Big Shot Teaser Card - Endless Possibilities!

I wanted to share with you today a card I put together for Mother's Day.  I'd been dying to play with my new punches and try out a couple of techniques I'd been reading about but life's been a little too crazy lately so I just haven't gotten there.  


So when my hubby came in to my Crop on the weekend and asked me to make a Mother's Day card, I said SURE!  though not before teasing him that I wasn't making my own Mother's Day card! ..  LOLs


I started out pulling out a sheet of one of my favorite colors "Rich Razzleberry" and then realized that in pack-muling all of my gear to the hall we'd inadvertently left my Paper trimmer on the chair in the living room -- OOPS!  


At that point I started looking through my tote bag since I normally keep a bag of extra card cuts from previous craft days on hand.  I found a number of cards already cut on whisper white, as well as some card fronts cut a little smaller than the card (also whisper white) - Not what was going on in my brain at the time, but I figured I'd work with it.  


Of course on any normal day I'm usually the one who does the reminders for birthdays and other special events in our family, but for some reason this year making a card completely slipped my mind.  Maybe it was somewhat freudian - who knows.  My own mom hasn't been in my life for quite some time,  and I'd already taken care of my Dad - calling him to wish him a Happy Mother's Day has been tradition for many years.  I realized this year that this was his 30th Mother's Day as a single Dad - That's pretty impressive.  Last year I'd sent him a dozen long stemmed roses in blue - his favorite color.  The flower shop near his house will likely never forget me as any time I call now they comment on the blue roses..  in any case I digress..  


So I punched out a plain heart in Rich Razzleberry and one in Real Red and laid them on the card - my intention was for one to represent my teddybear and one to represent me on a card for his Mom.  I hadn't brought any stamps beyond the brand new offerings from the new mini so I was kicking myself for that.  


About that point I remembered a big shot technique I'd seen online somewhere over the last few weeks and had wanted to try.  I used my Top Note Die to cut on the background shape from a piece of In Color paper from the level one hostess set offerings and laid it on the piece of white cardstock - I liked how that looked so I glued it there.  Then came the lattice textured impressions embossing folder.   I love the way it makes the whole piece look like a piece of fabric.  

Now at this point I could have used my Embosslit Scallop heart die for all 4 hearts, but I wanted to use my heart punch so I took the first two heart punches and laid them in the Sizzix polka dots embossing folder and ran them through the big shot. I decided that two hearts just weren't enough so I made two more and I wanted a different texture on them the scalloped heart of hearts was a big bigger and I didn't like how they worked together in this application so I punched out two more hearts and dropped them into the scallopped heart of hearts embosslit - the heart punch sat just inside the frame so I was able to emboss this different texture on the other two hearts. 


After arranging them all on the page, I decided it needed "something"..  so I took a bright yellow piece of my scrap card stock (I think this piece was Crushed Curry) and used my triple layer punch popped up to make the centre piece.  Then added the pearl as a little bit of Bling.  


To step it up, in hindsight I might have added a scalloped tag with a saying on the right hand corner but for today I liked it just the way it was.  I was also trying to prove a point to a friend who'd told me that she couldn't stamp so card making wasn't for her - that you didn't *have* to stamp to have fun making cards.  :)  


I used the Scallopped heart of hearts sizzlit die to make this heart on in inside of the card, and borrowed the "With Love" saying from our new Mini Catalog Level 2 Hostess Set "Love & Care".  


I find myself challenged daily in trying to decide which is my favorite stamp set, favorite tool, favorite die etc..   It's just MEAN to make me choose just one!!  I've loving the embossing folders though, and have started to collect a number more punches.  I really want to get more into punch art so the hunt is on.. :) 


For what it's worth, my mother-in-law loved her Mother's Day card. That feeling of joy that comes when you give someone something you made with your own two hands will never get old..    


Until Next Time.. I'll be hiding in the Crafty corner playing with my toys..  See you soon!