Trying to Find the Groove with "Just Believe"

Lissie is here and when get together, card making usually ensues.  However, (as I posted over on my personal blog), when I haven't made cards in a while, I find the mojo has deserted me and I struggle to get going.  This card took me an hour and a half to pull together--sheesh!

GG's birthday was Monday and I needed a card to send (that's me, right on top of birthdays...).  She loves pink and butterflies and I wanted to pull those two elements together. 

I follow Jaydee religiously, and found a new challenge site through her.  This one is Freshly Made Sketches, a site dedicated to " clean-lined creations but unlike Clean and Simple challenges, we encourage lots of detail and embellishments as long as they maintain a "clean" look to your card."  Okay, I can get behind that.  I needed a sketch, they had one that looked promising so I decided to see what I could come up with.  


I'm pretty pleased with how it all came together, from the Blushing Bride and Crumb Cake color combination to the double butterfly I mounted just to the left below the focal image, to the little pearls I used as accents.  It's a pretty little card and it makes me smile.  Let's just hope it does the same for GG. :o)


This card uses: 
Stamps: "Just Believe", "Sincere Salutations"
Papers: Blushing Bride, Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla (Whisper White was just too harsh)
Inks: Blushing Bride, Crumb Cake 
Accessories: Beautiful Wings embosslit, Lace Ribbon Border punch


Subtle techniques used:
*Instead of mounting the circle on a piece of Crumb Cake, I instead used the marker to color around the outside.  
*Because both the Blushing Bride and Crumb Cake butterflies got lost when used individually, I mounted the CC butterfly on the bottom and the BB on top of it.  It was perfect and nearly impossible to see in the photo due to the shadow.  Oh well.  

--Rach

Birthday Butterflies

Grandma's birthday is Sunday and I wanted to create a card I knew she would love.  Grandma's favorite color is pink and she has always loved butterflies--more so now that we've lost Hannah, as she (like us) views them as a symbol of the Monkey.

So, all I had to do was combine pink and butterflies. No problem!  I remembered how much I had enjoyed working with a similar color combination on a Paper Players challenge and pulled out Pretty in Pink, Regal Rose, Certainly Celery and Very Vanilla and went to work.

"Just Believe" is an incredibly beautiful, feminine set and lent itself perfectly to meet my needs.  I knew the "Beautiful Wings" embosslits would coordinate wonderfully with the set as well. 

I love it when a card just comes together. :o) 

Because it's a birthday card for a very special lady, I decided to bling it up a bit.  I used Dazzling Diamonds on the flowers and butterflies, and then went a step further, adding pearls as well.

I just knew "Curly Cute" would be the perfect sentiment to accompany such a pretty card.  :o)

And, you know me, I had to add a little something to the inside.  I mimicked the scalloping on the outside and added a butterfly, Dazzling Diamonds and pearls as well.  I left plenty of space to write a personal message to Grandma.

This card uses:
Stamp Sets: "Just Believe", "Curly Cute"
Papers: Very Vanilla, Pretty in Pink, Regal Rose, Certainly Celery textured card stock
Inks: Pretty in Pink, Regal Rose, Certainly Celery
Accessories: Scallop edge punch, "Beautiful Wings" embosslit, Dazzling Diamonds, pearls

It's such a sweet card I just want to prop it up and look at it all day. :oP  I can't WAIT to give it to Grandma. :o)

--Rach

P.S.  I'm sure I must have CASE'd this from somewhere, but for the life of me I can't remember where...

In Sorrow

I found out two days ago, one of Brien's friends and former coworkers had suffered a devastating loss--her youngest brother was killed in Afghanistan. I knew I had to make sympathy cards for her and her parents as soon as I got home.

Then, yesterday, more awful news, a coworker lost a life partner. It's a season of sadness right now. :o(



I had been anxiously awaiting the arrival of my "Just Believe" stamp set, and it came while I was away. Looking at it, I knew it would be perfect for the cards I had to create. It's such an elegant stamp set and lends itself to clean and simple cards.

This card uses:
Stamp Sets: "Just Believe", "Teeny Tiny Wishes", "Thoughts and Prayers"
Inks: Marina Mist, Certainly Celery
Papers: Very Vanilla (Whisper White just looked too harsh), Marina Mist, Certainly Celery
Accessories: scallop boarder punch, small pearls, dimensionals


Then, because you know how I am, I had to make the card in another color combination as well. Also, when I make a card, I make TWO of them, that way I can have one on hand if I need it. Or, I will have it on hand as a model for later.


The only difference between this card and the other is I used Rose Red in place of the Marina Mist.

The only thing left to do is include a personal note of condolence and get them mailed.

--Rach