Lacy Layers

Hello my friend.  How are things going for you today?  Here we've been dealing with freezing weather again and alas, my pretty flowering trees are dealing with frost and not looking so pretty anymore.  This weather is so confusing, I haven't a clue what to expect at all!  And of course, it's raining again today.  It just makes me want to stay inside and curl up with a good book.  Or maybe a nap would be a good idea.  Instead, I've got two pretty cards to share with you.  I've been playing around with the Two-Tone Flora stamps and dies lately and just lovin' it.   You can find these on pages 14-16 in the January - April Mini Catalog.  But I haven't even used the big full-size lacy background die.  It's about time don't you think?

Aren't these two cards just gorgeous?  I can't quite decide what the final use will be for either card, so there are no sentiments yet.  But they will be easy to add with a little label-style die and the words.  Easy peasy.  But for now, let's get started putting them together.

The card base is cut a little differently than usual.  It measures 5 1/2" x 5".  The card is scored and folded 4 1/4" as usual.  This gives you just a 3/4" fold-over strip where you attach your lacy piece.

Next, the large lacy die was centered on a Basic White piece of cardstock that measures 5 1/2" x 4 1/4" so it's a full-size card front. Run cardstock and die back and forth through the embossing machine at least twice to make sure all the sections are fully cut.  Use the Brush Tip attachment to the Take Your Pick Tool (page 155) to easily remove all the little pieces from the pattern.  Isn't this leftover piece just beautiful all by itself?  On one of my cards, I used Basic White Thick and just regular on the other.  It seems both cardstock choices worked out just fine.

The lacy layer was added to the card front at this time.  I wanted a softer, muted look on the card, so a piece of Vellum Cardstock was cut to measure 5 1/2" by 4 1/8".  This is attached inside the front flap of the card making sure all the edges line up nicely.  To me, this was an important addition to the card design.  But if you like the card without the Vellum layer, do it your way!

The flowers and leaves were stamped next.  The colors used for this card are Flirty Flamingo, Evening Evergreen, Soft Succulent, and Orchid Oasis.  When stamping the flowers, the solid image stamps were inked up with the color and off-stamped before stamping on the Basic White cardstock piece.  The detail images were inked and stamped at full strength.  This gives you nicely color-coordinated flowers.  Don't you love the pretty periwinkle blue color that the off-stamped Orchid Oasis is?

The leafy stem is stamped in Soft Succulent ink.  There are two of these stamped to fill in the area better.  One of them was cut apart and only part of it was used. The larger double leaves were inked with Soft Succulent then touched on the edges with Evening Evergreen ink to give them a two-tone look.  Everything is then die-cut with the coordinating dies which make it so easy to make this card.

All the pieces were laid out in order.  Some of the pieces were attached to the lacy layer with adhesive.  You don't have to worry about the adhesive sticking to the inside of the card because of that Vellum layer inside the card.  Woo Hoo!  Otherwise, you'd have to be very careful where you added the adhesive.  The main flower has Dimensionals added under it to add depth to the look.

The final touch for this card is the Soft Succulent Satin Shimmer Ribbon found on page 146 of the Annual Catalog.  This is gorgeous ribbon and it's so easy to manipulate because of its softness.  

I've spent the last day arguing with myself about the use of added bling on this card.  After much deliberation, there are no extra bling additions to this card.  I thought it took away from the lovely lacy look too much.  That's the real focal point here in my opinion.

Here's the other version of the card.  The ink used for the flower colors changed to Mango Melody and Poppy Parade.  These colors were not off-stamped but were stamped full strength.  The smaller flowers were stamped with Highland Heather with Gorgeous Grape for the detail.  The leaf colors were the same as before.  As you can see, these colors make a much bolder and brighter card.  To give it some added appeal but not added color, a length of the White Glittered Organdy Ribbon was tied around into a knot on the side.

Well, I'm curious to know which of these versions do you prefer?  They are both beautiful.  I love the lacy look with the added Vellum behind it.  Makes it so elegant looking.  Let me know what you think.  I love hearing your comments.

Thanks for being patient with me.  Seems like my posts have been getting a little random lately.  I'm trying to get posts done on a regular basis, but I seem to be falling behind.  Thank you for checking back just in case there is something new.

Have you been online checking out the new Stampin'Up! Online Exclusive items?  There are some great products there for you.  I'll be trying to showcase some of them as the days go by.

Happy stamping and creating!

Sharon