Last week I was happy to attend a housewarming party for Allie (my friend and team member) and Kevin, her husband. As I sat down to crank out a quick congratulations card, I realized my options were quite limited. There are not a lot of “housewarming” or “we’ve moved” sets available. But, like a beam of light that shot me in the eye (in a good way), Sweetly Framed jumped right out to me. Here’s the card I made for the lovely couple:
Tips, Tricks and Reminders:
- Framing the Teeny Tiny.  Boy, oh, boy! The stamp set I selected is teeny tiny! I didn’t want to make the couple a 3″ x 3″ card (or worse a 1-3/8″ x 1-3/8″ card) – doesn’t seem very monumental for such a special occasion. I decided to layer the card such that the teeny tiny images would be framed (a couple of times) and thus comprise a significant portion of this card front. I was able to utilize my much-underutilized set Four Frames to create this fun frame which was then framed by sold card stock to mirror the frame around the larger card.
- Warm Colors and Monochromatic.  If this housewarming party were taking place during the summer, the colors would have been completely different. Since it’s starting to cool off outside (and thus “warming the house” is a good thing), I chose beautiful, warm colors for my palette. Cajun Craze and Always Artichoke are perfectly warm together, while Crushed Curry offers a bold accent. While I have a strip of patterned paper across the middle of the card, the monochromatic nature blends well to create one surface.
- Polka Dots.  Polka dots are featured in two places on this card – the background DSP and the frame around the house. Both are white dots, but they are different sizes and spaced differently. While the polka dots are all in the same plane of the card (note that they are all lined up in the band that runs from top to bottom), the polka dots are separated from one another by a couple of layers of solid card stock. I think they’d be “too much” if they were closer to one another. It’s important to keep your distance sometimes. 🙂
Stamp sets: Sweetly Framed (hostess), Four Frames, Express Yourself (hostess) Papers: Cajun Craze, Crushed Curry, Always Artichoke, Always Artichoke Designer Series Paper Stack, Whisper White Inks: Cajun Craze, Always Artichoke, Crushed Curry Accessories: Decorative Label punch, Stampin’ Dimensionals, Hexagon punch
Thank you for stopping by my blog today!
Brian
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Congratulations Allie & Kevin. Best Wishes in your new home. A very warm and welcoming congrats card. Well thought out Brian.
LOVE that!!!
Being a polka dot lover, your two elements with them are extra pleasing to me 🙂 I just used the first sheet in my new Soft Subtles DSP pad yesterday and can hardly wait to order the Neutrals pad!
Your focal image is such fun, Brian, not to mention creative and resourceful. You took the “tiniest” house and heart stamps paired with those four layers of matting and delivered an adorable housewarming card! And you didn’t even mention the teeny-tiny snipping you did 🙂
Thanks, Brian!
Love the teeny tiny house!! but it looks amazing framed that way, this makes it look big, even it it’s little. I love that you used one of the stamps in that lovely set, Four Frames, to give this little house a wonderful background. Congratulations to Allie and Kevin, wishing you only wonderful things in your new home.
The card is so cute. Love the simplicity of it. Love the colors, very warm for a cozy and warm home. Packs lots of thought. 🙂
Great idea for using those cute little teeny tiny stamps that need special creativity! Love the way you made it the center of attention on this card.
What a pretty card! I like all the warm colors.
Oooo, Brian , that is so cute , love it !!!
Hugs Frenchie
Great display with that tiny stamp! You nailed it! Congrats Allie and Kevin!
I love!!
Perfect!
love it…I mean what`s not to love ? Hearts,houses and polka dots … so warm and fuzzy ! Congratulations Allie and Kevin !
Love the way you used this set!
Hi Brian:
This is an absolutely amazing card. The colors are totally scrumptious. The combination of rectangles and ovals really draws the eye exactly where you want it. I just commented to Justin that I rarely use my teeny tiny stamps because I don’t know what to do with them and now both of you have shown me that even teeny tiny can be central to a card. Allie and Kevin are lucky to receive such a gorgeous creation. I sent a friend of mine a card that she loved so much she framed it. If I received this card I would certainly frame it and display it. Can you tell I LOVE it?
🙂
This card is simply adorable, and I love the colors! Great inspiration for your stamp nation today, Brian.
Love this Brian – I have 3 realtors in my family and am always looking for “new home” cards!
I love our choice of colors. Beautiful card.
Perfection! Colors, dots, stamps, scale, snips — you’ve got it all.
Oh, so Mary Poppins (perfect in every way)!!! Love this card!
loving everything, colours, polka dots but especially the wee house 🙂
Really love the color combo and design of your card Brian! I have wondered how to use this tiny house stamp and now I have a great idea. Thank you for sharing your designs. I look forward to reading your blog every day!
Awesome way to make this teeny tiny house the focal point of this card Brian!! The colors are very warm and welcoming & the polka dots just add to the cuteness!!! Wishing Allie and Kevin all the best in their new home !!! 🙂
You inspire me. I have several older sets of very small stamps. I have considered getting rid of them because I just didn’t know how to use them effectively. What a great use of them!!!!
I loved the color combo in this card. The little house is too cute!
Loved how you treated that very small image! Really neat card and I’m sure Allie and Kevin will love it!
Stunningly beautiful, warm and friendly! That’s all I’m going to say for now.
Love it! Couldn’t be more perfect!
I bet they Loved it!
Great design, Brian! You really have a gift for choosing elements that blend together harmoniously. The colors are eye-catching. The design is balanced. The images that you chose are *so* charming. Love it!!!