Very Simply Susan

This is a quick and simple little card using one of the Host sets in the new catalog.  I love the bee and love how it plays so well with the chevron stamp in Work of Art.  This is a quick 5 minute wonder you can create with just a few supplies.  But the strong graphics make the card look a lot more impressive that the time it took to make it!

Recipe

Papers: Basic Black, Crushed Curry
Stamp Set: Pun Intended

I decided to take a few of my favorite things in the new catalog and see what I could come up with.  At first I did not like the Playful Palette DSP at all.  But once I got it and started looking at all the wonderful colors and combinations, it became a favorite. Of all the new In Colors, Emerald Envy is my hands down favorite! It is so bold and rich looking. And lastly, one of my favorite suites, the Swirly Bird stamps and Swirly Scribbles Thinlets are just plain fun!  There is so much you can do with this.  And finally, I had to use some of that luscious new Ruched Ribbon.  It has such texture and body to it, the possibilities are endless.  Well, do you think I am happy with the new catalog?  I am.  It has been one of the best ever!

For this card, I tried several combinations of Playful Palette before I settled on this one.  For some reason, this combo seemed to show off the Emerald Envy without being “too green”.  There are a lot of beautiful patterns with a great use of Emerald Envy in this DSP stack, but because I wanted to show off the Emerald Envy paper and ribbon some combinations were just too much! This one finally captured the look I want.

The Swirly Scribbles Thinlets give you so many options.  And using them as layering pieces is one of them.  It gives a whole new look to a layer especially with color that might be overwhelming with a solid layer.  I also like how the flowers can be added to the layer as an accent. And the little touch of ribbon allowed the green to pop nicely on all pieces.  A cute and unexpected look!

Recipe

Papers: Basic Black, Sweet Sugarplum, Emerald Envy, Very Vanilla, Playful Palette DSP Stack
Stamps: Swirly Bird, Thoughtful Banners
Embellishments: 3/8″ Emerald Envy Ruched Ribbon
Tools: Banner Punch

The color scheme for this week’s Global Design Project is pure genius. I would never have put these together and once I started working on this card, I absolutely fell in love!  Right away I knew I wanted to use this paper from the new Affectionately Yours DSP.  I love these slightly textured DSP’s.  I use the Botanical Garden and framelets a lot and this suite seemed perfect for this color scheme. I really enjoy all the floral bits and pieces you can work with in the botanicals suite.  I generally stamp and then cut a big variety using this suite. Then it is like “flower arranging” to get a card design I like.

I  punch out a circle or square to use as the “vase” for the floral elements while I am “arranging” them. Using a base like this allows you to create the floral design as an embellishment and then you have a lot of flexibility in where you want to put it on the card.  On this card, some of the flowers could overlap the ribbon which would have been hard to do if I put the floral pieces directly on the card.  Having the base piece also allows the floral pieces to “pop” off the card a little more. I think the more dimension you can ge
t with the florals, the prettier it looks.  And lastly, having some 1/4″ cotton ribbon left over in Island Indigo was the icing on the cake. I will miss this cotton ribbon.  If you will too, be sure to order more by May 31st before it retires!

Click on the image below to see what everyone else is creating this week using this totally unexpected color combination!

Another new item featured on this card is the new banner punch and Thoughtful Banners stamps.  I really prefer a punch, so I look for stamps that match punches anytime.  Punches are great for adding fast touches to cards.  If you are on my mailing list, you should have a new catalog by now. Isn’t it wonderful? I can’t stop looking through it! June 1st can’t come soon enough!

Recipe 

Papers: Tip Taupe Taupe, Minto Macaroon, Island Indigo, Affectionately Yours DSP
Stamps: Botanical Blooms, Thoughtful Banners
Tools: Botanical Framelets, Big Shot, Banner Punch
Embellishments: 1/4″ Island Indigo Cotton Ribbon, Mint Macaron Enamel Dots