Friday, June 8

Today I have a bit of a background story to tell about how I came up with my design, as people oftern comment "I don't know how you come up with this stuff". Well now you'll know. I'll also give you some desgn tips along the way on how to create a balanced design that is pleasing to the eye.



Sometimes it's a bit funny how ideas for designing come to you. Today I have a card for you where I wanted to try something a little unusual. I've picked up this Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts Deco Lattice Panel 1  a few times knowing I wanted to do something special with it, but the idea didn't really come until today. I have some pretty, new 6x6 papers I wanted to use, so I knew I would make a square card today, but when I laid the chipboard over the to pull together a design, it wasn't the right dimension. It was too wide for the card, so I played with it to make it fit, and in the process ended up with this sweet curved lattice garden effect.




From there I knew I wanted it to look like a vine trellis you might see in a garden where the plants grow in and out of the framework. You can see this idea on my card, where I have adhered my flowers not only on top of the chipboard piece, but also tucked in behind.




In my designs, I tend to create one main cluster and have a smaller supporting cluster for a balanced design.  Even though I have used a large flower on both my clusters, by tucking the top one under the lattice, it gives the effect of a smaller cluster and the eye stays focused on the main cluster on the bottom left of the card.  Notice how the clusters are constructed quite tightly, and each one is anchored to the chipboard frame. This coaxes the eye to travel around the frame to give a cohesive look to the project. Hopefully this is making some kind of sense to you and will help you to create your next design.


To dress my lattice piece, I began by coating the piece in white paint. I almost always do this. next, I sprayed a bunch of different paint sprays until I got the effect I wanted. I was looking for a green to tie in with the garden motif, but didn't want it to be over the top, so I added in some shades of grey and silver. I always dry with a heat tool between 1-2 layers so as to maintain the integrity of the colors and not end up with a muddly mixed mess.

Next I added some Metallic Melts embossing powder in random spots for a little added texture and shine.


Once the piece was adhered in place with the nice concave shape, I just added sentiment pieces and lots of flowers. I also added some tiny buttterflies from the paper pack, and some ribbon and mesh for texture.

I hope this little explanation of my process is helpful  you or at least interesting. Let me know how you come up with your ideas.

Supplies:


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