Saturday, July 28, 2012

Distracted by Olympics

I'd intended to post last night, but was distracted by the Olympics opening ceremony, which was loud and bizarre and sometimes funny. The forging of the Olympic rings was brilliantly Tolkien-esque (not to mention ironic) and visually amazing. Kenneth reciting Shakespeare made me smile. JK reading Peter Pan made me smile. The Thames video sequence was exciting and meaningful at the same time. Mr. Bean made me laugh. The volunteers mostly seemed to be having a blast (as opposed to concerned that their families might be imprisoned if they beat their drums out of time), and I loved that.

But I got tired and went to bed somewhere around the M nations (Mongolia, perhaps) filing in.

I'm not hip or postmodern, and prefer cleaner, simpler, more coherent shows. But then, I'm also not English, just an Anglophile, and anything that includes royal corgis being adorable and the Queen as a Bond Girl has my vote.

Plus, there was none of that freaky-scary lock-step totalitarianism China served up in Beijeng that gave me nightmares. No surprise there considering Great Britain has given us hobbits, Jane Austen, the Beatles, the Book of Kells, and Cadbury chocolate (surely the reasons people don't defect from Great Britain), but what a relief! The scariest things about the London show were from its literature, and seeing Lord Voldemort deflated and a bunch of Mary Poppinses saving the day satisfied my soul.

And now to my card for today, which was inspired not by Olympic rings but by a picture from, you guessed it, 1,000 Bags, Tags, and Labels.

Here's the inspiration:


Here's my card:


The AR/OC side of me loved how the three leaves were lined up on the bottles, and the yellow and vermilion color combo speaks of fall and warmth and my favorite season of the year. I have at least 15 birthday cards I send in October and November to friends and family, so this card will be particularly useful.

I hemmed and hawwed about putting a couple of brown pearls on the card base next to the bottom of the raised panel on the right, but decided against it. That way, the leaves remain the focal point, not the sentiment (which would stand out more with the addition of brown pearls).

The leaf stamps are old, old, old from PSX (Personal Stamp Exchange). What a tragedy PSX went out of business so long ago.

And here's an update. I've finally started whipping my craft space into shape, inspired by V-Grrrl's before and after posts on her blog. Will have some after pictures of my own to show in a week or two, perhaps sooner, depending on how AR/OC I get about it.



Supplies
stamps: PSX, PTI (Mega Mixed Messages)
ink: Memento
paper: PTI vintage cream
accessories: dimensionals

14 comments:

  1. Fabulous card - love leaves and the colour combo is yummy :) I'm an Olympic junkie and can't wait to watch the events. Too bad it's tainted by steroid use...

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  2. Hi Susan, What a brilliant card, I love the way the two golden leaves are enhanced by the red. Popping the whole layer off the card makes it even more special!
    I'm so relieved the opening ceremony went well, glad you seem to have enjoyed it too :0) Cynical old Brits like me were holding our breath. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised and really quite enjoyed it myself. I can't help thinking it must have all been a bit confusing for the countries who don't know the idiosyncrasies of GB!
    Gay xxx

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  3. Wow, Susan, I am loving your cards inspired by 1000 Bags, Tags, and Labels. This one is no exception! Beautiful!

    I loved reading your "review" of the Olympics opening ceremony. I wish I'd watched it. Perhaps they'll replay it today sometime (Sunday here). It's always interesting to see how a person from one culture describes other cultures. :-)

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  4. Beautiful clean and crisp design for the card. I'm sure it will work well with all those fall birthdays.
    Love your take on the opening ceremony. Mr Bean was the most popular part in our household. Though, the Queen's role in preceedings was aweseome!

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  5. I really like this card - perfect take on the inspiration picture.

    Glad you enjoyed the Opening Ceremony - it was, as my friend said, "bonkers and brilliant".

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  7. Nice fall card. I like the raised panel. Haven't had time to watch any of the Olympics as yet. From the few comments I've heard and read, it sounds like the opening ceremonies were eclectic and interesting. :)

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  8. Lovely card - Opening Ceremony loud? - simplicity itself - use mute button when quiet is needed!! I too loved Mr Bean, and laughed till I cried...you know we've flown around the world and the only time I saw a whole planeload of passengers really laugh so much was when a Mr Bean programme was on....quite an experience. I thought it was too long but really appreciated the artisitic qualities, especially the caldron rising up.
    May all play their part with fairness in the days to come.

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  9. First time commenting, long-time reader (and fan) -- I love the cards inspired by the bag/tag book. How clever and beautiful! The leaves one is gorgeous, especially with the raised panel. I might just have to get a copy myself!

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  10. Lovely card. I wish I could see the right side more clearly to get a better idea of the layout, but I love anything with leaves. Fall is my favorite time to make cards. I love fall colors and fall images.

    I don't really have any interest in the Olympics. Your description of the opening ceremonies made me feel happy that I was watching something else last night. LOL! I had read something earlier in the day that said it was pathetically political so I felt that was terribly out of place for an event like the Olympics. I may catch some of the competitions here and there but more likely won't.

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  11. What a LOVELY fall card, for any occasion. Could even be a Thanksgiving card with the right sentiment. The bright colors really make this pop. Really, really pretty....and so easy to do. I hope. Thanks!

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  12. You are teaching me to find inspiration anywhere and everywhere. Thanks for that! This card is very cool. I never watch the opening ceremonies of the Olympics. I just watch the particular events in which I'm interested.

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  13. Really interesting to read your views on the opening ceremony as a non-Brit. Over here we were wondering how well received it would be overseas. There's been lots of discussions since about how too far left it was politically (particuarly with the way it extoled the virtues of the NHS) and I have to say it was weird even for us. The cauldron rising was pretty spectacular though!

    Your inspiration from this catalogue is amazing btw!

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  14. Thank you for the link to my studio makeover. I don't have nearly as many supplies as some crafters/artists do, but it was still a big challenge to cleanup and organize without an investment in cabinets and tool chests and all that. I told a friend that I was glad I had posted the before photos and promised after photos a few days later. If it hadn't been for that promise, I might have lost heart half-way through and not finished. Good luck with your space and know that as long as you're happy in it, that's what matters.

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Thank you so much for taking time to comment!