it’s the pits: a card for mim#257

Each week, I try to play along with Papertrey’s Make It Monday Challenge, but I usually don’t finish a card in time to post. This week, I was determined to complete and enter my card for Make It Monday #257, sentiment strip grounding, presented by Lexi Daly.

Back at the start of July, I bought two pounds of cherries and pitted them the old fashioned way – with a sharp knife. From those cherries, my daughter made a cherry-blueberry crisp that was amazingly delicious. I mentioned to her that I wanted to buy more cherries and freeze them to have the crisp in the winter, but that I dreaded pitting all of those cherries and having my fingers be stained for two plus weeks. Brianna asked why I didn’t buy a cherry pitter and I explained that I had one many years ago that was worthless, so I’ve just stuck with the knife. She shared that her dad has one and insisted that it is easy to use. Fast forward one six-cherry pitter and five pounds of cherries later and I have a freezer filled with washed and pitted cherries just waiting for a cold winter’s day when Brianna bakes us a cherry crisp.

What do cherry pitters have to do with grounded sentiments? In actuality, nothing, but I incorporated that approach on a card using the cherry from Scent-imentals. I made the card for my father-in-law so that I could share the cherry pitter story. He lives in a nursing home a few states away and I like to send him cards and share little tidbits about what is going on in our lives. In reality, it is easier for me to make a card and write a note if there is a story that guides both; otherwise, I sit there staring at a blank page with my mind just as blank (for both making the card and writing the note).

One would think that after a woman pits five pounds of cherries, she would know exactly what they look like. Right? Well, the blank mind above apparently carries over into other parts of my life. After a “watercolor cherries” search on Pinterest, the following image jumped out at me, more for the design than the actual cherries.  Please note that the pin only went to the image and I was unable to find the original work of art to give credit to the artist.

I was not planning on doing anything that detailed since I am not an artist, but I did want to try to use the flow of colors. After working with a paintbrush for color placement and drips, I gave up and went to the smooshing technique. So much easier!

Sentiment strip grounding was a perfect approach with this card. The woodgrain tape was not only great for the sentiment strip, but it also symbolized a tree branch from which the cherries were growing. Obviously, I overthink things.

Hope you had fun visiting.

nancy

PS – One would think from the length of this post that I wouldn’t have any trouble filling a note card. ;-)

supplies:

stamps:  Scent-imentals and Flower Fusion #10 (PTI)

ink:  harvest gold, bright buttercup, hibiscus burst, pure poppy, scarlet jewel, green parakeet, new leaf and classic kraft (PTI); espresso truffle (Memento); VersaMark

paper:  citrus blend card stock (Recollections); watercolor paper (Strathmore)

dies:  Scent-imentals (PTI)

extras:  wood tape (Studio Calico); black embossing powder (PSX)