Dots and stripes

Today I thought I'd share a card I made last weekend with two Stampin' Up!^® stamp sets that will be retiring at the end of May: Up, Up & Away and Distressed Dots.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: Up, Up & Away, Distressed Dots, Very Versatile
Card stock: Pool Party, Wild Wasabi, Naturals White
Ink: Pool Party, Wild Wasabi, Chocolate Chip
Accessories: Wild Wasabi 1-1/4" striped grosgrain ribbon, corner rounder, Dimensionals

I love the cute scenes you can create with the Up, Up & Away stamp set. For this card I used Pool Party to stamp the clouds; Chocolate Chip for the birds, balloon stitching and basket; and Pool Party and Wild Wasabi for the stripes on the balloon (I used markers to color directly on the stamp). I don't think I would ever have combined Pool Party with Wild Wasabi on my own -- I found the combination in my Color Coach -- but they work well together.

For the background of this card I used the Distressed Dots stamp. I just bought this stamp about a month ago, and I love it. (I wish I'd bought it a long time ago!) When stamped tone-on-tone it provides a quick, subtle background that doesn't overpower the main image. But I also want to try a color combination such as Real Red dots on Whisper White card stock for a more vibrant background. (I'm picturing a possible Christmas card ...)

I just used one simple embellishment on this card: a piece of wide striped grosgrain ribbon with the end cut into a V. I like how the stripes are repeated in the balloon but also contrast with the polka dot background. I added a birthday sentiment in the bottom right corner, but just about any greeting would work with this card, or you could omit the greeting all together.

I'm glad I have both of these stamp sets, and even though they are retiring I think they will stay in my collection for quite awhile. Thanks for stopping by!