Monday, September 8, 2014

W-H-A-T???? - Card #1

This mother found a good way to keep her babies warm!
(If I were really a birder, I probably would know what kind of plover that is!  Sigh...)

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"Cats do not wear their hearts on their sleeves, which is not to say that they do not miss you when you are away.  However, they feel that you have behaved very badly and may not be very civil when you return.  After you have apologized, normal relations can be resumed."

                                                                      --------Susanne Millen
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Hi, Friends....

I am back after a little break with my giveaway.  As you know, I try to reply to all my comments, but I did not on my giveaway post.....so I wouldn't get all confused on my count.  :)  I will catch up on my replies to other posts in the next few days.  Thank you to all who comment so regularly and to my new readers, also!!

True confession time:  I have to admit that my craft table is a complete mess....and I mean piles of stuff from the last 45,000 cards and projects.  It is horrendous!  But, at least, I know where most of the stuff is.  I really do mean to get it all cleaned up and put away, but when I finally get a little time to myself to craft.....I WANT TO CRAFT....not pick up!!  :)

Also, I hate to throw anything away.  But sometimes when I am getting out my little sequins or flowers or other doo-dads, some of them creep under other stuff and I find them after I have put the others away.  (I do put some stuff away!!  Ha.)  So I keep a little tiny plastic box with a snap on lid handy to put stray stuff in when I see it peeking out from beneath my computer or cutting mat.  I have a round container for things that are a bit larger that have slithered under sheets of paper.  If I don't capture them when I see them, they breed.  Yikes!!!  Kind of like cats!

I was determined to use some of this stuff and have named this miscellany W-H-A-T.....What's Hiding Around There???  So that's what today's card is.......a "WHAT?? Card".  The rule is, the embellishments have to be stuff I have collected from the nooks and crannies of my craft table....or at least from scraps, leftovers, or rejects that are still out from other projects.  The result (as you will soon see) will make all of you say........"WHAT?? in the world did she just post????"  Ha. 


I know........WHAT????????  Right???  Well, I got a little excited with all this stuff.and wanted to make a Glittery Friendship Card for the Speedy Fox and Friends Challenge.  I had these chipboard letters sitting around that I hadn't used in a different project, so I decided to spell Friend real big on this card.  It was a good thought, in theory.  I think the last time I used chippy letters was for this card.  I actually thought that card looked pretty good, a little different, but a nice looking card, all in all.  This one was doomed from the beginning of the concept, I'm afraid. :(

My idea was to make the letters arch into a rainbow with all the little sequins, etc as sort of the treasure at the ends.  I think it was an epic fail, but I am not proud.....so I am still going to post it and have you see it.  Ha!!  I used water color paper background from my failed attempt at the saran wrap challenge, and all sorts of little weird things in my WHAT box.

Shaped sequins? Check.
Rhinestones? Check.
Heart punch leftovers? Check
Puffy balls? Check.
Stick-on pearls? Check.

Snowflake? Check.
Stick-on metallic bead? Check.
Plastic pearly bead? Check. (Where did this even come from!!??)
Short string of metallic beads? Check.

I pretty much pulled out everything in green, light blue, white, and silver and piled it on at the ends of my rainbow.  Then I thought I needed some clouds.  Uh-oh...don't let me loose with glitter!!!  White glittery clouds weren't defined enough, so I lined them with blue glitter, too.  And glittered all around my chippies.

Oh, my.......by this time, even I was saying....."WHAT????"!!!  But I was committed...(or should be!  Ha!!!).  The clouds ended up looking like floating turtles.....just need some flippers!!!  The sentiment is supposed to give a clue that this is (sort of) a rainbow, but I don't know.....

Here's the (one) good takeaway from this WHAT?? Card (besides feeling good about using some stuff):  Beacon 3-in-1 Advanced Craft Glue is excellent for holding down these weird embellishments.  I am kind of an adhesive junkie.....that sounds bad!!!.....but I am always on the hunt for the perfect adhesive for particular situations.  I hate chemical odors, so that rules out a lot of products.  No-odor Beacon 3-in-1 grabbed onto my stuff with a death grip nearly instantaneously.  LOVE it!!!

I also used it to attach my watercolor paper to my glitter cardstock base.  I knew this would be a challenge for two reasons:  
1.  The paper was quite warped (very fitting for this card!) with all the glue I'd used for the glitter and 
2.  It is notoriously difficult to get anything to stick to glittered stock.  

I laid down a generous amount of Beacon 3-in-1 and my card front easily and quickly stuck down flat!  I am in love!!!  My only complaint is that fine tail strands of the adhesive do tend to issue from the bottle after you quit squeezing and lift away the bottle.  Fortunately, they dried to a non-sticky string almost immediately and were easy to swipe away.  Also, it's a bit spendy, but half-price at JoAnns made it affordable.....and worth every penny for these difficult applications.  I hope my description of the Beacon 3-in-1 has been helpful to you.

DING-DING-DING.....New Follower Welcome Time!!!  I am welcoming my #58 follower today:

arlsmom aka Lynda  --  Lynda must have seen me enter at Red Rubber Inspirationals since she is one of their star designers.  I visited her blog which is literally busting with all those fabulous badges for winning challenge after challenge after challenge.  When you see her cards, you will understand how that happened!!  Gorgeous, with astonishingly beautiful coloring.  Wow!!  Oh, and have you noticed the new little kitty peeking at you from the corner of the page???  I snagged the code for that little widget off her blog, too.  LOVE it!!   WELCOME, Lynda.  Thanks so much for your encouragement and support!!  This ginormous smile is all yours!!!
:)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

Also, I have an update:
When I introduced Sue D back on this post, I didn't know about her Split Coast Stampers gallery.  Please visit her there.  My computer and SCS do not get along, for some reason, so I can't leave comments there.  But you might be able to.  She has some really lovely projects there!!

Wow.....long post!!  Thanks for trudging all the way through it with me.  Hope you have lovely things planned for this coming week.  If you like giveaways, be sure to check my twitter page.  Lots of links there for some wonderful items!!

<3 
Janis

Thank you for the honor of entering this card in the following challenges:
1.  MFP Speedy Fox and Friends Challenge #228 - Glittery Friendship Card  

2.  Word Art Wednesday Challenge #148 - Anything Goes 
3.  Lexi's Creations Challenge #124 - Sparkle and Shine 
4.  Cute Card Thursday Challenge #337 - Rainbows 
5.  DL.Art September Linky - Anything Goes 

20 comments:

  1. Lots of BLING there Good job thanks for sharing at MFP............Lis

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    1. Thank you, Lis. It was fun using all those doo-dads, even though the card ended up a little messy.

      <3
      Janis

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  2. Janis, I have go say that my craft table is a disaster BUT I know where things are. When I get sad or feel lonely I sit and sort things out and put it away. I have fun doing it. I LOVE using bits and scraps to make things. The rainbow and treasure at the bottom is really a great idea. Praying you have an awesome day filled with joy. Thank you for joining our 148th challenge.

    Carole and the DT team at Word Art Wednesday.

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    1. Carole,

      I usually get even more stuff out when I am lonely!!! :) Thanks so much for your encouraging comment!!!!

      <3
      Janis

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  3. I love it. The scraps came in handy - I feel the same way I would rather create than clean, but I need to know where things are so I do need to get them in order. Love the sparkle and all the green on your card and one of your friends will be very happy to get this.
    Thank you for joining my DL.ART Thankful Thursday Anything Goes September Linky Party. Have a blessed day
    DIANA L.
    http://dianamlarson.blogspot.com http://dianamlarson.ctmh.com

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    1. Thank you so much, Diana! I went a little crazy with the glitter, but it was fun!! My piles of stuff are getting to the point where I really do need to put them away so I can find things again. Gotta just do it every so often! lol...

      <3
      Janis

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  4. OH MY GOSH!! This post had me laughing so hard I almost woke the hubby up, and he's clear up on the second floor above me!! Your description of the glittery clouds (floating turtles? I kind of see what you mean...hahah!), and then that adventure with the errant tentacles of Beacon glue had me cracking up...whew! I also have a W-H-A-T container on my desk, only I didn't know it was a W-H-A-T container until I read this post. I have been challenging myself to grab at least one item from it for every other card that I make, so you have me beat. Your list of goodies that got added to the card is inspiring for sure, especially those teeny tiny pom poms (!) and that plastic bead that caught you by surprise. A fun and happy card and sure to bring a big smile to any friend!

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    1. Thank you so much, Karen, for your fun comment!! Did you notice that one of my "floating turtles" even looks like it has eyes and mouth??? Oh, my....when I noticed that, I about died laughing.....after I got done cringing!!! Ha.

      Good for you for using your WHAT container items. The difference is that your WHAT???cards look professional and classy. This one of mine looks 3rd-grader-ish.....no offense to any 3rd graders. Actually, I have seen some amazing things from 8 and 9 yr olds!!! So scratch that.

      Anyway, I was glad to find out how well the Beacon glue works. I laughed at your errant tentacle description!!! So aptly put!!

      Thank you, friend, for laughing *with* me at my crafting misadventures!!!

      <3
      Janis

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    2. Of course I noticed that turtle with the eyes and mouth...he's my favorite one! If anyone points out the resemblance to turtles, just tell them that you planned it that way. That's usually my story!!! As for my W-H-A-T cards looking professional and classy, you haven't seen them in their first incarnation! I can't tell you how many cards have gone through multiple surgeries on their way to being posted...ha!

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    3. Your favorite one!!! What a hoot!! :D :D :D

      The thing is, they don't look like turtles on the card in real life. And the tiny glittery stars truly don't look like eyes and mouth when you are holding the card......at least not very much! Ha. Even when I previewed the photos, they looked roughly like clouds, but when I got it on here in a large size format.....all of a sudden, these shelled critters materialized!!! Makes me wonder what else is lurking in my other craft supplies! Eeek!

      <3
      Janis

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  5. A beautiful card. I love all the wonderful elements of this card. Thank you for joining us for the Speedy Fox challenge.

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    1. Thanks so much for your sweet comment!!!

      <3
      Janis

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  6. Your post is so funny - laughing out loud!! Your card is so very lovely and elegant! Thanks so much for joining us at MFP's Speedy Fox & Friends challenge!

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    1. Thank you, Kathy!!! I appreciate your kind words and you taking the time to come visit. :)

      <3
      Janis

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  7. The plover is a piping plover. The ring around the neck is how you can tell. Love the card by the way.

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    1. Piping Plover never even hit my old decrepit ornithological radar screen. The only Plovers I could remember off the top of my head were Semi-Palmated, Golden something, and Mongolian (an errant individual which I actually did get to see on the Oregon Coast on a college bird field trip decades ago!). Are you a birder? My only ornithological distinction is that Great Gray Owls are yard birds for me! :)

      Thanks for the plover info and your comment!!!

      <3
      Janis

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  8. Beautiful card, love all the details!
    Many thanks for joining in the Cute Card Thursday Challenge! Debxx

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    1. Thank you, Deb!!! I appreciate your sweet words and your visit!!

      <3
      Janis

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  9. What a fabulous card Janis, thanks for entering our 'Sparkle & Shine challenge at Lexi's Creations! Never hear of the glue Beacon 3 in 1, will keep an eye out for it!

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    1. Glenda,
      Beacon 3 in 1 sort of has the set up texture of a Glue Dot.....but you apply it in liquid form. I am loving it for this kind of application!!!
      Thanks so much for your visit and your sweet comment!!!

      <3
      Janis

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THANK YOU so much for taking the time to leave a comment. Your kind words encourage me so very much!!!

Have a lovely day!
<3
Janis