Tuesday 8 May 2012

Plundering Pages for Cardmaking: Floral card

Hi, hi, hi.

I don't know where it comes from [OK, I do, it's from my Grandma, but I don't know where she got it from!] but I have a overwhelming attraction to things which, if you were feeling unkind you might call 'tacky' ... but which I prefer to refer to as 'kitsch'

And the image I used on this card is a good example of precisely that:

It's cut from an article about flower arranging I found in a 1974 Girl Guide Annual [additional pages of the same book regularly find themselves inside packs of Plundered Pages.]

And while it's a perfectly simple image of a floral display ... there's just something deliciously retro about the colours and styling of the photo.
But, even though I love it for its subtle kitschy values, I still wanted to turn it into a pretty greeting card using modern techniques.
So that's why I combined the vintage image with:
  • a kraft card blank;
  • Nestabilities dies - I even cut the image to shape using one;
  • and some pretty ribbons and trimmings [all from The Ribbon Girl];
  • and a decorative pin:
And while that pin may well be very 'now' in terms of crafting must haves it's also completely and fabulously old-school at the same time!

I have an old book about fuchsias I bought to hack to pieces so I could use the covers. But the thing was ... I couldn't bring myself to do it!

Jennifer recently joked in the comments section about whether I offered a class about cutting into old books ... so I guess I should be honest and admit that I can't always manage it myself!

The books which force me to hesitate spend their days on the 'ones that got away' shelf which is higher than the 'fair game' books ... and is therefore pretty much out of my reach!

 Anyway ... this particular fuchsia book is filled with amazingly gaudy technicolour photographs which may now find themselves cut out and glued to the fronts of cards soon ... because this one has whetted my appetite!

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Thanks for taking time to read me today. I'd love to hear from you:
  • if after seeing this card you feel like mixing old + new;
  • if you've used my Plundered Pages packs in your crafting - there's now a Pinterest board where I pin projects customers have made - so just get in touch and I'll add your work to it;
  • and if you've combined any old + new elements in your crafting.
See you soon.

Julie :-)

p.s: I'd also love to hear from you if you just want to say 'hello'.

p.p.s.Twitter or my Facebook page are a great place to do just that.

6 comments:

  1. This card is lovely. I love the kraft with soft pink and sage green. And the leaf pin and bobble trim are really pretty finishing touches. As the card states itself - it's beautiful (though not very modest!).

    I'm glad I'm not the only one who can't cut into books! Last year I made book themed Hen Party bags, with notebooks, cards and badges all using book paper. I happily cut the text pages out of books, but I'll admit I cheated with the images. The bird images were downloaded from The Graphics Fairy, and the children's book images were photocopied because I couldn't bear to cut them out! If only you'd been doing Plundered Pages then, it would have made my life a lot easier! They're on my blog here: http://jennifersjumbles.blogspot.co.uk/2011/07/hen-party-gift-bags.html

    I will blog my ever growing pile of vintage books which I can't seem to cut into, at some point soon! x

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  2. Love that card - not the sort of image I would be drawn to but seems to work on the card. I thought you might be interested but I recently made a layout using some of your "interesting bits" - I posted about it http://craftypinpin.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/some-interesting-bits.html
    I've still got loads left and am looking forward to making more.

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  3. It is lovely Julie, the colours work well together.

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  4. I am tickled pink (:)) at the names of your bookshelves, Julie! And this is a very pretty card indeed - I love that pin and the twill addition with the photo.

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  5. Love the card, Julie. I also like mixing and matching materials, it's much more fun and original than using a kit.
    I also struggle with cutting up books. I have a collection that I think would be good to use but so far they sit untouched.... are they destined for shelves with names I wonder??!

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