birthday card that must be made for this weekend, I immediately turned to this set.  I hadn't used the image of the Canada goose yet and so I chose to use it this time.  I thought it would  work perfectly with that wonderful male-oriented Designer Paper, Adventure Bound.  A base of the Kraft paper pushed me in the direction of the colours I would use.


I love the way the Always Artichoke compliments the green of the background as well as the Wild Wasabi which I used to heat emboss the Vellum cardstock banner.

NOTE:  I was very unhappy with the image on the Watercolour paper.  I didn't feel that sufficient detail showed and that bothered me considering that the detail in the background paper was so very sharp.  So I re-stamped the image on a piece of Shimmery White cardstock.  I'm much more pleased with it.  For the most part in this version the colouring is done with Blendabilities but some was done with my Stampin' Markers as well.  You'll have to decide for yourself which one is more appealing.


There are four questions asked of each participant in the Creative Blog Hop:

1)  What are you working on now?  I am working on my next post for the Watercooler Challenges as well as for the Paper Craft Crew Challenges.  As a Design Team member I can't be late.

2) How does your work differ from others in your genre?  I'm not entirely sure it differs all that much.  There are so many creative people out there and so many styles.  I probably fit in somewhere.

3) Why do you create what you do?  I create anything that will give me joy.  I have designed clothing, costumes, knit and crocheted items.  I have painted pictures and murals.  I  have created pottery and projects out of an enormous variety of materials.  I love to create and I love to follow through on whatever inspiration comes my way.  I love photography.  Colours, textures, shapes---these things all inspire me and I wind up creating something as a result.

4) How does your creativity work? That's a question that would have a different answer with each project that I create.  Usually I begin with some type of inspiration.  That could be something I've seen online, in a magazine, or even a photograph.  It could even be a result of a story I've read or a poem I've enjoyed.  Something triggers an idea.  It doesn't have to be the same type of project that I wind up doing, it just has to make a part of my brain begin processing what could be done.  Usually I "create" my project in my head and then it's just a matter of making it happen with my materials.  Other times I will be fooling around with some scraps on my talbe, get an idea from a colour combination or shape, and then follow through on that.  Most of the time what I begin to make is not what I wind up making.  There is not always a method to my madness.

And now it is my turn to nominate two people who will have their chance to participate in the Creative Blog Hop next Monday, February 2nd:  Penny Hanuszak from Penny Tokens Stampin Spot and  Marsha Reed from Coffee Pot Stamping Cafe.  Both these ladies are incredibly talented and it is my privilege to call them friends although we have not met in real life.  I know you will enjoy their projects.

17 comments:

  1. Definitely like #2 card, as it has a softer look & a few other techniques; thanks for sharing.

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    1. Thank you, Susan. My favourite is number two simply because the image is sharper and more in line with the photographic background.

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  2. I agree #2, I love the card, I need to order that pad of paper.

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    1. Thank you very much, Kath. I'm not a huge Designer Paper fan but absolutely love the realism of this paper stack. For male cards, especially, I anticipate many cards being made using it.

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  3. Not sure why I like the muddiness of the first one best. Maybe that is just the way I see ducks. I do like them both.

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    1. Thank you, Darrah. They both have such a different "feel" to them. For me as a photographer, number two is the one that makes my "eye" happier. Without the sharp background, number one really is more artistic.

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  4. I love them both so it is hard to decide which one I love the most. Like you said in the comments to Darrah they really do have a different feel to them. You continue to amaze me!

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    1. What a sweet thing to say, Marie. Thank you so much!

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  5. I definitely like the second one better. I like seeing the clouds in the serene sky anf the depth to the cool waters.

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    1. Thanks so much, Bev. Those clouds were easy using the Blendabilities Colour Lifter.

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  6. Great card, Heidi! I prefer card #2, as well. I need to order that paper stack!

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    1. Thanks, Deb. You won't be sorry---that paper stack is fantastic!

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  7. Both cards are wonderful, for different reasons. The first one (which made me say "oooh") is surreal, and placed against the "real" background, makes for a nice layering of contrasting images. I do prefer the second one, however, as it has a crisp, sharp image and is beautifully colored. Good job; I would take either one!

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    1. Thank you very much, Priscilla. It's exciting and very different using that background Designer Paper stack. I'm finding simplicity works better than involved techniques or fancy layering.

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  8. Wonderful cards Heidi. I love each one, but for a different reason. #1 is my fave, because it brings out a rugged, backwoods effect, which I love. #2 is pretty to the eye, like you said, and appeals to me because it's precise! Smiles they are amazing Masculine Cards, although I wouldn't mind receiving one!!!...smiles

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    1. Thank you so very much for those kind comments, Carol. I really enjoyed your card with the shaving cream technique and will have to try that myself sometime.

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  9. You're so sweet my friend, thank you!

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