Thin Blue Line/Thank You for Your Service!

Welcome back!

The house across the street from the turn into our subdivision has flags on either side of their driveway, one the American flag and the other one a police flag representing "the thin blue line" so I was inspired to make a Thin Blue Line thank you card.  

I used one of our Stamp Simply patriotic stamp sets, stamping with Memento ink and coloring it with Copic markers.  I used a few neutral grey colors, along with several shades of gold and blue. Using darker greys rather than true black allowed the stippled shadow details of the stamp (stamped in Memento Tuxedo Black) to show through since it was stamped in darker ink.   

I used red and blue Copic markers to color strips of card stock, then glued them next to one another atop another scrap of card stock and die cut them with a banner die.  The sentiment was stamped on another banner die from the same die set.  

I learned while reading about police flags that police officers wear silver badges, and detectives wear gold, so I decided to include a star "badge" on the card front.  This is a Spellbinders die that was scored from the point of each star to the  ^  angle between two points, then folded mountain/valley style to make it three-dimensional.

Another thing I learned in my research was that there are colors for other disciplines of public service as well.  There are so many public servants to whom we should voice our gratitude!  

Here's a peek at the inside.  I stamped the word collage stamp in black, accented with silver Delicata stars, and carefully colored the words RED, (white), and BLUE their respective colors.  That would probably have been easier with colored gel pens but since I didn't have any I just used my Copics.  

Supplies:

• Stamp Simply Clear Stamps - The Red, White & Blue Bundle
• Stamp Simply Clear Stamps - Patriotic Sentiments
• Stamp Simply Steel Dies - Fishtail Sentiment Banners
• Spellbinders Stars Five
• Craft Consortium Ink Drops Ocean 6x6
• Luxury Pearlescent Metallic 105# Cardstock - Silver 6 ct
• Delicata Non-Tarnishing Ink Pad - Silvery Shimmer
• Memento Tuxedo Black Ink
• Copic markers (red, white, blue, gold, and neutral greys)

Special Occasions!

This week our Stamp Simply team has been highlighting cards for Life's special occasions, so I am here with an anniversary card that has romantic travel/honeymoon remembrance inspiration  (My husband and I got married in St. John, honeymooned there, and have taken memorable trips to the Caribbean, France and Monaco so I suppose that's what led me in this direction).  

I love those Caribbean colors peeking through some pearly lattice work, bordered with some pretty pink trim and romantic vintage postcard paper.  The sentiment was stamped in vibrant turquoise ink on more of that lovely pearlescent paper.  

The colors of the vintage paper are reflected in the gorgeous shiny variegated silk ribbon, the colors of shell and sand, layered with frayed tulle and a pale Caribbean blue blossom.  

Here's the inside, with a sentiment from  our LOVE set paired with one from the set used above.  

Supplies:

• Stamp Simply Clear Stamps - Wedding & Anniversary Wishes
• Stamp Simply Clear Stamps - Love
• Stamp Simply Steel Dies - Fishtail Sentiment Banners
• Sizzix Thinlits Dies by Tim Holtz - Mixed Media #1
• Prima Capri - 6x6
• Luxury Pearlescent Metallic 105# Cardstock - Quartz White 6 ct
• May Arts Vintage Sampler - Pink & White w/Rosettes
• May Arts 1.25" Variegated Silk - 32 yard spools - Pink/Champagne
• Kaisercraft Mini Paper Blooms - Sea Breeze (a sub for the one I used)
• Kaisercraft Self-Adhesive Round Rhinestones - Light Pink
• distress oxide inks
• tulle

God Bless the USA!

Hey y'all!  Happy Thursday!  

If you've been visiting my blog for very long you probably already know that my husband retired from the USN after 28+ years of service.  Proud to be an American, and also a proud military wife! Where we live, there are lots of current and former military, so any day is a good day for a patriotic card!  

Today's card was inspired by the many murals I've seen painted on the sides of old brick buildings!  For that reason I stamped the flag and the background words directly onto the Brick designer paper. The flag was colored with Copic markers.  I followed the Center Step Card Tutorial on Splitcoast Stampers for the layout, using Echo Park's Let Freedom Ring designer paper to create the illusion of another flag along the card folds.  

The Pledge of Allegiance is stamped on the inside.  I used Spellbinders classic square dies to cut notches into the top of the designer paper so that it would fit into the framework of the center step design.

I cut the stars from a few scraps of gold pearlescent paper and used glimmery Delicata ink to stamp the USA letters, too.  To me, shiny gold stars always up the ante for a card with a patriotic or military feel.

Supplies:

• Stamp Simply Clear Stamps - The Red, White & Blue
• Stamp Simply Clear Stamps - Old Glory Bundle
• Stamp Simply Clear Stamps - Scripty Background Minis Set 2
• Stamp Simply Steel Dies - Fishtail Sentiment Banners
• Spellbinders Nestabilities - Standard Squares SM
• Echo Park Let Freedom Ring 6x6
• Craft Consortium Brick Textures 6x6
• Luxury Pearlescent Metallic 105# Cardstock - Gold 6 ct
• Memento inks
• Delicata Non-Tarnishing Ink Pad - Celestial Copper
• Tea dye distress ink
• Copic markers

Believe!

Hello friends!  I'm back today with a CAS card and a go-to layout for when the paper is just too pretty to cover up!  I thought this paper looked rather "cosmic" and it made me think of our long ago homeschooling days.  During that time there was a popular bumper sticker that said, "I believe in the Big Bang Theory...God spoke and bang! it happened!"  (😂  One never knows from where inspiration will come! )  

But seriously, sometimes we could all use a little reminder that indeed, all things are possible with God!

Once again I used some beautiful pearlescent card stock to elevate a super simple design.  You can see it peeking out from under the layers of card stock matting the designer paper, in the banner for the sentiment, and on the inside too:

We have a fancier cross but I love this simple "old rugged" version which is especially pretty die-cut from that pearly paper.  I used a few colors of distress oxide re-inkers to splash colors onto the ivory card stock underneath just to give some cohesion to the design.  

I love all of these Ink Drops papers, but I think splashing them with diluted inks and/or acrylic paints makes them feel more "alive" and even more elegant, especially if it's sparkly/metallic.  

Supplies:

• Stamp Simply Clear Stamps - Farmhouse Simple Sentiments
• Craft Consortium Patina 6x6
• Luxury Pearlescent Metallic 105# Cardstock - Gold 6 ct
• Stamp Simply Steel Dies - Fishtail Sentiment Banners
• Stamp Simply Steel Dies - Easter is for Jesus Cross, Rabbit, Eggs
• Gems
• Delicata Non-Tarnishing Ink Pad - Celestial Copper
• various distress oxide reinkers

Sunrise (Sunset!)

Hello and happy Thursday!  I am back with another Craft Consortium Sunset card (I'm kinda stuck on this gorgeous paper lately!) although it is an Easter SunRISE card that I'm sharing today (and I hope you're humming a song from Fidler on the Roof along with me!)

 

I used some beautiful pearlescent paper for the card base, and kept everything really clean and simple because sometimes that is what lets the special elements shine the most.  This He Lives set is one of my Stamp Simply favorites.  

LOVE these soft but intense colors with a pop of the complementary!  

I used the same lovely paper on the inside because I wanted to feature our gorgeous cross, die cut and embossed from that elegant pearlescent paper.  So beautiful!

Supplies:

• Stamp Simply Clear Stamps - He Lives Bundle
• Stamp Simply Steel Dies - Crosses
• Luxury Pearlescent Metallic 105# Cardstock - Quartz White 15 ct
• Craft Consortium Ink Drops Sunset 6x6
• Spellbinders Nestabilities - Standard Ovals SM
• Spellbinders Nestabilities - Standard Ovals LG
• Sizzix Thinlits Dies by Tim Holtz - Tag Collection
• Seam Binding Sampler - Spring Pastels - 30 yards
• Memento Full Size Dye Ink Pad - Espresso Truffle
• Copic markers
• gold metallic gel pen