Portable Magic

One of the challenges inspiring this card is for a "type of place that brings you peace and joy". My place of peace and joy is found in reading. The place to read gives me peace and joy as well as the many worlds and places I can explore while reading. A good book is worth its weight in gold.

The quote by Steven King: "Books are uniquely portable magic."

Challenges

Crazy 4 Challenges: A Place of Peace and Joy - C4C347

Your Next Stamp: Sketch and Color Challenge #44

The Colour Throwdown: CTD404

Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps: Wonderful Wednesday Anything Goes
Craft Your Passion: 323 Anything Goes

Supplies

InLinkz.com

Putting It Together

The challenges that inspired this card constrained me both in colours and layout. I love challenges like that because they force me to think in a different direction and encourage my creativity to flow into new pathways. I also had a tight deadline on one of the challenges because I hadn't seen it until it was almost ended, a time challenge of my own making. 

I absolutely adore the Book Dragon from Kraftin' Kimmie Stamps. I stamped him on Canson watercolour paper with Memento ink. I found which of the rectangle dies would fit him and added pencil lines to show me where the bounding box would be (and then promptly forgot to stay within those lines while painting, doh!)

I was intending to have the grass masked out in the background and on the dragon, but it didn't show up well. I used the mask on the dragon I had made before, for the bookmarks I made a couple weeks ago, so I could paint a simple watercoloury background.

 I used just three Distress Inks to paint the dragon and his background! Peacock Feathers for the dragon and Weathered Wood mixed with Pumice Stone for the background and the dragon's belly. This picture was taken after I trimmed down the paper but shows the painting better.

My concept for this card was to have the dragon as the bottom layer with the coloured panels above him and a window to him. I wanted stitch marks on the edges of the rectangles and have a lovely set of Elizabeth Craft Designs to work perfectly for that.

After I finished painting I cut the top paper and realised my stitch marks for the inside rectangle were on the wrong side of the die. Doh! (Yes, I wasn't paying much attention to anything by the design in my head.) I had originally been thinking about matting on both sides of the top panel, but found double die-ing would have created the wrong dimensions. So  I used the same smaller rectangle die and cut a beigey-grey cardstock and then fussy cut the interior rectangle where I wanted it (the next smallest of the rectangles wouldn't have cut the right spot).

I had originally intended to have the watercolour paper as a matting outside the top panel, but since I didn't stay inside my lines while painting on the background.. well..I couldn't. Oh well. Best laid plans and all that. *laugh*

For the circles in the layout, I used a circle punch to cut two shimmery paper circles and trimmed the bits from the frame.

I added white iridescent sequins for the rest of the polka dots and a sentiment quote. While repositioning the dragon layer, I accidentally shifted him lower than I intended but I like his positioning here, too. I did run astray a few times in my creating because I was watching my time (11pm bedtime - had to finish last night to have time to write the blog post in the morning to get the post and links up in time).

All in all, I think the card turned out pretty good and I am happy with it.

Challenge Colours and Layout

Your Next Stamp:

The Color Throwdown: