Friday, January 8, 2016

Death by Red

Well, not my death, though you'd have been wondering; it's been so long since I ventured into Blogland.

I don't blame you for wondering.

Well, Christmas came and went, and so did the cards and things that come with it. I made  record (for me) 80+ cards this year! Some of them were pretty darn good; I was happy, overall.

HOWEVER--


I realized at the LAST possible moment before needing to mail everything that I hadn't photographed ANY cards!
I really like to have a record of them all, even if I don't blog about them. It is really nice to see creative progress, as well as maybe revisiting an old idea that you think you can make better, or even just make MORE of.
Anyway...I grabbed my camera, and hunted for a spot in our new home to take some photos.
Yeah.
That.
Well, long story short, I ended up with a corner with weird lighting and a RED tablecloth as a background.
BAD IDEA. So bad...For whatever, reason, the red background really messed up everything, from focus to saturation...weird and terrible.

Anyway, I have a few cards to share, and away we go.
I made these--

This card was based on an idea I saw somewhere online, and I apologize for not remembering the source. Maybe Kristina Werner? I always like red on white, not just for Christmas, so this little group of every tiny Christmas stamp I own was lots of fun to make. I made a small bunch of these.


This idea actually came out of this card (or is it the other way round?)

I like the glow effect from sponging over the images a bit. And glitter pen is always nice, too!

I made a BIG group of cards I could sort of pump out quickly. They looked like this--

A close-up--

And the one I salvaged after smearing the heck out of the bottom of it--

Not a bad save, right?

Another small group of cards, using Lawn Fawn and Wplus9 stamps and dies with some Tim Holtz dies--


I love that green stripe paper, and adding that small bit of ink blending behind the sentiment (Papertrey Ink) piece really gives that simple oval some real presence. I just LOVE those greenery dies.

And, finally (for now)--

ARGH! BLURRY!!!
MORE blur--



I absolutely love this idea, using a die cut popped up in the middle of a sentiment. I think these some of my favorites. I am sad I don't have a good close-up of these, but you can get a good idea from the group photo.

I will be back soon with more, I promise!

Hope you had a wonderful holiday, whatever wonderful means to you during that time!

Thanks so much for stopping by!
All Best-
Richard








12 comments:

  1. Nice to see you Richard! I've been busy too and haven't checked in on you in quite awhile. (trying to move, crazy) I find myself up and unable to sleep; what a wonderful coincidence that you posted today.

    I love your Christmas cards. I really like the first one with all the tiny stamps. It looks like fun and creative; but not too hard. It inspires me for Valentines cards. The sponging on the green striped card is very cool. I love how it makes a frame.

    I hope you love your new home!

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  2. Well hello there - what a wonderful surprise! I follow you on Facebook, but still missed your blog, a lot. Glad you're back. Love the cards. My favorites, in case you're doing a survey : ) are the green striped one and the snowflake popped up one. Thanks for sharing. Sure did miss you!

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  3. Happy New Year - so good to see you're back! What an impressive collection of Christmas cards... I have to say I like them all but if I had to name a favorite, it would probably be the ones with the diagonal line of stamped images and "Warmest wishes". And the ones with popped up die cuts. Looking forward to hearing more from you!

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  4. Wow! You were really busy this past Christmas Richard! These are all wonderful! I love the ones with the tiny stamps and those last ones with the popped up die cuts are just amazing!!

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  5. Hey! Good to see you back in blogland. And, I love the beautiful array of cards you shared with us. And, I can understand trying to find the perfect place to photograph can be difficult. And, sometimes the lighting is a factor too! But these look great to me.

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  6. An excellent collection of cards for your recipiants this past Christmas, Richard! Can't wait to see what you make for this year! :)

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  7. Always lovely to see a post from you! New home? Congrats!!! Love the Christmas cards! Want to try the sentiment with the popped up diecut! Cool effect!

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  8. Heeeeyyyy!!!! You're back!!! I so love seeing your Christmas cards!! You know I like the red tablecloth bg for them..so very festive!! Your cards are amazing and creative and always make me smile!! I'm so blessed and tickled to get one from you that I treasure each year my friend!!! MWAH!!!

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  9. YEAH!!!!!! It's you...it's really you! I felt like the BIGGEST heal this year as I made ZERO cards and didn't even send out store bought either (as I'm sure you noticed). I just have to say from the bottom of my heart, our family LOVED the card from you and Charlie. That was GORGEOUS!! It's the warmest most festive feeling seeing all the cards sent with love and friendship and especially the handmade ones. So I apologize sincerely and I thank you again. :)
    NOW....OMG! Your cards are sensational and I have to say that they are all so uniquely amazing and different from each other but the green stripes really stole my heart until I got to the die cut pop ups and holy wow...now that REALLY caught my eye. I mean those are just CLASSY!!
    So great to be on your blog again.
    Lisa x

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  10. What a fabulous collection of holiday card Richard! Wow, what amazing card after another.

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  11. Oh my goodness! What an absolutely amazing collection of beautiful cards! I especially like the first ones. The red on white is striking. My card photos always look 'off' and I don't even have a good excuse as to why!

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  12. Just lovely! Hope you had a wonderful holiday season, and all the best in 2016!

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Your comments mean so much. Thanks for taking the time!