C'est Joli

This is another of the cards made on vacation.  This keeping up with the blog thing... I'm not doing a very good job and somehow lost track of this one.  Either way, I didn't bring any ribbon on the trip so I improvised with a strip of paper.  The paper is from the Glitz Vintage Blue paper stack.  The wood pieces are from a Studio Calico Hexagons set and were stamped with a Recollections stamp set using my Faded Jeans Distress Ink.  The same swirl was used around the edge of the canary yellow cardstock base.  The sentiment is from the Glitz French Kiss stamp set.   

Glitz Stamp Set

I picked up a couple of sets of Glitz stamps and tried out my Distress markers with a couple of the stamps.  First, I stamped the images using black Archival Ink onto Strathmore watercolor paper.  I used the blending with Distress Markers technique to color the images.  The watercolor paper was distressed further using my Ink Blending Tool and Distress Ink pads (mostly Scattered Straw, Pine Needles and Vintage Photo) and then the rose, bird and butterfly were lifted off the card using foam squares.  I even used the Distress Markers and a water pen on the ribbon to bleed the colors.  I really like the soft result of the sentiment.  Everything is mounted on a piece of patterned paper that was distressed using Vintage Photo and Walnut Stain Distress Inks and ultimately adhered to a cream cardstock card which was also distressed like the patterned paper.  I am looking forward to making more cards using these stamps.  The detail is amazing and very strongly transfers to the final stamped result.  The Eiffel tower stamp and my Cricut French Manor cart are destined for a collision.

Andie

Basic Grey's Sweet Threads Cards

I had cause during June to need to make an anniversary card and a birthday card.  I just love my Basic Grey Sweet Threads collection.  I haven't (obviously) used it enough because I still have whole 12 x 12 sheets of this beautiful patterned paper.  I actually scraplifted a good portion of the design and like a git I didn't mark down the reference so I can't share with you the wonderful original inspiration.  Either way, I am soooo pleased with how these cards turned out.  All cuts except the swirl and flowers are cut from Cricut's Accent Essentials.  The swirly flower stamp set is a Inkadinkado set stamped using my coffee Archival Ink.  The anniversary sentiment comes from a wood stamp I've had for ages and the flower on this card comes from those made for my May Day baskets. 

I realized that the Birthday card was photographed before I stamped the sentiment from my Glitzy stamp set (a French phrase I'm not sure exactly what it means).  The flower in this card was embossed and die cut from Heartfelt Creations Posy stamp and dies.  In this second photo, you should be able to see the pearls added using my Viva Decor Pearl Pen.  You might be able to detect them at the end of the flower swirls.  Very nice finish to a card I am very pleased with the result.  I'd make this one again and again using different paper combinations from the Sweet Threads collection.  Great paper makes designing easy!

Andie