Bright & Beautiful for Freshly Made Sketches

Before I share today’s card for Freshly Made Sketches, I want to thank Cindy Hall, amazing designer and friend, for selecting my card from last week as her runner up selection.  I had a lot of fun with this card, and I’m so happy it was recognized, earning me the title of Perfect Prince.  The King is a Prince this week, and that’s a good thing.   🙂  If you’d like to see my winning card, please click here.

The last thing I would ever want to do is to share the same type of project every day.  SO maybe it’s not the LAST think I would ever want to do, but it’s up there on my list.  Yesterday I shared a square Christmas card that featured lacy snowflakes and non-traditional colors.  Would you continue stopping by if I shared a square Christmas card that featured lacy snowflakes and non-traditional colors today?  I certainly hope so – because look at what we have here:

Bright & Beautiful, Letterpress Winter, Stampin' Up!, Brian King, FMS148This card was inspired by this Freshly Made Sketches layout:Tips, Tricks and Reminders

Today’s Tips, Tricks and Reminders all center around the use of White in this project.  Although Lost Lagoon and Pear Pizzazz are perfectly beautiful together, the white accents in this card really add a lot to the outcome of the design.

  • Put a White Border Around it.  When layering soft or muted colors, a thin border around each layer makes the pieces pop.  Since Lost Lagoon and Pear Pizzazz are each soft AND muted, it was inevitable that I would end with a multi-layered (but still clean) card.  Not only do the layers of white help to define each of the components of the card, but the layers of white help to pull the Christmas greeting right off the front of the card.
  • Let the Sentiment Shine.  By now, you are probably sick of hearing me say it, but you aren’t going to make me hide my love of White Stampin’ Emboss Powder under a bushel.  There’s nothing quite as crisp and beautiful as an image or sentiment that’s been embossed in white.  Since the lacy snowflake from Letterpress Winter is stamped in Lost Lagoon on Lost Lagoon paper behind the white sentiment, the sentiment pops even more.  Even with all the beautiful stuff happening on this card, shouldn’t your eye be drawn directly to the sentiment, anyway?
  • Give ’em Candy.  The sketch called for the top layer to be off-center a bit.  I added three Whisper White Candy Dots to fill that space a bit.  I’m a huge fan of Candy Dots.  If you missed my Candy Dots Video Tutorial, please check it out here.  I talk about using them and offer tips for lining them up properly on a card.

Stamp Sets:  Bright & Beautiful, Letterpress Winter  Inks:  Lost Lagoon  Papers:  Lost Lagoon, Pear Pizzazz, Whisper White, All is Calm Specialty Designer Series Paper  Accessories:  White Stampin’ Emboss Powder, Neutrals Candy Dots (Whisper White), Stampin’ Dimensionals

Thanks for stopping by today!

Brian

Shop Now

Awesome Promotions.  Bright & Beautiful is one of the stamps sets that’s currently available for purchase as a part of Stampin’ Up!’s Big Shot & Bundles Promotion.  Stampin’ Up! is offering some really great promotions in August – from Big Shots to great bundles, check them all out here.

Buy a Big Shot and get a free bundle. 15% discounts for everyone else! Get your free bundle.

RETIRED STAMPS SALE IN ATLANTA

stamp sale

Do you want lots of stampin’ supplies but want to pay very little?  Deb Cozzone, Pam Morris and I are hosting a Retired Stamp Sale at Deb’s home in Roswell, Georgia.  We’ll have food, make-and-takes, and lots of entertainment.  BUT…the real reason for the event is to get together with you (and to load our retired stamp sets and supplies into your car at bargain basement prices).  I hope you will join us!

The event will be Tuesday night, August 12 from 7:00 – 9:00 in Roswell, Georgia (just north of Atlanta).  If you are in the Atlanta area, please email me at [email protected] if you’d like to join us, and I’ll send over Deb’s address.  Between the three of us, we have hundreds of stamp sets that date back to the 1990’s, so there’s a little bit here for everyone.  My goal is to sell everything Tuesday night.  Won’t you join us?

30 Comments

  1. Beautiful card. Did you need my address to send it to me….ha ha!!! Enjoy the weekend.

  2. Stunning card. I love the layers and the crisp white embossing!

  3. Greetings from New Zealand. Love that card. May have to CASE it when I get in to Christmas card mode. I hope all that layering lends itself to mass production 🙂

  4. Another beauty! I’m envious of everyone on your Christmas card list….

  5. Another beautiful combination of colors for Christmas! Cards from the store couldn’t compare to this!!! The only thing I would try to change is the shape. I love how your square card works, especially with the sentiment, but I almost always go back to rectangular designs.

  6. Stunning card Brian, it’s absolutely lovely. I love all the layers and yes, the sentiment really stands out embossed in white, beautiful color choices too, thank you for sharing your awesome Christmas in August card.

  7. The clean, fresh design of this card is wonderful. I really like your style and look forward to your creations each and every time. Thank you for putting up so many great shares. Your work is inspirational.

  8. I want Christmas. Now! Lovely, Brian!

  9. Just beautiful, love the non-traditional colors. I am a huge fan of how you use the borders. Love the dots too…I also like to put things off center…it draws the eye there.
    Thanks for sharing Brian…good job.

  10. Brian, I love the many layers in this card. You’re right, the white embossing really draws attention to the message on your card. Just beautiful!

  11. Fantastic Card!! Love the colors and the way you layered the card. Perfect is right! Its balanced yet has a twist of interest you cant miss. Super job.

  12. As much as I love traditional Christmas colors, I DO love non-traditional colors almost as much … especially on cards, gift-wrapping, and even on Christmas trees. But after 45 years of collecting ornaments as a family, the only change to our tree has been going from multicolor lights to white lights. I will be pulling out my garland of snowflakes from Stampin’ Up! Decor kit from last year to hang on our railing, though! I hope to add more little decor areas of non-traditional colors around as well. Lost Lagoon and Pear Pizzazz are a great combination! And Whisper White plays a big part on your card with it’s ability to unite these two colors as well as accentuate the sentiment as embossing powder! Hurray, Brian! You’ve done it, again and again!

  13. Another beautiful winner, Brian! Not only do these colors melt my heart, but your embossing, along with the stamping of the snowflake beneath it, just make it all come together. Gorgeous! Thanks for starting my day off, just right! 🙂

  14. Gorgeous card Brian! It reminds me of a beautiful, peaceful winter day.

  15. Brian, this card is absolutely beautiful.

  16. Oh Brian, this is another simply stunning card. Truly, it might be my favorite one so far! I’m at a loss for words other than gorgeous, beautiful. . . stunning.

  17. Another GREAT card, Brian! I love your non traditional Christmas cards. They are giving me a lot of inspiration! Thanks!

  18. crazy good card!

  19. Wow! Amazing, Brian! Absolutely gorgeous Christmas card! Almost makes me want to start on Christmas cards…hehehe! But, really….so pretty…love it!

  20. Lacy snowflakes and non-traditional colors get me every time! Lovely card! Thanks for joining us at Freshly Made Sketches. And congratulations on your well-deserved honor from Cindy!

  21. Another perfect card, love those colors together and I’m with you, with white embossing powder you can never go wrong

  22. Brian this card is a real beauty! Love love love it!

  23. Cathy from Illinois

    Love the not traditional colors for Christmas. Problem with square cards – the Post Office charges more to mail… Bummer!!

  24. Love the card. How did you get the pear pizzaz on the tips of the image?

  25. Absolutely stunning Brian! The colours, the stamps and that sentiment is amazing – I can’t wait to get my first holiday cattie stuff! Thanks for joining us at FMS this week!

  26. Yay! Your blog is coming to me now that I used my alternative email address! This holiday card is just stunning. Love the unusual colors and the design. tfs

  27. Congrats on your FMS pick! This card is really beautiful! I don’t say this often, but I’m CASEing this one! 🙂

  28. Love this card and would like to case. What size is the card base? I know it is square but please save me from wasting time trying to figure it out. Thanks and keep on with your inspiration to others!

  29. Brian, this card is so pretty! I like everything about it even though it is not traditional!
    Nice yo have a change and you sure help us do that. A little Kate looking at thus but planning for next year. Gee I would have mailed you ALL my retired stamps, too bad.
    ☺️

Leave a Reply to Jen Mitchell Cancel reply