Ready for Spring

For such a simple card, this was really hard to make.  I am making New Year's cards since I didn't get my Christmas cards out.  This image from Heartfelt Creations was on the top of my pre-stamped images pile and I thought it was perfect for the sentiment from Mark's Finest Papers.  Plus I liked the nod to winter with the cardinals and the splash of spring.  Dogwoods tend to blossom very early here and I am desperately waiting.

I made the mistake of colouring the image first and then trying to find paper to match.  I spent forever going through ALL of my DP.  Then I tried to go completely CAS (clean and simple) with a simple white background but it just looked too stark.  I hate Blush Blossom, the pink in the background so even though it matched the flowers, it just didn't work.  I tried various oval mats but since the image isn't symmetrical, I went back to a rectangle.  I then played with background stamps because the uninterrupted blocks of colour were still overwhelming.  I must say, I am loving the crackle background, it's so versatile.

Finally onto embellishments.  I tried every combination of flower I could think of.  I even coloured my Prismas to look like the dogwoods in the image.  I tried punches of butterflies and dragonflies but they just didn't go.  Finally I found this ribbon.  Normally I would never combine red with pink but I was trying everything.  In the end I'm quite happy with the card.  Next time I use satin ribbon though, I would put it on a cardstock backing first so you don't see the paper levels quite so clearly.  Oh well, live and learn.

Challenges this Card Meets:
Friends of Speedy TV - New Year's Card
Crafty Creations - Anything Goes
Cute Card Thursday - Anything Goes
Tuesday Throwdown - Bright and Happy New Year