Tuesday, April 17, 2012

K .I. S. S. (Keep it Simple, Stamper!)

Hello Stampers!  Happy Tuesday and thanks for stopping in today!

I think all of you know by now that my favorite stamping style falls into the "clean and simple" category.  Every once in a while I'll go for a sort of vintage-y look, but not often. And while I admire the work of others who've adopted a "more is more" philosophy, somehow that style just isn't me.  Since I'm mainly designing cards for Stampin'Up! workshops, I have to keep it simple.  Otherwise I'd go broke supplying all of the rhinestones, pearls, hardware,  and other fancy embellishments, plus there just isn't time at a stamping party to make cards with lots of detail and fussy techniques.  I strive to hit a nice balance with my cards... pretty color combinations, a pleasing layout, some texture, possibly some designer paper, and then a simple embellishment or two such as brads, ribbon, and perhaps even some pearls or rhinestones. 

If you are wondering about card design and how to make it easier to come up with your own designs, I have just the class for you!  It's called Designing the Perfect Card and it is coming up this Saturday, April 21st at 10:30 am at my house.  The cost is $15, or free with a $40 purchase.  You'll learn the theory behind designing an eye-pleasing visual image and you'll go home with a folder of handouts that will make your designing process so much easier.  I have 4 spots left... so if you'd like to attend and bring a friend, please let me know at sjrstamps@gmail.com

Let's move forward to today's card.  I stamped this as a make-and-take at a recent demonstrator meeting.  While I was blog surfing one night, I came across an almost identical card on Sandi Maciver's site, so I guess whoever brought that make-and-take got their inspiration from Sandi.
I just want to give credit where credit is due.    Anyway, here's the card...



As you can see, this is a white-on-white creation.  That automatically gives cards a clean and simple look.  Uh Oh!  It's the Bright Blossoms and Summer Smooches stuff again and I said we were finished with it.  I guess "not quite finished" would have been a more accurate statement.

Here's a quick list of the ingredients:

Stamps:
Bright Blossoms
Sincere Salutations (this set will retire at the end of May, so you might want to get it before it is gone)

Ink:
Island Indigo, Cherry Cobbler, Daffodil Delight, and Old Olive Markers (for coloring directly on the flowers)
Island Indigo stamp pad

Paper:
Whisper White
Summer Smooches Designer Paper

Accessories:
Eyelet border punch
Stripes embossing folder for the Big Shot

This type of design makes the perfect thank you note and can be stamped in just a few minutes.  In fact, a card like this should take no more than 10 minutes to create from start to finish. Why not sit down today and make a few simple thank-you notes?  Then you'll be prepared the next time you need one.
That's it for today, friends.  I've got a squillion things to do today, so I've got to run. I hope you'll come back tomorrow for another classic card.  In the meantime, have a great day!
Happy stamping,
Susan

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