Yellow and Aqua with Bird and Flowers

My card was inspired by Natasha's sample for this week's Layout #197 on the Clean and Simple Stamping blog.  I used her main colors of aqua and yellow, but with different accent colors.

Card details:

• Card stock is Paper Source peacock (dark turquoise leaves and layer) and Papertrey Ink Hawaiian shores (medium aqua card base), terra cotta tile (bird and flowers),  and summer sunrise bitty box (yellow patterned paper).  
• I used an EK Success punch for the small flower.  The large flower is Papertrey Ink flower fusion #3 die, and the bird and leaves are from the WPlus9 folk art florals die set.   The holes in the flower centers were made with a 1/8" circle punch. 
• The sentiment "You are in my thoughts" is computer-printed in turquoise ink with Zapfino font.

Created for Operation Write Home, "supporting our nation's armed forces by sending blank handmade greeting cards to write home on, as well as cards of gratitude to encourage them." (164)

Turquoise Stars with Aqua and Brown

This card started with a piece of brown card stock, scrap from another project.  I added the turquoise stars, then some lines and a sentiment.   Just a simple and cheerful note card.

Card details:

• Card stock is Papertrey Ink aqua mist (card base), dark chocolate (brown), and Hawaiian shores (turquoise stars).
• The die is from the Papertrey Ink super stars border die set. 
• The lines and sentiment are computer-printed with PowerPoint in brown and turquoise ink.
• The brown lines are 2 points wide (line weight), and the turquoise are 3 point.  Because the brown lines have more contrast, the turquoise needed more width to look balanced.  
• The sentiment "Hello" is in Wide Latin font.  The "H" is a larger font size to stand out more, and the "ello" has expanded character spacing.   

Created for Operation Write Home, "supporting our nation's armed forces by sending blank handmade greeting cards to write home on, as well as cards of gratitude to encourage them." (163)

Blue and Brown Strips with Dots and Label

Strips of ribbon and card stock.  A few large dots.  A label shape with sentiment.  It's very simple, but it has nice movement, I think.

This card was inspired by Michelle Short's birthday card on her Card Grotto blog.  Thanks, Michelle, for your beautiful example!  Michelle also shared a link to the card that inspired hers.

Card details:

• Card stock and ribbon are all Papertrey Ink (PTI).  Left to right, the strips are dark chocolate twill ribbon, canyon clay, melon berry, blueberry sky, enchanted evening twill ribbon, and spring rain with a plaid pattern.  I used PTI vintage cream for the 3/4" dots (printed with a plaid pattern) and the sentiment label.  The card base is PTI fine linen.
• The plaid is one of my PowerPoint patterned papers - scraps from several cards like this one.
• The sentiment "Thinking of you, today and always" is computer-printed in brown ink with Wide Latin font.  The blue lines framing the sentiment are brackets {} from the PowerPoint shapes library, rotated 90 degrees.  I hand-cut the resulting label shape. 
• I used a square punch to cut the V's in the card stock.

Created for Operation Write Home, "supporting our nation's armed forces by sending blank handmade greeting cards to write home on, as well as cards of gratitude to encourage them." (162)

Pink with Raspberry and Burgundy

My card today is CASEd from Susan Raihala's "monochromatic success" card on her Simplicity blog.  I changed her colors and some of her elements, but followed her idea to use many different textures and shapes in a monochromatic color scheme.  Thanks, Susan, for all your inspiration!

Card details:

• Card stock is Papertrey Ink (PTI) sweet blush (pale pink base), raspberry fizz, and scarlet jewel (burgundy leaves and flower center). 
• Dies are PTI limitless layers 2-1/4" oval (lace-edged oval, cut into pieces and lined up to a 3/4" strip of the same color card stock),  PTI buttoned up #2 (smallest button for flower center), and Memory Box tender leaves (smallest and largest leaf dies.)  
• Ribbon is 5/8" sheer-and-satin, colored with RV10 Copic marker.  The bottom edge of the ribbon conceals the edge where I lined up my oval pieces to the strip above them.  
• There is a strand of DMC #3804 embroidery floss along the center of the ribbon.  I used the same floss for the flower center.
• The flower is a white paper Prima flower (confetti cake, may be discontinued) colored with Copic markers RV000, RV06, RV10, R00, and R56.
• Embossing folder is Craft Concepts solid stars. 

Created for Operation Write Home, "supporting our nation's armed forces by sending blank handmade greeting cards to write home on, as well as cards of gratitude to encourage them." (161)

Aqua with Turquoise and Orange

I enjoyed working with this Layout #191 from Clean and Simple Stamping.  All I needed was a few different shapes, textures, and bright colors. 

Card details:

• Card stock is Papertrey Ink aqua mist (light aqua card base), Hawaiian shores (medium turquoise center panel), and orange zest (orange accents),  and Paper Source peacock (dark turquoise sentiment strip), Neenah solar white (sentiment), plus a scrap of dotted pattern paper.
• The embossing folder is Sizzix/ Tim Holtz Alterations "Retro Cirque."  
• The scalloped circle is cut with a 1-1/4" EK Success punch.  The orange button is cut with Papertrey Ink Buttoned Up #1 (smallest button).  
• The button is sewn with white DMC embroidery floss.
• The sentiment "Thinking of you..." is computer-printed with turquoise ink using American Typewriter font (expanded). 
• The V in the sentiment strip is cut with a square punch. 

Created for Operation Write Home, "supporting our nation's armed forces by sending blank handmade greeting cards to write home on, as well as cards of gratitude to encourage them." (160)

Round Card - Purple Flowers with Green and Aqua

A round card with a purple scalloped base.  Created for the June shaped card challenge sponsored by Our Daily Bread Designs (thank you, ODBD!) to benefit Operation Write Home.

This is my first time to try a shaped card, and it was rather puzzling (but fun) to do.  To make it a bit less puzzling, I worked with a familiar design and color scheme.

Card details:

• My flower image and Copic marker colors, card stock colors, and dies for the top two mats (green and lacy purple) are the same as this card.  
• The lavender and aqua mats are cut with Spellbinders Standard Circles SM dies.  The scalloped purple card base is cut with the 4" Spellbinders Big Scalloped Circles LG die. 

Created for Operation Write Home, "supporting our nation's armed forces by sending blank handmade greeting cards to write home on, as well as cards of gratitude to encourage them." (120)

Red and Blue Rickrack on Cream

A simple note card with red and blue rickrack on cream.

Card details:

• Card stock is Papertrey Ink pure poppy (red) and enchanted evening (blue) on a Neenah classic cream base.  
• Die is Papertrey Ink XL rickrack border die.
• Sentiment "Hello!" is computer-printed in Lithos Pro Black font, using red text fill and blue text line.  I added some Copic marker RV29 to deepen the sentiment color. 

Created for Operation Write Home, "supporting our nation's armed forces by sending blank handmade greeting cards to write home on, as well as cards of gratitude to encourage them." (147)

Circle Quilt Card #2 - Aqua, Orange, and Brown

Another card with the same design as Monday's.  Scroll down or click here to see it. 

Card details:

• Same as Monday's post except for the colors.  Today's card has Papertrey Ink melon berry (light orange), orange zest (dark orange), aqua mist (light aqua), Hawaiian shores (turquoise), and dark chocolate (brown) on a Neenah classic cream base, with a brown computer-printed sentiment.  

Created for Operation Write Home, "supporting our nation's armed forces by sending blank handmade greeting cards to write home on, as well as cards of gratitude to encourage them." (158)

Circle Quilt Card - Blues and Purples

A calm and peaceful card.  It reminds me of a quilt pattern, and I thought of using a sewn button in the center.  But my husband, who has a good eye, preferred the simple dot.  So, a dot it is.

My layout is a CASE of Susan Raihala's card, posted on her Simplicity blog.  Thank you, Susan, for the inspiration!  And Susan was inspired by another card, as you'll see when you look at her post.

Card details:

• Card stock is Papertrey Ink spring rain (light blue), blueberry sky (medium blue), and plum pudding (medium purple), and Paper Source plum (light purple), night (dark navy blue), and frost luxe (textured light gray card base - this color is discontinued).  
• Dies and punches are Spellbinders Nestabilities 3-1/2" circle die, EK Success 1/2" circle punch, and Corner Chomper 1/2" corner rounder.  
• Sentiment "Thinking of you" is computer-printed in blue ink (with dark blue outline) using "Lucida Calligraphy" font.  

Created for Operation Write Home, "supporting our nation's armed forces by sending blank handmade greeting cards to write home on, as well as cards of gratitude to encourage them." (158)

Three Daffodils

I really, really like this card!  I love daffodils in the garden, and I love the daffodil effect I was able to create.  The colors and shapes are just right, though the botany's a bit off (should be six petals in the outer ring.)

I'm very happy with all the elements of my card ...  the color scheme, the orangey flower edging, the debossed dotted background, the sentiment on its wavy green layer, the card layout and placement of the flowers, the die shapes, the perfectly matching cream embroidery floss, and the scored stems. 

Card details:

• Card stock is Papertrey Ink spring rain (blue), summer sunrise (yellow-orange centers), and harvest gold (medium yellow), Neenah baronial ivory (a very pale yellow), and Paper Source jadeite (green) (discontinued color).
• Dies, all by Papertrey Ink, are Signature Series: Flower (outer petals),  Flower Fusion #2 (middle layer),  1/2" scalloped button from Buttoned Up #2, and XL Rickrack Border (top of sentiment strip).  
• Outer petals are edged with Copic marker Y38.
• Embroidery floss is DMC 746.
• Background is debossed with Cuttlebug Swiss dots embossing folder.
• Stems are scored along the center.
• Sentiment "Thinking of you, today and always ..." is computer-printed in green ink with Chalkduster font.

Created for Operation Write Home, "supporting our nation's armed forces by sending blank handmade greeting cards to write home on, as well as cards of gratitude to encourage them." (157)