Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Thinking Green - Not Your Traditional St Patrick's Day Card

Happy Tuesday to you all,
With March fast approaching (can you believe February is almost over?), our thoughts turn to a holiday that I always think of as fun and cheerful. After all, can you look at a Leprachaun without smiling? (I can't).
Here in Denver they have a parade to celebrate St Patrick's Day and for one day, everyone is Irish.  My children all madly search for something green to wear to school to avoid the dreaded pinch, which pleases one of my daughter's because her favorite color is green and she has the perfect excuse to wear as much green as she likes.
So my card share today is a St Patrick's Day card with a big twist. It does not have shamrocks, cute little leprachauns nor a pot of gold. No, it is the most untraditional of St Patrick's Day cards but I think it would qualify as a nice way to share the holiday with a friend.  (I was inspired by a card created by another demonstrator but I can't find the original photo to give her credit. So a big thank you to you and as soon as I find out who you are, I will post to give proper credit.)
For one thing, it is a beautiful green (Stampin' Up's Certainly Celery Designer Series Paper is one of my most favorite Greens) and for the other, the sentiment reminds me of those wonderful Irish sayings that wish you well for the future.

As you know, I love to use my Sizzix Big Shot and with this card I had the opportunity to have some fun. I used the Sizzix Top Note die to cut out a piece of Certainly Celery DSP (isn't it pretty and in a pinch could pass for shamrocks I guess) and then cut out a scalloped bookmark tag with my Sizzix Two Tags die from a piece of Whisper White cardstock. Last but by no means least, I used my Big Shot with the Sizzix Finial Press Embossing Folder to emboss the card base of my Whisper White card, which coordinates beautifully with the designer series paper.
The stamp sets I chose for this card are both Sale-a-bration stamp sets that I love using because they are so versatile. The Circle Frame and Best Wishes stamps are from the Vintage Labels stamp set and work perfectly together. This stamp set is ideal for cards that are classical, elegant or traditional and work just as well for both masculine and feminine cards. 
I stamped the Circle Frame stamp first in Certainly Celery Classic ink on Whisper White cardstock and then lined up the Best Wishes stamp so that it fit in the center using the clear mount stamp set (this set is also available in traditional wood mounted option).  Using the Scalloped Circle punch, I then punched it out. I also punched out another scalloped circle from a piece of Certain Celery cardstock to add as a matte slightly offset to create a flower look. Finally I matted this onto the scalloped end of the bookmark tag to create an additional layer of "petals". 
To finish off the card I stamped a sentiment from the Whimsical Words stamp set (also a Sale-a-bration set) in Certainly Celery Classic ink and applied two gold brads just below the top and bottom points of the top note.
This card would make a wonderful Birthday, Anniversary, Get Well, Sympathy or just a Thinking of You card for a special person in your life. Create a set of this card and give it as a special gift to someone you care about.
Remember, you still have time to take advantage of Sale-a-bration and earn one of the wonderful free products (such as the Vintage Labels stamp set or the Whimsical Words stamp set) with a $50 purchase of Stampin' Up merchandise (excludes S&H and taxes).

Until Next Time,
Stampin' Hugs,
Tricia Butts

Product List (All Stampin' Up Products):
Stamp Sets:
Vintage Labels, Whimsical Words (both Sale-a-bration sets)
Papers:
Whisper White Cardstock, Certainly Celery Cardstock, Certain Celery DSP (designer series paper)
Ink:
Certainly Celery Classic Ink
Accessories:
Sizzix Big Shot, Top Note Bigz die, Two Tags Bigz die, Finial Press Embossing Folder, Scalloped Circle punch, 1 3/8" circle punch, Gold Brads, Snail adhesive.

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