Playing with a new stamp set

I broke out another unused stamp set today - Simply Soft. It features pretty detailed flowers and has 2 step stamps (I didn't 2 step them today though). This design belongs to Lana Harvey from Lana's Stampin' Cottage. I loved her card so much I didn't change anything except to suit my own supplies.

I made two colour variations:

We'll call this card 1.

And this is card 2.

Materials:
Cardstock: Card 1 - Very Vanilla, Lovely Lilac (retired Stampin' Up colour). Card 2 - Whisper White, Island Indigo.
Ink: Lovely Lilac, Island Indigo, Stazon black, Old Olive marker.
Stamps: Simply Soft.
Accessories: Victoria crochet trim, Basic Pearls, Blue organza ribbon (Kaiser Craft).
Tools: Big shot machine, Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder, Top Note die, sponge, aquapainter, Beautiful Wings embosslit, mini glue dots.

Tips and Tricks:
1. I cut the top notes before stamping the images on.
2. I used an aquapainter to colour the flower heads and buds. I used an Old Olive marker for the stems and leaves.
3. The stamped top notes and Vintage Wallpaper layers are sponged with the feature colour (Lovely Lilac or Island Indigo).
4. I'm not good at tying bows so the ribbon is adhered in two parts. A length is cut and stretched across the front of the card. The ends are taped behind the card layer. Another length is used to tie a bow around the first part. Hey, it works for me!
5. Card 1 would look so much better with matching ribbon but I didn't have any.

Stuff Ups:
1. I would have used the 2 step stamps but forgot to use my stamp-a-ma-jig on the outline stamp. It was fun to aquapaint any way.
2. I would use Certainly Celery or another light green marker rather than Old Olive. I feel it is too dark for the look that I want.
3. The sponging is uneven but I can live with it.

Pleasant Surprises:
1. The overall look of the aquapainting is ok.
2. The way the organza ribbon matches the Island Indigo was a lucky surprise! It looks lighter than the cardstock in the photo but that's due to the nature of the ribbon versus the camera. In real life it matches perfectly.

Another twist on an old success

I made this card yesterday and based it on this card that I made back in October. I played with stripes and colours and I'm pleased with the effect.
Here it is:

Again it's a simple card. I'd spent most of the morning making a baby card just like this one which took longer than expected thus cutting back on the time I had to make this card.

Materials:
Cardstock: Island Indigo, Pool Party, Basic Black, printed acetate by My Memories, P187 Spring Greens: Cabbage Patch by Kaisercraft.
Ink: Stazon Black.
Stamps: Best Dad Ever (for the happy birthday sentiment).
Other: Mini glue dots, baker's twine in Caribbean and Cappuccino by The Twinery.

Tips and Tricks:
1. The sentiment is stamped on the acetate and left to dry before using.
2. All the acetate layers are affixed with mini glue dots.

Stuff Ups:
1. I had to redo the sentiment on the acetate so I removed the ink with Stazon cleaner and tried again.
2. In this picture the cappuccino twine is twisted over itself but I straightened it out before I posted the card.

Pleasant Surprises:
I managed to get the light right for once so the colours in the picture ring true. I also found my mini easel which made it easier for me to get a better photo of the card.

Birthday time

I made this card this morning, it was a quick card to make and features washi tape which is something new that I bought and was looking forward to using.

As you can see, this card is customised for my brother-in-law. I have a new alphabet stamp set by Lawn Fawn that allows me to do this!

Materials:
Cardstock: Island Indigo, Basic Black, Brushed Silver, Whisper White.
 Ink: Tuxedo Black by Memento.
Stamps: Motorcycle by Stampin' Up, Jessie's ABC's by Lawn Fawn.
Other: Black and white checkered washi tape, sponge, dimensionals.

Tips and Tricks:
1. I put a little bit of glue tape down on the base card and stuck the silver panel to that. Then I put the washi tape around the edge to stick down the silver panel.
2. I sponged around the Whisper White layer to give it some interest.

Stuff Ups:
1. I should have cut the washi tape to make it thinner - it's just too overpowering.
2. Cutting the washi tape would also have allowed me to centre the motorcycle panel on the silver rather than have it sticking out over the top of the washi tape.
3. I really wanted to use my diamond plate embossing folder on the silver but it would have been too much.
4. The uneven edges on the washi tape was deliberate!

Pleasant Surprises:
I'm amazed that the letters of the sentiment all lined up - each letter is an individual stamp. Lawn Fawn stamps are brilliant at making stamping easy!