We are in the season of Lent again, and that means that I’m sending out a bunch of ‘just because’ cards to various friends and family members. Usually I have a pretty big stash on hand from creative efforts in the last year as well as swap cards that I’ve received. This year my supply is a bit smaller than usual and I need to create some additional cards so I’ll have enough. I created a 12 of this card to build out my supply so I don’t run out before Easter. I’ve had the Batik Boutique bundle on my wish list since the “big” catalog came out last May. I finally got around to purchasing it recently, and this is my first time that I’ve created something with the bundle. I really like the variety of the images included, and since there are outline images as well as “fill-in” stamps it’s a perfect set for just stamping or using a coloring option like the Stampin’ Blends. Since I was creating a bunch of these cards, stamping was a much better alternative than coloring. But rest assured, I’ll be pulling this set out again real soon to play with my beloved Blends.
My card layout inspiration was the current sketch challenge from the Global Design Project. It has been quite a while since I participated in one of their challenges, and it feels great to get back in the saddle again.
For my interpretation I combined the large floral image from the Batik Boutique set along with a greeting from the Sentimental Swirls set. I was super-excited to find that one of the “windows” in the Messages die was sized perfectly for this greeting! The Messages die is great for cutting labels, and it can definitely be used with other greeting stamps – not just the two background-sized stamps that are designed to go with it. If you have the die, I encourage you to check it out with your greetings so you can get even more use out of it. 😊
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