The Wedding Gift ... and A Card

Sounds like the title of a movie ...

I took a little hiatus from the challenges to begin a few ZIA projects I needed to finish before the Back-To-School rush ... although I'm already having sleepless nights!

I was excited about this piece, and nervous at the same time!  I wanted to give a colleague a special remembrance of her special day - but would she (and her husband) like it????  (And I am still fairly new to tangling!)  I started with the wedding "colors" - gray and yellow, and of course white.  I chose a dark gray card stock (cut to 8 X 10), white gel pen, and white charcoal pencil (After several "tests" on a scrap piece of the gray paper, none of my yellow pens, markers, pencils, showed up!)

The invitation, and some decorations, had their initials - remembrance #2 - include their initials.  #3 - include the date of their wedding ...

Searching through clipart I found (I think) the perfect design - a heart created with intertwining ribbons ...

I drew the design on paper first, then transferred to the card stock and traced the lines with white gel pen.

I began with the letters, as I had a good idea what patterns I wanted to use and how to apply them - making the L (the bride's initial) a little more feminine than the A (the groom's).

I let the piece rest for a while - I wanted the ribbons to look twisted with both sides having different, complimentary patterns - I needed to think about this ...  I figured out the ribbons, added "dangles" to balance it; shaded with charcoal pencil; and then found (what I think) is the perfect frame (even though it doesn't have yellow in it!)  Hope they like it!  

Let's not forget a card!  I really like the "stacked pattern" look ~ and what better thing to put on the front of the card than the happy couple's names ... Congratulations Lindsey and Andy!!

 

A Request ... Celtic Knots

It can be dicey - you do something for one colleague, and another "wants one too".  I was actually flattered!  

One of my grade level partners (who had done a ton for me and our classrooms this summer) and her husband have Irish roots, and she requested a Celtic Knot.  So, a little research, and I found a wonderful set (21!) of videos on You Tube by David Nicholls that really made it look so easy!  (And it really wasn't too hard once you got the hang of his little tricks.)  

Due to the need for precision, I did use a ruler to lay down the initial grid lines.  The rest is freehand.

Pairs of alternating parallel lines are lightly sketched in (see video link for details).

The edges are sketched in depending on the pattern used - this one is Celtic Hearts (video 5)

Sticking with the whole name, and stacked look, I began ... Another 8X10, pale green paper, Micron Pens (black and green 02, 05, 08), Derwent Watercolor Pencils, white Gelly Roll for one tiny spot, my favorite - embellishments that are organic garden inspired (Zinger, Phystel, and four little Bijous to represent their family), a dangling heart to match the Celtic Hearts, and the "shamrocks" are mine.  I wanted a fun, whimsical look, but not "silly"... 
The

The letters were sketched in, again for uniformity.

Next, I "inked" everything, and added color ...

Finally, the shading and shadows, plus four Bijous, complete the piece.  Here you go Jenn ~

Seven weeks of "pinning" and I have about 1,000 tangling pins on my board ... and growing!