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

A Pop of Color

I know I showed you the color embossing powders from the Summer Mini once before, but I don't think I had grasped their full potential.  While it's fun to emboss in color on white, these powders really strut their stuff on darker cardstock.  That's why I say hello hello hello to a Melon Mambo embossed delicate doily on Basic Gray cardstock.

See anything new here?  You should--it's a double sneak peek for the 2011-12 Idea Book and Catalog, which goes live this Friday!  The main image is from a new stamp set, Delicate Doilies, that is oh so much fun to play with (embossed or no!).  But my absolute favorite thing about this card is the the new punch, Lace Ribbon Border.  That's another great pop of color.  The sentiment is from Happy Greetings, which you can find in the Summer Mini.  Sadly, this great set of sentiments did not make the cut for the IBC, but I happen to think that this edition of the idea book has the best sentiment sets ever, so I can't feel too bad.

Cheers!
~Melanie

Stamps: Delicate Doilies, Happy Everything
Ink: Versamark
Paper: Basic Gray, Melon Mambo
Extras: Melon Mambo embossing powder, Wild Wasabi embossing powder, Lace Ribbon Border punch