My Weekly Card Class From ME happens to showcase some dainty and delightful flowers. Our focus this week is the Dainty Delight Bundle by Stampin’ Up!. Need more info on this class? Click here.
While Spring in Maine is being a bit fickle, one can dream of the delightful flowers that will be appearing soon as the seasons change. For my first card in this series, Dainty Delight Celebrate You, I am really in the spring-like mood! Read on to see how this card design came into being.
Fresh Freesia and Soft Seafoam
When you start with pretty colors, like Fresh Freesia and Soft Seafoam, it is so easy to make a pretty card! In fact, I had just recently played with these colors together and I was eager to pull them back out.
Fresh Freesia
I started by heat embossing the sentiment “celebrate you” from the Dainty Delight Stamp Set in White Embossing Powder on my Fresh Freesia die cut oval.
Next, I added additional Fresh Freesia Ink with my Small Blending Brush, right over the embossed words. By leaving part of my oval un-sponged, I was able to create a beautiful combination of purple tones.
Soft Seafoam
The Soft Seafoam color in this card plays a secondary, or supporting, role. I die cut the curved leafy frond with the Dainty Delight Dies on Soft Seafoam Cardstock. The natural curve of this die cut follows the outline of my oval perfectly.
Get Your Dainty Delight Card Class From ME
This Dainty Delight Celebrate You Card is just one card in my featured class this week. If you would like to see the video from my online class, click this link.For more details on what is in this week’s class from Maine and how to get yours, click here.
I will be sharing more cards from the Dainty Delight Card Class, as well as my bonus cards, as this week goes on. Be sure to check back here or follow me, The Maine Stamper, on FaceBook, for more cardmaking inspiration and ideas.
As my 2021-2023 In Color tour comes to an end this month, we are turning to the last color, Pale Papaya and the stamp set, Shaded Summer. I have to admit, Pale Papaya is not my favorite color hue. In fact, I struggle with this yellow/orange color that seems to shift tendencies depending on its color partners.
Our first combo with Pale Papaya is Calypso Coral and Basic Gray. Of course, Basic Gray lends some neutral sensibility to this mix. And Calypso Coral actually coordinates well with Pale Papaya! When I put all three colors together, I was very pleasantly surprised.
Shaded Summer
I realize as I make this card and write this blog post that it is November. Summer is long over. But, the color combo of Pale Papaya and Calypso Coral reminds me a little of summer. And Basic Gray is definitely “shade”! So, I just had to pull out my Shaded Summer Stamp Set.
Something else that I used on this card is long over too: the retired, coordinating dies from January-February 2021 Sale-A-Bration, Shaded Summer Dies. If you don’t have these dies, you could fussy cut the flower image from the Shaded Summer Stamp Set using Paper Snips. Another option would be to swap it out for a similar image with a matching die.
Watercolor Flowers
I started first by stamping my floral image from the Shaded Summer Stamp Set, using third generation Crumb Cake Ink on Basic White Cardstock. Not sure what this means? After inking my stamp, I stamped off twice and used the third stamped image. I wanted a very light outline image to work with.
Next, I grabbed my Watercolor Pencils. I added Calypso Coral to the flowers and Old Olive to the leaves and stems. While coloring, I focused on the outlines and Crumb Cake shaded areas. Notice from my picture that there are plenty of white spaces left un-colored.
You may be wondering why I left so much white space! This is where my Water Painters come in handy. With just the wet brush tip, the watercolor pencil lines are blended and softened beautifully. This artistic wash is simply something that I could not accomplish on my own.
TIP #1: Squeeze some water from the barrel of the Water Painter onto a clear acrylic block and use that water to blend your pencil lines. It is so much easier than squeezing the Water Painter to moisten the brush as you go along.
TIP #2: After you use your Water Painter to blend your lines, you can go back over your image with the Watercolor Pencils again to add more color or sharpen the look of certain areas.
Cutting Edge Beauty
Remember those retired Shaded Summer Dies I spoke of earlier? I used mine to die cut my colorful flower image with my Stampin’ Cut & Emboss Machine. Paper Snips are a great alternative if you need to fussy cut instead.
I took advantage of other dies in the retired set, and die cut leaves in both Basic Gray Cardstock and Smoky Slate Cardstock. Any leaf dies or punches would work here as well.
It was easy to add elegant die cuts to my card front with the Encircled In Beauty Dies. These dies may remind you of a spiro-graph image or doilies when you see them. The lacy circles come in a variety of sizes and designs, and work together so nicely.
After that, I die cut some 2021-2023 In Color Shimmer Vellum in Pale Papaya with the same Layering Circle Die. This Pale Papaya circle now fits inside my white die cut rim perfectly, and will add a bit of sheen to my finished card.
Perfect Punches and Elegant Embossing
I love the look of an embossed image on my card front. The raised texture adds a richness and lots of interest for so little effort. For this card, I decided a floral embossing folder would be too busy, competing with all the images and die cuts I already have.
The final elements of this card came together quickly. I love my punches for that very reason. Starting with the Treasured Tags Pick A Punch, I punched both ends of my Pale Papaya Cardstock using the largest width allowance. All of the Pick A Punch’s are channeled to give you 3 different width options and 2 designs.
After my paper was punched, I stamped my sentiment from the Shaded Summer Stamp Set, using Basic Gray Ink. This ink color is a good option when you want something a little lighter in color from a harsh black ink. I sponged the edges of my sentiment piece using Pale Papaya Ink to help it stand out.
And last but not least, I used my Sprig Punch. This one is my go-to for some extra layering behind a focal piece or sentiment. The 2021-2023 In Color Shimmer Vellum allowed me to use some sparkly Pale Papaya to get a couple of sprigs in no time flat. The sprigs and previously die cut circle in the same medium bring continuity to my card.
Beauty Of Assembly
Once I had all the parts and pieces finalized for my card, it was time to assemble. Instead of automatically adding layers to my Basic Gray Card Base, I began with the embossed piece of Pale Papaya. First, I adhered a piece of Simply Elegant Specialty Designer Series Paper. Next, I added my white rim die cut.
Following in order, I adhered the circular shimmer vellum, adding tape only where it would be next covered by the Calypso Coral die cut piece.
Before I went any further, I added a strip of Gray Granite 1/4″ Shimmer Ribbon on the bottom third of my circular pieces. I wrapped the ends of the ribbon around the back of the Pale Papaya embossed cardstock and secured them with Tear & Tape Adhesive.
From there, it was just a matter of layering on the rest of my pieces. I tucked in the gray die cuts leaves and the shimmer vellum sprigs. Then, I centered my watercolor flowers over the Calypso Coral die cut. Next, I adhered my sentiment and added a bow from another length of the same ribbon. I placed my artistic ensemble on my card base.
For a final bit of bling, I added some Pearl Basic Jewels. The elegance of pearls fits this card perfectly. I love the ease of adding small embellishments with my Take Your Pick Tool. Whether you use the spatula end or the putty end, the application is effortless.
Meant To Be
Much like the sentiment says, some friendships are meant to be. And the color combo I used here is also meant to be. I was so happy mixing Calypso Coral and Basic Gray to Pale Papaya. This card made with the Shaded Summer Stamp Set is perfectly beautiful.
If you haven’t seen any of the other In Color cards from this series, be sure to check them out. Click here to see another card that showcases a different way to use the Water Painters.
All of the current supplies used to make this card can be found in my online store, so shop anytime at your convenience to add these items to your crafty stash. And please come back and visit, to see where the next adventures in Pale Papaya take us!
Our time to explore Evening Evergreen has come to an end, and what better way to bring it home than to use the Feels Like Home Stamp Set. Evening Evergreen is such a rich, deep green color. It fits well with the comfortable home theme of this card.
With our last color tour of Evening Evergreen, we are pairing in Blackberry Bliss and Sahara Sand. These three colors work seamlessly together. As you can see, by adding a pop of white to the mix, each color used on this Feels Like Home Card becomes more beautifully vibrant.
Feels Like Home Stamp Set
The Feels Like Home Stamp Set, available for a limited time, is a Sale-A-Bration freebie during the August-September Sale-A-Bration promotion. With a qualifying purchase of $50, you may choose this stamp set for free. If you already have the Feels Like Home Stamp Set in your collection, here is a great way to use it!
Sahara Sand Beginnings
I started by stamping the door frame and yard stamp from the Feels Like Home Stamp Set using Memento Black Ink on Sahara Sand Cardstock. This great neutral color is easy to work into your project instead of the traditional white or vanilla.
Of course, this image is wide open for lots of coloring. I typically choose my Stampin’ Blends for a job like this. I chose my color palette to reflect the tones in Evening Evergreen, Blackberry Bliss and Sahara Sand. When I added color to the tree to the left of the door, I pounced or “dotted” the color on using the fine tip of my Light Blackberry Bliss Stampin’ Blend.
Just Add Color
Next, I started to color with more purples and greens to fill in all the flowers and plants. I used browns for the basket and door, and colored in my terracotta pots. Because I wanted to keep the coloring light and fresh, I chose to use my Stampin’ Chalk Marker on the bricks of the home. The effect is quite subtle.
Ever Elegant Evening Evergreen
Since Evening Evergreen is our starring color, I wanted much of my card front dedicated to it. I began by stamping the hanging fronds stamp in Evening Evergreen Ink on my Evening Evergreen Cardstock layer along the top edge. I varied the length of each stamping by starting higher or lower on my cardstock.
PROTIP: There is a solid black line built into the embossing folder near the bottom, to help you line up your cardstock straight before you run it thru your die-cutting machine.
What home would be gorgeous without some cute tchotchkes? To start my home decor project, I stamped the flower pot image from the Feels Like Home Stamp Set with Memento Black Ink on a scrap of Sahara Sand Cardstock. Then, I colored it with Stampin’ Blends before fussy cutting with my Paper Snips.
I took advantage of my assorted collection of retired circle punches. I chose the 1-1/4″ circle punch for the Blackberry Bliss Cardstock and the 1″ circle punch for White Cardstock. These two circles layered together were perfect for a backdrop for my flower pot.
The Sprig Punch is my go-to punch when I need some decorative leaves poking from behind a card layer in an artistic fashion. Punching paper can be such a time saver from die cutting, and I love the quick results. For this card, I used the 2021-2023 In Color Shimmer Vellum in Evening Evergreen. Check out the lovely sheen of this vellum!
To mix things up, I also chose to die cut some White Cardstock using a floral die from the Sunflowers Dies. By combing punched and die cut pieces, my card has a great variety of fresh garden goodness.
Putting Your Home In Order
My Feels Like Home Card has lots of layers. I started by adding a layer of Blackberry Bliss Cardstock to my Sahara Sand Cardbase. Next, I adhered my Evening Evergreen embossed layer. I chose the Blackberry Bliss Designer Series Paper from the Regals Collection, using the plaid design. But before I attached it to my cardbase, I backed it with a piece of White Cardstock.
My next step was to dry-fit my punched sprigs and die cut flowers to make sure they would peek nicely from the additional layers for my card. Once I had them where I wanted them, I secured them with some Tear & Tape Adhesive. The tape will be covered up with the last bit of layering on my card front.
From here it was time to add my stamped focal piece, the front door and more. I placed the sentiment below that, and lastly added my layered punched circles with the potted plant, using Stampin’ Dimensionals. My Feels Like Home Card is complete!
There’s No Place Like Home
Home evokes so many good thoughts and memories. It is where we are most happy. I hope you agree that this Feels Like Home Card has captured some happiness, using Evening Evergreen along with Blackberry Bliss and Sahara Sand. If you need any of the products that were used to create this card, shop my online store at your convenience.
Just because our Evening Evergreen color tour is at its end, doesn’t mean there isn’t more colorful fun to come! If you missed any of this great green color, click here to see another post with Evening Evergreen. And just ahead is our next In Color, Soft Succulent, so be sure to come back soon.