So this today hasn’t gone at all according to plan, hence my blog is very late being published. It’s not even as if I had a card to make, it was pretty much complete last night. All I needed to do was decorate the inside and envelope! I can’t even put my finger on why I’m running behind, I just am. So without any further delay here’s a vintage-style card created using the Quiet Meadow Stamp Set.

MEADOW BUTTERCUPS

I was inspired to make this card after I saw a comment on Facebook about buttercups. I began with a 4″ x 5-1/4″ piece of Very Vanilla Card and using Tuxedo Black ink I stamped the multi-flowered stem. Then I stamped the splatter image a few times, sometimes without re-inking the stamp.

To give the layer a vintage look I chose Crumb Cake ink, and using a Blending Brush added a thin layer of ink over the surface. Then I changed to another brush and added Merry Merlot ink around the outside. At this point I decided to tear off the right-hand edge of the layer. Then I added a little more Merry Merlot ink to tone down the bright edge.

With the inking done I was ready to colour in the floral image using Stampin’ Write Markers. I did this using Granny Apple Green and Daffodil Delight markers from the Brights collection.

While the flowers were nice they weren’t as waxy looking as the buttercups in my garden, but I had an idea. From the Watercolour Pencils I took the Daffodil Delight pencil. Then I dipped the tip of the pencil into some clean water. This had the effect of ‘melting’ the tip slightly so that when I coloured a petal it left a thick layer of colour. The result was exactly what I wanted and I continued on until all the petals were done.

DIFFERENT TEXTURES

At this point I started looking for different textures I could add to the design. I started with some Very Vanilla 3/8″ Scalloped Lace Trim. Using Tear & Tape Adhesive I attached the lace to the back of the layer just behind the torn edge.

Next I found a Mossy Meadow scrap from the Neutrals 6″ x 6″ Designer Series Paper (DSP) Assortment. The scrap was just 1/2″ wide and 4″ long and I thought it would fit nicely on top of the Very Vanilla layer. Unfortunately it looked a bit too ‘new’ for the card, so I tore off the right-hand end and aged the surface with a Blending Brush and Merry Merlot ink. Then I dragged the long edges of the strip across the top of the ink pad. This created ‘pools’ of ink in places and softened the DSP in the process. Finally, once the edges were dry, I passed the strip through a crimping tool to give it a nice corrugated look. With that I used Tear & Tape Adhesive to fix the strip across the Very Vanilla layer and trimmed off the excess with my Paper Snips.

For the sentiment I went back to the Quiet Meadow Stamp Set. I chose “Heartfelt love and caring thoughts are with you” and stamped it onto some Thick Very Vanilla Card using Tuxedo Black ink. Then I cut it out using the largest circular die from the Tasteful Labels Dies. Finally, to make it blend in with the rest of the main layer, I added Crumb Cake and Merry Merlot ink with Blending Brushes before attaching it using Stampin’ Dimensionals.

The last textural element I wanted was some subtle jewels. So I chose the Genial Gems in Pale Papaya and scattered them over the assembled piece.

QUICK FINISH

With the bulk of the card complete I had just a few tasks left.

First, using my Paper Trimmer I cut and scored some Merry Merlot Card. I folded it along the scored line to create the card base then attached the completed layer to the front with Stampin’ Dimensionals.

For the inside of the card I cut another 4″ x 5-1/4″ piece of Very Vanilla Card. Next, using Tuxedo Black ink, I stamped the floral image on the right-hand side. Then I ‘aged’ the edges using Crumb Cake and Merry Merlot ink applied with Blending Bushes. Once done I fixed the piece inside the card base using Multipurpose Liquid Glue (Tombow).

Finally I stamped the flower image one last time on the front of a Very Vanilla Medium Envelope. Then after I’d ‘aged’ the edges to match the inside of the card my project was complete.

I’m pleased with how this project turned out. Vintage is not my usual style but I like to push myself out of my comfort zone every now and then. Do you have a favourite style? Or perhaps there’s a style you specifically avoid. Why not leave a comment below and let me know your thoughts…

PRODUCT LIST

BUNDLE BONUS – I bought the Quiet Meadow Stamp Set in a bundle with the Meadow Dies (not used today) using a single ‘bundle’ item number. This meant I saved 10% off the cost of buying the same two items separately. I’ve included a link to the bundle in case you want to explore this option.