Thoughtful Branches - Limited Time!

Today starts the new Thoughtful Branches bundle that will only be available from August 2nd to the 31st! I was on the fence about getting it due to the short time frame that it will be current, but I broke down and went for it. It's such a beautiful, versatile set that I know I will use it long after it's not available anymore. You can get the stamp set and coordinating die separately, or bundle and save 10%.

It was a lot of fun putting this card together, and I kind of went all over the place with the techniques and what not. I was on a roll! Watercolor washed the background, and then thought, "I wonder how it would look if I embossed it?" So I grabbed the nearest folder, which happened to be Seaside. I love how it's reminiscent of wind blowing. We get that a lot around here, lol!

While I made this one a Thank You card, it would work just as well as a masculine birthday, thinking of you, or even a sympathy card.

Here's the "How To"
Watercolor Paper 3" x 4-1/4" and 3-1/2" x 4-3/4"
Mat: Soft Suede 3-5/8" x 4-7/8"
DSP: 4" x 5-1/4" (I used retired It's My Party; you can sub any Mint Macaron DSP)
Tree: Early Espresso 3-1/2" x 3-1/2"
Gold Foil Sheet 3" x 3"
Card base: Very Vanilla 5-1/2" x 8-1/2", scored and folded at 4-1/4"

1. Adhere Mint Macaron DSP to card base and set aside.
2. Cut Early Espresso tree using Beautiful Branches Thinlits die, and gold foil 2-5/8" circle using Layering Circles Framelits. Set aside.
3. On smaller piece of watercolor paper make a wash background using Pool Party and Bermuda Bay ink. Let dry (or dry with Heat Tool), then emboss with Seaside folder.
4. Adhere gold circle to left side (overlapping edge) of embossed piece and trim off excess. Adhere both to larger piece of watercolor paper.
5. Wrap Mint Macaron ribbon around so bottom edge of ribbon is 3/4" from bottom of watercolor paper. Adhere ends to back. Center Gold ribbon on Mint Macaron and adhere ends to back.
6. Apply Soft Suede mat to back of watercolor paper, then adhere all to card base.
7. Attach tree with your choice of adhesive (I used the Fine-Tip Glue Pen on a few branches and 1/8" sticky tape on the trunk). Stamp greeting in Early Espresso ink.

Since I haven't posted anything for fourteen days, I'm going to make up for it by posting EVERY DAY for the next two weeks. The Holiday catalog starts next month, so I'll have tons of things to share!
Product List

Thoughtful Branches Photopolymer Bundle

Thoughtful Branches Photopolymer Stamp Set

Thoughtful Banners Photopolymer Stamp Set

Very Vanilla 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock

Soft Suede 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock

Early Espresso 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock

Watercolor Paper

Gold Foil Sheets

Pool Party Classic Stampin' Pad

Bermuda Bay Classic Stampin' Pad

Early Espresso Classic Stampin' Pad

Big Shot

Beautiful Branches Thinlits Dies

Layering Circle Framelits Dies

Seaside Textured Impressions Embossing Folder

Aqua Painters

Mint Macaron 3/8" (1 Cm) Sheer Linen Ribbon

Gold 1/8" Ribbon

Floral Boutique Suite is Sweet!

This has to be my favorite suite in the new catalog (pg. 77)....at least for the moment, anyway! First of all, the DSP is a classic, cool, clean color combination of navy blue and white. Then there's the stamp set, which not only has a great floral image (can't wait to color marker-to-stamp on that one!), but the messages are a combination of script and print fonts, which I love. And last, but not least, there is a fabulous Thinlits die that is to die for! (heh heh)

This card was a lot of fun to make, but a teeny bit tricky due to using the embossing folder on just the upper half. This is a top fold portrait orientation card, meaning the card base was cut 4-1/4" x 11" and scored/folded at 5-1/2". So how to emboss the top half without also embossing the back side of the card? Open out the card so it lays flat, and slip it sideways into the embossing folder. When you lay the TOP clear cutting pad on, have the edge of the pad even with the fold line, so no pressure is put on the cardstock beyond that point!

Here's the "How To"
Card base: Whisper White 4-1/4" x 11", scored/folded at 5-1/2"
DSP: Floral Boutique 2-1/4" x 4-1/4", adhered 1/8" from bottom on inside of card base

1. Use smaller Detailed Floral Thinlits Die and matching edge die on card front, near bottom. Note: these can be used together in one pass through the Big Shot. I do highly recommend the Precision Base Plate and the Die Brush. The plate makes cutting detailed dies easy and the brush deals with the little fussy bits of "confetti" left over.
2. Stamp greeting just above openings of die cut.
3. Stamp border image just above greeting.
4. Emboss top half of card front above border as instructed above.

That's it! A quick, relatively easy, and elegant card ready to send to someone special.

Product List

Floral Phrases Clear-Mount Stamp Set

Whisper White 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock

Floral Boutique Designer Series Paper

Night Of Navy Classic Stampin' Pad

Big Shot

Precision Base Plate

Detailed Floral Thinlits Dies

Big Shot Die Brush

Sparkle Textured Impressions Embossing Folder

The Wilderness Awaits

Get well wishes for a friend who just underwent a double-bypass and valve replacement heart surgery. Yikes. He's an old cowboy, and ranch manager of a HUGE ranch in the Texas panhandle. He's lived and worked all over the west, and loves Montana just as much as my daddy did. Elk are plentiful up there, so I thought that would be a good choice for his card. I kept it simple, since he's definitely not a frou-frou type of guy.

The "How To" for this card
Image panel: Very Vanilla 3" x 3-1/4"
Mat behind image: Early Espresso 3-1/4" x 3-1/2"
Dry embossed panel: Soft Suede 3-7/8" x 5-1/8"
Mat behind embossed panel: Early Espresso 4" x 5-1/4"
Card base: Naturals Ivory (ret.) 5-1/2" x 8-1/2", scored and folded at 4-1/4"
Scrap Very Vanilla for greeting

Emboss the Soft Suede cardstock with your choice of embossing folders. I used the retired Square Lattice folder. Fasten it to the larger Early Espresso mat with adhesive, and then adhere both to the card base.

Stamp elk on Very Vanilla using Memento ink. Color with alcohol markers. (If using water-based ink, stamp with Basic Black Archival instead.) Fasten image to smaller Early Espresso mat with adhesive, and then adhere both to the card.

Stamp greeting on 1/2" strip of Very Vanilla and use Washi Label Punch to finish ends (slide in from back of punch and do one end at a time). Adhere to card using Stampin' Dimensionals.

STAMPS: The Wilderness Awaits, A Dozen Thoughts
CARDSTOCK: Naturals Ivory (ret.), Very Vanilla, Soft Suede, Early Espresso
INK: Memento Tuxedo Black, various Copic markers
ACCESSORIES: Big Shot, Square Lattice embossing folder (ret.), Washi Label Punch, Stampin' Dimensionals