Artful Friday ~ My Rule of 3

There you sit with a stamp set and a blank piece of card stock staring at you. Where do I start?? We, as paper artists, actually any type of artist, faces that same question every time they sit down to create. Believe it or not every artist has asked that question, Leonardo Da Vinci, Michaelangelo, Picasso. Every great work of art had to start with a blank surface. It can be very intimidating .......or it can be invigorating and exciting. With a blank "canvas" anything is possible ~ the sky is the limit!! But you can't use EVERYTHING in your stash, you have to make choices!!
Often, I find that when I have too many choices it paralyzes me. "Which stamp set should I use, which color ink, which color paper will be the perfect choice to express what I see in my mind?" I wonder and I freeze!!
I am a slow stamper and I have finally come to accept it. I take time to make my decisions with regards to my creations. I honestly don't know how people crank out card after card after card!! But that is who I am....slow and deliberate.
One thing that helps me when faced with too many choices is to follow the Rule of 3 - 3 colors, 3 embellishments, 3 added items, you get the idea!! Actually it "more a guideline than a rule" in the words of an infamous pirate, but it helps when you are feeling overwhelmed.

In this card that you just saw earlier in the week, I chose Pretty in Pink, Old Olive and Chocolate Chip as my main colors. I stuck to these 3 colors in my paper and ink choices. When I started this project I knew that I wanted to use the retiring Sweet Pea paper, so I chose that first. I wanted to show a nice variety of the paper designs, 3 to be exact, with this card layout. (There's that "rule of 3 again!") I made my choice of 3 papers and then used to striped one as "my inspiration piece" to make the rest of my color choices. That is why Tess is wearing a Pretty in Pink blouse and Old Olive slacks. I know that I would not have put those 2 colors together in real life but to make the card look coordinated I had to stick to those colors.

I chose to use 3 main elements in the card ~ the main image, the sentiment, and the ribbon knot. I also stayed with only 3 embellishments ~ the rhinestones, the feltie in her hair (how am I going to survive without moreSweet Pea felties!) and again, the ribbon. I used Chocolate Chip ink for my sentiment and the swirls to keep things the same.
This card went together fairly quickly, for me at least and I think it was in part because I used the "Rule of 3". It takes a bit of the decision making away.
Happy Friday!
Live each day with passion!
Thanks for stopping by!
Amelia Rose