I recently shared a post (that you can see here) for a card that I created for a Demonstrator swap for new catalog stamp sets. I did a great job getting those cards prepped with plenty of time to spare. This card is my second swap sample, and I made this one at the last minute. I had the stamping done for days, but I had to take a break for a road trip to celebrate my son’s graduation (it was amazing!). And then the first few days after we got back home, I was very busy with other stuff that was critical. I knew that I had a bit more time, and I used every single hour. The deadline to get the swaps in the mail was yesterday, and I made it – just barely! Thank goodness for the holiday weekend which gave me a bit more time!

This card design wasn’t what I originally envisioned for this card set. This stamp set has images that are great for all 4 seasons, and therefore it is great to use throughout the year. This is why my plan had been to do a card that features the flower (you see it here), seashell, leaf and snowflake with the greeting “You make each season of life even more beautiful”. I had great visions in my head, but when I started working with the stamps I struggled to pick a layout that wasn’t too busy with all of that stamping. Maybe I’ll be able to pull it off when I don’t have a deadline looming over my head – I haven’t given up on the idea yet! So, I re-grouped and chose a single season image for my stamping and I used the masking technique to get the layered look to the flowers where they overlap. I really like how this card turned out and it seems perfect for a late-Spring card. I also really like the way that these colors go together, and I’ll likely use this color combination again. What do you think?

I have to share another technique that is so easy, and I love to do it. You may have noticed the pearls on the card, and wondered where to find them. The answer is that they are the Basic Pearls – nothing special (well, I do love them and they are special… you get what I mean). The magic happens with the Stampin’ Blends markers. For this card I used the Petal Pink Dark Stampin’ Blends marker, but you can use ANY of them. That’s right – you can color the pearls (or Basic Rhinestones) to be any color that you want! This way you can have embellishments that will match perfectly the project that you’re working on. Isn’t that awesome?!?

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