Valentine Card

Hello everyone,
I hope the week is going as planned for you.  So far, so good for, I'm staying positive.  I'm having this kind of re-dedication to my crafting studio for 2016.  I'm doing more, feeling energetic,  and wanting to craft like I'm a newbie again!  I don't know what it is but I'm just going to embrace it and ride the wave.

I am a mini album and altered art crafter primarily. I started out as a clean and simple card maker (a Stampin' UP! demonstrator) and branched out from there.  As a part of my re-dedication, what I've decided to do is to keep making cards between my major projects or when one of my major projects is getting a little tiring, I'll do a card or other projects I can quickly complete. In addition, I will try to enter some challenges again.  I stopped entering challenges because they were becoming so business like and less fun.  The entrants weren't following rules or circumventing the rules, the same individuals were winning over and over, "professional artist" were the ones who were winning, you had to belong to certain country, blah, blah, blah.  It just got to be a downer.  Hopefully, things have changed for the better and entering challenges can become fun again.   So, this will be my 1st challenge entry in along while.  

I went to Paper Playful to check out the challenges and totally forgot how to do everything.  I spent a couple of hours going over the rules and vocabulary, clicking on the blogs reading their instructions, looking at the entries, etc.  I was on the phone with my scrappin' BFF Lesia from Mema's Crafts and she had to refresh my memory about a lot of stuff! (lol).  I did manage to find a few challenges that I felt my card might fit.   I created a very simple card using some old scraps of card stock (black, red, green), a Spellbinders Die-Delight (Filigree Vase), Heartfelt Creations (Italiana Grapevines) stamp and die, Martha Stewart (Love and Hearts) punch, and I inked the edges of the grape leaves with Tim Holts (Peeled Paint) distress ink.  

 

I entered my card into the following challenges: Addictedto CAS: Challenge #80 CODE WORD RED.  Red is my FAVORITE COLOUR!! love, love, love me some red!  MyTime to Craft- Challenge #314 Love is all around; Avenue 613- Challenge #161 Anything Goes w/Optional Twist: Something From Your Stash; Amusing Challenge-Anything Goes ( the site name comes up Blessings Ink); and  Eclectic Ellapu-LOVE ACTUALLY - ANYTHING TO DO WITH LOVE.   I liked the themes of Valentines, Love, and Red.  It makes me think of my recent trip to Europe where I got to visit the UK, France, Belgium, Spain, and Italy.    I tried to incorporate that inspiration in this one little simple card.   Card size: A2  (4 1/4 in x 5 1/2 in)

I hope you all enjoy the card and get inspired to give it a try.  And if you are challenging yourself this week, good luck!  Til' next time; hugz from me-Joyce Ann