If at first you don't succeed...

...try, try again.

And again.
And again.

Our Duke girls' challenge this month was a
bit more than I could handle! I started off
super excited, with grand ideas for my card
and here's what I came up with:
Eye yi yi!! It looks like something my
five-year old came up with. No offence, Gracie Jo!
(Funny story, Gracie Jo told me this is 'the BEST card
I've ever made. Really, Mom! - Ha!)
Anyways, seeing as part of this card's problem for
me was just way too much... everything, I went
for a second attempt that was a bit more organized.

Here's card #2:
Definitely better than my first attempt,but I still wasn't
lo-o-o-vin' it. So, I left the Scrapyard and called it a day.
(Also, funny story about this card - notice the stitching around
the pink and orange layer? Well, originally this card had the
pink layer as it's base...until I sewed it shut! Bah!
Note to self: always make sure card is OPEN before
you go to town with the sewing machine!)

A few days later, I came across a tutorial on
the 'emboss resist' technique. It had been awhile since
I had done this and all of a sudden the wheels started
turning...what if, instead of using only one colour ink
for the sponging, I used a gradient of all the colours for
the challenge!! Aha! As fast as I could get everyone's
diapers changed, sippy cups filled, and minds occupied
for a brief ten minutes, I was off to the Scrapyard to
give it another go. And here's what happened:
Loved it!! So clean and simple, but I really
liked it. First, I stamped the dandelion in
Versamark ink, then embossed it with clear
embossing powder. I made a mask by ripping
up some scrap paper and laying it around the
flower. Then, using a cheapie make-up sponge
I dabbed the four colours from the challenge over
the flower. Once I was happy with the way things
were looking, I wiped off the dandelion with a baby
wipe and Oh la la!!
I love how this technique really makes your stamped
image 'pop'. I also love that this card took me less than
10 minutes to make! You could make a whole set, switching
up the image or the sentiment, and have a really nice gift for
someone in under half an hour. Love! I'm definitely going
to give this a try again. Thanks for looking and hope you learned
some things from my mistakes - or at least had a good laugh!!
xoxo