Oodles to Share--Day 3: Fine Flourish for SAB

I saw this color combination of Rich Razzleberry, Peach Parfait, and Cajun Craze on another SU! demonstrator's blog and wanted to create my own card using this unique color combination.

I started with the RR base because I wanted that to be the dominant color. Now I wish I'd used PP instead. It's a little dark for spring. I chose the Fine Flourish small background stamp, which is one of the stamps you can select as your FREE item if you purchase $50 in merchandise between now and the 31st. I stamped it in RR classic ink on Very Vanilla card stock and accented it with the PP marker from the InColor set.

Then I decided to do some direct to rubber coloring on my Elegant Thank You, another choice from the list of FREE stamps available during Sale-A-Bration. After I stamped it, I matted it on PP and inked the edges of both layers with RR.

I matted everything on a piece of Cajun Craze that I'd stamped with the Linen background (retired). After I placed that on the card, it felt like something was missing. I pulled out the Medallion stamp and stamped it in the middle of the card base. While it's mostly covered, I like how it peeks out and adds just the visual balance the card needed.

Do you need some new stamping supplies? If so, this month is the time to purchase what you need. Purchase anything--card stock, ink, stamps, glue dots, etc. etc. etc.--totaling $50, and you'll be entitled to 1 FREE item from the Sale-A-Bration brochure. At the back of the brochure is the list of stamps from the Big Idea Book & Catalog that are also available for you to choose from. It's a sweet deal that only happens once a year, so don't miss out! Put your wish list together, then contact me, and I'll send you a brochure via email for you to peruse!

Medallion Sympathy

I never like making sympathy cards, but this one was particularly difficult to create. My brother-in-law's sister, only 44, died Tuesday morning. When you live far away from your loved ones, it's more challenging to communicate adequately your care and concern, so I wanted to get this right.

I thumbed through my archive of cards for inspiration and came across one I'd made using the Medallion background stamp inked in earth tones. Finding a suitable color palette for a sympathy card is a struggle for me, so I took this as direction and pulled out More Mustard, Cajun Craze, and Bravo Burgundy, all from the Regals Collection. I patted each pad directly on the stamp, layering color and creating some interesting texture. I used Very Vanilla card stock for this image.

I chose More Mustard for the card base because the darker colors are harder to read handwriting on, and pulled out my retired Linen background stamp and added Bravo Burgundy to it to give the card base a textured look.

I only had 3 scraps of Cajun Craze and none of Bravo Burgundy, so I went with a simple layout. I crumpled the strip of CC and then ran it over the same color ink pad. I like that it looks a bit like leather. At the last minute, I felt it need something to soften it a bit, so I added some Victoria Crochet Trim.

The sentiment is from Word Play and it said just what I wanted to say. I used Bravo Burgundy ink to coordinate with the rest of the color palette.

A n Almost-Complete CASE

I saw this card two weeks ago on Nancy Riley's blog. She does a weekly roundup of her favorites from all the blogs she peruses, and this one made her picks for the week. The creator is Tammy Fite, a fellow SU! demonstrator. I recreated it, only changing a few things.

I wanted something that was evocative of Autumn, without purchasing a specific set. I inked the entire Medallion stamp in Perfect Plum (PP) and then used sponge daubers to add accents of Pumpkin Pie and Old Olive (OO). Quick and easy, and the sponges create such a soft look!

Tammy stamped the upper half of her card base with the swirl from Baroque Motifs. I did the same. I didn't have any coordinating Designer Series Paper for the bottom half, so I just stamped the image again below and accented it with the small flower from the set. Yhen I placed the image, which was matted with Dusty Durango (DD) and OO card stock, on the card base. There's a small strip of DD helps keep the OO 1/4" grosgrain ribbon in place.

The placement of the sentiment was challenging. I went with "cherish" from Baroque Motifs, because that's what this season makes me want to do. I want to bottle the weather, press the beautiful leaves, and make the most of what I know is fleeting.

Make the most of this weekend! See you Monday!

Wedding Medallion

This Medallion background stamp is more and more fun to use each time I play with it! If you haven't seen the first post I did using this stamp, click here. Earlier this week at work, a partner commented that we should have a card for our district manager who is getting remarried this weekend. I told him I'd put one together, and this is the result.

I was influenced heavily in the design by this post by dberry on Splitcoaststampers.com. I really liked how she made the image look like a tile, and so I set out to put my own twist on it. The image is large--4.75" square. I chose Very Vanilla for the card stock and Soft Suede for the ink. I needed to be able to easily divide the VV in thirds, so I made my square 4 7/8". This allowed me to score at 1 5/8" and get the desired look. After I scored the square, I folded it and creased it several times to break down the paper fibers. Then I tore it apart. This left only the outer edges to distress with scissors.

I used some Soft Sky card stock from the InColor collection of 2 years ago (measuring 5 1/8" square) and attached both layers to a 5.25" base of Soft Suede. Old meets new.

Where to put the (from Kind and Caring Thoughts) was the biggest challenge. I thought about splitting it up and putting "Best" in the upper left corner and "Wishes" in the lower right corner, but I determined that keeping it all together was better. I split the message using my Stamp-A-Ma-Jig positioning system.

Most wedding cards feature designs that are feminine, so I'm pleased that this one seems to strike a balance and maybe even lean toward being more masculine.

Multi-Hued Medallion

One of the hottest stamps from the new catalog is the Medallion background stamp. I've seen MANY cards using it, but my favorite is this one on SCS by BevMom. (I had a real thing for rainbows when I was in middle school, and I've never quite gotten over it.) This card spoke to me immediately, and I had to try my hand at it. I used nine inks, mostly from the Earth Elements color family, and applied the ink direct to the rubber using sponge daubers. Here's the list, for those who want to know: Cameo Coral, Ruby Red, Pumpkin Pie, Summer Sun, Old Olive, Garden Green, Baja Breeze, Not Quite Navy, and Elegant Eggplant.

Here's the completed card with the stamp. You can see that I left the center uninked. The circle is the same size as our newest circle punch, which measures 1.75". That's in the mail, so you'll be seeing some other card creations which incorporate the center and even highlight it.

We'll be using this stamp at this month's Stamp-A-Stack, which will be held on Sat., Sept. 19, from 10a-1p, at my house. If you'd like to host a gathering of friends at your house to do some great stamping, leave me a comment!