Serendipity

When I got home last night and got online to check out some blogs, I was pleasantly surprised to find that both Beate and Jen chose sketches this weekend featuring a large panel - perfect for some of the new Paper Inspirations stamps that I found at Stamping Memories. Remember the wedding card I did for last week's inspiration challenge? I found stamps from the same line for mother, father, graduate, and husband. I love them because the sentiments are beautifully worded, and they make such a nice statement with not much time required. Always a good thing when I'm up against a deadline!

I did Beate's sketch first, using the graduation stamp. I found the background paper at Stamping Memories as well; it's from American Traditional Crafts. I paired it with kraft cardstock and stamped in chocolate chip ink. The diamond panel uses a stamp from the retired set Looks Like Spring. I layered all panels with chocolate chip cardstock, adding round copper brads from Making Memories to the diamond panel. The sentiment is mounted on dimensionals. It all went onto a kraft card base and that was it - quick and easy but I think very classy.

For Jen's sketch I wanted to do something really feminine. In making her card Jen said that she used paper she'd just bought instead of hoarding it - well, I am terrible about hoarding so I decided to look through my stash for some pretty papers to use. I thought these Imaginisce Loves Me papers would be perfect. I used the two floral panels as a background with a strip of the striped paper across the front. The sentiment is stamped on the reverse side of the larger floral print in cranberry crisp ink. I layered onto cranberry crisp cardstock and a Bazzill textured cardstock base, again mounting the sentiment on dimensionals. For embellishments I added pretty in pink taffeta ribbon and three pink acrylic baubles. I really love how this turned out!