Monday, March 10, 2014

A Joni-Inspired Thanks...CASE Study #181

I'm still basking in the joy of having met Geri this weekend; a feeling that I know will stay with me for a long time to come.  My sweet friend Shannon left an awesome comment on my post (please check out  her blog - she's hopping for a most incredibly special cause!), about the wonderful mystical magical ways the universe works, with a wish that we could "abracadbra, hocus-pocus, and *poof* - free travel to meet crafty friends any time we want." I couldn't agree with her more!

Today, I'm sharing my card inspired by Joni's beautiful art work over at CASE Study #181:
Joni's talents are supremely remarkable; every card is filled with 'special touch' details and techniques. All the 'little bits' add up to "wholes" that are fabulous in every way.  My card is very much a 'minimalist' version of the elements of Joni's card that caught my eye: the black and white background, and the lovely frame, with a wee snippet of floral print peeking from its bottom edge and a whisper of a pretty pink flower adorning the top.  Of course, a search of my stash revealed nary a piece of black and white striped paper, so I'm adapting as best I can, as per usual...

Although it appears rather 'flat' in the photo, I've used foam adhesive on the label, frame and flowers, and cut the 'thanks' several times for 'thickening'.  

Since you're here...we're heading to visit my family on Friday (excitement amping up!), where we'll be celebrating the *family* birthday party for my niece, who turned 4 on the 3rd, and my nephew, turning 2, on the 12th.  Of late, my niece quite enjoys playing "going to a show", where we have dual roles: we're the guests - and have to give the (imaginary) ticket-taking person our tickets so we can attend - AND we're also the actresses of the play that we're supposedly watching.  The layers of her imagination are sometimes staggering in their complexity...and ever so much fun!  Last performance, I decided to be a unicorn - a purple one with a sparkly mane and pink-nail polished hooves.  She gave me her adorable "quizzical" look (I could read her mind: she was thinking "What's up with that, Aunty C?") and instantly decided she'd be a fairy princess, also in purple, with a wand. (We have no costumes; we just pretend...it works).  Somehow, the princess and the unicorn wound up at the zoo...

Sometimes it's a good thing that we're the only two playing together, because I'm pretty sure no one else would quite comprehend what we're up to (especially when we cross dimensions of time and space to be both the audience and the players).  Yes indeed.  ANYWAY, my point that I'm trying to make, before the blithering took hold: I made her a card, using my MCT envelope die, filled with tickets.  Now we can have 'real' tickets to give to the 'imaginary' ticket-taker....


I totally cased Katie's card here, in girly colours...

Thanks so much for dropping by; your visit and comments make my day!





13 comments:

Marisa said...

LOVE your Case Study card!! Gorgeous shaped BG for the focal frame and sentiment. You are a wonderful Auntie too - have a great mental picture of you being a purple unicorn ;) Way to enter her world and allow her creativity to be endless :)

Karen Davis said...

Love your take on the challenge Carol. That DP is stunning and frames your elements beautifully.

Anita in France said...

LOVE that DP, Carol ... and love your take ... sweet wee blooms and an adorable snippet of florals peeking out under the frame ... just lovely! What joy you share with your niece, what a fun card for her, and what wonderful stories you share with us ... they always put me in mind of the joyful times I had with my niece and nephews (your story reminded me of the chinese theatre event!!) ... treasured memories! Have a great day! Hugs, Anita :)

Kylie said...

I'm with Shannon! That sort of magic would be wonderful! :) I don't think your thanks card looks flat at all. It seems quite dimensional and I love it. It is just so pretty and elegant. And you are a WONDERFUL aunt too, Carol! These children are so incredibly blessed to have you in their lives and the tickets are just perfect (both from a creative aspect and also to foster the creativity in the children). hugs!

Leigh Penner said...

Oh, this is beautiful! Wonderful take on the inspiration!

Shannon J said...

Oh how you've conjured up old memories of me playing with my nieces and nephew!! Aren't their imaginations limitless?!! You are just the best Aunty ever...these moments are just as special for them as they are for you, and I truly believe that they are the beginnings of everlasting bonds!! The idea to incorporate tickets into Miss Niece's card was brilliant! You can be sure these are going to be put to very good use!! I have a sneaking suspicion the unicorn will be making an encore appearance at "the show" this weekend!! ;) And your Joni-inspired card - GORGEOUS!!! The floral paper you used to shadow the main frame ties all of the elements together beautifully! And the colours you chose are perfect! Who needs b&w striped paper when you have this pattern in your stash!! You've cased Joni with total and complete awesomeness!!! Last but not least, thank you SO much for encouraging people to play along with the card drive!! YOU ARE THE BEST!!! (glad you liked the abracadabra comment ;)!!! )

Dana said...

Whoa!!! LOVE LOVE LOVE the first card (second ones i pretty darn awesome too!) I love how you used the black and white pattern paper! The layout is perfect, all the elements work so well together!! Just beautiful!

Greta said...

Such fun cards, Carol! The first one doesn't look flat at all & I love your take on Joni's great card! Have an incredible time celebrating the birthdays--I know you will! Love hearing the stories of time with the kids.

Katie Ann Brooks said...

Love your take on Joni's card, it really is quite nice with the textures and DP, kinda opposite hers. The other card is so fun and cheery too, wonderful!

Geri said...

Yep...no doubt about it.....Aunty C rocks....BIG TIME!!! I wish I had an Aunty C like you when I was young! My aunty made us go to sleep really early whenever she watched us!

Fabulous cards....the ticket card - AMAZING, creative, awesome colors, sweet wee heart on a string (just like Aunty C's is where the wee ones are concerned!).

Your "thanks" card is stunning! I love the scalloped edge - mimics the curves of the die perfectly! The depth/dimension that you have created does show up well in the photo - love the layers!

Just a note to let you know that our computer is 'in the hospital' so my "big hug back at you" post will have to wait until tomorrow :)

Emily Keaton said...

Your colorful tickets are just so sweet! Those will be the perfect addition to your pretend shows. Sometimes little details like that are all you need to make a play experience completely awesome!

Thanks so much for all of your sweet comments over on my blog. It is always such a joy to me to see that you have visited! You are a gem :D

Kim Heggins said...

So fun...I love your pocket card filled with all those fun tickets and your Case Study card is just gorgeous...I love that black die behind your sweet floral decorated frame...lovely take on the inspiration card.

Joni Andaya said...

Ooh...so LOVE your take Carol!!! Beautiful with the thanks card and how fun are the tickets :) Hugs <3