Simple But Elegant

Good Morning! I know I have been away from the blog-o-sphere for a few days, but now I am back with several cards to share with you this week. The theme this week is Simple But Elegant all occasion cards.

As some of you know, during Christmas I placed some cards in a high-end local boutique by the name of Objects of Desire. This was on a consignment basis, so I would only receive payment if the cards actually sold. Well, they did very well and according to the itemized list included with my payment, more cards sold after Christmas than before even though the price on the cards had not been reduced for after Christmas clearance. Hmmm...very interesting. Perhaps a few late presents were shipped out, or maybe folks were just stocking up for next year. Hehe..no sense in trying to analyze the shopping habits of Albuquerque consumers ;D

Objects of Desire requested more cards for Valentine's Day and now they have asked for some all occasion cards. Why, oh why, does it seem that the all occasion cards are more difficult to create? Maybe because I have too much freedom in their development. Anyway, I settled on some images by Tim Holtz for Stampers Anonymous. The TH images are some of my favorites and seem to be my "go-to" items when I need a quick and stylish card. Besides, Stampers Anonymous has a terrific Angel Policy, which I always make sure to check before I attempt to create anything for resale. If you are creating cards for resale, be sure to check the Angel Policies on the manufacturer's website or use the excellent resource provided at Dragonhome's Place to look up the info. This site is a one-stop compilation of not only Angel Policies, but also, stamp store sites, personal scrapping and stamping sites, and a plethora of crafting information. Truly worth a looksie.

Today's card features images from the Nature's Discovery TH set paired with beautiful glittered papers from the Laundry Line pad by My Mind's Eye. I love using glittered papers for these cards as it adds just a bit of sparkle with no extra effort from me. I sponged the edges of a die cut panel with Faded Jeans Distress Ink using the actual die as a mask to keep the border a nice crisp white. I stamped the images with the die still in place so that my stamped image would not compromise the white border. I added just a tad of color with Copics and then filled the butterflies in with dimensional lacquer. I added a bit of Stardust glitter glue to the edge and sat it aside to dry for a good long while. I finished it off with some paper flowers and gems and called it a day ;D

Check back tomorrow and I will have another Simple But Elegant card to share with you.

"Drippy" Butterfly

Good morning! It's sunny here in Albuquerque today, but wow, is it cold! Brrrr... The brisk weather has me craving some cards that represent warmer temperatures, so I whipped up a couple of box cards that, to me, have a Spring-like feel to them.

I made this first card using a color palette that's a bit unusual for me. I love blues and greens together, but when inking the images up, I went for brighter versions of this palette, which I think, adds a bit of whimsy to this Tim Holtz "drippy" butterfly. LOL! I don't know how else to describe it :D I layered a TH background image on the paper first, then added the butterfly stamping him in Lagoon Blue Versafine ink, and embossed him with the Turquoise Iridescent Super Sparkle. I covered the butterfly in Versamarker pen and embossed him two more times using clear embossing powder to make him nice and smooth. I decided that the main image panel still needed something else, so I added a Hero Arts flourish in Vintage Paper distress ink around two of the edges. I paired the image panel with some lovely K & Company patterned papers and a few flower and gem embellishments.

The inside of the card contains a pocket on one side that is ideal for holding a gift card or small note to the recipient. The sentiment on the other side reads "Just living is not enough" said the butterfly "one must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower"-Hans Christian Anderson. Ah, how true, wise butterfly :)

Tomorrow I will feature the second box card, so come back and check it out!