Stepping it UP!

As promised, here are the stepped-up versions of yesterday's cards.  It was so much fun looking at each card and thinking up ways to make it a little more special, because there are so many ways that it can be done! I stuck with some of the basics; adding mats, texture, ribbon, banners, and paper-piercing. There were many more techniques I could have used, too; heat embossing, spritzing, sponging, masking, fancy folds, and so on.

For the first card, I stamped the greeting again in Crushed Curry, punched it out with the Modern Label punch and popped it up on dimensionals.  A narrow banner was added, as well as a mat behind the greeting. (Below each picture is a link to the original version, so you can compare.)

Click to see original card

For card number two, all that was added was a border of Coastal Cabana Ruffled Trim around the image, with a little Bermuda Bay banner peeking out the bottom.

Click to see original card

On the third card, a Coastal Cabana mat was added behind the DSP, so it pops a bit more. Then a some Coastal Cabana was embossed with the Square Lattice folder and used instead of the strip of DSP behind the image. The image panel was pierced all around with the Essentials Paper Piercing Pack, and a Paper-Piercing Tool and Mat.  I topped it off with a tiny Bermuda Bay bow. (You just knew I had to use a bow somewhere, right?) :D

Click to see original card

So, there you have it! It's really easy to take a simple card to the next level, with very little effort. And the best part? These are all still mailable cards - none are too thick or heavy!