Same pieces, different cards

Last summer a good friend of mine sent me a box of craft supplies that she wasn't using. It was like a little treasure chest delivered through the U.S. Postal Service. Among the tools, embellishments and other goodies in the box was the "guts" of an old Stampin' Up! Simply Sent card kit called Good Things. The stamp set and ink spots weren't in the box, but the rest of the kit contents were there, including:

• Ten Kraft card bases and white envelopes
• Ten pieces of More Mustard card stock (2-3/4" x 2-3/4")
• Ten pieces of Old Olive card stock (2-1/2" x 4-1/4")
• Ten pieces of Real Red card stock (2" x 3-1/2")
• Ten pieces of Whisper White card stock (2-1/2" x 2-1/2")
• Black gingham ribbon
• Real Red buttons
• Glue Dots and Dimensionals

Using these supplies, along with various stamp sets and some of my own materials, I designed three different card layouts. (I've listed the additional supplies for each card below.)

Additional supplies used (all Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: Big Day
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black; Real Red, Basic Black, Crumb Cake, More Mustard markers
Paper: More Mustard card stock
Accessories: Basic Black baker's twine, star confetti punch, Wink of Stella clear glitter brush pen, Mono Multi liquid glue

I decided to start with birthday cards, since I'm still trying to bulk up my birthday card stash and make cards for my grandma. I needed to find a focal image that fit on the Whisper White layer, and I thought this cake was perfect -- not too big and not too small.

I left out the Old Olive layer for this design and stuck with Real Red and More Mustard. I stamped the Real Red layer with candles to add a bit of interest to the background. After I stamped and colored the cake image I used a black marker to draw a border around the Whisper White card stock, and I think it works well with the style of the stamps.

I actually forgot about the gingham ribbon from the kit while I was making this card (I think it got buried under all the creativity on my table), so instead I added a bow of black baker's twine to the cake stand. For a little extra embellishment I punched a few tiny stars out of a scrap of More Mustard card stock, painted them with Wink of Stella and glued them on the card.

Additional supplies used (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: A Flower for All Seasons, Hello Sunshine
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black; Crumb Cake, Real Red, Old Olive, More Mustard, Chocolate Chip markers
Accessories: Vine Street embossing folder, Vintage Photo Distress Stickles (Ranger), linen thread

This potted sunflower was another perfect image for these cards; it was the right size, and it combined all the colors in the card. I colored the image with markers and added some Distress Stickles to the center of the sunflowers.

This layout was the only design of the three where I used all of the elements (card stock and embellishments) from the kit. I embossed the Old Olive piece with a vine texture and wrapped the bottom of the panel with a piece of the gingham ribbon. The Real Red and More Mustard panels are layered behind the focal image, and I added linen thread to the red buttons before adhering them to the card.

Additional supplies used (all Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: Jolly Christmas
Paper: Whisper Whisper White card stock
Ink: Crumb Cake, Real Red, Old Olive markers and ink pads; More Mustard marker
Accessories: Gold baker's twine

This design is definitely my favorite of the three, and I actually ended up making six of this card. (My original plan was to make two cards of each of five different designs.)

I bought this stamp set on sale after last Christmas, and I hadn't had a chance to use it yet. When I pulled out the set I was excited to realize that this sentiment just fit on the Whisper White layer. I used markers to apply ink to the rubber stamp and make the image different colors. It was a little time-consuming, but I love the look. I also stamped a few snowflake/sparkle images on the card base.

I trimmed the piece of Old Olive card stock by about 1/4" to layer it behind the More Mustard panel, and I trimmed one end of the Real Red piece into a banner. For the buttons on this card, I tied them with gold twine instead of linen thread.

I also took a picture of the inside of this card since I did more than just stamp a sentiment. I started with the deer image, which I inked with Crumb Cake, stamped on scratch paper and then stamped in the middle of a piece of Whisper White card stock. I stamped the sentiment in Rel Red over the deer image and added a few Old Olive snowflakes/sparkles.

It's fun to see the different looks you can create with the same basic elements. Every person will have a different approach. In fact, that would be a fun activity to do with a  group of friends -- give each person the same pieces (card stock and/or embellishments) and then compare everyone's finished projects. You're sure to find some new ideas and inspiration.







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