My Varks Card

You have until midnight TONIGHT to get your beaded card entry into {Caardvarks}. I hope you'll give it a try. The gallery is filling up with gorgeous card creations. Not only will you get a shout out if you win, you'll WIN SOME FREE STAMPS! Now, who reading this blog doesn't love free stamps?!!!! Get you're butt in gear. Obviously, you don't need to put as many beads on your card front as I put on this card of mine.....

but if you want to, go for it! You can use any kind of beads; micro, bugle beads, metal beads, clay beads.....whatever you can find in your house, put it on your card! And if glue works better for you than thread, use that or sticky tape (that's a direct challenge to Beate.....;)! Try something new today.

I had so much fun making my first beaded card. Like I said yesterday, it just came together like butter--I love it when that happens. I started by picking out the designer paper I wanted to use. I knew I wanted it to use fall colors. I recently found this gorgeous new paper by Heidi Grace at Archivers. I snatched a bunch of it up and used it for the first time on this card. The pattern is called Harvest Row. I matted it with So Saffron cardstock. Then I sewed all the way around it using a zigzag stitch. I glued it to a base of Old Olive cardstock. At that point, I decided I wanted to sew the card on the far left, from top to bottom, so that I had a "binding" of some sort to place a plethora (such a big work at 714am in the morning....) of beads strung on wire.

Once I did that, I used my paper piercing tool and template to punch a row of holes that would be used to string the wire through. Again, like yesterday's card, I pulled the wire UP from the bottom of the card to the top of the card, and then strung a bunch of beads on the wire (maybe 8 or 10?). When that was done, I took the wire around to the BOTTOM of the card and pulled it through to the top again. Ultimately, I wanted the wire that was strung with beads to look like a wired notebook (just like the ones the kids take to school). Every time you put the wire through the paper, you are moving from the bottom to the top. It's probably easier to just look at this closeup than trying to understand my directions!

I'm sure with all these beads you're thinking the card must have taken me all afternoon to finish, but it really didn't! Maybe a half hour on the beads alone, which isn't too bad.

For the main image, I used the new SU stamp set called Oh So Lovely. I love this set! And I love incorporating all the stamps, and not just using them one at a time! For this image, I used all three flower stamps! They were stamped on Very Vanilla using ColorBox Fluid Chalk ink in Chestnut Roan. Then I watercolored each of them using Old Olive, Cranberry Crisp and More Mustard inks. For a little sparkle, I outlined a few of the flowers with my Stardust Gel Pen. Since I was on a bead roll, I sewed a few beads on the flowers too! Now, this step could have easily been done with glue, but I'm a glutton for punishment so I thought I'd sew them on! The sentiment is new from Hero Arts, which I stamped on Very Vanilla with Chestnut Roan.

Be sure and check out the micro challenge bead gallery over at {Caardvarks} today to see more cards using beads. I actually think I might be making another bead card today!!!!!

On a separate note, Julee over at Verve is having a Labor Day Sale! For three days only, you'll receive 10% off all Verve Stamps, 10% off Acrylic Blocks, and 10% off embellishments! Woo-hoo! Stop by today and buy some of the Verve stamps! You will not be disappointed! By the way, Julee is also having a brand new card contest at her Verve blog. Here are the details...the prizes are FABULOUS!!!! You're going to have to go to Julee's Verve blog to find out for yourself what the prizes are! Just in case you need a little hint to motivate you...what does the word "free rubber" do for you???????????????????? Does it make you tingle all over and start hyper ventilating? Well then, you better RUN, not WALK to the Verve blog! Yippee!<