Bronze Anniversary Card

Hello there.  It's been a while since I posted, and I apologize for that.   But I have a simply beautiful anniversary card for you today.  Of course, when you change up the sentiment, you could use this for so many other occasions.  It's an absolutely beautiful fall card.

These are just such rich and beautiful colors.  The base of the card starts with Copper Clay cardstock.  It measures 8 1/2" x 5 1/2".  It's scored and folded in half.

Up next is a layer of Bronze Metallic Specialty Paper that is retired.  I think any bronze or even copper-toned paper would be lovely.  The layer measures 5 3/8" x 4 1/8".  

A layer of the beautiful Nests of Winter Designer Series Paper that is an Online Exclusive is next.  It measures 5" x 3 7/8".  This is attached to the center of the bronze layer using adhesive.  These layers are then attached to the folded Copper Clay card base using adhesive for this too.  

An 11" length of Copper Clay Ribbon from last year's catalog was cut.  I know many of you purchased this and probably have some left, so let's use it!  The ribbon is wrapped around the entire front flap of the card.  The ends are attached on the front where they will be hidden.  I used pieces of Tear & Tape to hold them there.

The sentiment is on a Countryside Corners die.  It's cut from Basic White cardstock.  The sentiment is from the Layers of Beauty stamp set and is stamped in Copper Clay ink.  Like I mentioned before, just about any sentiment could be used here to fit your need.  

The oak leaves surrounding the label are from the Encircled in Nature Bundle.  I really liked the look of the bronzy leaves with the autumn looking pussy willows in the background.

The sentiment label is attached to the card front popped up on Dimensionals.  Three retired, amber-colored rhinestones were added to finish.

I love how this card turned out and I'll be happy to get it sent out next month.  I have an extra bonus for you.  My sister also made a card with most of these same components.  Thought you'd like to see what she made.

She has the same cardstock layers but changed the orientation of the card.  Instead of just using a few branches, she created a full wreath with these bronzy leaves.  She used a Basic White wreath from the Encircled in Nature Bundle as a base for the leaves.

Connie also used a sentiment from the Layers of Beauty stamp set, but you could use anything that fits onto the small banner that she tucked into the wreath.  There are three gems tucked around the wreath as accents and a small copper ribbon was tied into an accent bow and attached with a Mini Glue Dot.

There you have it.  Two designs that are very similar.  Hope this gives you an idea of how to alter ideas you see that catch your eye.  You can make things exactly the same, or just make a few minor changes and come up with something different that you love.  It's all about the creativity!

Only a couple more days of the Bonus Days sale going on.  That's over and done with at the end of the month.  Some items that were out of stock have become available again.  Don't miss out on anything!

Thanks for stopping by today.  And thank you so much for being patient with me.

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Hello stamping friends!  You know that old saying about the best laid plans of mice and men?  Well, that goes double for women too!  Here it is a week after I got back from my visit to my sister's, and I've finally got enough energy to get a post done.  The first couple days at Connie's were stamping heaven.  The fourth day, I woke up with a not-so-lovely fever and I was out of it for the rest of my stay, the drive home, and the next day or so.  Then came the coughing that knocks me off my feet and the recuperating.  So there, you have a rundown of my last two weeks.  Definitely not what we planned, but that's the way it goes sometimes.  I do have a few cards to share that Connie and I worked on, which is good since I haven't been in my stamp room for a long while!

I love the Layers of Beauty stamps, dies, and masks!  They are so quick and easy to work with and I've made several cards featuring these products.  Now I have a "mine and hers" version for you.  

First, we started out by stamping the main image onto a quarter sheet of Basic White cardstock using Memento Tuxedo Black.  You need to angle it a little to get it to fit nicely.  After stamping, the image is placed under Mask #1 lining it up carefully.  For this layer, I lightly colored in with Lemon Lolly with a small Blender Brush.  In the areas for the tiny flowers, I added a light layer of Azure Afternoon ink.

Mask #2 has a light layer of Daffodil Delight ink added.  The tiny flowers have another light layer of Azure Afternoon on some of the petals.

Mask #3 has a layer of Peach Pie added for the deeper shading.  The centers of the tiny flowers are added with this mask too using Daffodil Delight ink.

Mask #4 has a light layer of Lemon Lime Twist added on all the leaves.

Mask #5 has a heavier layer of the same Lemon Lime Twist ink to add shading on the flowers.

Next, the image was die-cut using the coordinating dies.  The card base I chose for this card is Lemon Lime Twist.  It's not a color I use often, but I thought it was a perfect complement for the pretty yellows and blues on the image.

The design needed something else for a layer and all ideas I had didn't work.  Connie suggested a doily from her stash, and that was a perfect touch in my humble opinion.

The sentiment is from Thoughtful Wishes stamp set.  It's stamped on Basic White with Tuxedo Black ink.  Then it was fussy cut to fit the design.

The doily was attached with adhesive just in the center area.  The floral image is attached with both regular and Mini Dimensionals to give it some lift.  The sentiment is also attached with Dimensionals.  For a little bling, some Flat-backed Pearls were added.  I thought they really enhanced the look.

When I was finished with my card, it looked a little unbalanced to me.  All the design elements were too high on the card with too much space at the bottom.  I really couldn't take it all apart, so I did the next best thing.  I cut 1/4" off from the bottom of the card to make it just a bit shorter.  Did you notice?

Here are our cards side by side.  If you look closely you can see, we really did start out the same, but we diverged quickly.

For the tiny flowers on the floral image, Connie went with a purple tone.  I think she used Fresh Freesia.

She also kept her roses a lighter golden yellow.  The second layer of green on her leaves is Granny Apple Green which changes the look quite a bit.

I believe she used a sentiment from the Thoughtful Wishes set.  There is also a doily used on her card, but the card base is different.  I didn't write it down, but I think she used Bubble Bath for the card base.  If I'm wrong, she'll let me know.

She had some tiny little cute white flowers that she tucked in around the design, attaching them with Mini Glue Dots.  Nice touch!

Oh, one last thing I almost forgot.  She was using a Stampin' Blends to deepen the shadows on the roses to give her the look she wanted.  I think it was the Peach Pie Light color of Blends, but I wouldn't swear by it!

OK, I think that's all for now.  Besides, I'm wiped out and it's time to rest again.  What a bummer this flu is!!

Don't forget that the extra 10% off Bundles sale is still going on.  It lasts until the end of the month.  If you're planning on ordering, I would appreciate your business.  Thanks!

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon

Happy Sunday!

Hello my friends!  Hope you are having a terrific Sunday.  It's always a good day when you can start it out at church praising Jesus for all His goodness and grace.  This morning was a little different though.  The children presented a musical play portraying both Daniel in the lions' den and Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace.  There were some glitches and laughs, but all in all the kids did a great job sharing the stories.  What an interesting way have a church service.  

This afternoon I was in the mood to create with the new Layers of Beauty Bundle and the coordinating Layers of Beauty Decorative Masks.  I tried making something with this yesterday, but it was just a little too bright for my tastes.  So today, I worked on a pastel version of my original card.  Oh, my goodness!!  I just love how it turned out and wanted to share it with you right away.

I started with 1/4 sheet of Basic White cardstock.  The large floral image in the Layers of Beauty stamp set was stamped onto this using Memento Tuxedo Black ink.  The white layer had just a smidgen of adhesive in two of the corners to hold it in place for the stenciling.  Each of the Masks has a number in the corner to make it easier to color the design in the correct order.  The 1st Mask was held in place with a small piece of Washi Tape on opposite corners.  I used a Blending Brush with Lemon Lolly ink for the first layer on the roses.  The little flowers got a light layer of Fresh Freesia ink.

Lift off the Mask and place the 2nd Mask with another couple tiny pieces of Washi Tape.  This time I switched to Daffodil Delight and added a very light layer.  Another layer of Fresh Freesia went on the little flowers.

Change Masks to #3.  This was another layer of Daffodil Delight ink on the roses.  I made it a little darker for the inner part of the roses.  For the little flowers, I used Daffodil Delight on the flower centers.

Mask #4 was a light layer of Granny Apple Green on all the leaves.

Mask #5 was a darker layer of Granny Apple Green for the shading and detail on the leaves.  Looked good to me so the floral image was die-cut with the coordinating die and set aside until I was ready for it.

Checking the roses against cardstock colors, I chose to use Lemon Lolly for the card base.  I die-cut a 1/4 sheet of Basic White with the 2nd largest Deckled Rectangle die.  I was going to leave the layer plain, but decided a little embossing would add to the design.  Of course, I used the new Eyelet 3D Embossing Folder for this.  (yep, I'm hooked on this!)  There is also a small amount of speckling added using the Granny Apple Green Marker.  Then it was attached centering it on the Lemon Lolly card base using "green glue".

I decided to cut off a section of the rose design to save for the inside of the card.  The larger piece is attached to the card front using Dimensionals.  It is flowing off the white layer to overlap some of the Lemon Lolly base.

The sentiment is from the Heartfelt Hexagon stamp set.  It's stamped on a 3/4" strip of Basic White cardstock using Memento Tuxedo Black ink.  A small piece of Lemon Lolly cardstock was cut to layer this.  They are attached together with adhesive.  Then attached to the card front using two Dimensionals.

The bling added to this card are the Iridescent Foil Gems.  These are so pretty and have just a hint of a purple/berry color in the tinsel inside the gems.  It was like it was made to go together with this card.

Here's the inside of the card.  The Basic White layer measures 5" x 3 3/4" and is attached with adhesive.  The little floral spray that was cut from the original image is added here.  It's attached with adhesive.  I think it's the perfect touch for the inside of this card.  It really could have stayed as part of the front design, but I kinda like it here.

Hope you love this Layers of Beauty Bundle and coordinating Decorative Masks.  Don't be intimidated by them.  They really are easy to use.  My one really big tip is to start adding the color lightly through the masks.  You can always add more if you want a bolder color.  But once that color is on there, you can't take it off.  My first attempt was overly dark for my tastes.  Hopefully, I'm still going to work it onto a card design, and I may find I totally love it.  We'll see.

Just a quick reminder about the free shipping on Tuesday May 21st on any order of $75 or over.  Don't miss out on the savings!

Happy stamping and creating,

Sharon 

P.S.  I almost forgot to mention cleaning the Masks.  I wiped them down with a damp cloth when I was finished using them.  Easy peasy.  They're now ready to go for the next project.