Good News/Bad News Metal card

The Good News:  Got some new metal embossing goodies this week from Ten Second Studios ( I actually had to order some of the supplies from Bonnie's Best.  Both had quick turnaround and Bonnie called and e-mailed me when one of the metals I had wanted was not in stock.  Talk about service!!).  I could hardly wait to try it out!! So, when my youngest son was invited to a b-day party this week (FOR FRIDAY!! Yikes, peoples!! Let's have a discussion some time about the stress of adding last minute parties to the "To Do List"!!) I worked up in my mind just the card I wanted to make.

The Bad News:  Everything that could go wrong on this card did!! GRRRRRR!!!! I haven't ruined so much stuff in one sitting in a LOOOONG time!!

First the card:

(I know that this will not make sense to most of you card makers.  I would have taken pictures of what I was doing, IF I had managed to do ONE STINKIN' thing right!! Once I figure it all out to a somewhat presentable degree, I will do this again with step by step pictures)

(this is not the gift card that will go in this....this is what I had.  DH is being a gem and buying the REAL gift card today on his way home from work)

 I ordered a mold that you place under the metal and use a paper stump to bring out the texture.  Well, I saw on the Taco Tuesday Videos that you can run the molds through the Big Shot and do quick embossing.  GREAT.  Except when I ran my FIRST (notice the number there) sheet through, the depth of the mold caused some of the higher detail lines TO CUT MY METAL (and yes, I DID follow the instructions provided on the video! Except for one possibility.  TWO sheets of tissue paper might have been needed in my sandwich).  Ok.  Fine.  I'll just do the thing by hand.  Get SECOND piece of metal and lay it over the mold and start rubbing the details in, doing some detailing as I go along.  GRRRRR!! Almost done with the whole pattern when it dawned on me that I'm working ON THE WRONG SIDE IF I WANT MY IMAGE EMBOSSED not DEBOSSED.  Consider trying to erase the thing but decide that I just need to get the stupid thing done.  Get THIRD piece of metal and finally get most of the details rubbed into the metal.  Go to refine the details and screwed up (I'll spare you the agony of reading that).  Finally, get to the place where I just don't care anymore and use a sanding block to rub off the colored finish on the metal to highlight the raised portion.  Ruined my blade on my personal trimmer cutting the metal somewhat square (important detail later)  as I could not cut a straight line to save my life with my puny little Xacto knife (yes, I will be ordering a heavy duty cutting mat and knife shortly). 

Moved on to the inside of the card.  Borrowed the Sizzix/SU die Look Here! from my wonderful friend Kerney (waving!) and cut the image from textured black cardstock.  Ran some of the scrap metal over the arrow portions so that I could emboss them to match the front of card.  Luckily, I was using scraps as I had to re cut the bottom arrow TWICE since I needed the mirror image so that the metal would show on the FRONT of the arrow vs the back (didn't consider the pop up factor).

Cut my base cardstock to what I thought was 1/4" larger than the front metal piece.  Remember the italics from above?  It would seem that my square card was SOO not square.  So, cut another card base and adhered the inside of the card using red liner tape (you know, the REALLY sticky stuff?!)  Get it all down nice and tight.  Dug out the number 9 from T!m's idea-olgy line and mess around with trying to get it to show up on the metal more, finally settling on making a very handmade border for it.  Line it up on the front AND REALIZED THAT I GRABBED THE WRONG CARD BASE when I adhered my insides!!

By now, I really HATE this card.  I don't care that it is not the "WOW" card that it was suppose to be.  I don't care that it goes against all "good design rules".  It is for a 9 y/o boy.  Whose invitation to the party came two days ago.  For Friday.  I don't have time to do this stinkin' card again.  Glued the stupid thing together and call 'er BURNT. 

Now, I could have just given this to the kiddo and you all would have never  been the wiser.  So why did I chose to share all my frustrations?  Because there are some important lessons learned here:

 1) Trying something new means mistakes.  In my case, MANY, MANY  mistakes.  But one will never grow in creativity if one never tries something new

2) In all reality, everyone will probably be impressed with this card.  It has the dimensional factor going for it.  It has the "cool" metal going for it.  It has the "made just for you" going for it

3) EVERYONE makes mistakes.  In blogland, we don't see the overflowing trash cans.  We don't hear the words our children think we don't know.  But the mistakes are there.  And personally, I find encouraging to read about the mistakes.  It makes the "OMG! creators"  more like me.  And I like to think they are human and not from another creative planet that I wasn't fortunate enough to be born on.

So, I'm sharing the good and the bad.  Take a risk today. Try something new.  Chalk up the mistakes to a learning experience and move on to the next one.  It's all good.

Thanks for dropping by today!! I'll be back tomorrow with another Just for Fun Stamps Color Challenge!!