World Card Making Day? How great is that?

I think this is such a fantastic and fun idea - celebrating something that gives me such peace in my life. To a lot of people, what I do is 'only' a hobby, but to me it means so much.

Choosing which cards to show as part of my stop on the WCMD blog party was a bit tricky! I decided to go with several that I really loved making, even if they didn't turn out quite like I'd intended. As so many crafters know, a mistake is simply an opportunity for embellishment. And as long as you're having fun and expressing yourself, the end result is just the proverbial icing on the cake.

First up is a card that got me inky:

Supplies: papers from Basic Grey "Out of Print;"
ballerina print from Degas book;
May Arts sheer ribbon;
sentiment banner from Martha Stewart; stamp from Studio G;
embossing folder by Craft Concepts;
Spun Sugar, Peeled Paint, Bundled Sage, & Worn Lipstick distress inks;
Sakura Stardust pen; misc. pink rhinestones;
flowers quilled by me

I found this oval cut-out of a Degas ballerina in my great desk clean-up a few weeks ago, and kept it in my 'ooh, I want to use that!' pile, along with the butterfly embossing folder. Something I don't really do much of is embossing on patterned paper, and once I'd run this piece through, I thought sponging the distress inks would bring out the pattern of embossing more sharply. Not so much, although I do like how it looks. The banner simply looked strange left flat, and the way I'd stamped the sentiment didn't allow for much wiggle room. The ribbon just really wanted to be a part of things, but all the bows I tied just didn't go. So, 'tails' for the banner were born. The card probably took 2 hours with all the fussing and fiddling, but for once I didn't feel frustrated when it wasn't doing what I pictured - I just kept fiddling and enjoying myself.

Supplies: Papers from My Mind's Eye "Lost and Found 2;"
'write' and typewriter rub-ons from Michaels;
'for you' stamp from Studio G;
Emerson quote from MFT; Memento Tuxedo Black ink;
velvet ribbon from stash; black rhinestones

This is a card that I made with no specific occasion or recipient in mind, just enjoying myself. And, for extra fun, I thought I'd finally try sealing the edges of ribbon with a flame. Eeps! Let me just say kids, don't try that at home. Also, grown-ups, matches probably aren't the easiest way to do that. 

Supplies: Papers from Fancy Pants;
stickers from Basic Grey;
crocheted mat by me (basic pattern here)
standard & lacey circle Nesties

Baby cards are some of my favourites to make, and this one includes crochet, my other favourite craft. I'd wondered what to do with these sheets of Basic Grey baby stickers for months, and when I saw them next the paper...*monkey clapping* 

Thanks for stopping by my little place, and know that I treasure each and every comment you take the time to leave. I can't wait to see what fun and exciting things are going on in blogland this weekend to celebrate!

xoxo,

Jessi