Big Hugs

     As we enter into the almost-Valentines/Galentines Days flurry of crafty activity, I've unearthed my Valentines cardmaking supplies...but this year some of my cards for the holiday of love, like, and friendship are NOT Red, pink, and full of hearts and flowers (don't get me wrong, I do those, too!).  I find myself moving toward friendship cards--like this one, featuring that sweet new puffin set from A Rabbit Hole Designs:  

I like that I can send this as a Valentines greeting for a friend, but that I can use it any other time of year, too.  

So--about the card:  This little puffin is so sweet and unexpected and has enough colors in his beak and balloons to tie in all the colors in my rainbow-hued scripty hugs stamp. 

And can we talk about that rainbow of hugs for a minute?  I'm not the best stamper, but my MISTI stamping took really took this project "to the bank." I used my new Catherine Pooler inks (y'all, they really are as good as everyone says!) and triple-stamped each hug to get completely solid images.  I can't believe how perfectly stamped each image is!  And this is particularly important, since I'd already stamped and colored the puffin using my Zig water color makers. Any mistakes would meant a major re-design of this single panel card.  Not the end of the world, and I make a ton of boo-boos while crafting, but I really wanted this design to turn out right.  

My question for the day:  Do you make cards with a pre-determined design in your head or on paper, or are a seat-of-the-pants (SOTP) maker?  I'm a SOTP maker, almost always--including this one, which started with the colored-in puffin, then had me sitting and starting at him for a while, and then the ah-ha! moment of big hugs and more hugs.  That's often how my "process" works:  I create a focal point/main image, and then stare at it, waiting for inspiration to club me over the head. This time, the clubbing came quickly and no re-work was required.  Winner!

Hope you enjoyed it!

Thanks for stopping by,

Essie