Hello Sunshine

Today I wanted to make a card for a specific friend and also to participate in a Challenge on the WPlus9 Design Studios, LLC Blog.  I have a few of their products and several more on my wish list.  The only requirement for the challenge was to use at least 1 of their products.

This card uses one of my absolute favorite products and it is one I use over and over again.  It is the Sunshine Layers Designer Die Set.  It has the Scalloped and Stitched Rectangle Panel that I use on a lot of my cards as well as the Inner Rounded Corner Die, a Sunshine, the word Sunshine, two Clouds, a Rainbow and a couple of Raindrops.  Everything is the perfect size and scale for A2 cards.  I don't have the companion stamp set, but it is on my wish list.  I've used it several times here on my blog and for many cards that never make it to my blog.  Particularly the scalloped rectangle is a must have for me in card making.

I was playing around last night with several of my ink pads and I sort of stumbled onto something that I really liked.  I had pre-cut a few panels of 4.25 x 5.5 inch 110# card stock in ivory.  I was planning to do some ink blending so I didn't want to catch the edges with my Mini Ink Blending Tool and tear or bend my paper so I used the heavier card stock.  It seems like I really go through the Watercolor Paper lately but I knew I wasn't going to use water with these panels. So as I was blending some inks on a background panel, and I had one of those happy accidents where you have something you were not intending, but you like it, so you set it aside for another project.  It was that kind of a deal.  Each time I would glance over at this, I got a definite image in my head of what this could easily become so I came back to it first thing this morning.

All of the inks I used for this are Stampin' Up! Ink Pads.  I started in the center of my panel with So Saffron which is a soft yellow.  Next I added some Crisp Cantaloupe and worked it around the yellow center.  I didn't actually think it would be so orange-y because I was using such soft colors but the more blending you do, the more intense the color becomes.  These particular colors reminded me of a sunrise and of my friend who has such a sunny disposition.  I am not really a morning person....

I have a scallop border die that cuts wherever you want it to.  It also came from Stampin' Up! and I've had it for quite a while.  It is very plain but I like clean, graphic lines.  I cut one to be the edge of my card, but since it reminded me of a balloon valance, I cut another one to make it seem more like a curtain over a window where the sun was coming up.  Now granted, a window frame die would have furthered this idea, but I don't have one, so I just winged it.  I think most cards require us to visualize more than what is actually on a card and this one is no exception.

I also used the Painted Hello Die with this card and some Wink of Stella Clear Glitter Pen on the sun, the clouds and the words.   These supplies are available from Simon Says Stamp or you can get the Sunshine Layers Set directly from WPlus9.

This is all pretty standard stuff in the world of card making, but I hope you enjoy this card today.  I know the person I made it for will definitely enjoy it.

Dawn Woleslagle, the owner of WPLUS9, just posted a new technique video, so I'm off to see what that is all about.  Let me know if you'd like a link to her YouTube Channel.  Her videos are awesome!