Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Softened Stripes


In my little house we don't know who Gareth is. We don't even really follow fashion, right now if it is warm we wear it. Case in point, when asked about what they say in the Runway Inspired Challenge picture, featuring a dress by Gareth Pugh, my boys (all three!) offered these suggestions: Who's Gareth, I don't have any friends named Gareth. I see a girl wearing an ugly dress and ugly shoes. I see a big belt and and itty bitty waist. Too much black and white! Too much stripes! Wow, that dress is really, really big...and ugly. What did I see? A soft face trying to look all tough and hard core. A bit of blush peeking through all the harsh lines and overflowing movement of the dress.


However unconventional this entry might be, I used the compilation of my family's thoughts when  composing the card. I found a big sentiment and paired it with a dainty leaf stamp, both stamped in bold black ink. The base is soft stone, almost white but not quite, and is embossed with woodgrain to mimic all the stripes. I added a touch of gray and blush coloring too, all to soften up the design. As usual, I kept the design very minimalistic too, or should I say clean and simple. Young Crafter's Unite is after my own heart with their current Clean and Simple Challenge.

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Why do models have to look so fierce when they are so naturally beautiful?

37 comments:

  1. I LOVE this card. The wood grain embossing and the big bold sentiment. LOVE it!!

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  2. I definitely need to echo something one of your boys said... Who's Gareth? :) I think your interpretation of the dress is spot on. I love the wood grain and the touch of black and white in the leaves. Brilliant!

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  3. Gorgeous card Karen! Love the embossed background and that wonderful large sentiment!

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  4. Love the boys' thoughts, I asked Ben what he thought about the picture too and he said "lots of stripes". The woodgrain is a lovely natural touch.

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  5. Gorgeous card and a great interpretation!

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  6. wow Karen this is so outstanding...I love that woodgrain embossed background..Love those great leafs...

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  7. The comments from your kids on the photo are PRICELESS Karen! I love your card and how you've captured the softness from the seemingly harsh photo. Bravo!!

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  8. beautifully CAS...love everything about it

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  9. You can always count on a bunch of boys for a whole different take on fashion! :) Brilliant idea to use the woodgrain for the stripes and I like that sweet leaf.

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  10. A beautiful card and love that you let the embossing stand alone to show it's beauty!

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  11. Karen, this is absolutely gorgeous!!!

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  12. I love your take on the inspiration...your boys crack me up!

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  13. i don't know how gareth is either, but i love your card take, karen:)

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  14. This is too, too funny! I love your boys' comments. Your take on the photo is so fresh and beautiful. I love the slightly off-center sentiment, rounded corner, and single gem. Understated but incredible!

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  15. Oh my goodness. The texture you created on this card is fabulous. I love your family's conversation. I have absolutely no idea who these designers are!

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  16. Love the texture on this card and your take on the challenge. I don't know who Gareth is either, probably not big in the UK?

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  17. What a beautiful card Karen!! Thanks for alerting me to the Young Crafters Unite Challenge!! I hope your well.

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  18. You always have such a cool take on challenges, this is no exception, Karen! Utterly delightful!!

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  19. How pretty. I love the embossing - and this is great for CAS!

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  20. love your take of the challenge and texture added by the IP.

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  21. Perfection Karen. Total perfection!

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  22. You raised some pretty good points here Karen and I love that you got your boys to pick out the details they see...a great skill to have :)
    Your card makes so much sense through their eyes, it's simply beautiful!
    Jenny x

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  23. Super awesome interpretation and the texture looks so so wonderful!

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  24. I would never buy that dress but that card, that I would snap up in a heartbeat. Beautiful interpretation!

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  25. So well done - love the monochrome look and I also love the fact that your card was inspired by comments by your boys! hehe!

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  26. Love how you were inspired, Karen, and as always, love reading about how you came to it. :)

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  27. Great card and all the words from the boys are so true!!!

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  28. Such a pretty card! Thank you so much for joining our Young Crafters Unite challenge =)

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  29. I think your interpretation of the runway photo is FABULOUS! The woodgrain embossing, bold sentiment and dusting of color in the leaves are perfect!! I've always assumed those models look so fierce (or even grumpy) because they haven't had a good meal in forever!! HA! But, that's just the foodie in me speaking! *wink*

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  30. cute card, love your kids reactions, too funny!

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  31. I just love your wood grain background! When it comes to a card this simple, placement is key- and you got the sentiment and leaves in just the right spot!

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  32. Ha! I don't know who Gareth is either! I do like your take more than the harsh stripes on the dress...

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  33. Love your story and I think it's great that your house of boys cared to chime in!

    This is sophisticated, and I love your take and vision of the RIC. It was new to me, so I had fun with this very interesting Runway inspiration photo. I also have no idea who Gareth is myself! I am pretty sure we will make it in the world okay without having known this information! :-)

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