Goodbye, Wisteria Wishes

Hello there!  I've spent the last week rearranging my stamps and inks into areas that are current or retired.  And wouldn't you know it, every once in a while, I needed to sit down and play with one of the retiring sets.  I'm so sorry to see some of my favorites being shunted to the retired area.  I'll truthfully say, once they hit that area, they just don't get as much love and attention as they should.  The lovely Wisteria Wishes was moved to that area earlier this week.  But before it was banished, it needed to have a last hurrah.  Or something like that.  Last I checked, it's still available for the next few days if you're interested.  So here you go.  You probably won't see this on my blog anymore.  I'll still use it for my personal pleasure, but it's not business anymore.

As you can see, I had to make two cards.  They are very similar.  One card uses retiring In Colors, the other uses current In Colors that we still have for another year.  I love how these cards might be pretty much the same layout.  But because of the colors used, they still look fairly different.  One is soft and feminine, while the other has a much bolder approach to it.

Let's start with the Fresh Freesia card.  First of all, did you hear that Fresh Freesia will be one of the new core colors?  I'm so happy about that as it's a definite favorite of mine.  Woo Hoo!  Now, if they would have just kept Soft Succulent in the lineup, I would have been ecstatic.  But alas, they didn't so this is a goodbye to my favorite green.

The card starts with a base of Soft Succulent cardstock the measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2".  It's scored at 4 1/4" and folded in half for your basic card layout.  The first layer is from the Dandy Designs that was a favorite Sale-a-bration item.  Well, if I make a card that's featuring retired items, I guess this counts too.  I loved the colors in this DSP, especially the Fresh Freesia prints.  This layer measures 5 1/4" x 4".  It's attached to the card front using adhesive.

The next layer is made from the Fine Shimmer Paper in the Soft Succulent tone.  Isn't it absolutely lovely?  Of course, it is not in the new catalog, but there is a new Soft Shimmer paper that will be available in colors that look so yummy.   This time it's die-cut with the Scalloped Contours Dies which leaves this lovely stitching inside the scallops.  Oh by the way, the Scalloped Contours dies are in the next catalog!

For the white layer I used Basic White cardstock and it's cut to fit right inside the stitching lines.  It measures just under 2 3/4" x 4".  There's actually nothing stamped on this layer.

The 'wisteria' (or maybe salvia or bluebonnets because I used them upright) were stamped on another piece of Basic White.  I inked them with Fresh Freesia then tapped in some Highland Heather ink near the bottom edges of the flowers.  The stems and leaves were inked with Soft Succulent ink and then tapped in with Evening Evergreen ink to get that two-toned look.

After die-cutting with the matching dies, these pieces were attached to the white layer.  The stems are attached with adhesive while there are Dimensionals under the flowers for lift.  There is a quarter inch piece of the Soft Succulent Fine Shimmer paper attached across the stems.  Then this layer is attached to the card front using Dimensionals.

The final touches on this card include the sentiment that's from the Go To Greeting set that is stamped with Soft Succulent ink on a Basic White strip.  The sentiment set is carried over to the new catalog thank goodness because I use it often.  The ends of the strip are flagged with the Banners Pick a Punch which is also carried over.  The sentiment is attached with Mini Glue Dots.  I've found if I roll them a little before attaching, they are slightly lifted off the base, but not as much as Dimensionals.  Sometimes I want just a bit of lift, and this works great.  

There are three of the pink Pastel Adhesive-Backed Sequins.  These are also carried over to the next catalog which I'm very happy about.  They seemed to be the perfect addition to the flowers.

Now for the next card...

The card base used here is Starry Sky - one of the In Colors that's sticking around for another year.  It's a lovely dark blue, and if you haven't used it yet, you should.  Take my word for it, you'll like it.  The cardstock is cut to 8 1/2" x 5 1/2" like the first card, but then a 3/4" strip is cut off the front flap.  

There is a layer of Basic White for the inside of the card that measures 5 1/4" x 4".  The white layer on the card front measures 5 1/4" x 3 3/8".

The plaid layer is cut from the In Color 6" x 6" paper in the retiring catalog in Starry Sky.   This is cut at 5 1/4" x 3 1/4".  There's also a strip that measures 5 1/4" x 1/2" for the inside edge of the card.  Attach both of these pieces to the white layers, then attach to the front and inside of the card.  The layer on the front of the card needs to shift right to the edge of the front flap.

Next is the focal point of the card.  Both the Basic White and Silver Foil layers are cut with the retiring Stitched Rectangles Dies.  What will I do without these??  Oh my, I just realized the Silver Foil Specialty Paper is also being retired!  What??  OK, calm down Sharon.  You'll figure it out and find new papers to use.  Anyway, I used two of the Rectangle dies to cut these pieces.

For this card, I used Lemon Lime Twist for the stems and leaves and tapped on Granny Apple Green ink for the 2nd color.  These I stamped directly to the die-cut white piece.  The flowers were inked first with Starry Sky ink, then was tapped on with Night of Navy ink.  I was surprised there was such a difference between those two colors.  The flowers were die-cut then attached with Dimensionals.  

The same Go To Greetings stamp was used here.  But this time the sentiment was die-cut using that really skinny Stitched Rectangle die to match with the other layers.  It is attached to the card front using Dimensionals making sure part of it is outside the front layer.  There are three of the 2022-2024 In Color Matte Decorative Dots in Starry Sky added for a little extra bling.  These Dots are not carrying over to the next catalog which is too bad.  They were definitely a fun addition to projects.

Okay, that's it for now.  I need to get back rearranging my stash so everything fits.  Last I checked, these items are still available in case you're interested.  If you need to place an order for any of these items, please use the host code shown at the top of this blog page.  I'd love to hear what you think of the new catalog - what your favorites are from the new and what you'll be missing from the old.  It's an exciting time whenever there is a change with all kinds of goodies to get used to.  Have fun checking it out.

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon