Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Merry Mass Production with Taylored Expressions!

It's time to show you a little Christmas card Mass Production - Taylored Expressions Style!

Now I must confess, I'm not a huge fan of mass production but it does have it's place in the card-making world, so I embraced this challenge and created a fun grouping of six virtually identical and completely mass produce-able cards using Wings of Joy and the Christmas Key Ingredients. I say they're 'virtually' identical because I did switch up some colours and images, but I used the same layout for each card.
So what do you think? And believe me when I tell you these six cards only took me 1.5 hours to complete, from stamping the images to final assembly...REALLY!!! I kept everything simple so they were quick to knock off, and I also kept dimension to a minimum so they're mail friendly.

I thought I'd share my design process with you and show you step-by-step how I tackle mass-producing.

The first thing I did was decide on a layout. Sketches are always helpful cause I'm layout challenged, so I decided to use Taylored Expressions Sketch Challenge #86 because it was a simple layout without a lot of layers.
Next I decided on my images (all from Wings of Joy), stamped them on Choice Snow White with Memento Tuxedo Black and cut them out with my deckle rectangle Nestabilities. It's wonderful when you can swap out images of about the same size to create different cards using the same layout.
Then I coloured all the images, sticking to the same colour scheme on each and doing my best to use as few copics as possible to keep it simple and quick.
Next I prepared all the layers/panels. As I said, I used my Christmas Key Ingredients for all the cardstock and ribbon, only adding some Choice Snow White for the card bases.
The final step was simply adhering all my layers to the card bases. I used foam tape on the snowflake border for just a bit of dimension then added three Zva Crystals to each card.

After I was all done the cards I decided to add a few simple embellishments to really jazz up the images. I love how "stepping it up" can take a simple card to a new level and really make it special. Here's the before and after of each image so you can see the difference, and it only took about five minutes to add these special touches.

I added sparkle to the heart and berries with my red Spica glitter pen, and dimension to the wood perch with some Espresso Dimensional Pearls.
I added bling to the tree by colouring some clear Zva Crystals with a red copic marker then adding them to the ornaments.

And finally, I used my clear Glaze pen on the lights on the bird house and added some white Liquid Applique to the snow.
I hope this has inspired you to get a jump on your Holiday cards because there's only 73 more sleeps til Christmas!!!
Taylor has a fun challenge on her blog so be sure to pop over and play along.

Now let's go see what some of the other Baker's Dozen have come up with for mass-production cards.

Thanks for stopping by!
Karen

20 comments:

Sharon Harnist said...

So cute, Karen -- great way to change things up (different images the same size). Your details are quick and easy but add a lot of punch!

Dina said...

These are just darling!! Love the images and the nessties. Great coloring and they look wonderful with that sketch!

Jami said...

Great job on the challenge and really great step by step photos! Your cards turned out fantastic!

Jodi Collins said...

Simply FABULOUS Saucy! LOVE how you used Taylor's layout and your coloring is AMAZING as usual...even on quick and simple cards! LOVE the bling and the additions of CE you added too!!!

Jody Morrow said...

Your cards are all SO fab! I love the before and afters! Such little things that really make the cards WOW!

Monika/Buzsy said...

Fabulous set of cards! Love the blings, and Applique you added to the images. TFS!

redstamper7 said...

Love it! We always used to count sleeps when the boys were small. Miss those days....

Becky

Jackie Pedro said...

Love your cards and the tutorial, Karen!! Yeah....you rock!!

Denise Marzec said...

Gorgeous!!

Sankari W. said...

Get out with the Cuteness Saucy!!! LOVE the step by step instructions!!! And the coloring is beyond fab and lovely!!! BEAUTIFUL!!! (ps - thanks for the tip on how to stack pictures for taking them - i tried to use it but you are the Queen!!!!)
Big Hugs!
Sankari :)

Leslie said...

Assembly line is the only way to go for me! Love your photos and all the extra little details you do to "finish" your cards - lovely.

Danni said...

These are wonderful!!

Dawn Easton said...

Karen, your shading is amazing!! LOVE your set of cards!!

Donna Baker said...

SWEEET! I love how you used fun embellishments, elements to step up the cards a notch!

Jessica Diedrich said...

These are wonderful, Karen! Love the step by step photos and your coloring is GORGEOUS!

Unknown said...

Brilliant example of how it CAN be done after all! This insight is JUST what I needed to get over my panic!
Thanks for sharing these gorgeous cards and your tip for taking out the STRESS!
Viv xx

Jane Wetzel said...

dang Karen...you are good! these are sweet! :)

Jan Castle said...

Nicely done....line 'em up! I'm ready to give this technique a try to add to my stash!
Jan Castle

Janet said...

super cards! did it remind you of SU swaps ;)
hugs

Charmaine (CharmWarm) said...

Just beautiful, Karen! LOVE how you walked us through each step of your mass production! I felt like I was stamping with you! :)