Today I wanted to share a card with you that is a bit of a departure from my normal style. Although overall, my style tends towards clean and simple, you’ve probably noticed over the years (if you’ve followed my blog for that long) that I love to dabble in different styles, and when a particular style or product or technique grabs by interest, you start to see a lot of that integrated into my projects.  So today’s card is a bit “frillier” and “fussier” than normal for me. But at the same time I quite like it. 

This is one of those cards that just kind of came together – going with the creative muse I guess you could say. I had pulled out the Elegant Soiree Designer Paper (one of the new designs in the 2010-2011 Stampin’ Up! Idea Book and Catalogue) and had my heart set on using it.  Once I had chosen my pattern, and matted it onto a coordinating color of CS, I just kind of sat there staring at it, trying to figure out where I wanted to go next. A scrap of a DP circle (from the same collection) that was sitting on my table, left over from a page I was working on happened to catch my eye.  So I put it on the DP and started playing with it’s positioning until I settled on the one I liked best.  And so the rest of the card developed in the same way.  The funny thing about this card is that so often I choose my focal image or element first.  This time, the focal element (the glittered word “Love”) was the very last thing I decided on.  So a real backwards way of stamping I guess you could say.  Anyways, here’s how I made today’s card:

1. Cut a 5 1/2″ x 8 1/2″ piece of Baja Breeze CS and fold it in half using your bone folder to create a 4 1/4″ x 5 1/2″ card.
2. Center and stick a 3 1/2″ x 4 3/4″ piece of DP from the Elegant Soiree collection onto a 3 3/4″ x 5″ piece of Soft Suede CS.
3. Cut a 4″ diameter circle out of Elegant Soiree DP using your Circle Scissors Plus and the glass mat.
4. Cut the circle, not quite in half – the widest dimension on the cut circle is 3 7/8″.
5. Place a strip of Sticky Strip horizontally across the DP (extending from the left to the right edge) about 1 1/4″ up from the bottom of the DP. Before peeling the backing off of the Sticky Strip, lay your circle onto the DP, centered and with the left edges aligned (do not stick it down yet). make a very tiny pencil mark, just above the DP strip, and just to the right of the right edge of the circle.  This mark will tell you where the ribbon ruching needs to begin.  The pencil mark will be covered by the ribbon.
6. Remove the DP circle.  Peel the red backing off of the Sticky Strip. Keeping your Very Vanilla satin ribbon on the roll, stick the end of the ribbon to the Sticky Strip and begin pleating and “ruching” your ribbon across the Sticky Strip, all the way to the right edge.  Make sure that the first pleat starts at the pencil mark. 
7. Leave about 1″ of the ribbon overhanging the right edge, and cut it so that it is no longer attached to the roll.
8. Bring the end of the ribbon around to the back of the CS and stick it down.
9. Center and stick the DP partial circle along the left edge of the DP mat. It will cover the end of the ribbon.
10. Pierce a hole just to the left of where the ribbon ruching begins, using a paper-piercing tool and foam mat. Insert an Antique Brad.
11. Choose some chipboard letters to spell out the word love (you could also use die cut letters). Ink up the chipboard letters with Baja Breeze Craft ink.  Sprinkle on Heat and Stick powder and heat until it melts.  Sprinkle some Dazzling Diamonds glitter onto the melted Heat and Stick and then re-heat to set the glitter.
12. Stick the letters above the ribbon with mini glue dots.
13. Stick on some cream half-back pearls to the DP with mini glue dots (see the picture for placement). I used two medium sized pearls and four small ones.  These were from the retired Pretties Kit. 
14. Center and stick the decoroated and matted DP piece to the Baja Breeze card front.  You’re done!

I hope you enjoyed today’s card.

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Ink: Baja Breeze Craft ink
Paper: Soft Suede CS, Baja Breeze CS, Elegant Soiree DP
Accessories: SNAIL adhesive, mini glue dots, Sticky Strip, Very Vanilla satin ribbon, Antique Brads, heat tool, heat and stick powder, Dazzling Diamonds glitter, cream half-back pearls

Check out our current and upcoming Classes:

Discover your creativity with the “Artist in You” Online Class. Featuring 20 lessons/tasks/inspiration based around four core themes, this online class will help you take your creativity to the next level. For more details and to register, click HERE.
Date: Sept. 1st – 30th
Early Bird Price: $49.95

 Bright colors, bold patterns & a vintage texture create an eye-catching combination that is sure to elicit a “wow” from everyone who sees it. In the Greenhouse Gala Class your customers will create these four gorgeous cards along with a coordinating window card box to gift them in. To purchase the class planner version for Stampin’ Up! demonstrators please click HERE. For the Stamp Class by Email click HERE. You can find more great class planners at thethe Demo to Demo store.

 Not sure how to run a workshop, needing a boost or just running out of time? With the Artistic Etchings workshop planner, we take all the tears and fears out of workshop’s for you. To purchase the workshop planner please click HERE. You can find more great workshop planners at thethe Demo to Demo store.