Sunday Stamps Challenge # 149

This past week was not a great one for me creatively and the week before was a little bit sketchy as well.  I seem to be making up for it this weekend cranking out a record number of posts in just two days.

Last weekend, we ending up making a quick trip to Dallas to see our daughter and grandkids.  It was unexpected and a bit unplanned, so I forgot all about taking something to her that I'd made for her. When I came across it this morning I decided I would make a card for her so I could send them. After looking around at all the challenges that are currently going on, I quickly decided on a color scheme for my card following the inspiration image at the Sunday Stamps Challenge with the Rich Succulents Color Palette. Keep in mind they don't give us color names but ask us to follow the example to the best of our ability. The color is only ever going to be as good as your monitor or device and might be limited by the selection of colors in your crafty stash.  I have no cardstock or ink that is the same shade, color or value of green as the photo but I did the best I could with colors I do have.

I said once to a friend, that I would probably never use Ripe Avocado Cardstock and lately, the joke has been on me and I'm thinking I need to order another pack in the next month or two because it goes so well with so many colors.  The richness of this green pairs perfectly with the Sugarplum (purple shimmer) Cardstock.  Both colors are rich and regal.

Once again, I inked up the Simon Says Stamp Emma Background Stamp with Versamark and heat set it using Simon Says Stamp Antique Gold Embossing Powder.  One of the things that makes Ink Blending successful is a well used and loved foam on your ink blending tool.  It's always so much easier if it's not a new pad.  Seedless Preserves is my favorite color of Distress Ink, so mine gets used fairly often giving me well used pad.  My Distress Inks are the only inks that each have their own foam pad.  It fits right in the bottom of the ink cube and my Distress Oxide pads have a piece of Velcro on bottom to attach the foam to when I am finished using it. That way you just change out the pad and you don't need to have an actual tool for each color. I only have four Mini Ink Blending Tools and just change the foam pads out as needed. I could probably get by with just two as a matter of fact.  For the rest of my inks, I use one foam pad for each color family because I tend to have the same go to colors pretty consistently.  The Distress Oxide Inks blend so easily on cardstock or watercolor paper but for this card I used Stamper's Select White Cardstock. You can see it is a very seamless transition from one color to the next.

To get this particular look I start in the center of the panel and work my way out around the edges. Once I had the ink blending done, I misted it with some shimmer spritz then cut the panel with the 2nd largest Simon Says Stamp Stitched Rectangles Dies and cut a background panel from the Sugarplum Shimmer Cardstock using the largest rectangle from this same set.  I got this cardstock many years ago at a scrapbook store that is no longer in business. I'm pretty sure I've seen some similar to this at the Joann's or Michaels stores in Frisco, Texas but I haven't looked for several years. I do love the color so I need to remember to look next time I am there.  I stamped the greeting on a 1/2 inch wide piece of the same purple shimmer cardstock with the "Just A Note" sentiment from the Botanical Blocks Stamp Set from Papertrey Ink. The gold die cut flower is from Concord & 9th's Flutter and Floral Dies and lends itself well to the outlined background image.  There's also a butterfly die in the set if you prefer that.

Next, I made a top folding card base from Ripe Avocado Cardstock. I mounted the ink blended panel to the Sugarplum panel and then using a slightly smaller sized piece of Black Fun Foam, I mounted the background on to that using Scor-Tape (Sookwang Paper Tape).  I use 1 inch because it covers a lot of the surface but make sure of your placement before you press that down. It will ruin a card base if you try to move it.  Go slow and have an easy touch because once it's adhered, it is not going anywhere! I also used Black Foam Squares to pop the sentiment panel up just a bit.

The hardest part of this design is getting clean embossing.  I couldn't do it without my MISTI Stamping Tool or without using a powder tool of some kind. It doesn't matter what kind you use, only that you do.  And while I am at it, I try to heat emboss a few at a time.  I did not do that this time, but the stamp is still in my MISTI so I can stamp a few more tonight or tomorrow.  I am fortunate enough to have the MISTI Mini and MISTI Original and the background stamp does not fit in the Mini.  This stamp makes for an absolutely gorgeous, elegant card no matter what colors you choose.  You could use it on colored cardstock or color your own as I prefer to do.  As always, when I use a a darker card base, I cut another stitched rectangle to put on the inside of the card for my note. With these colors I used a cream colored panel but most of the time I use a white insert.

The supplies I used are linked in my post or you can find shopping links in the right hand sidebar. Thanks for stopping by and I hope you'll come back another day soon.