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Roughing things up by running a distressed tool or my fingernail along the paper edges; sponging; stamping or embossing a background. Guess I have three tricks I rotate a lot!
I am a fan of layering - often using a black as my background layer. Sometimes I think my card just needs a little something more and I find one or two layers behind my main image usually does the trick for me.
Me. it is hiding mistakes, ink blobs mostly that come from nowhere. Maybe from inky fingers. But Ranger has a product called enamel accents which I love. Too bad it does not come in colors.
Oh yes, this is me to a "T". I often use similar layouts and I rarely do anything other than a card that is a piece of cardstock folded in half - and still get a thrill out of using circle or square dies despite all the fancier dies that are around. I guess you could say is the one thing I do most of the time is that I have a square card as my starting point and usually ribbon or twine.
I'm in a rut -- top fold card, focal point in lower third, greeting next to it, usually a ribbon or die cut underneath. I guess I need to do a sketch challenge!
Mary Beth
I think we all have a favourite style we return to time and time again. Me, its mosaics/grids, mainly 'cos I get to use up all the stuff that didn't come out right, lol.
Yup! I love fussy cutting images and popping them up. Sometimes I put a few of them on a card and turn it into a scene. That's about it, but I love it! I don't mind being a one-trick pony!
I take it my spells. I will use bows, twine or ribbon for a while and then switch to using none for a while. Then I will go weeks where I use flowers. Then change to where I use buttons for several weeks. Then change to brads...
In other words yes, I get into weeks of ruts at a time.
I was thinking about this the other day - I often feel stuck in a rut.
But then I looked at the card-makers that I think are the very best, and the truth is, they do they same things over and over. Only they perfect it. Some gravitate to a certain style, some to certain inks/markers (e.g. distress or copics), and one in particular that I've been following watercolors scenes (bg watercolor w/a stamped foreground). Others may do like the OP said, and layer images. Some use the same embellishments over in creative ways, and so on. But, if you look, you'll often seen patterns in what they do. Not always, but often.
I'm beginning to think it's not stuck; it's a style. So, for what it's worth, if you have a style that works for you, don't feel badly. Enjoy what you do well.
I too will do this. I'll run across some product I haven't used, decide to incorporate it for a few cards, and switch up. I think this can be pretty normal when you lots to choose from. But a good way to use them.
Oops, responding to comment by "buddy's mama" and it didn't show. :(
I guess mine would be inking around the outside edge of whatever it is, whether it's a card, embellishment or almost anything. I may do it in different ways, like with an inkblending tool, sponge, direct-to-paper, but it's not finished until some or all the edges are inked!
Most of the time, I'm in the layering, embossing, fussy cutting and popping the graphics up rut. I do a lot of the other things mentioned too such as inking edges, distressing edges, using ribbon, liquid pearls and other embellishments.
I have found looking at Pinterest gives me a lot of inspiration. When I get a new die or embossing folder I type that in the search and find dozens of ideas. Hope this helps, Good Luck.
It's grunge for me - browns, distressing (anything by Tim Holtz!) by sponging and/or roughing up edges, odd stamps (think Stampotique and Viva Las Vegas Stamps!). I don't think of it as a rut but since it is basically all that I do.....if the shoe fits! ;)
__________________ A good friend will come and bail you out of jail... a true friend will be sitting next to you saying, "Damn, that was fun!"
I'm beginning to think it's not stuck; it's a style. So, for what it's worth, if you have a style that works for you, don't feel badly. Enjoy what you do well.
I completely agree. We all develop a style and if our cards are distinctly recognisable as "us" - well, that's not bad at all, is it?
Do you ever feel like a "One Trick Pony" when it comes to making Cards?
BJR
