Create Your Path

 Let me first start by reciting one of my favorite quotes:

"Two roads diverged in a wood and I - -

I took the one less travelled by,

And that has made all the difference."

~Robert Frost 

 

I've been wanting to play with the Woodland Wonders - August 25 Whit Kit for awhile now.   I was smitten by the looks of it last year at this time, as for so long, I had considered becoming a Whit Kitter.  I decided to take the plunge with this first kit.  The funny thing is, I got crazy busy with 2025 holiday orders in my chocolate life, that I never had the chance to stamp away.  Many kits later, pretty much all, I have had the chance to design with, for some reason, I was afraid I couldn't do justice with this one.  My clear vision, or maybe need wasn't guiding me, as I didn't have one.  (Well, you always have a need, as I thought finishing this card...I'll suggest at the end of this post, where this card could find a home.)

 

Pretty much lately, I'm only working on Craft Roulette projects, dabbling a TINY bit on a massive gift project that may never get done, I'm thinking 2028?  2029?  It's massive...  I did join a small Halloween card swap, it's the first real swap, besides Paperganza that I've joined in about 20 years...  I like this kind, a small group, of which I suspect I might develop a couple good friendships out of, the host and I have become craft buddies, I'm excited to get to know the others as well.

 

What triggered me to use this kit was the designer papers that were included.  If I recall, they were all subtle, "dusty hues" kind of designs and colors, so...I instinctively went to it.  I did peruse a tiny bit through my giant collection of other stamps, seeing if any "K" word jumped out.  I could have literally gone any direction, but...I speed perused, so I have a hunch my mind was made up before I started.  I was ready for the challenge of a style that I'm not that savvy with, although, it's super easy, so not sure why I was intimidated from the get go.  I think it's those silhouette trees that were spooking me.

 

This week's parameters: 

 

1. Joyfold Card Project:  These are fun, but to be honest, not easy to get photos of for me.  I see shadows, I can't size adequately, yada yada yada....that being said, they are fun to make, (they do take a little longer, as I have the urge to cover every space possible, I still can't get that editing vibe down...)  
2. Dusty Hues Colors:  I did mention my soft hues in the designer paper and ephemera accents.  I also knew, using my distress oxide inks for blending, I'd get that "chalky" dusty appearance as well, so if it doesn't jump out at you one way (like my photo editing here might make my atmosphere on this card a little more vibrant than it actually is...) you should see the "dusty, soft hue" of my grass.
3. Starts with "K".  I love it when this kind of parameter pops up.  I googled "K" woodland animals...and guess what I found:  Kodiak Bear, Kit Fox, Kloss's Porcupine, Kabyle Rabbit, and a Kirtland's Warbler.  I'm pretty sure I covered that parameter, although I'm not sure they are all habitat in same kind of "woodland"...or my Warbler is the right color.  Oh well, we will pretend here.
4. Torn Paper Random:  I do not feel it's stretchy pants one iota on this.  I take these parameters almost too literal at times, so when I do a "generalization" of one, like colors... some parameters can be justified with every color under the sun...it's almost a free parameter...and if that's all that's in me at the time, then so be it...but, I TRY to be very specific...  I used a piece of torn paper to make a template for my grass stenciling...you also can see the "dusty hue" of the sage and shabby shutter greens that I used for my base grass...kind of 2 parameters getting knocked out here at the same time!  lol!  It also dawned on me, my die used for my panel, is a torn looking edge.  I like my torn paper stencil for my justification, however...I didn't intend to use the torn edge die cut, it was left over sitting on my table and it was my "practice" piece.  I didn't feel the urge to redo another, since I was satisfied with the results from the get go...
   
   So, who would I send this card to?  As I was adhering my many ephemera strips to the inside fold out panel....... I felt this card would be perfect for someone like my daughter, who recently took a HUGE career opportunity, moved to a new state, new experiences, rather independently.  It would be great for a college kid, leaving home for the first time.  It would be good for a graduate, or really anyone starting a new venture.  My only regret using all these strips is that I used my one and onlies of each of these sentiments.  I've never been a ephemera person, but, am kind of loving that vibe lately.  
    
   

   
    So, there you have it!  The kit included a stencil, paper clips, and cute little clothespins, plus designer paper, sentiment ephemera, and a stamp set (13 unique stamps).  I used a paperclip out of my stash, it was a dusty color that matched, lol...  I preferred not to use one, but...my card wouldn't close.  I don't think it would have from the getgo, but, it certainly couldn't after I kept adding a new inside sentiment panel...first one was crooked to the eye, second got a smudge, 3rd showed a bend in it...yikes...
    
   So, super fun card to make.  This.is.the.original.  I most definitely would have edited BUNCHES had it been a regular week for me.  I should not have impulsively glued things on, cut things up, etc...but after I had...I just kind of kept going where the arrows pointed.  
    
   I feel somewhat caught up in the factory this week....I'm going to sit back and enjoy card making day on Saturday I think...and probably be up late Friday night with my 131st Craft Roulette in the making!  
    
   By the way...that Robert Frost saying?  It is one of the many stamps in a set I purchased from a company called "Cornish Heritage Farms", way back in the early 2000s.  They sold their art library sometime around 2008ish?   (I see one of their lines prominently in craft land)... I'm pretty sure, at the time, I felt they had the best quality and selection of stamps on the market.  I still believe the quality is one of the best, I feel Unity Stamps is in similar superior quality...(I prefer rubber stamps every day, all day)...  My only regret is, I didn't purchase a few more things before they were 100% unavailable.  I use this sentiment actually quite a bit, it might be my most used sentiment set...  I felt it was worth a mention here!