So the SUO challenge for today was “New Toys”, and the SCS color challenge was Coastal Cabana, Tempting Turquoise, and Crisp Cantalope. Believe it or not, I started out with my new stamp, which I cut the Easter greeting off of and mounted it separately, because come on, these tulips are the BOMB and I don’t want to be limited by Easter!! Then I decided to use some brand new DSP and the new chevron ribbon. This was one of the cards that you seriously almost trash, and I almost did, and then you try just one more thing to breathe some life into it and VOILA!! I love it!! But I surely started out hating it. I colored the tulips using a crisp cantalope marker, and shaded with a bit of Tangerine Tango, (is that cheating?) Then I did a background wash of Coastal Cabana, and I instantly started thinking gee,,,,,that looks ugly sort of….so okay, let me outline the flowers with a tempting turquoise marker, and wow, spectacular, that looks even uglier…..hmmmm……Meanwhile I am trying to rush, because I am working on a huge stamp camp coming up this weekend. I am almost in tears now…..I do not have a lot of time to waste on this and these colors are my waterloo, they are VICKI DUTCHER colors, and she can make anything with colors like this SING……but moi……not so much. I didn’t give up, I just kept on trying. Let me wash over the whole ugly despicable thing with an aqua painter so – slip slop slosh, over the top of the whole image with water, there now I can throw it away since I absolutely wasted it – it’s doomed for the circular file. At this point I have at LEAST an hour into this puppy and I want to give it artificial respiration, what can I do to save the card???? It’s hideous at this point, the colors have run together, it’s drab, and to top it off it’s soaking wet. JUST THROW IT AWAY KAREN AND START OVER. SO I tossed it off to the side and started over and made a card with NO COLORING. GIVE IT A BREAK, these colors are just not you so make a card that’s JUST NOT YOU…..you can go see my second creation on SCS if you want under the color challenge for this week, – I was using different toys and I was going to feature that one for both challenges, I used NEW toys, the banner punch, and more DSP, I am so NOT the banner girl, so I stretched and thought outside the box and came up with a card that is totally not me, but kinda cute all the same. BUT even after I finished my banner card, those darn tulips were calling me from their watery grave……and I looked and I thot gee, it finally dried and is there a chance that I could actually do something with that waterlogged image of tulips? OUT came the aqua painter again only this time I grabbed the one I must have used on my last whitewash card…..because over the top went a coat of white embossing ink all watered down and once again I thought, okay, now that is the ugliest ugly most pathetic thing you have ever made….. give.it.up.Karen.give.it.up. I threw it off to the side again……but for some reason it kept calling my name. I thought of an old technique I demonstrated once at Leadership where you take an image and put versa mark ink all over the top of it and then emboss with iridescent ice embossing powder,,,,would it help? What did I have to lose? It certainly couldn’t get any uglier!! So over the top with versa mark and iridescent ice, some heat from my heat tool and VOILA!!! That ugly washed out waterlogged image came to LIFE!!! What do you think? It’s like the ugliest duckling card…..it’s like the frog who was kissed by a princess, it’s like US after God gets a hold of our lives and makes something beautiful from ashes and dust. I think I like it!! Do you??? And God, He never gives up on us either, even when we would look pretty ugly to others, HIS unconditional loves makes beauty from ashes…….Do you like my ugly duckling card??? Until next time………Karen
Margie
January 15, 2014I love your "ugly duckling card." I am not going to try to CASE it because I don't have as much patience as you!
Margie
January 15, 2014I love your "ugly duckling card." I am not going to try to CASE it because I don't have as much patience as you!
Judys
January 15, 2014I think it's beautiful, Karen! You can always save a card and when you do, "it becomes a new creation".
Netta
January 15, 2014I…for one…think the card is BEAUTIFUL!! so much in fact …I have a card I did that I think is ugly…..everything I did just made it uglier so like you I threw it off to the side. I am going to go get it and do what you did to get the WOW results!! thank you so much for the inspiration!
Zena
January 15, 2014Ha ha that was just so funny to read. Although a bit hard without paragraphs.
You are a woman after my own heart I keep persisting on the ugliest cards hoping that they will come good. Mostly they end up on the studio floor but sometimeslike you they turn out to be little gems. Yous is lovely and I bet it looks even better in real life.
Thanks for the laugh and sharing.
Zena
zenakennedy.blogspot.com
Lisa
January 15, 2014Karen – it's a beautiful card! So thankful you didn't give up on it. But nothing can compare to your true heart. Thank you for always sharing the message of His love with us all.
Anonymous
January 15, 2014I wish my cards would be so ugly. This is simply breathtaking. So glad you didn't leave it in the trash!!
Bronwyn Eastley
January 15, 2014Oh .. I love your 'ugly duckling' card .. ha .. you could never make a bad card as your flowers are always a work of art (in the end). This is beautiful and I loved reading your little analogy at the end of your post.
Patti J
January 16, 2014Your ugly card turned out SO beautifully! I just became a follower…love your creations AND your 'real' way of writing! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Nancy R Grimes
January 21, 2014I loved it!!! And these are not my colors either. The message you shared was nice to hear again. Thanks for your inspiration.
Unknown
January 21, 2014oh my goodness Karen, you crack me up! Love the card…and the very valuable lesson it teaches. Never give up until you have tried absolutely every thing! oh, and also…a little bling may be just the thing it needs!
I always smile when I see you have a new post..I know it will be a good read.
Becky
January 21, 2014This is gorgeous ..
jeannine
January 21, 2014karen, i have been a fan of your blog for years and i have never – not once – ever seen you make anything even remotely ugly!! when i saw that card i said to myself, "how does she keep coming up with such gorgeous cards, one after the other?" i wish i could come up with original designs that looked half as good as your worst!
Anonymous
January 21, 2014Karen you should be a writer also. Love your play by play. Truly, your card is so pretty that I dare you to make another just like it !!!! You really have so much imagination and it is a pleasure to see your final product. Please keep them coming. You are such an inspiration to me 🙂
Nancy R Grimes
January 21, 2014I loved it!!! And these are not my colors either. The message you shared was nice to hear again. Thanks for your inspiration.
Susan
January 25, 2014Well, I love your chevron trim and that bold bit of fabric is so you! How's that for skirting the topic…big smile!
What I did love was reading your message, like going to prayer meeting. Such truth there, Karen!
love the reference to trade ashes for beauty.
Mary Decker
January 28, 2014I, too, love your card! I'm glad you didn't give up, just like God doesn't give up on us!
Take more slow, deep breaths and use a little meditation to bring yourself peace when creating.
Sent with love, Mary
Mary Decker
February 4, 2014I, too, love your card! I'm glad you didn't give up, just like God doesn't give up on us!
Take more slow, deep breaths and use a little meditation to bring yourself peace when creating.
Sent with love, Mary