Paisley Petals Sympathy Cards

Remind me to not stop stamping again for such a long time. I have to relearn how to stamp, where my stuff is, and how to blog! I also realized as I started to do this that I hadn't updated my watermarks to 2011 yet (and it's JULY!!). Now that that's done, hopefully I can get back into the groove of things.

Anyway, here are my first cards post-break. They're not stunning, I know, but I'm still proud of them just for having gotten my act together to make them! Both cards feature the Designer Series Paper called Paisley Petals on a base of Marina Mist, and the only ink used, for both stamping and sponging, is Early Espresso.

I used the Keytag punch (retired) for the sentiment on the first card, and raised it up on Stampin' Dimensionals. The ribbon is 1/8" taffeta in Marina Mist. Even with the "loud" DSP print, the card seemed a bit scarce -- until the Beautiful Wings embosslit and Basic Pearls came to my rescue.


I wanted the large sentiment from the Thanks for Caring stamp set to take center stage on the second card, and I think setting it off inside a 2 1/2" circle does just that. The decorative border was done using the Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border punch. If I had to do this card all over again, I would heat emboss the sentiment to really make it stand out.



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I did invest in a few supplies while I was on sabbatical, and one of my favorite items is the new Cupcake punch. Being the goof I am, I've had fun telling friends I made cupcakes -- only to show them a papercrafted version of the treat! (Bad Joyce!) Here are the first two I made:



Now that I've got the stamping bug again, the hardest part is going to be deciding what to do next! I have so many ideas! Stick with me, and I'm sure I'll have some COOL stuff to share!

Smiles,
Joyce Spear a.k.a. StamperJoyce