Unity Inspiration Challenge ~ April 2018

Hello! Today I want to share with you a card that I made for the Inspiration challenge over at Unity Show & Tell. I don’t normally blog about my entries for the challenges in the group but for some reason this particular card has a special place in my heart so I wanted to share how it came together. 

My first piece of inspiration for this card hit me out of the blue when I was actually working on another project. It kind of drives me nuts when that happens because I want to drop everything and start on that idea ASAP and I couldn’t. Anywho, I tucked it in that little corner of my brain {hoping that it wouldn’t get lost} and went about my day. 

Fast forward a few days and I finally had a few minutes to start working on my idea. Now my whole premise for this card was an unfinished piece of art... how to convey that in a card and still have it look complete? That was my problem.

I started by blending the brick background using Pumice Stone, Hickory Smoke, and Black Soot distress inks over the Tim Holtz Bricked Layering Stencil leaving white space at the bottom left corner. I then stamped the bicycle from the April 2017 KOM {Be My Bird} masking it so that it wasn't complete. I colored in parts of the bicycle using the following Copic markers {BG01, BG11, E13, E53, E55, N1, N3} and then I ran the whole piece through the Big Shot with a stitched rectangle die and set it aside.

I stamped the jar of brushes from the March 2018 KOM {Stay Classy} on a scrap piece of white card stock and then colored it in using the following Copic markers {B0000, B00, N0, N1, N3, N4, N5, N7, E08, E09, E13, E53, E57}. I fussy cut it out and set it aside. I then ran a piece of Smokey Shadow card stock through the Big Shot with the Tim Holtz Bricked Embossing Folder. I blended some Antique Linen, Hickory Smoke, and Black Soot distress oxide inks lightly over the embossed bricks to help it pop a bit. I cut down the embossed brick piece and adhered it to a Soft Stone card base. I then adhered the bicycle/brick piece to the card. I tore the edge of a strip of patterned paper and adhered it to the left side of the card. Now, it was time to hunt for the perfect sentiment... this took a while. I wanted something to really bring meaning to the whole piece... and I found it! I think the sentiment from the Let Adventure kit is the reason this card became so personal for me. "Art is the life energy of the soul." I've been on my own personal art journey and this sentiment spoke to me!

At this point, I shared the card with my two amigos ~ enablers, friends, support team, my go-to crafty gals ~ you know who you are! Whilst going back and forth about this and that... the missing piece of this card hits me. I said it was a Brain Blast {Did your kids watch Jimmy Neutron?} and said I'd be back later to share. Well, I inked up the jar of brushes again coloring just one brush and then fussy cut it out. I added a few tiny 'drips' of Nuvo drops as if they were paint... adding some to the tip of the brush and bam! There it was... my vision in a card!

I know this is just a card, I really do. But something about the journey I took while creating this one has made it my most favorite and most special of all the ones I have made so it's staying on my desk for me to look at. Ha! Well, thanks so much for hanging out to the end here. I hope you've been inspired to make something pretty.

Thanks for stopping by!

See ya next time.
~ Crystal