A message that’s Elegantly Said – plus 2 bloopers

My card today is another one that may be easily adapted for a range of messages – congratulations, thinking of you, thank you, and even a sympathy card.  I must confess that the first example that I made was another green card – but I’m getting into a rut!!  (Which is just the thing that I want you to avoid!) And the second example? Well, I’ll reveal that one later.

I chose So Saffron which is a color in the Stampin’ Up! line that I don’t often use as the main color. But I liked it – especially with the gray and white:

These are examples of two different messages that work well with this design.  The card is a 5” x 7” which works well with the scale of the stamps used – but a 4-1/4” x 5-1/2” card will work well, too, if you prefer the A2 size.

Let’s do the paper cutting first:

Front panel:

• Using the So Saffron card panel and the coordinating Stampin’ Up So Saffron Spray Stampin’ Pad, the large image from the Stampin’ Up Elegantly Said stamp set is stamped in a random pattern across the panel.  Let some of them flow over the edges as well.

• Tip:  There are two ways to stamp a tone-on-tone design on any color cardstock:

• Use the coordinating cardstock and ink.  This will produce a crisp “watermarked” look.
• Use Versa mark Ink with any color cardstock.  This sticky ink is often used for heat embossing – and we’ll do that here.  But even without heat setting, this ink will produce a beautiful, watermarked design that is much more subtle than the coordinating ink to cardstock.  It just depends on the look that you want.

• Once the front panel had the tone-on-tone design, I switched to Versamark Ink and stamped a few more patterns on top.  Using Stampin’ Up! White Embossing Powder, I heat embossed these stamped images for a beautiful, clear white impression.

• When the panel is complete, mat the saffron panel with the white mat and then, layer both on to the Gray Granite card base.

Tag:

• Using the Stampin’ Up! Delightful Tag Topper Punch, center the cardstock strip and punch the top of the tag.
• Decide how long the tag should be, considering the stamped images on the front panel.  I chose to make my tags approximately 4” long.
• Cut the strip to the right length and then stamp a portion of the Stampin Up! Elegantly Said Image on the top and bottom of the tag.
• Select the message for the center of the tag.  Here are my choices:
  • “Happy Anniversary” message and the coordinating message inside came from the Stampin’ Up Elegantly Said Stamp Set.
  • “Happy Birthday” message and its coordinating message inside came from one of my go-to sets, Stampin’ Up! Peaceful Moments.
• I used my favorite Stampin’ Up! White Seam Binding instead of ribbon and left it white for this card.
• The tag was adhered on to the front of the card using Stampin’ Dimensionals to give it a little extra pop!

Inside Message:

• To continue the design theme, I used the same image on the opposing corners of the inside panel and then stamped the message, leaving a lot of space for a personalized message.
• Adhere the panel to the inside of the Gray Granite card base and VOILA!

So where are the bloopers?

Well, my first attempt used Stampin’ Up!’s Soft Succulent cardstock and ink, as I mentioned earlier. But I had just done cards with that same color scheme. Even to a novice blogger, that didn’t seem like a good idea, although the cards were nice.

Take 2: I went back and reworked this card, using my favorite color scheme: Seaside Spray – cardstock and ink. This is a beautiful blue/gray that I love for all kinds of cards – and for my house too. The entry was complete including photos. Complete that is until I was compiling the supply list and I discovered that my favorite color had been retired. It doesn’t make sense to provide you with a card for which the supplies are no longer available…just in case you fell in the love with the color too! (Did I really forget – for am I just in denial…)

(On the other hand, you might just have this color in your collection if you’ve been stamping for a while!) So here it is…in Seaside Spray with a Misty Moonlight cardbase:

I hope that you will enjoy making this card!  I think that it is a good addition to the “card larder” that lets us send a special card at a moment’s notice – no matter what color you choose!

The following list contains all of the materials that I used for this card: