This is my favorite time of year – better than my birthday, better than Christmas, better than Spring. I love when the leaves are turning and the weather is cooling off and we are gearing up for Thanksgiving. If I can use last year as an accurate gauge for this year, I will be sharing lots of “thank you” cards with you during the month of November. There will be a variety of Thanksgiving-themed, Autumn beauties and plain, ole’ “thank you” cards. Regardless, I am feeling uber-grateful this year, and I know that will come through in my cards.
Here’s a simple beauty to kick off November:
Tips, Tricks and Reminders
- Designer Series Paper. I have loved the patterns in the Eastern Elegance Designer Series Paper from the start. This paper is a beautiful mix of elegant/formal and colorful/modern. I’ve not been able to incorporate the elegant/formal patterns into my cards until now. This beautiful pattern deserves to be showcased, so I made a 5-1/2″ x 5-1/2″ card and only added a beautifully scrolled sentiment.
- Sentiment Placement. This sentiment would be just as beautiful if it were placed directly in the center of the card. That would not allow the DSP to shine quite as much as it does when I weigh down the front, right corner of the card with the beautifully matted sentiment.
- Matting. I love for my images and sentiments to have an adequate matting around them. It just feels important to me to showcase the focal point of the card. In this case, the DSP is matted with a thick Smoky Slate card base and a thin matting of Crushed Curry. I repeated this same combination on the sentiment. I think the repetition adds a certain appeal.
Stamp Sets: Million and One Papers: Smoky Slate, Crushed Curry, Eastern Elegance Designer Series Paper, Whisper White Inks: Crushed Curry Accessories: Stampin’ Dimensionals
This month, please make sure you thank the people who mean so much to you. Send a little card to say how much you care.
Thank you for stopping by my blog today!
Brian
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Bandit. You all had a great response to Bandit’s snub of my card yesterday. Although he was [outwardly] completely disinterested in the card I thoughtfully made for him, I caught him snuggling with his new card last night. OK, that didn’t happen. He didn’t look at it again – not one more time.
Cats are smart. Bandit only needed one look and sniff to have that little token of love seared into his heart forever. You think? : )
Hi Brian, Love this card. The DSP and stamp are perfect together but I really like the different widths of the matting. Very cool! Thanks a bunch. 🙂
What a pretty card … ! Maybe you should have given this one to “The Cat:” …. Thanking him for the many hours of enjoyment (not to mention his card design ideas) that he has given you through the years . These colors are more to his liking anyway…I bet ! Being Gray and such ….Speaking of gray ..don`t you love this gray ? I know Suzie does !
Brian the curly style of the greeting is such a beautiful compliment to the elegant patterned paper. I agree with you on the placement as well; no need to break up the beautiful pattern of the DSP; the greeting stands out just as well in the lower right. Well done!
Very beautiful and elegant Thank You card, the Smoky Slate compliments the bright yellow of the Crushed Curry so well and both look amazing against that gorgeous DSP, thank you for sharing.
I must ask…..How was Bandit yesterday with the constant ringing of your door bell by the little Goblins and Witches and other creatures of the night?? I hope his nerves were not to rattled.
Thanks, Maria. Bandit was a happy cat last night. The doorbell rang a total of zero times last night. I was perched in the front window, looking for trick-or-treaters but none came.
Just came back from the eye doctor and myeyes are still dilated, ughhh!! So happ;y to know Bandit didn’t suffer at all but now you are stuck with all that candy so, I hope Bandit is willing to help you get rid of it. LOL!! Don’t eat it all at once, ok? Up here, in spite of fthe weather, a lot of kids came so all I have is a small amount of Kit Kats and Butterfingers, my favorite.
We didn’t have a single doorbell ring either. If we had I was going to show them Buttons and let them play with him. That would have been their treat! 🙂 As it was I went to bed early b/c of my stupid cold. 🙁 boo
I totally got a mental of Bandit snuggling up to your card. Just put it on the bed. My cats seem to think anything I put on the bed must be important and therefore must be laid upon. See if that works. 🙂
I am thankful to have you as my Stampin’ Up mentor!!! The card you sent me was so cute.
Have a question about matting. I love the look of matting, but I’m a frugal girl. I feel like there is such a waste of beautiful paper when you layer. Is there a way to get a layered look without having all that paper underneath more paper? Just curious.
Hugs and I hope we can get together soon for some stampin fun.
Matting – You can always punch pieces out of the center of the paper you have cropped to use as a mat. The square (or any shape) framelits can also be used to crop out the middle of a piece you want to keep. Just some thoughts.
I need to get the big shot!!!!
The teaser of seeing just the top of the card as I read your blog post did not give justice to when I saw the full card. My words “That is BEAUTIFUL”. An absolutely stunning card!
Glad that Bandit’s birthday was serene, as befits the Paw of the King and Defender of the Realm. And your Eastern Elegance card is the perfect start to this month. TFS, Brian!
Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous card Brian. The colors are fab and the placement is perfect.
It rained here in Maine last night so I doubt many trick or treater’s were out and about. Where I live, the houses are far apart and the driveways are long so it would take lots of walking for the little ones to even get two or three candy bars.
Beautiful card Brian, as always your color combinations are spot on.
Gorgeous! The colors are just amazing!
I always wonder how to showcase some of these papers, that have the larger, bolder designs, into cards. For some reason I never seem to get out of the A2 mode – but this Square card is stunning! I love the simplicity of it that allows the design to share center stage with the sentiment. It’s beautiful, Brian!
i love thanks-giving time too! i know how you like detail work, so have you thought about handcoloring the stamp with Summer Starfruit for all the words except the ampersand and the word one and doing those in whatever gray this is? think it would be a cool way to accentuate the sentiment and pull in the gray.
i’m also going to try to write down at least 1 thing i’m thankful for every day this month. i think it will set the tone for how i want to live each day. everyone can find at least 1 thing to be thankful for each day, right? here’s 1 of mine: i’m thankful to have discovered your blog and met you IRL this year!
Another gorgeous card which has prompted me to put that 2 stamp set on my club order this month. I can’t believe StampwithTaylor doesn’t have a Big Shot. I’m even thinking of getting a second one just for my magnetic platform. How is that for laziness? It seems faster that way. Anyway, after what you went through this year, I can see how thankful you are. I think I will get out one of my Epic Day Journals and start recording what I’m thankful for each day. What a great idea, Jenn in GA! Bandit, happy birthday and give Brian thankfulness, albeit in your own feline manner. Have a great weekend, Brian! Nancy B
Perfectly perfect in every way!
What Debbie Crowley said, times 3!
Lots of posts today 🙂 Not surprised … such a LOVELY card. And I, too, noticed the different dimensions to the matting … very effective! (Oh, yes, Sonny, I LOVE this gray!) The right DSP, matting to make both the DSP and the sentiment REALLY “pop” is the perfect recipe for today’s card, Brian. That Eastern Elegance DSP is so beautiful, you got such a successful card with just adding the right sentiment. As usual, you rock, Brian! Happy Weekend!
I’ve been holding this DSP aside for the right inspiration and here it is, thank you Brian!! I typically save this awesome two-stamp set for my Modern Medley DSP but now I know what will complement it perfectly!! 🙂 You are the Master-Matter!!! And thank you for the Bandit update, I was wondering!!! 😉