Happy first day of August, friends! Can you believe it’s August already?! Before you know it we’ll be making Christmas cards… oh wait, that’s already started! I’m pausing for a while on holiday-related creations to bring you something a little more year-round appropriate today, and it features the Essentials by Ellen Organic Elements stamp set. This was released in June and as you saw here and here, I fell head over heels for it!
Just like any good cardmaking session, this one began with selection my inks. I love pinks and greens, which can be a little difficult to use together sometimes – if you’ve ever tried to blend pink into green, you’ll know the result is often a brown-ish looking one! Luckily though, that wasn’t the case with my lighter colors here. These were the ones I landed on:
- Pinkfresh Studio inks in Pear and Doe
- Concord & 9th inks in Ballet Slipper and Evergreen
- Catherine Pooler ink in Rose Petals
I selected 5 images from the Organic Elements Stamp Set – two that work as solid backgrounds, as well as a rainbow, dotted circle and leafy branch – then started creating my background panel. It looks like the elements are stamped randomly, but I’ll be honest – the placement does take a bit of thought! I roughly plotted out the images so that I’d have a good sense of spacing, and this really helps me ensure that the finished panel is visually balanced. I also like to ensure that the ink is fully dry before stamping the next overlapping element, as partially wet ink can lead to less-crisp images.
Once my background was complete, I embossed a bunch of the sentiments from the All About You stamp set on Concord and 9th Evergreen cardstock, then used the coordinating die to cut them all out (all at once – so handy!) While I was at it, I also die cut the ‘you’ from the All About You die set, creating one Evergreen shadow layer, and 3 white layers. I stacked these on top of each other for an extra-sturdy sentiment, then positioned the ‘You’ and my sentiment strip over my background panel.
When it came to assembly, you guys know I can’t make a card without foam tape and this one was no different. I popped the sentiments forward with foam, then did the same for the entire background panel before mounting it on my card base. It took everything in me not to add any embellishments, but looking back now, I don’t really think the card needed any! (Let me know what you think – I’d love to hear!)
I hope this card has inspired you to create something fun today, or at least make a little creative playtime for yourself. A full list of all products used is below if you’re interested in shopping. I can’t wait to see what you make, and hope you have a wonderful day!
Great post, Angela! This is such s beautiful card, and you totally nailed the random stamping look! So interesting how the design was planned out but it looks effortless! And I agree with you, it didn’t need embellishments, but I struggle with that urge to add them to every card, too! 😉