Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Embrace the Off Angle Panels, Make Them Your Friend


I actually groaned out  loud when I saw this sketch LOL!  More off-angle panels I need to "embrace and make my friends" (albeit, under much duress!!!) and all for the chance to win some Verve LOL :) 

I quickly copied the sketch down and was in such a snit about those panels that I somehow flipped the sketch to a horizontal layout and didn't realize it until after I had finished my card!  That will tell you how much these panels mess with my mind LOL!

The inspiration piece for my card was this cute little Christmas jingle bell tree we made from a kit I got at  Michael's.  It was supposed to be something fun for the kids to make, but ended up being too advanced so I had to make them instead.  Getting those little jump rings open and the bells on them was hard enough, but then I had to open them again and put them on the loops of the tree, which was a huge pain in the butt!!   All I can say is it's a good thing they look nice when they are done!

Okay, enough complaining!  On a happier note, I just loved this colour combination. The turquoise and bright blue with the silver looks fabulous together, and I had the perfect card stock to match :)  I embossed the brushed silver panels with my snowflake embossing folder and then stamped this darling  little tree image three times in the oval.

In honor of my blogging buddy Andrea, who cannibalizes Christmas decorations for use on her cards, I took two bells off one of the other finished trees so I could put them on my card as they were the perfect finishing touch, especially in lieu of the inspiration piece.  However, after I took the picture, I had to put the bells back on the original tree as it was just a bit too obvious they were missing.  Consequently, a blue button is now in their place on the card and isn't nearly as cute :(  

So the saga of the off-angle card is finally over and I'm doing a big happy dance!!!  Not thrilled with the card and the jury is still out as to whether I have embraced the off angle panels a little bit more now that I've made another card using them.  Bet you can guess the verdict LOL!

Hope to get a few more cards made during my last few days of "guaranteed" stamping time before the kids are off for Christmas vacation.  Hope you can do the same :)




What's In It?
Stamps: (SU)  Merry and Bright, Background Basics
Paper:  Tempting Turquoise, Brilliant Blue, Cool Caribbean, Brushed Silver, White
Ink:  Tempting Turquoise, Brilliant Blue, Versamark
Accessories:  Scalloped Oval and Oval Nesties, Swiss Dots Embossing Folder, Silver Twine, Bells, Dimensionals

15 comments:

Christina said...

Kudos to you for taking on the angled panels! You're a much braver woman than me! LOL! I love the wintry colors of this card and the adorable trees. But the blue bells really seal the deal! Too bad they had to go back to their proper home, but I'm sure it's (almost) just as cute with a button!

Andrea Ewen said...

Haha! I love it! See how much fun cannibalizing can be? And the skewed panel...mah-velous! That wasn't so hard, was it? (Lie to me... :)
Love that color combination and as an added bonus, it matches the color scheme of the sketch! Oh...you're good...
I've done the Christmas project thing to with my kids and I usually end up sitting there by myself finishing it. I'm not sure why we do that to ourselves. In my mind it usually turns out much better, the whole crafting family thing. At least you have some great gifts to give!
Awesome card Marisa...can't wait to see more skeweredness from you (I think I just made that word up but it fits)!

Benzi said...

I predict one day you're going to love those off angle panels and that is all you'll want to do. LOL
I think your card is very pretty and I really like that inspiration you put together. The jingle bells do look great on your card..too bad they had to go.

dj said...

Wowsers....this is great!! love that metal embossing!!

I started a new blog...used to use Sendable Sentiments/debhorst but now I have a new one...come on over a check it out!!

I am panel challenged too at times!! My New Year resolutions it to get back into playing the Viva La Verve challenges!!

Vicki Burdick said...

So cute Marisa, love the tree and LOve, Love, your card the bells are the perfect touch!!!

Wanda Cullen said...

LOL...I'm so glad you survived the angled panel challenge!! It reminds me of the kids' story about the little engine that could! :-) Your card is a perfect interpretation of that awesome tree...love it! BTW, I'm so glad you're counting my blog changes, because I lost track a long time ago! hehehe

Vickie Z said...

You embraced the angles very nicely, if I say so myself!! You are acting like Andrea {cannibalizing things}-- love those bells!! Trees are adorable too!!

Kirsty Vittetoe said...

This is pretty, I love holiday cards in blue!

Julie said...

LOVE your angled panel, Marisa! I think it looks wonderful! And what a great Christmas tree! :)

Maureen said...

yay, you did it!!! I know what you are feeling, relief, right? Me too :) And how adorable are those bells? And the ornament? I tried so hard to get the bag of purple and blue bells, but they are still sold out here :( I was looking at bell ornaments to "take" apart, but they were all too big :( I'll have my eye out next year for sure :)

Kathy Jones said...

Well I think you've done an awesome job Marisa!! Off-angle cards kind of freak me out - upsets the equilibrium! You've done a beautiful job and love the monochromatic look! Perfect for your inspiration piece!!! Enjoy the last of your 'guaranteed stamping time'!!!

TannyP said...

It's too pretty and your angles ROCK! You should be so proud! It's awesome. Those colors are fabulous and the bells....they rock my world!! Love it!

Silke Ledlow said...

Way to go on the challenges Marisa!!! Another beautiful card my friend!!! Hugs ~S~

Shelley said...

Oh, you crack me up! I will admit, I don't like the angles either! You did a very nice job, though, so you are doing better than I am!

Colleen Dietrich said...

Your frustrating-to-put-together Christmas tree inspiration is SO cute! Very modern, and love those blues. And you card reflects that inspiration very well - love the blue trees.