Homework!

Still absolutely enjoying my Clean & Simple class!  I'm going to get caught up on my homework today!  Day 5 was Friday and we covered techniques.  As we all know, many techniques are pretty involved and may not seem to fit into the simple side of the class.  However, Jennifer McGuire showed us several different takes on techniques.  She did a really neat watercolory thingy that was gorgeous!  Try as I might, I just couldn't figure it out.  I'm just not good with dyes, mists, and all that jazz.  Maybe I'm too simple.  ;)  Luckily for me, she had some other suggestions of techniques to try.  I played around and discovered that I really loved her different take on using stamps and dies.  Here's the card I came up with after playing around awhile:

 
The card is Papertrey Ink (PTI) Ripe Avocado die cut with the Mat Stack 3 die to create a little window.  I then put a layer of Vintage Cream cardstock on the inside of the card to show through the die cut image.  I stamped the damask frame from Mat Stack 3 Collection in Ripe Avocado ink in the die cut opening.  I then cut a circle out using a limitless layer die and Simply Chartreuse paper.  I used my Versamark pad to stamp the poppies from a random set I had lying around as a nice simple accent which I attached with foam tape.  Finally, I finished the whole thing off with a sentiment from the Mat Stack 2 Collection in Spring Moss ink.  I love the monotone mood and I'm pretty happy with how this turned out.

Day 6...well, apparently, I forgot there was a day 6 because I skipped right over it!  Ooops!  Look for that to be in my post tomorrow.  ;)

Day 7 is today and Julie Ebersole let us play with white cardstock.  Huh?  While it may seem boring to some, white as the card base can be really nice looking.  In fact, I find myself turning to white more than most other colors (well, maybe not green).  We discussed white on white and how elegant that can look or how white can really show off a color...especially on a simple card.  It was a really good reminder of how a basic white can be such a strong choice.  I went nice and simple for my card:

I used good ole' Stamper's Select White from PTI and used the Woodgrain impression plate to give the arrow a little texture.  I added texture to the cardstock prior to die cutting the arrows which are from the On the Go Bike stamp and die set from Hero Arts and Sizzix.  I used a heart from the WPlus9 Heartfelt Mix stamp set in Pure Poppy and used foam tape to adhere the arrows to the card.  Finally, I finished it off with a little love from the Tremendous Treats:  Valentine stamp set.  I made a total of 4 of these but only 2 are really useable because I got a bit of red on my thumb and mussed the other two up when stamping the sentiment.  That's the down side of a white card...very easy to mess up!  Oh well!

Thanks for looking and I hope you enjoyed my cards!