Sometimes we need a quick card, and in this case, I needed to send a card to a friend going through a long grieving process to let her know she’s not forgotten. A key for me is to start with the sentiment then pull out my background stash.

We all have backgrounds and bits we save for a maybe-later card. Time to pull them out! I started with the sentiment from CZ Designs so I knew how much room I’d need. I chose two backgrounds.

If you have a die you love, like the swirling hearts here, use your embossing mat and use the die to emboss. It’s a beautiful technique. The floral is a background Rose Lace stamp from Gina K.

I used a scrap panel cut just shy of an A6 panel and glued the flower panel, then cut on a diagonal and popped up with double sided adhesive foam. Use your precut botanical stash and create little bouquets. Glue down and then attach the white panel.

To match the edger I used the same distressed oxide pad that the flower background was initially created with.

For a vibrant match, use the pad direct to paper then cut your edge.

Unless you are using black to stamp the sentiment, choosing the color of the sentiment is next. The best rule is to either use the same predominant color in your design or a color and tone that is next to your primary color. I used a deep blue distressed embossing powder from Tim Holtz in this case. Purple and blue are neighbors on the color wheel and visually appealing.

A focused approach to Perfect Pearls – if you’ve ever used it, Perfect Pearls can get away from you fast. I keep it under control by using a versamark marker. Color only the areas you want the perfect pearls. Brush it over the versamark, let it dry and use a soft cloth to remove the excess. Works every time.

I used wink of Stella on the botanicals.

For next-level appeal, line the inside of the card and add some cut outs from the leftover scraps used on the front of the card. This post has more details on how to do that.

Finally, I mounted the front panel to the card base and added a copic-shaded bow and some liquid pearls in white and purple.

Thanks for stopping by! Questions? I’m happy to help. Would love to see your creations! You can post on my facebook page so we can celebrate or if you’re on instagram use #mypaperhugs to tag! 

Hugs all around – Kathy

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