Happy Spring Joy

Hi there and Wow! What a month is has been!! I've been supah' busy with SAB demos --- you are not hearing me complain -- not one itty bitty bit but I have not had much time for just stampin'!! But here is what I have been working on and I just finished them up this afternoon ~ cards for a swappers group I was asked to join recently called the QC Swappers Group ~ ~ "Quality Controlled" swappers that is ;o) Here is my submission for the upcoming mini:




This was fun!! I started out with a piece of Marigold Morning card stock and I cut it the long way to 4 1/4". I folded this in half and then scored a 1" flap to fold back. It is the size of a standard card and it opens up where the old olive tab is at -- kinda' hard to see in the pic here.

On the front of the card I inked up the paisley stamp out the "Polka Dots and Pasiley" stamp set from the SU! Spring Mini using Vintage Violet ink and randomly stamped that over the front of the card. Then I inked up the Linen Background in Vintage Violet again and stamped that over the pasiely images. Then I taped down the fold and for the 3rd and final time I stamped again, using the french script and Vintage Violet across the front.

Then I took a sponge and inked it in the Vintage Violet again and just sponged the flap and just around the edges of the card just to blend it all together --- you know make it flow but look a bit worn or dirty ;o)

Next were the three flowers --- I used the Old Olive and Rose Red Stampin' Write Markers to color the rubber and stamp these on Naturals Ivory card stock. Once these were all done I came across the top of each one with the polka dots stamp from that new stamp set and stamped it in So Saffron --- it's impossible to see in the pic here but it adds just a subtle look to the image and the flowers don't look like they are just 'hanging' there this way! Then I just simply took my piece of card stock and fanned the four edges over the top of my Vintage Violet stamp pad to just give a bit of color to the outside edges. I then mounted this to a piece of Rose Red cardstock.

Next I stamped the 'find joy in the little things' saying and also the 'happy' saying using the Lovely Lilac CRAFT pad and quickly covered it with the detail clear embossing powder and embossed each one ~ I think this gives it that extra touch and makes them 'pop'. For those of you who may wonder why you use a craft pad for this rather than just a stmapin' pad --- the craft pad is alot 'gooier' so it allows you to emobss if you work quickly --- since it is wet your powder sticks and you are able to emboss --- it's really easy and fun! Make sense? Just ask me questions if you need more explainations ;o)

Next was the best!! I got to use my new Round Tab Punch!! I pretty much designed this whole card around this punch!! YEP!!! I just love new things like this!! lol I punched the tab out of Old Olive and stamped 'for you' one it from the Tiny Talk stamp set. I then attached this to the Vintage Violet card stock and used the slit punch to punch a hole for ribbon. I ran a piece of my fave Vintage Violet Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon ((remember!! we can still order the three colors of stitched grosgrain!!!)) thru there and slid a piece of hodgepodge hardware on and tied a pretty knot over the hole (cuz' I can't do a pretty bow to save my life!!). Then I took a smaller piece of the Spring Moss grosgrain ribbon and tied it next to that just for another dimension.

Now, I should have stopped there and called it good! But --- I did one more thing that I think I regret now and that was to add crystal effects to just one of the three flowers. It's hard to see in the picture here but I am not so sure I like it. I also tried to stamp another flower in the same color and cut it out and thought about attaching it right over the existing flower with a stampin' dimensional but that just didnt look right either....humm.....

~~~~~~~~~~

Anywhoo...here is my official recipe!

Stamp Sets: Polka Dots & Paisley (Spring Mini), French Script BG, Linen BG, Tiny Talk

Stampin' Pads: Vintage Violet, Lovely Lilac CRAFT pad, Old Olive, So Saffron, Rose Red SW Marker, Old Olive SW Marker

Card Stock: Marigold Morning, Vintage Violet, Old Olive, Rose Red, Naturals Ivory

Accessories: Round Tab Punch, HodgePodge Hardware, Vintage Violet Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon (107885), Spring Moss Grosgrain Ribbon, Sponge, Slit Punch, Crystal Effects, Detail Clear Embossing Powder

~ Enjoy & TFL~