Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Makin' Merry with Steve Perry...

Have you ever made one of those cards? You know, the ones that start out like a really great idea, then once you get into the process you want to pull your hair out because nothing seems to be going right. That was this card for me. I'm not sure what it was...maybe it was the fact that no matter how hard I tried I just couldn't make a fall card with this color mix. I tried, trust me. I tried numerous times. In the end, though, I blame Steve Perry. Yes, Steve Perry, former lead singer of the '80's hit band, Journey. Why you may ask? Well, stay with me...

First, I remembered that I hadn't made my card yet for the challenge this week at The Play Date Cafe. I love the color combo. I decided on Crumb Cake, Marina Mist (which ended up looking horribly bright in the photos), Bashful Blue and little hints of Certainly Celery. They are really pretty together, try it out. :)
Then, I went back an forth with the theme. Fall or winter...because of the crumbling leaf image. After trying almost every fall stamp I own, I just couldn't get my "fall mojo" going. So, two hours later and still no hint of a card. Grrr! What does this have to do with Steve Perry? Well, let me explain. I always have some fabulous music blasting from my iPod while I am creating, either my own mix or from Pandora Radio. Today I was in the listening mood for some quality 80's tunes, for some reason. (Ah, my younger years.) So, I went with "Journey Radio" on Pandora. Apparently it did not help my creative mojo. Maybe I was too busy singing and dancing along, but it slowed me down with this project big time! Are you reading this Steve Perry (very doubtful, I know)? Your awesome vocal stylings were too distracting. I couldn't concentrate! You and your friends Bon Jovi, Def Leppard, Foreigner and Queen...
Okay, enough talking virtually to Mr. Perry...let's get to the card. I finally decided on a holiday theme when I came across my Berry Christmas (ret.) set. After struggling, this set seemed to "work". It's simple, yes. But, I like it for a non-traditional holiday card. The Delicate Dots DSP (ret.) has some added Vanilla Smooch Shimmer for sparkle (see below for the shot in the blazing sunlight) and in lieu of lots of accessories, I simply went with three tiny pearls for "berries". 
Further proof that I had a creative battle of epic proportions today...here is a photo of my desk in the aftermath. I hesitated to post this, but yes, this is where I made something today. Hard to believe, I know. So although I struggled, thanks to Steve Perry...I won't stop believin'...(PLEASE tell me that you get my pun!). I'm off to have dinner with my guy. It's pizza night...thank goodness. I have to spend some time excavating my desk later tonight... :)
Thanks for visiting! 
Have a happy day, 

18 comments:

  1. I think we all feel your pain! My desk looks like that every night! But if a beauty like this comes out of it, it's worth it! And even if you had to pull your hair out to do it! Despite your struggle, your card came out wonderful. Great design and great use of our colors. Thanks for playing along with us at the Play Date Cafe!

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  2. stinkin' CUTE! the bow is AMAZING and the color scheme fabo! great card AM

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  3. LOVE that bird on the branch! The pearls are the perfect touch! And that embossed paper is FAB! LOVE IT:) Thanks so much for playing along and joining in the fun at the PDCC:)

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  4. Oh I know the pain,,, but you know, in the end you created the perfect card! Love the elegant simplicity, the fresh, clean, crisp look, and the use of non-traditional Christmas colors. I hope you are pleased with the end result because it's a beauty!

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  5. I agree,you have this awesome idea, but nothing cooperates :( usually the card comes out awesome, like yours did. You did a great job with the all the details from the paper piercing to your beautiful and oh so perfect bow! Pizza, hmm....I can't remember the last time I had pizza, sounds yummy.

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  6. lol...I HATE wehen I have days like that. I had one last night - nothing comes out right. Ugh! I do get tyour Steve Perry references and I really do like the card. The colors look great together.

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  7. Very nice! How about creating something to The Beatles, maybe Eleanor Rigby?!? Maybe I'll be seeing this one in my mailbox.

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  8. What a lovely card! Such a sweet bird! The embossing and soft colors are so pretty!

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  9. Well, after all that trouble, it sure turned out beautiful! Love it.
    Lynn

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  10. i for one think this card is well worth the uh frustration you had...and yes i understand that steve could be so distracting...may i suggest opera?

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  11. How pretty, wonderful design, the embossing really pops! Thanks for playing at the PDCC.

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  12. Oh I can so identify with your struggles, I've definitely been there! But your resulting card is lovely, love the 'striped' background with the embossing. Great central image too. Thanks for playing along in the 'cafe' :)

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  13. Your card turned out so pretty! What an interesting color combination. I wouldn't have put them together, but they really work. It looks great!

    My desk is always a mess when I finish a card. And no matter how tired I am, I have to clean it (though I really, really don't want to) because I know that if I don't, I'll avoid going back to my desk for days! Yeah, I'm strange like that. Lol.

    Hope you had a great pizza night with your guy!

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  14. Sweet card! Love the design. I totally can relate. Sometimes the cards flow and others nothing. :) Glad you worked through it and joined us at the PDCC!

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  15. Oh I hate when the mojo is just not working! It looks like yours finally came through. Your card is lovely!

    I was wondering how Steve Perry fit in the mix. Ha ha ha... :)

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  16. ha ha, we all have days and cards like that! Sometimes I spend all day and have one card to show for it, and then other a whole bunch seem to magically appear! This is lovely, I like the soft feel of it and the pearls were a good choice for an embellie :-)

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  17. Yes... I have those moments frequently. Especially when I'm not in a good mood and really should be venting my frustration someplace besides my craft room. But I do like your final result. Especially the non-traditional holiday color combo.

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  18. Oh AM! LOL I loaded up Journey Radio as soon as you mentioned it. I had The Fray Radio playing but thought... hmmmmm Journey sounds good. So I read your post to "Any way you want it..."

    Too bad they didn't play that for you yesterday! *chuckle*

    Well the card came out great even it did rise like phoenix from the ashes of your plans. I'm looking at the colors and that would be hard to do a fall card... maybe water.. a lake scene with fall trees around it? Hmm.. yeah.. no. LOL I see your point!

    Have a lovely day my friend. You need a refill on that coffee yet?

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Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment!
Have a great day! :)
Anne Marie