I was in for a surprise when I was finished making my card to share with you today. Guess my memory isn't as good as I think it is! ;) I thought The Blossoms in Bloom set was being retired, but I was in for a wonderful surprise when I checked in the new 2021-2022 Annual Stampin'Up! catalog just to be sure. It's still in there! Hooray! I love the big bold blossoms that are all on one large stamp. It's so easy to stamp it just once or even more times if you want to cover a full sheet of cardstock and make your own background paper. I thought of doing that for the card today, but I had planned on only using a skinny layer so really didn't need to have so much left over. Maybe we'll just save that idea for another day.
I've been playing catch up with some birthday cards the last couple of weeks. And yes, this is another one that is going to be rather late. (That just means the birthday celebration can go on for the rest of the month, right?) Anyway, I thought this bold and bright card fit this occasion perfectly. So let's get to it...
The card all started with the Blossoms in Bloom stamp. I wanted it to fill the card front and just shout out "Happy Birthday"! So I started by stamping the blossoms on a quarter sheet of Basic White cardstock using the Highland Heather ink pad. I had an idea of working in mostly black and white along with the Highland Heather, so I stamped the flower centers with the multi-dot stamp and Memento Tuxedo Black ink. I added some Mint Macaron leaves to fill it out a little. Then I trimmed it down to 3" x 5".
It still needed just a bit of contrast, so I stamped the tiny filler flower from the same set with Mango Melody ink. Some flowers were stamped full strength, some were 2nd generation stamping to give even more contrast. As you can see, I think the yellow-orangy vs purple contrast worked well together.
At that point I went looking for a black layer to use. The Basic Black cardstock didn't strike me as just what it needed. Then I remembered the True Love Designer Paper that was all black and white prints. Oh perfect! Unfortunately, that lovely designer paper is being retired. Maybe it's time to get another pack for my stamping needs before it's all gone. I just love the black and white prints that can be so versatile! Anyway... I found the print that I wanted to use. Because I wanted a good amount of both the print and Highland Heather cardstock to show, I cut the DSP to 3 3/4" x 5 1/4". This way it kept the card tall and sleek looking.
I added a small strip of Basic White stamped with the sentiment (from the same set). This was stamped with Gorgeous Grape ink so it would be a little darker than the flowers behind it. The ends were trimmed with the Banners Pick A Punch. Then a tiny 1/4" strip of Basic Black was placed behind this and also trimmed on the ends with the same punch. A few Pastel Pearls were added for a light touch of bling.
On to the inside of the card... I like to bring the front of the card around to the inside by stamping something coordinating in the corner. I think it makes a special statement seeing the extra bit of care added to the inside of the card. This time I stamped some of the smaller flowers in the Blossom in Bloom set. The same colors were brought inside with Highland Heather and Mango Melody for the flowers and Mint Macaron for a few leaves.
There was a 3/8" strip of the DSP print that had been trimmed off just sitting on my desk telling me it didn't want to be thrown out, so it was added along the right side of the Basic White layer. It was a nice finishing touch to the inside.
Instead of stamping a sentiment inside, I'll just be writing out my thoughts for my friend. So the card is finished and in a few more minutes it'll be ready for the mail.
Oops, the mailman was already here today. So that means it's not going out until Monday. *sigh* Guess that's going to make these birthday wishes a couple more days late. I hope she'll be understanding and know that my best wishes are with her, not just on her birthday, but every day!
Please keep an eye on the retiring list. So many items are discounted and that's always nice. But that means they also sell out quickly. Don't want you to miss out on any items you really need or want.
Thanks for stopping by to check out what's going on here. Hope you'll leave a comment. I love hearing from you!
Keep stamping and making the world a nicer place one card at a time!
Sharon
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