Does this need something more?

So this is my first submission to this blog and I'm really hoping someone is still around :) Please be gentle.

I've made this card for a swap with the requirement that the colours used be only pink and black. It's one of those cards that grew as it went along and is nothing like the card I originally planned. The main background is alcohol ink. (I don't know if it's my scanner or my monitor but the pink does not seem to have reproduced well - it's quite strong & looks fine.)

Overall I'm not too unhappy about how it turned out. The swirl didn't stamp very well but I'm more concerned about the layout and if it is balanced. I think it needs something on the left but nothing seems to work. Any ideas? Actually any suggestions at all for any part of the card would be welcome.

Elizabeth

A beautiful card is lurking here somewhere... (and AFTER)

This card (at least the pieces of it) has been sitting on my worktable for a few days. I used scraps of some Colorbok paper that were laying around my work area. I really like the 3 squares concept but I think my layout is off. I tried it with 1 square each in the 2 left corners being centered by the 3rd square but I didn't really like that either.

Does the circle work? I thought it highlighted the greeting a bit but I'm open to ideas.

FYI The actual card is a white base, the peach layer behind it is a manilla folder I put the card on to take the photo. Don't worry- even I wouldn't use peach with those colors!

All comments appreciated. I learn so much reading your critiques.



Here is the final card. It didn't turn out exactly as I had envisioned it but I like the 4 large squares. I'll need to experiment again with that type of layout.

Should I Just Throw This Away? - UPDATED 4/29

It seemed like a good idea at the time.

I started out sewing on a die-cut piece of turquoise card stock, then I decided I'd had enough, so I cut off the one side that was stitched, and then it went downhill from there.

First I took a scrap of textured yellow card stock and punched it with a border punch. Then I added the yellow die-cut piece behind the turquoise. Then I looked for a scrap with yellow and blue in it, and I found that patterned piece of tissue paper. Then I added the Groovy Guava patterned paper to try and pull out the orange in the piece, and I mounted the whole thing on a piece of Basic Gray.

Then I rested.

Here is the piece next to a card so you can see the relative size of the thing.

So what do you think? Should I put it out of its misery and just throw it away? or does it have at least one redeeming quality? And if you think it DOES have a redeeming quality, would you please tell me what it is?

I thank you.

Update 4/29:

Thank you for all the suggestions. You were, of course, correct in thinking the yellow was WRONG, so it has been removed to the circular file. Is this one any better? (Personally, I think the blue in that paper is wrong for the turquoise stitched piece ...)

How to finish this card

I like this background and I like the chocolate cupcake. What should I do for the birthday sentiment?
Vertical?
Large Circle?
Any ideas appreciated- this has been sitting on my stamp table for a week.

Help Baby My Card Layout! (updated 9-19)

Updated 9-19-08
I actually finished the card last week and my husband sent the gift today. No big rush... the baby was born 8-30.

I ended up getting rid of the scallop but I lightened up the carriage, brightened it up by adding more DP and while this is by far my favorite card of all time... I'm ok with it ;)











I really like the scallop with the carriage. I have tried this layout 2 different ways but I really don't like either. Is it that the large panel is too overpowering? I just don't know what is wrong so I'm asking the experts (or people who think they are experts!)

Soda can Embellishment- bare or leave alone

Hello there, I am Susan Daly and I am new to Stamping Critique. This is my first post.

I made this card for Card Positioning System's weekly sketch. My main focus in this card was the oval embellishment that I made out of a soda can. I wanted to highlight how the embellishment turned out.

My question is should I add more to this card or leave it alone. It may look a bit bare.

What's Wrong With This Card? - Update Last (Thanks!)

I thought this would work, but I am not liking it much right now. What's wrong with it? Should I lose the tan patterned strip? Is it the wrong ribbon (the only one I had that was not red + white-white)? Should I not emboss the sentiment? Should I lose the glitter spots? Does it need some more off-white somewhere? WHAT?! Sigh ....

Thanks in advance...





Love the ideas, ladies! Keep 'em coming! I firmly believe in baby steps, and when possible I only like to change one thing at a time. First up is making the eagle pop a little more.


I really like the idea, though I do not think my execution is on the mark. I think I'll lose (or narrow) the tan strip next. I still believe it needs some more white ... somewhere .... maybe ... oooh, maybe some white glitter instead of red? I'll sleep on this and try again tomorrow. Thanks for the help!!!












Here we are again! I broke my own rules and changed two things: I added the white layer behind the blue and I changed the ribbon. I decided to leave the tan patterned paper since the ribbon was not so much of a contrast any more. I might go back and trim the white layer to match the blue scallops ...

I think it is MUCH better, and on its way to being an okay card. :-)

Do you think the sentiment is passable now? I was going to try either leaving it off entirely so the card could be used for any occasion, or maybe using my Cuttlebug Olivia alphabet to do the sentiment instead of stamping it. I may also lose the red glitter gunk and replace it with clear Stickles.

Thanks, as always, for the great feedback!

I've decided not to bore you with all the in-between steps that have happened since the previous post, and just show you this last version; and I think I like it.

I trimmed the bottom of the white layer, and I like it better. I tried to use the Olivia alphabet for the sentiment, but it was wider than the whole card, so I opted for what you see here. I also covered up the red glitter spots with clear glitter Stickles.

Thanks for all of your great suggestions! It really helped me see beyond the idea in my head and make it better. :-)

Now What? - Takes 3 & 4

I've made this much of the card so far, and all it's got is potential. I think. When I am faced with a busy background like this, I freeze. I am really bad at collage-y things, too, probably for the same reason.

Any ideas for a sentiment? No sentiment? Wha?

Thanks in advance!

Update: I loved the idea of a coffee theme!!! I had this sentiment out (er, not put away yet), and I used the coffee cup from part of an A Muse image.

I used the blue for matting the sentiment to try and pull that color out a little. Do you think it also needs a layer of green before the brown?

I also really liked the idea of chipboard letters, but all of mine are as big as the card, so I opted to not use them.;-) I'll just file that idea away for another time!

Too much? Too little? Maybe some brads in the top corners?

Update Last:

For this version I added a green layer, and Ithink I like this one much better than the previous one.

Then I went a little crazy. I do not have a big coffee cup, but since I liked the idea of the sentiment on the cup, I tried to make one. I think if I leave off the silly line (my attempt to define the top of the cup), it will work.

Any final thoughts? Wanna vote? :-)

Thanks, as usual, for all your input!

Stuck, again ... UPDATED!

I almost always get stuck at this point in the card-making process. I see pretty paper, and I see the SU colors in it, and I put them together. Perfect match! Now what?

Actually, this is all SU stuff, so of course it was a perfect match! But I have no idea what to do with it now. I could look at it for a week, but then I thought I'd solicit ideas from all of you! :-)

Please ignore that mangled corner. I tried white rub-ons - failed. I tried folding it up to hid the rub-ons - not too excited about that. I punched a notched corner in the folded part ... See? I need HELP!!! All ideas will be warmly received!

Update: I humbly ask you to a lot of pretending here...pretend there is no extra hole in the top corner...pretend the brads are not retired...and pretend the bottom corner is not still mangled.

Thanks to Paula I got a clue, and I went with her idea! I really like the idea of mixing the patterned papers, and I took her idea of the scallop and substituted two Sale-A-Bration sets in its place. I think when I re-do this I'll use the Teal instead of Turquoise for the scallop.

Thanks for the suggestions! What do you think?

Way late update on my Christmas cards

I couldn't figure out how to edit the original post on this card so I just started a new post.

I appreciate you all so much for your comments on my Christmas card. I was under a huge time crunch to get them done and ended up making 137 Christmas cards in a period of 5 days. Whew!!

So I did try some with a darker blue and it was okay but I really liked the contrast of the Heavenly Blue against the black. On many of the cards I added a red sparkle to the circle snowflake and that looked really nice too. But I didn't have enough red to complete all of them. So the majority of them went out like this. Not my best effort but I finished them in time! Now on to Valentine day cards! But I just have a few of those to make. ; - )

P.S. I started a blog of my own. Please check it out and let me know what you think. http://www.houseostamps.wordpress.com/

Stuck, again - updated (twice)

Here I am again - stuck. This card was inspired by some wallpaper I saw, and I made that the background of the card. I added the twill and top image, but aside from a sentiment - I need input on that one, too! - what does this need?

Update: Here it is with a sentiment:

I liked the suggestion of a ribbon (instead of the twill), but alas, SU does not have a Sage Shadow ribbon, and inking up the white with Sage Shadow came out too dark. Bummer.

I think I will leave it like this for now. Thanks for the feedback!

Update #2: Oooh, Happy Anniversary - I like that! I will post this with a picture of the wallpaper on my blog either tonight or tomorrow night so you can see what sent me down this path. :-)

What does this need? (updated 01/12)

I do not mean to compete with Heather's post, but while she is off pondering whether to keep the paisley or not, I finished assembling this card I made for the SCS Faux Silk challenge, and, well, it's not quite right.

The details: The white piece is the Faux Silk part. The Sage Shadow card base has the Floral Background stamped on it. The flowers were colored with Sage Shadow and Pale Plum markers on the stamp, so they are the same colors as the card stock, but they came out darker - I find the markers usually do. That little green line in the bottom left of the white piece is the end of another flower's stem, just unfortunately located. I stole the punch and ribbon-weave thing from Nicole Heady's card sample.

Any ideas?


Update 01/12: Last night I tried the Basic Gray Taffeta ribbon, then I looked at it. This morning I added the Basic Gray under-layer and I like it better.



Edited to keep from boring you with my indecision, but these are two versions I made on the way to my final one.

Update 01/12 7 pm EST: I am done! I decided more is more so I ended up with this:

Thanks for all the feedback!

Is this layout too busy? (updated 1/13/08)

I am playing with the layout of my card before I stamp images (in the white circle and maybe a sentiment layered in the bottom section). I am horrible at mixing patterns- is this too busy? All of the papers are from the same collection so they are coordinated but I'm just not sure if I am going in the right direction... help













Update: 1/12/08
I listened and you were right- the bandanna panel had to go! Although I loved using a circle for the focal point, a square worked better in the final layout. I'm not sure if the traditional Gibson Girl was the best image choice for such bold design elements but it is done now. If we don't take chances we don't grow as artists.

What does this need?

I made this for next weekend's workshops. I like the colors I used - the blue layer draws out the sponged sky, and the Kraft base ties in with the brown hair color. I purposely left the white clothing so it was not too busy. And I wanted to keep it soft because the watercoloring on watercolor paper is a soft look.

I still think it needs something, but I am not sure what. Naturally I thought about ribbon ;-) but where? Brads? Where?

Help!? Thanks!

Update: I added a Basic Gray layer (softer than Black, and I was not sure Choc Chip would work). I decided the shell in Crab & Co was too cartoon-y, so I opted for HPH with ... a bit of ribbon!

Whatdyathink?

Updates 2 & 3: I carefully pried off the glue dot under that clip and it still took a bit of the paper with it. Please ignore. The image on the left is the same as the one above minus the clip. The image on the right has some brads. I think they may still be a bit too heavy, though. Maybe a lighter color brad?

Someone commented on the size of the watercolor paper. I'll play with that next (at the risk of filling up blogger with snapshots.) ;-)

Last update - no pic: I changed out the brass brads for some soft blue ones, and I like the look. Thanks for all your input!

Penguin adventures - done!

I am playing with my Cat's Pajama's penguins stamp, and I am not sure if I am going in the right direction or not.

First I did this one. For that magical third color I added some Mike's ribbon that had some Teal in it, then used some Teal in the hats. The card is an A Muse 4 1/4 square that I mounted on a 4 1/4 x 5 1/2 piece of card stock so it will fit in a standard A2 envelope without sliding around.


Then I remembered seeing the penguins used separately, so I stamped them separately (they are too close to just stamp once then punch - too bad!) and followed the same theme - A Muse card on a 4 1/4 x 5 1/2 piece of Olive card stock.

Next I used a different A Muse card and mounted it on Blue Bayou, and used a different Mike's ribbon.

I think I like the first one the best. I am seeking opinions on "together versus apart" and also my idea of the A2 base for the A Muse card. Of course, feel free to comment on any other element of these mock-ups. Thanks!

Update 12/23: Thanks for the feedback! Here are versions 4 & 5, one with a blue rectangle and one with green. I tried the green because the blue-on-blue seemed boring. What do you think? Closer?

Update later 12/23: I guess I should have called this a Card Evolution! I had a DUH moment, and decided since I could not make up my mind between Green or Blue, I did both! Gotta layer! Below is my final version.

One final note: The Cuttlebug and I had a little disagreement with the Nestabilities, so this version is straight layers...no scallops. Ah, well. Thanks for all the feedback!

So I had this idea ... (updated 12/16)

I had to see if these circles were 3/4 inches - and they were! So I had this idea that I could punch them out and raise up a few of them, and I did! Then, as usual, I got stuck. I added the strip of dots on the brown ribbon, then I added the buckle, but I think if I tie a knot it will be just as good. It needs a sentiment, but besides that, what's wrong with this? It needs something... help?

Quick update: I just added a red layer, and I think it helps, but it still needs something. What shape do you think I should use for a sentiment? Or should I stamp it directly on the paper?

Update 12/16: Thanks for the feedback! I removed the three circles, and to counteract the straight lines, I added a loopy sentiment, and it's not even Christmas-related! I also swapped out the buckle for a knot. What do you think?

Chris needs suggestions for 130 Christmas cards!

Our newest member Chris needs some suggestions for her holiday cards. Because Chris is new to blogging, I am posting this for her (at her request!):

"I would like to get some ideas or suggestions on my Christmas card. I
need to send 130 of them so it has to be fairly simple. And quick! I
wanted to use baby blue and either black or chocolate for my cards. I
hope you can give me some ideas. This is a bit outside of my box as I
usually don't like a ton of white space as I have on this card. You
can't see it in the picture but the colored cardstock has pin dots in
the top and bottom."

Recipe:
All supplies Close To My Heart
Playful Flourishes stamp set
Winter Reflections stamp set
Jingle Borders stamp set
Sparkles
Heavenly Blue cardstock and stamp pad
Black cardstock and marker
Or Chocolate cardstock and marker"

Rescue me! (Rescue was a success!)

Help me! I am an unattached card looking for a new image. My owner (a very beautiful and talented artist in her own right) has tried a large bold rose, a smaller bold rose, a daisy and my current image. We just aren't sure what style or type of flower would work best with me (we own LOTS flower images). We really like the rest of me but we are willing to make changes for the same of art!
PS I also like pina coladas, getting caught in the rain, I'm not into health food but I'm into champagne!
12/08/07- Completed card on the right for a tutorial on my blog

Two-fer - UPDATED!

I decided to go for a two-fer! Two ideas in one post. :-)


First, this is yet another (and my last!) version of this card - I changed the layers for the sentiment. Fewer layers, and the red is more prominent. Done!

Update: I also thought I'd give the ladies the option of hanging a thread around one of the shrimp's necks with a little bell on it. Too much? Ya think? ;-)

This is the card that needs help! I need a fifth project for this weekend's classes, and I decided to do a snow theme instead of Christmas. I thought I'd try the suspended image in the window, and I really like it.

The "typically me" part is where I get the colors right and the technique seems to work, but I have no clue how to finish the card!

Any ideas? The paper is pretty busy, and I'd like the focus to be the suspended image.

FYI - Base is Soft Sky, snowflake is stamped on Whisper White with Sage Shadow ink, punched out with the snowflake punch, frame layer in the window is Basic Gray (all by SU).

Thanks!

UPDATE! I added some vertical ribbon, red glitter in the center of the snowflake (my customers will be using a glue dot instead of 2-way glue so theirs is actually round ...), and a sentiment stamped in Basic Gray.

I decided to not overload them with additional glitter on the snowflakes ... one mess is enough!

Thanks for the great ideas!