Thank-you card in neutrals

I like to think that I'm fairly eclectic when it comes to my color choices in papercrafting. Sometimes I'm in the mood for a bold and cheery color palette, and other times I reach for softer, more subtle shades. Of course, I have a few go-to favorites (which are always evolving), but I like variety, too. I don't know, however, if I've ever made a card using only neutral colors. Until now, that is.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: Six-Sided Sampler, Just Sayin'
Paper: Kraft, Basic Black, Whisper White card stock
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Basic Black marker
Accessories: Chalk Talk Framelits dies, Decorative Dots embossing folder, Itty Bitty Accents punch pack, rhinestones, Stamp-a-ma-jig, Dimensionals, Glue Dots

Originally I was going to stick with just Kraft and black for the colors on this card, but it was looking a little too dark. I tried a few other colors in the mix, but nothing else seemed to fit, so I went with white. I think the white accents brighten it up just enough. 

When I use 12" x 12" card stock to cut a card base, I cut off a 4" x 12" piece, trim 1" off one of the short sides, score at 5-1/2" and fold the card base. (If you are making several cards, cut the 1" strip off one side of the 12" x 12" card stock first, then cut the remaining piece into three 4" x 11" pieces.) The card will be 4" wide instead of 4-1/4", but nobody will notice the difference. You could even have an element of the card -- such as an arrow, banner or other shape -- go over the edge of the card a bit, and the card will still fit in an envelope.

I used the Stamp-a-ma-jig tool and Memento Tuxedo Black ink to stamp several floral hexagons from the Six-Sided Sampler set across the card front. I used the 1" strip I cut off the Kraft base to create a banner and to punch out one small flower. I distressed the edges of the banner with my bone folder and adhered it to the card base where I wanted my focal image.

Since the background images are bold, I needed an equally bold base for the focal image so it didn't get lost on the card. I cut one of the Chalk Talk Framelits shapes out of Basic Black card stock, embossed it with the Decorative Dots embossing folder and adhered it over the Kraft banner with Dimensionals. For the sentiment I used a marker to apply ink to just the "thanks" part of one of the stamps from the Just Sayin' set and stamped it on Whisper White card stock. I cut that into another banner shape, adhered it to the Basic Black card stock and added a few punched flowers and rhinestones.

Do you like the all-neutral look, or do you prefer lots of color? Thanks for stopping by!