SCS CAS: Red, Black and White

Todays' Splitcoast Clean and Simple Challenge is to use Red, Black and White.  I had just received an order from Papertrey Ink that included Gracious Vases - an absolutely perfect set to do in a clean and simple challenge!!

I stepped up the simple little vases with a coat of Smooch Pearlized Top Coat so they have a subtle shimmer.  The flowers have a small dot of black Stickles in the center. 

There are two lessons that I have learned from many wonderful cardmakers:

• "Three" is a more pleasing number than two.  So, adding three vases is more visually pleasing than just two vases and I had to have three gems!
• Create visual triangles.  This is completely related to the first point as it simply means you want three embellishments, points of color, etc. at three different points.  This helps the viewers eye travel across the card. After I had the vases and ribbon on my card, it looked unbalanced.  Simply adding the three red gems gave me three points of red color and I had my triangle!!

These are simple artistic principles, but they make a huge difference in any and all cards that I make!

• Stamps:  Papertrey Ink Gracious Vases
• Ink: Memento black and copics
• Paper: black and white
• Accessories: misc black and red ribbon, Smooch Pearlized Top Coat, Martha Stewart glitter glue, gems colored with copics