Inside the Mind of a Cardmaker

A very lovely lady wanted a very special card for a 70th wedding anniversary.  I asked for some additional info, so I had something to work with.  Turns out the couple owned roller rinks, so I'm thinking "as life rolls along" type of verse.  Kind of kitschy but cute.  Then she added that they are also into ballroom dancing.

Well, that set a whole different tone.  Out went the kitsch and in went the elegance.  I went searching for a design that included a couple dancing.  Online I found a cute layout:

 

 

I instantly had a ton of ideas on how to change this to what I needed.  The heart needed some pen work, the girl changed into a couple dancing and music notes instead of clouds.  I've recently found GraphicStock, an image warehouse, and they are offering a 7 day free download of 20 images a day.  Fantastic deal!  Anyway, I found the perfect image of a couple tango-ing.  I found the music staff in the Pazzles Library - wonderful resource.

 

So, here's what I came up with!

 

 

I'm very happy with the way it turned out.  I hope the buyer and the recipients like it too!  Thanks for the order, Teri!  Anytime you need a special card, you know my number!

Very Cool Lettering Technique

Because of the versatility of the Pazzles Inspiration, I can create lettering like this:

I've seen ads that cut the text with a shape and I've always wanted to try it.  While designing this card, I realized that this would be the perfect opportunity to test the theory. 

So in the software I laid out all my elements on the card base.  Then I duplicated the text and grouped one set of text with the silhouette.  I left the original text on the card base.  So then it was just a matter of keeping track of which pen color to use. 

BTW, this is an Anniversary card - the inside verse says "is only YOU.  Happy Anniversary".