A Photo-Heavy Monday...

Sometimes, while cruising around the Web and social media sites, you find someone whose work inspires you in one way or another.  This happens often to me, and most recently from a wonderful card maker "across the pond" who, although she doesn't have a blog yet, shows her wonderful creations on Facebook. Her name is Debbie Stevens, aka Paper-Pastimes, and you can find her Facebook page here if you'd like to join/follow her page to keep up with her creations.  ETA: Debbie also now has a blog...you can find it  here.

Debbie inspired me to use more of my dies on my cards, and especially to do so while using a monochromatic color scheme.  You can see by most of my cards that I'm a big fan of patterned papers, so I love the challenge of creating a card without any patterned papers at all, using only cardstock to create a variety of patterns and dimension.

Today I'm sharing three cards that I made recently, all inspired by Debbie's work. First up, an all-occasion card (the card is actually a light cream color, but it looks much whiter in straight-on photos). On this card, I used several layers, each attached to the card with foam tape. The floral image is adhered to the light brown layer at the bottom of the stack. The next layer up is the dot-embossed cream cardstock with the oval cut out to display the floral image. Next is the Floral Oval die, with the center oval cut out larger than the oval displaying the image. The final layer is the Tiffany Frame die, set slightly inside the oval cut into the center of the larger Floral Oval die.

I pulled the pink color from the rose in the image for the scrunched seam binding bows, and topped them with a single lavender mini rose, some punched branches, and a smattering of small white pearls and clear crystals...

Before adhering it to the card, I coated the Tiffany Frame die with clear glitter for just a touch of texture and sparkle. and added a couple pearls to the top and bottom details...

Supplies:

Dies:  Spellbinders Floral Ovals, Classic Ovals Large and Small; Memory Box Tiffany Frame

Cuttlebug Polka Dots embossing folder      Floral image:  The Graphics Fairy

Paper rose:  Wild Orchid Crafts      Martha Stewart Medium Branch punch

Hug Snug seam binding      Pearls & crystals:  Recollections

The next card is a birthday card for someone I know doesn't follow my blog, so won't see it before I send it out. :)  This time I set the layered sentiment chips inside the cutouts made in the center of the card.  Here's what I'm talking about...

The dry-embossed cream layer has a round cutout to show the solid cream layer at the bottom. It's topped with a round frame with a center circle cutout slightly larger than the one in the lower layer.  Inside that cutout are two sentiment chips of varied size, each adhered to the card with foam tape for dimension...

The floral and bow cluster arcs around the bottom of the round frame...

Supplies:

Dies:  Spellbinders Parisian Motifs, Standard Circles Large and Small; My Favorite Things Royal Leaves; Memory Box Elegant Scrollwork

Sizzix Diamond Embossing Folder      EK Success Scalloped Circle Punch

Sentiment stamp:  Papertrey Ink      Paper flowers:  Wild Orchid Crafts      Crocheted flower: local craft store

Pearls:  Recollections      Hug Snug seam binding

Miscellaneous:  cheesecloth, white acrylic paint

And last, but not least, the first card I made inspired by Debbie's work and had set aside until I completed the other two.  Turns out the timing was perfect, because I found out I had missed the birthday of a special friend, and was especially glad I could send her something she wouldn't have already seen here. LOL    On this white card, the dry-embossed layer is adhered directly to the solid layer beneath it - then both together are adhered to the card with foam tape.  The sentiment chips are "popped up" with foam tape, also.  The bottom of the card is decorated with a fancy-edged lace...

A single red rose in the floral cluster of cream and white roses, and the green wires on each of the mini flowers, are the only parts of the card that aren't white or cream, so they really  stand out against all the other monochromatic textures...

Supplies:

Dies:  Spellbinders Labels Four, Classic Ovals Large, Scalloped Ovals Small, Beaded Ovals;  

My Favorite Things Royal Leaves

Couture Creations Tied Together embossing folder      Martha Stewart Medium Branch punch

Paper roses:  Wild Orchid Crafts      Mini pearls:  Recollections

Lace:  TheFunkieJunkie.com      Viva Decor Pearl Pen-Cream      Hug Snug seam binding

Thanks so much for visiting today...I hope your week is starting with a smile!