Balloons and Cloud on Blue with Yellow

Happy balloons on my card for a 65th wedding anniversary.  I like the white cloud, numbers, heart, and banner with the bright colors and dots.

Card details:

• Card stock is  Papertrey Ink (PTI) spring rain (light blue) and stamper's select white.
• Patterned papers are the bitty dot and polka dot prints from PTI plum pudding (purple), Hawaiian shores (turquoise), pure poppy (red), and harvest gold (yellow) pattern pack (tone-on-tone prints - retired).
• Dies are PTI block alphabet numbers, heart prints, what the doodle: sun (cloud), double-ended banners, and birthday balloons.
• I drew the balloon strings with Copic 0.3 black multiliner.
• The sentiment "Happy Anniversary" is from Hero Arts everyday sayings, stamped with PTI true black ink cubes.

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Yellow Stars with Black, White, and Rusty Red

Fiery hot colors, grounded with black and white.  The yellow patterned paper (thanks, Vicki!) adds some interesting variation to the star shapes. 

Card details:

• Card stock is Papertrey Ink (PTI) terra cotta tile (rusty red) and true black.
• Patterned paper is from Craft Smith flower market 12 x 12" collection.
• Twine is PTI true black baker's twine.
• Die is PTI cover plate: stars.
• The sentiment "thanks" is from PTI limitless layers: labels (retired), stamped with Hero Arts unicorn white pigment ink and white heat embossed.

Created for Operation: Quiet Comfort.

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Balloons on Yellow with Teal

Since I don't make a lot of birthday cards, my first thought about the new Papertrey Ink (PTI) birthday balloons set was "I don't need that."  But after seeing the design team samples, and with the help of some friendly "enabling" on the PTI forum, I bought it all - stamps, die, and stencils - and I'm very glad I did!

The balloons look great on a birthday card (and I made a few of those, too) but also for this cheerful thank you card.  I chose a sentiment with thin string-like lines to complement the balloon design.

Card details:

• Card stock is PTI lemon tart (yellow), mint julep (light green), aqua mist, and lilac grace (light purple).
• Patterned paper is the gingham print from PTI tropical teal pattern pack (tone-on-tone prints - retired).
• Die is PTI birthday balloons. 
• I used a Copic 0.3 turquoise multiliner to draw the balloon strings (including the short strings across the balloon knots.)  I traced my curves from one of the PTI birthday balloons stencils.  The multiliner isn't the same color as my teal stamping, but in real life, they look good together.
• Technique: Before I drew the strings, I laid down my die-cut balloons where I wanted them.  I used a few inches of Scotch removable tape to hold them together, then made a tiny pencil dot under the "knot" of each balloon.  I also put a dot for the bottom of each string.  Then it was easy to place my stencil and connect the dots.  Note: When I stamped my strings from the balloon set (another similar card, not shown), I used the same approach, but I also masked off the bottom section of my yellow panel.
• The balloon patterns are stamped with PTI birthday balloons using PTI new leaf (green), tropical teal, and amethyst allure (purple) ink cubes.
• The sentiment "thank you" is from PTI keep it simple: thank you II, stamped with PTI tropical teal ink cube.

Created for Operation: Quiet Comfort.

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Leafy Green Thanks

When a friend sent me this beautiful paper (thank you, Vicki!) with its lush tropical leaf print,  I gave it a starring role in my card design.  To add some definition, I used narrow green borders around the card front and the label. 

The label's white space and the blocky words of "sincere thanks" make a resting place for the eye, while the paper's complex shapes are echoed in the curved leafy branch and curly "sending" word.  Since I wanted this card to feature the leaves, my label shape strategically hides a large flower.

Card details:

• Card stock is Papertrey Ink (PTI) new leaf (green card base), green parakeet (bright green label), and stamper's select white.
• Patterned paper is Craft Smith jungalow.
• Dies are PTI mat stack 4 and layerz mat stack 4.
• The leafy branch is from PTI gathered garden, and the sentiment "sending sincere thanks" is from PTI thank you kindly.  I stamped with PTI green parakeet ink cube as my base color, then stamped again with touches of PTI new leaf and pinefeather (dark green) ink cubes.

Created for Operation: Quiet Comfort.

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Gold Circles with Brown and Gray

A handsome masculine card with circles and squares in rich brown and gold colors.

Card details:

• Card stock is Papertrey Ink (PTI) dark chocolate (dark brown) and honey nut (golden brown). 
• Patterned paper is from PTI three piece suit A2 paper collection (retired).
• The brown card stock is embossed with the Dreamweaver faux cross-stitch stencil screen, as explained in this post.
• Dies are My Favorite Things double dot border (retired) and PTI direct messages banner.
• The sentiment "thank you" is from PTI keep it simple: thank you II, stamped with PTI dark chocolate ink cube.

Created for Operation: Quiet Comfort.

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Circles on Stripes - Red, White, and Blue

Dotted circles on stripes for an interesting background.  A wide white panel makes a resting place for the eye.  The circle motif continues in the sentiment stamp.

Card details:

• Card stock is Papertrey Ink (PTI) stamper's select white.
• Patterned paper is the stripe print from PTI blueberry sky (medium blue) pattern pack (tone-on-tone prints - retired) and the bitty dot print from PTI pure poppy (red) bitty big pattern pack.
• Dies are PTI cover plate: circles and My Favorite Things vertical stitched strips. 
• The sentiment "thank you" is from PTI wonderful words: thank you, stamped with PTI pure poppy ink cube.  The stars are from Paper Smooches seeing stars, stamped with PTI blueberry sky ink cube.

Created for Operation: Quiet Comfort.

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Gray-Green Leaves with Burgundy on White

A very simple, serene card.  The deep rich burgundy is beautiful with the gray-green leaves on white.

Card details:

• Card stock is Papertrey Ink (PTI) scarlet jewel (burgundy) and stamper's select white.
• The leaves are from from PTI turning a new leaf, stamped with PTI stormy sea (gray-green) ink cube. The 1/8" dot is from PTI confetti toss, and the sentiment "thinking of you" is from Stampabilities card phrases, stamped with PTI scarlet jewel ink cube.

Created for Operation: Quiet Comfort.

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Teacup and Snowflake - Blue and White

I made a batch of these wintry blue and white cards to send with warm wishes to our church shut-ins.  The heart-embellished teacup and snowflake give a cozy feeling against the sky patterned background.  I don't often use ribbon on my cards, but here it makes a good resting place for the teacup. 

Card details:

• Card stock is Neenah solar white and Papertrey Ink (PTI) blueberry sky (medium blue).
• Patterned papers are the leaf and bitty dot prints from PTI spring rain (light blue) and enchanted evening (dark blue) pattern packs (tone-on-tone prints - retired).
• Ribbon is 3/8" white sheer-and-satin.
• Dies are PTI fancy flakes, teacup, and heart-to-heart #11.  The blue star is inlaid in the white snowflake's center.

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Brown Hexagons with Yellow and Cream

Lots of hexagons - embossed, die cut, and stenciled.  I like the warm brown and yellow colors with the cream sentiment shape.

Card details:

• Card stock is Papertrey Ink (PTI) cocoa bean (medium brown), honey nut (golden brown), lemon tart (yellow) and vintage cream.
• Embossing folder is Darice honeycomb.
• Stencil is from PTI stencil basics: hexagon, sponged with PTI honey nut ink cube, using the round Ranger ink blending tool to apply the ink.
• Dies are My Favorite Things vertical stitched strips (shortened, then partly die-cut from the other end) and PTI two toned (hexagon).
• The sentiment "thank you so much" is from PTI thank you kindly, stamped with PTI cocoa bean ink cube.

Created for Operation: Quiet Comfort.

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Black and White Prints on Green

Diagonal prints and embossed zigzags with a bright white sentiment.  The black "thanks" shadow layer isn't obvious in the picture, but it really helps the white word stand out clearly on the busy patterns.

Card details:

• Card stock is Neenah solar white and Papertrey Ink (PTI) new leaf (green) and true black.
• Patterned paper is from My Favorite Things black & white basics 6x6" pad.
• Embossing folder is from the Cuttlebug just my type border set.
• Dies are PTI huge thanks (word and shadow dies).

Created for Operation: Quiet Comfort.

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Purple Butterfly with Blue Frame

It's difficult making a sympathy card when it's needed, so I always try to keep a few on hand.  I like this butterfly's elegant curves with the frame's straight lines and the soft plaid background.  

Card details:

• Card stock is Papertrey Ink (PTI) plum pudding (purple) and blueberry sky (medium blue).
• Patterned paper is the large plaid print from PTI spring rain (light blue) bitty big pattern pack.
• Dies are from PTI infinity frames and life is beautiful.
• The sentiment "with sympathy" is from PTI fillable frames #2 (retired), stamped with PTI blueberry sky ink cube.

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Cardinal with Snowflakes on Blue

For a family anniversary, I made this wintry card with a cardinal and a trio of snowflakes.  I like the contrast of deep red against the blue and white background.  The shimmery card stock looks lovely in real life.

Card details:

• Card stock is Papertrey Ink (PTI) shimmer card stock in scarlet (red), sky (medium blue), sapphire (dark blue), and white.
• Dies are PTI winter woods and fancy flakes.
• The sentiment "Love" is cut with the Silhouette Cameo.  See this card for details.
• The cardinal's details are stamped with PTI winter woods using Versafine onyx black ink, then clear heat embossed.

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