Three Things I Like: Pam Morris’ Welcome Card

When I list the reasons why people make cards, I think of Christmas cards, birthday cards, thank you cards, baby cards and wedding cards. Stampin’ Up! has these cards fully covered in the 2013-2014 Annual Catalog – lots of great things to choose from. What’s missing? There are no current “we’ve moved” or “welcome to the neighborhood” stamps. That seems like another big card-making celebration. Yet, we have nothing (not even in MDS) – OR SO I THOUGHT.

When I saw Pam’s shoebox swap card from this past weekend, I squeeled with delight. I eeked with excitement. I held her sample card in my hands and shed a small tear. How had I overlooked this stamp set (THAT I OWN!) as the perfect “welcome to the neighborhood” or “congrats on your new home” or even “we’ve moved” card? She saw it. Why did I miss it? I am going to share the card I made at the shoebox swap using Pam’s adorable card as the guide, and then I’m going to give you three reasons why you love it too (bold, I know, but I think you’ll agree):

Three Things I Like about This Card:

• The White Card Base. As you know, I typically use colored cardstock as the base for almost all of my cards. The cardstock tends to ground the images on the front of the card. This one is notable exception, and it works really well. Why? These two tiny (and I do mean tiny) houses on this landscape create a cozy hillside feel. The coziness of the two houses is compounded by the fact that they are limited visually to a small space on the front of this card. A dark or heavy border around the edges of this card would only increase the visual feel of the images, causing the card to potentially lose the “hominess” of it all.
• Hillside Technique. I loved the way Pam created the stacked hillside. It’s such a simple techinque that she learned years and years ago. I flubbed it in my card (I stamped my second image in the wrong place, so I had to add a third hill). So simple but with such a wonderful result. I’ll share that technique with you this weekend, so make sure you come back to check it out. 🙂 I also like that the hills stay white with just the edges sponged in green – keeps them from being too heavy.
• Accent Colors. I like that Pam limited her color choices for this card. Gumball Green is used for the border, the sentiment and the sponging on the hills. The only time you see a different color (Real Red and Crushed Curry) is on the houses. Makes the houses the focus of the card, huh? Brrrrilliant, Pam!

Stamp Sets: Sweetly Framed (hostess set) Inks: Real Red, Crushed Curry, Gumball Green Papers: Whisper White, Gumball Green Accessories: Stampin’ Dimensionals, Stampin’ Sponges

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Brian

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