You’re Stronger Than Most

There are times in our lives when people need encouragement.  What's more cheerful and encouraging than a beautiful handmade card, filled with love as you make it with that special person in mind?

Would you believe me that the only stamping on this card is the sentiment "You're stronger than most"? It is!  Today we are featuring the beautiful new Flowering Foils Specialty DSP that is FREE with a $50 purchase beginning today, March 3, 2020!!!

Here's how I did it:

1. Begin with a base of Rococo Rose - 8.5" x 5.5", scored on the long side at 4.25" and burnished with your bone folder along the fold.
2. Emboss a 5.25" x 4" piece of Whisper White using the Parisian Flourish 3D Embossing Folder and adhere it to your card base.
3. Fussy-cut a cluster of flowers from the Flowering Foils Specialty DSP
4. Cut a Stampin Sponge into 8 wedges - I like to label mine by color so I can re-use them in the future.  I take the Timeless Label punch and cut out a piece of cardstock in the color I am going to sponge.  I fold this in half and write the color on one side, near the fold.  Then I place the thin side of the wedge into the folded piece of cardstock and staple it.  Now I have a dedicated piece of sponge for anytime I want to sponge in that color!
   
5. Use 1 sponge wedge to color the flowers & buds with Rococo Rose and another to color the leaves with Mossy Meadow.  You don't have to be perfect - this is art!
6. I felt that I needed a different color pink fore some contrast, so I used a scrap of Blushing Bride to stamp the sentiment "You're stronger than most" from Beautiful Promenade in Rococo Rose
7. Cut this sentiment using the 2nd to smallest die from Stitched So Sweetly dies.
8. My card was for a Breast Cancer fighter, so I cut a length of Rococo Rose Scalloped Linen Ribbon to about 6".  I folded the ribbon over itself to make an "awareness ribbon" and used a Mini Glue dot to hold the ribbon in shape.  You can omit this if your card isn't for someone who is fighting Breast Cancer :)
9. Now that I had all the elements that I wanted, I adhered the fussy-cut Flowering Foils Specialty DSP to my embossed Whisper White panel using Stampin' Dimensionals.  I adhered my ribbon using another Mini Glue Dot and my sentiment using Mini Stampin' Dimensionals.
10. Lastly, I wanted a little more bling, so I added 3 Rhinestone Basic Jewels as a final touch.

Today's Featured Colors

You can get the Flowering Foils Specialty DSP free with a $50 order now through March 31, 2020 - don't miss out on this great opportunity!!

If you purchase $150 or more, take advantage of the Hostess Rewards for yourself!  If you purchase less, please use this Hostess Code: RDFBQXNE. I will pick a random customer at the end of the month from all orders that use this code to receive the Hostess Rewards - it could be you!!

Meercat Umbrella Card

Today I paired a stamp set from the January-June Mini Catalog and a Sale-a-Bration stamp set to make this adorable Thinking of You card.

I used a base of Whisper White (8.5" x 5.5", scored on the long side at 4.25") and a mat of Pool Party (5.25" x 4").

Next, I used Memento Tuxedo Black to stamp the Meercat from The Gang's All Meer and the handle of the umbrella from Under My Umbrella onto a 5" x 3.75" piece of whisper white.  I colored in my Meercat with Light & Dark Grey Granite Stampin' Blends.

I then took a scrap of the blue confetti DSP from the Birthday Bonanza DSP and stamped the boots from Under My Umbrella.  I used my Light Basic Black Stampin' Blend to color in the top and bottom edges of the boots, so there was some nice contrast.  After fussy-cutting the boots from the DSP, I adhered them over the Meercat so he looks as if he's popping out to say hello.

For the next step, I used the Umbrella Builder Punch to cut out the floral umbrella from the Sale-a-Bration Coordination DSP, Pleased as Punch.  The colors compliment the boots nicely.  I adhered this umbrella using Stampin' Dimensionals.

Using my Stamparatus, I stamped the sentiment under the boots in Bermuda Bay.  I chose to use the darker color because I wanted my sentiment to POP on the front of the card and I was afraid that Pool Party would be too light.  I love the result, it really pulls out the dark design in the boots.

At this point, I felt that the card needed a little something more, so I carefully stamped some rain drops in Pool Party above the umbrella and also added the adorable little lizard to the bottom left corner.  I colored him using Light Pool Party and Light Bermuda Bay Stampin' Blends.  I was now satisfied with the design and adhered the panel onto the Pool Party that had been placed earlier.

Since I didn't use Thick Whisper White for the card base, I wanted a panel on the inside to add strength to the card.  A white panel just wouldn't do - you wouldn't see it.  So I chose to add a Pool Party panel, to go with the design on the front of the card.  In the stamp set The Gang's All Meer, there is a sentiment that says "Happy Birthday to a stand-up friend".  I love that sentiment, but didn't want to make a birthday card, so I did some masking.  Have you masked before?  I think I'll make a short video to demonstrate masking for a future post!  Basically, I placed a Post-It over "Happy Birthday" before putting my stamp into the Bermuda Bay ink - then I removed the Post-It and stamped with the partially-inked stamp, leaving me with just "to a stand-up friend".  Masking adds so much more possibility to your creativity because you can alter stamps to fit your needs!!

Finally, I added the little Meercat who is popping up out of the ground to the bottom right corner.  These Meercats are too cute for words!!

Today's Featured Colors

You can get The Gang's All Meer free with a $50 order now through March 31, 2020 - don't miss out on this great opportunity!!

If you purchase $150 or more, take advantage of the Hostess Rewards for yourself!  If you purchase less, please use this Hostess Code: RDFBQXNE. I will pick a random customer at the end of the month from all orders that use this code to receive the Hostess Rewards - it could be you!!