Pink and Red

(Click on any photo to view a larger image. Click the back button to return to this post.)

Now that the Lunar New Year decorations we created in the past few weeks are up and displayed at the senior citizens center and the Year of the Dragon celebrations have begun, our crafting attention turns to other things. This year, 2012, is gearing up to be a year of great change. From a numerological perspective, 2012 equals the number 5 which represents change, so I created a card that prominently features a large butterfly as its focal point. The butterfly is a symbol of transformation and, as such, is a perfect representation of the changes that are to come this year. The card is pink which is not a color that appears very often in my crafting but in this project everything just fell together. A beautiful pearl card stock was crimped to give it a little texture. Black decorative elements were added for high contrast against the pink. The wings on the focal butterfly were cut from glitter paper, glued to a corresponding black butterfly and the wings lifted up to give a three-dimensional illusion of flight. A coordinating pink envelope was stamped with a flourish in a slightly darker shade of pink and two tiny butterflies flutter along its edge.

Now on to the next upcoming holiday -- Valentine's Day. With its focus on the tender emotions, it is a day everyone can identify with in one way or another. As expected, the dominant colors are pink and red. Like the Year of the Dragon hanging ornament, this project was created on a base of discarded CDs and is double sided so it can be viewed from either side. My group of crafters were able to personalize their project by choosing their preferred decorative stickers from a various sticker sheets. At right you can see both sides of the ornament featuring a large heart with stickers applied on one side and an intricate lace-like doily cut from card stock on the other side. A ring of connected hearts encircles the sentiment. Everything is built on a cream colored ribbon and topped with a full bow made of rosy pink satin ribbon. Here's a photo of my crafting group showing off their creations. We really had a good time putting these together and they look wonderful hanging on one side of the senior center's main activity room, across from the Lunar New Year decorations and interspersed with the December holiday decorations that will stay up through February. The room is bright, colorful and very festive. If you click on the photo of the seniors, you can see the room decorations in the room behind them to the left. Soon this will give way to the green of St. Patrick's Day and the coming of spring but for now red rules the day.

Ballo ergo sum
- Gitana, the Creative Diva