You're the Pick of the Patch...Gallery Idol FINAL Round

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Today is the first day of voting for the Final Round of Gallery Idol 2010. It has been an incredible journey and a sincere honor to have had this chance to compete. The caliber of talent in the Top 5 is astonishing, and I can say that the best part of this experience has been getting to know some amazing paper-crafters. A heartfelt thank you to everyone who voted me in the final five and for all the love and support! Also, thank you to Kelly Smith at Paper Crafts magazine for making this so much fun.

If you would like to vote, please feel free to use the voting widget in my sidebar or click HERE.

This round's theme was an "Inspired by" challenge, based on this photo:


We moved to Manhattan from St. Paul, Minnesota just a few months ago, so the inspiration photo actually got me thinking about berry picking in the Mid-West. The fruit is luscious, the farms are beautiful, and I was inspired by the photograph to create a card celebrating the happy fun of this summer pastime. I had to work quickly, with again only 3 days to create, and I hope you like the "fruit" of my efforts.

To begin, I sketched out the general idea of my card. Whenever I have something more complicated to do, I love to draw it out on graph paper, which really helps with dimensions and perspective. I decided to tackle the tractor first.
I traced out a pattern with a the aid of a light table and used it to cut out the various pieces of the tractor, beginning with a chipboard base, followed by two shade of green card stock. To add some depth, I sponged ink around each element. For more dimension, I double-traced and cut extra pieces of some of the parts. I wanted the tractor to shine like metal, so I applied glassy glaze to the darker green pieces. The wheels were carefully die-cut and circle punched, with a lot of trial-and-error to get the size correct. Tiny silver circles served as my "nuts and bolts."
Setting the tractor aside, I tackled the wagon by running some yellow card stock through my Big Shot with a woodgrain embossing plate. Then, I cut a multitude of "wood" slats, trimming and adhering on a piece of acetate. I did this process twice, as I needed to create an actual bed for my big ripe strawberry. A metallic pen helped make tiny nails in the wood. The wooden wheels were tricky, as after die-cutting and trimming the card stock, the spokes were very thin, and I adhered them to acetate for stability.


The banner is printed on canvas with a printer, which required some experimentation. I wanted to incorporate the polka dots on the bowl of strawberries and did so here, fading them out in order for the sentiment to shine through. I then cut it out and tied it to the wagon with very thin strips of raffia.

The little farmer dog was my next task, and I knew it would be difficult because of the size. He's only a bit over an inch high, and I wanted to paper-piece him. I again drew a template and worked with very sharp scissors to cut the elements, some several times to pop out specific parts. Like the inspiration photo, the playful pup is decked out in a gingham neckerchief (created from ribbon) and his hat is made from raffia. I sponged his edges for a bit more depth.

Next up was the real "fruit" of my labors: the big, ripe strawberry. I drew a template for both the fruit and the green cap and then traced and cut each out several times. I sponged around the edges again and then added liquid pearl "seeds." I assembled the strawberry to open like a traditional card for a place to write a message.
I was finally ready to assemble my entire card, which I did so by creating a "hitch" between the tractor and wagon and then by tracing and cutting an acetate card base. This card stands, with or without the big strawberry, all on its own. When I was done, I heaved a big sigh of relief, with just a little wish that it were a big breath of fresh country air.
BEAN NOTES: Stampin' Up Soft Suede, Riding Hood Red, Wild Wasabi, and So Saffron Classic Die Ink; VersaMark Clear Ink; SU Riding Hood Red, Whisper White, Basic Black, and Soft Suede Card Stock; Essentials by Ellen Hutson Chipboard; Taylored Expression Textured Cardstock (greens); Papertrey Ink Summer Sunrise Card Stock; Clear Acetate (generic); Copic Sketch and Multiliner SP Markers; Spellbinders Classic Circle Nestabilities; SU Circle Punches and Punch Pack; Big Shot; Hole Punch (generic); Printable Canvas (generic); Dafont.com Nashville Font, Foam Tape HAPPY BEANS: PTI Woodgrain Impression Plate; Lemon Yellow Liquid Pearls; Hero Arts Sponge; SU Glassy Glaze Embossing Powder; Kate's Paperie Gingham Ribbon; Raffia