Inspired by the Idea Book

Greetings!  I'm away from home this week, so I only have a few things to share that I made before I left.  I felt like I was in a slump with my stamping, so I turned to the Idea Book and Catalog for inspiration, and wow did I find it!  There are so many great layouts, color combinations, and ideas--you should check it out for yourself.  It's on my sidebar and waiting for you.

If you flip to page 166, you'll find my starting point for this card on the bottom of the page.  I just loved the look of color on color with embossing to create a frame, and decided I could definitely recreate that look on my own, even if I didn't have the same stamps as the card in the book.  So I got out some Perfect Plum, cut a card base and a second piece for layering, then embossed that piece using the Big Shot and the Vintage Wallpaper folder.  I already loved the look, and knew I was on my way to a great card.

Next I cut another layer in White Naturals, and choose my sentiment from Happy Everything.  I wanted to use a green with the purple, but which one?  Time to consult the Color Coach, where I found that Lucky Limeade and Riding Hood Red are well suited to Perfect Plum.  I used the Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border punch to create a cotrast line of Lucky Limeade, and then got out my barely used Aviary stamp set for the fun bit.  I lined the birds up along the bottom, so they'd be evenly spaced, and then pressed one of my clear mount blocks over them to keep the placement I wanted.  I inked the birds in Riding Hood Red, and was very pleased with myself.

I still felt like the card needed something, but what?  My finishing touch is three Bitty Buttons with Pink Pirouette punches below them--I love how the Itty Bitty Shapes Punches coordinate with the Bitty Buttons, and now my card is ready to mail.  Or hand deliver, since I'm on the road myself. 

Cheers!

~Melanie

Stamps: Happy Everything, Aviary

Ink: Riding Hood Red, Lucky Limeade

Paper: Perfect Plum, White Naturals, Lucky Limeade

Extras: Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border punch, Itty Bitty Punch Pack, Bitty Buttons, Big Shot, Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder

Birds in a Bush

Every morning this week, I've woken up to the sounds of chirping birds.  That's a good sign that spring is on its way!  In honor of that, and to play along with this week's Stampin' Royalty Challenge #61, I combined Pendant Park and Aviary.

Even though Stampin' Up!'s stamp sets give a full range of options individually, they also are great for mixing and matching.  I hoped that the scale of the Aviary birds would work well with the bush from Pendant Park, and a little masking later, I found out that I was right!  I love how it looks like the birds are sitting in the bush--especially the bright blue one in the middle.  To achieve this look, you have to stamp the top image (in this case, the birds) first, then cover those with post-it notes.  Next, stamp the bottom image (the bush) and then remove the post-it notes to reveal your nicely branch-free birds.

Stampin' Royalty Challenge #61 is a color challenge, requiring Wild Wasabi, Sahara Sand, and Garden Green.  I love Wild Wasabi, and was reminded that Garden Green is a wonderful shade of green.  Sahara Sand, on the other hand, I always have difficulty using.  I like it, but it's not as plain as vanilla or white, and always looks a little gray to me on cards.  What do you think?  I do like this color combination and will definitely have to try it again in different ratios.  The base of this card is Garden Green, as is the bush, and the accents--the layered square and the Dotted Scallop Ribbon border punch--are Wild Wasabi.

The finishing touch is the sentiment, which I pulled from the level 1 hostess set Because I Care.  I stamped it once for each of the little birds, and this card is ready to spread some spring cheer.

Cheers!
~Melanie

Stamps: Pendant Park, Aviary, Because I Care
Ink: Garden Green, Poppy Parade, Pacific Point, Chocolate Chip, Early Espresso
Paper: Garden Green, Wild Wasabi, Sahara Sand
Extras: Dotted Scallop Ribbon border punch