STASH SERIES - All occasion card featuring decorative paper, embossed tags and a large layered flower

 In an effort to have cards in my stash I decided to make a series of cards all featuring decorative paper backgrounds, little embossed tags with embedded punchies and a large focal element.  I started with six pieces of cardstock in a variety of colours, chose decorative paper backgrounds, strips for my tags along with a punch/die and started the cards.  

For this card I started with a large white card and adhered this fun floral paper in peach and aqua (colour printed digital image).  I chose five pink scraps from my stash, punched each of them with a six petal flower punch and then embossed the tags with a variety of embossing folders.  I filled the holes in each tag with a punched flower from one of the other scraps to create some contrast.  I adhered them from the back using regular tape.  The next step was to arrange them into a large element to put on my background.  I moved them around a bit until I was happy and used regular tape on the back to attach them to each other.  

I did all six of my cards to this level before moving on and adding a large coordinating accent.  

For this card, I created a large flower using a Sizzix flower die.  I cut two large ones  - one in dark pink and the other in white, then a smaller one from a medium pink colour.  I layered them and adhered them in the middle and then cut a yellow circle for the center.  After playing with the elements a bit I decided where the tag element would go and adhered it to my card front over the background.  Once I added my flower I found it needed something to keep it from blending too much with my tags and background.  I added a length of wide white gros grain ribbon with fish tail ends which I simply adhered to my card using double sided tape.  That was much better!!  Once I was ready to glue on my flower I decided it needed some leaves so I die cut two of these leafy sprigs (SU) from green cardstock and adhered them to the back of my flower before adhering this large element over the ribbon on my card.  The green leaves really helped to define the flower as well. 

Doing all the pieces for all the cards at the same time meant that I did all the punching, then all the embossing and then all the assembly of the tags at the same time which really saved some time.  I have very rarely had the time to make cards in this manner before.  I am usually running to get done what I need with a much tighter timeline so end up with one at a time. 

I really enjoyed the process and am very happy with how much character my cards have even if they were made to a certain level in an assembly line.  

Watch this space for the other cards I made as I get them posted!!

Therese

Large all occasion cards featuring blue and aqua decorative paper, sanded white core cardstock, foil and little birds

My last set of cards for donation which are very similar to my last two in that they use the deep aqua paper and the light yellow textured paper.  Both cards are landscape and the first on has the deep aqua pieced instead of whole like the other one.  I trimmed the yellow layer on the bottom one just to add some interest.  The small rectangles of aqua white core cardstock were embossed (top D'vine swirl - CB and the bottom brocade one - CB) and sanded.  I rounded the corner on the top one.  I punched the foil and used the circle punchie on the first one and the one with the opening on the second one.  Created my birds with the SU bird punch - yellow cardstock with watercolour for the bird and aqua for the wings.  The eye added with a black marker and the beaks with a yellow gel pen which I embellished with a lead pencil to add a bit more definition.  The branches for these two were also cut using the TH - Branch Tree using green cardstock scraps which were then watercoloured, adhered and trimmed to the edges.  These focal elements were added to my cards using 3D foam tape. 

Really happy with my little stack of cards.  I am sure they will be welcomed by the staff at the church and will go on to bless others as the need arises!!               Therese