One small step...

I've tried stenciling. I totally sucked at it. I mean really, really sucked at it. The stencils moved, the inks were uneven, the colors stunk, and the whole image looked AWFUL. What a waste of paper, or so I thought. There were sooooooo many gorgeous stenciled cards out there, and I was longing to give it another go. Then (duh!) I started watching some of the stenciling videos. (Oh Laura Bassen, you are a saint!) Was there hope for me???? And I started remembering things too...like Geri's advice: "Start your project with clean hands." And the carpenter's or cook's rule: "Use the right tool for the right job." Hmmmmm.... Sometimes, making do with what you've got just doesn't cut it. So I thought I might try this stencil thing again. Especially after seeing what was up on Virginia's View Challenge. Oh what the heck! After a morning's running errands with DH, and a trip to Michaels for some PROPER supplies, I got to thinking that it just might work. Then....I got ambitious. Not a good idea for a beginner. You won't see my first card here. It's not as bad as it could be, but it's something I want to use as a comparison when my stenciling gets better. Maybe later I'll post it. (But don't hold your breath...)

Decided to go with a simple, yet appealing to me stencil. I cut a journal card with my Cameo on some cardstock, after enlarging it a bit. Added some bits and bobs, and there you have it:

Simple stencil. Worked for me. Neenah white base, Studio G ink for the stencil, Ranger ink with the N&T "you are" part of my sentiment. SU flower and leaf, MME enamel dots, and SC sequins. The pinks are a pretty medium color, but look almost orange or 'hot' in the photo. So sorry.... It's a sweet card irl. And just in case you're interested, you can see my first post of today here. Happy dances everyone.