This Day Forward, with Love

From the moment I saw it in the catalog I knew the stamp set This Day Forward was just perfect for a very special anniversary card.  My mother and father-in-law celebrated their golden anniversary last summer and their card had to be over-the-top special, just like them.  I'd like to share it with you.... (beware: photo heavy post!)

Brushed Gold cardstock is simply gorgeous when dry embossed.   This retired DSP has a gold line running through that made it the perfect companion.  I sponged some Champagne Shimmer Mist paint onto the doily and embossed the image and sentiment with gold embossing powder.   Here's a peek to the inside...

The flourish from Creative Elements is one of my favorite stamps and embossed in gold on vellum it is just gorgeous....

The vellum overlay adds such an elegant look to their beautiful wedding photo.  I scanned the photo and printed it onto Very Vanilla cardstock from my home printer.

Of course, there were so many layers and embellies to this labor of love that it couldn't go into just a regular envelope.  So I decorated a Tag a Bag gift bag with even more embossing, glitz and glam!  I hope you've enjoyed this special card for a special couple as much as I enjoyed making it.  I know that my in-laws enjoyed it--I think there was even a tear or two--I heard word that they left it on display in their home for the rest of the celebratory year!  That made me feel so good!  For me, that's what making a handmade card is all about--pouring your heart and creativity into something that you know the recipient will LOVE!  Thanks for stopping by so I could share it with YOU!

 

Just Add Betsy's Blossoms {PP193}

So, have you seen the list of retiring stamps and accessories?  It's quite a list and lots of the stamp sets are gone already!  There are a few I wish weren't retiring and I've got one to share with you today.  The always fabulous Anne Marie is our hostess at The Paper Players this week and she has an awesome sketch:

I had a specific stamp set in mind and when I saw this beautiful color combination over at Just Add Ink, it all came together--love when that happens!  Bermuda Bay, Baked Brown Sugar, Crumb Cake and Very Vanilla:

I love the Betsy's Blossoms stamp set and likely won't get rid of it after it retires.  I always fall for big, graphic flowers like the one in this set and I especially like the way it looks in a lighter color with the stem stamped over.  Layering stamped images add so much depth and interest to your card.  You can see that I even stamped it in the background and on the sentiment circle too.  That's how much I love it!

The rest of the card is fairly straightforward but you might be wondering about the striped "DSP" I used.....  Well, it's not actually DSP!  I didn't have any that matched this combination of colors exactly and I knew that stamping the other images in the set would be too busy so..... I made my own striped paper with a ruler and Stampin' Write markers in Bermuda Bay, Baked Brown Sugar and Crumb Cake.  I'm really happy with the results and it wasn't difficult at all!  OK, maybe just a little time consuming!  :-)

Another retiring retired favorite (gone alread!), Bring on the Cake, is featured on the inside.  Just love that "a year better" sentiment.  I won't get rid of this one either.  I hold on to almost all my sentiment stamps just because you can never have too many, right?!   And, over at The Paper Players we can never have too many participants!  I hope you'll join in the sketchy fun before the challenge closes on Friday, May 2nd at Noon (PST).  Be sure to pop over to the rest of the Design Team to see what they're sharing today!  Come back later this week, too, when I will share a project featuring another retiring stamp set...

The Paper Players Design Team
Ann Schach
Anne Marie Hile
Jaydee
LeAnne Pugliese
Nance Leedy
Sandy Mathis

Click any image for details and ordering information:

Table built using Product Table Builder by The Crafty Owl - Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator.

Ka-Washi for the PP {PP192}

I am excited today to be this week's hostess over at The Paper Players where we have a fun Clean-and-Simple challenge:

I have several different sets of SU washi tape and decided to work with Gingham Garden because it hadn't seen the light of day yet!  As soon as I saw this great sketch on the Cardabilities blog:, a card design popped into my mind's eye.

The images and patterns of Gingham Garden are small and delicate so I wanted to keep the other design elements and images in keeping with that theme.  The light and airy scrolling flourish from Creative Elements makes a pretty background pattern especially when stamped in Pear Pizzazz to coordinate with the color in the Washi Tape.  

I've been so enamored with flowers lately, that my butterfly stamps and punches were starting to feel lonely.  I inked up Papillion Potpourri in Melon Mambo and layered an elegant and bitty butterfly.  Island Indigo is also one of the colors in the Washi Tape and I just happened to have some matching Baker's Twine to wrap up the butterfly.  A couple tiny butterflies cut and embossed from Vellum cardstock with the Beautiful Wings embosslit add a little dimension without adding more color.

Very easy to pull all these elements to the inside of the card as well....I had so much fun with this one that I decided to make a second, more gender neutral, card with the same sketch but different Washi Tape:

Here, I had fun playing with the colors from the Retro Fresh Washi Tape as well as elements from several stamp sets including Just Sayin', Peachy Keen, Starburst Sayings and Gorgeous Grunge. I mean because once you start...

you just can't stop....now go Washi something!  I have to tell you that the name Washi Tape makes me giggle.  DD has camped locally with the Girl Scouts at Camp Kateri where we learned at orientation that they don't call their bathrooms restrooms or toilets.  They call them....wait for it....Ka-washis!  So, now I want to call it, Kawashi Tape!!  :-)  Be sure to check out all the Ka-washi-tas-tic Kreations from my friends on the Design Team:

The Paper Players Design Team
Ann Schach
Anne Marie Hile
Jaydee
LeAnne Pugliese
Nance Leedy
Sandy Mathis

Card #1: Click image for details and ordering info:

Table built using Product Table Builder by The Crafty Owl - Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator.

Card #2:  Click image for details and ordering info:

Table built using Product Table Builder by The Crafty Owl - Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator.