Starting The Day With Some Early Espresso

Brrr it’s chilly out but my car now has a lovely new set of winter tyres. Now all I need to do is put the snow brush and shovel in the trunk and I’ll be set for driving in the colder weather. Right now though I’m happy to stay indoors with a couple of toasted buttered crumpets and a warm cup of coffee. I suppose that’s what led me to the colour scheme for today’s project, Early Espresso with a touch of Very Vanilla.

"Sending warm Christmas wishes" with this card created using the Rustic Retreat Stamp Set from Stampin' Up! #simplestamping #papercraftwithme

EARLY ESPRESSO STAMPING

I began by creating the focal point for my project on a 3-1/2″ x 5-1/2″ piece of Thick Very Vanilla Card. First, using Early Espresso ink, I stamped the house image from the Rustic Retreat Stamp Set. Then I added the “Sending warm Christmas wishes” sentiment.

Next I used my Paper Trimmer to cut and score some Early Espresso Card. After folding it along the scored line I sharpened the crease with a Bone Folder to create my card base. Then I attached the stamped layer up against the right-hand edge using Stampin’ Dimensionals.

While I wanted to keep this project very simple, I did think it needed a little extra decoration on the front. So I wrapped some Linen Thread three times around the front of the card and tied it in a bow.

PROJECT COORDINATION

Coordinating the inside of the card was a simple task going back to the Early Espresso ink pad and Rustic Retreat Stamp Set.

First I stamped the small pine branch in the top right corner of a 4″ x 5-1/2″ piece of Very Vanilla Card. Next in the bottom left corner I stamped the long line of trees. Then using Multipurpose Liquid Glue (Tombow) I fixed the stamped layer inside the card base.

Inside of card created using the Rustic Retreat Stamp Set from Stampin' Up! #simplestamping #papercraftwithme

Finally I turned to the Very Vanilla Medium Envelope. In the centre of the flap I began by stamping the pine branch. Then I flipped the envelope over and stamped the line of trees twice along the bottom. With that my project was complete.

Although the layout of this card is really simple, the details on the sentiment and images really add interest. What do you think?

I loved the Rustic Retreat Stamp Set as soon as I saw it and it certainly hasn’t disappointed. For more projects using this versatile sett see these earlier blog posts: