Today’s card project comes to you courtesy of another design challenge. This time it was the Hand Stamped Sentiment Color Challenge that inspired me with a combination of three blues. Coastal Cabana, Bermuda Bay and Pacific Point would normally result a sea-themed project, and I have to admit it did cross my mind. However in the end I decided to go with something much more geometric. It was only later that I thought of embossing the background. So that’s when the Brick & Mortar 3D Embossing Folder got a workout.

THREE BLUES

With the colour challenge as my inspiration it made sense to start there. So I went to my scrap card tin and found the pockets for the three blues. Unfortunately I have no large pieces of Pacific Point Card so had to choose from the other two for the card base. In the end I went with the darker Bermuda Bay.

From among the scraps I found three different sized strips to fit across the width of the card. After playing with various options I decided to use one of each. Then to make organising the layout easier I fixed them together with some sellotape. So far, so good.

The sentiment came next, a simple “happy birthday” from the Sentimental Swirls Stamp Set. To coordinate with the card base I used Bermuda Bay ink and stamped onto some Basic White Card. Then I chose a die from the retiring Tasteful Labels Dies to cut it out. There are a number of dies in the set that fitted the sentiment but in the end I went with a simple rectangle with cut-out corners.

As I put the die back with the others I noticed two circle dies with scalloped edges. So with no real plan in mind I cut one of each from Coastal Cabana and Bermuda Bay Card. I really liked the contrast between the straight strips and the circles but decided to keep just the smaller ones.

Now I began thinking about how to layer the pieces into a pleasing arrangement. First, using Multipurpose Liquid Glue (Tombow) I fixed the Coastal Cabana circle on top of the three strips at the right-hand end. Then I used Stampin’ Dimensionals to attach the sentiment on top. Finally the Bermuda Bay circle was fixed behind the strips and the bottom left corner of the sentiment.

BRICK BACKGROUNDS

All I needed now was a background and I cut a 4″ x 5-1/4″ piece of Basic White Card to add a bright contrast. The only problem was that it seemed rather plain. So that’s when I had the idea to emboss it, just to add some subtle interest. I tried the Timber 3D Embossing Folder first but it was a bit too fussy. Instead I cut another piece of card and tried again with the Brick & Mortar 3D Embossing Folder. That was the missing piece of my puzzle! Almost…

As I was preparing to attach the strips and circle assembly to the card I decided it needed one little tweak. So I went back to the Tasteful Labels Dies and grabbed the larger circle to cut out some Vellum Cardstock. Then using liquid glue I fixed the Vellum behind the Coastal Cabana circle, before adding the whole thing to the brick embossed background layer. With that done I added the completed layers to the card front.

To complete the project I went back to the Brick & Mortar 3D Embossing Folder. First I embossed a 1″ strip down the right-hand side of a 4″ x 5-1/4″ piece of Basic White Card. Then using liquid glue I added a 1/8″ x 4″ strip of Bermuda Bay Card along the left edge of the embossing. This finished it off nicely and I glued the layer inside the card base. Finally after embossing the flap on a Basic White Medium Envelope my project was complete.

I love the way the crisp lines and circles on the card stand out against the more relaxed look of the brick background. I’m so glad I didn’t go with a sea theme for the Hand Stamped Sentiments Color Challenge HSSCC387. What do you think?

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