Blogger Challenge: Week 41

It's Friday--yay! Although I've only worked 4 days this week, it's seemed like forever. I guess that's what happens when you go back to work after a break . . . This week's challenge was to use the sketch for the long card on page 65 of the SU! Spring/Summer Collection. I have such a hard time with these long, skinny cards, so this was definitely a challenge for me.

I ended up deciding to use some chipboard as the focal image on my card. I used a large chipboard star from a package of bulk chipboard pieces that SU! offered for demo purchase. It's covered with gold ink to make it shiny.

I altered the layout just a little. I used a piece of Bashful Blue Prints Series paper layered on a piece of Night of Navy cardstock. Instead of using a rounded piece on the left side of the card, I rounded the edges of the panel I used.

The sentiment from the In the Stars stamp set from the current SU! Occasions mini catalog is stamped in Night of Navy ink. I really like this set--it's so versatile. It works for birthdays, graduations, babies, and all sorts of other occasions and is also good for masculine cards (they're so tricky for me!). I'm disappointed that the large star image isn't a perfect match for SU!'s large star punch, though . . .

I really like the monochromatic look of this card along with the pops of gold. I have a little "secret"--the star brads didn't start out gold. I had tons of yellow, blue, red, white, and silver brads in my stash, but no gold. So, I colored a pair of silver star brads with a Copic marker. Worked perfectly! This is a great tip to keep in mind for those markers. You can make your silver (or white) brads match almost anything with a quick brush of the marker tip.

Be sure to check out what the other blogger challenge group players have created with this layout. You can find links to their blogs in the sidebar on the right.

Materials Used:
In the Stars stamp set, Night of Navy Classic ink, Brocade Blue and Night of Navy cardstock, Bashful Blue Prints Series designer paper, corner rounder, chipboard star, glue dot (Stampin' Up!); star brads (Making Memories); marker (Copic Ciao); Galaxy Gold ink (Brilliance); gold ribbon (American Crafts)