I'm really enjoying the new, exclusive Reason To Smile set! It's available this month only and it's only $5 when you make a purchase of $50 or more! Use the following product numbers to order your discounted set when you place an online order:
- Wood Mount – #131274
- Clear Mount – #131275
Today, I experimented with layering the Reason To Smile images for a Two Cool backgrounds!
My first card features Wisteria Wonder, Pool Party and Marina Mist on a Crumb Cake card base. I love the soft, cool color combination!
The 2011 In Color Designer Paper Stack had just the striped pattern I wanted to contrast the floral designs of the stamps.
There were several steps to get the layered look of the background:
- Inked the En Francais background stamp in Crumb Cake, then stamped once-off on scrap paper before stamping onto my Whisper White card stock. I wanted this part to be very light.
- Sponge around the edges with Crumb Cake ink.
- Stamp with the bold flower images all over the piece in three different colors.
- Stamp the line image of the flower in the same ink colors.
- Use Marina Mist Marker to Color Spritz some flecks.
- Spray some alcohol & Champagne Shimmer Mist homemade spritz over the top.
You can really see the Shimmer spritz on this closeup. LOVE it! And, you can also see how forgiving these Two-Step stamps are…you don't need to line them up perfectly for them to look nice!
I wrapped the piece in Linen Thread and added a Pool Party border with the Finishing Touches Edgelits. The delicate scallop design is so pretty! The birthday greeting from Blooming With Kindness is stamped in Marina Mist.
The second card uses a slight different color combo: Wisteria Wonder, Baja Breeze and Calypso Coral.
I used the same layering techniques as before, without the Color Spritzer flecks.
This time, I finished the border with Large Scallops Edgelit. Another lovely look!
A Case For Two Cool Cards
See, this is why I simply must do Two Cool cards instead of one…it gives me some room to experiment! It gets me past my decision-making hesitancy! Should I do it in this color, or that color? With this border, or that border? Should I put the sentiment here, or maybe it would look better there? No need to choose when I can try out both design variations. Making Two Cool cards actually saves me lots of time because I skip right over my wishy-washy phase!
Plus, when you already have all of your stamps and inks and design already decided for one card, making one more is super quick! I mean, what are you gonna do with the other half of that sheet of card stock, anyway? It's all ready to go!
Two Cool Cards = One To Give, One To Keep and give later.
I even have a special Two Cool Cards category, so you can see all of my Two Cool Card combos in one place for inspiration!
Complete Supplies List:
- Stamps—En Francais, Reason To Smile, Blooming With Kindness
- Ink—Marina Mist Marker (card #1); Crumb Cake, Wisteria Wonder, Pool Party (card #1), Marina Mist (card #1), Baja Breeze (card #2), Calypso Coral (card #2) Classic Ink
- Paper—2011 In Color Designer Paper Stack; Crumb Cake, Wisteria Wonder, Pool Party (card #1), Calypso Coral (card #2), and Whisper White card stock
- Accessories—Linen Thread, Champagne Shimmer Mist
- Tools—Finishing Touches Edgelits, Large Scallop Edgelits, Big Shot, Sponges, Color Spritzer, SNAIL, Dimensionals
Order all of the supplies used on today's projects, at my Online Store!
Angie