Gracias for PPA308

The llama just might be the breakout star of the Birthday Fiesta stamp set (who doesn’t love that adorable guy?), but I’m also quite partial to the saguaro cactus featured in the set – what a fun image (and it’s paired with a Framelit to boot)!  With assistance from the colorful Festive Birthday Designer Series Paper and the multi-lingual World of Thanks background stamp, I turned my plain ‘ole cactus into a thank you card that’s perfect for anyone.  Here’s my card:

World of Thanks, Birthday Fiesta, Stampin' Up!, Brian King, PPA308

Ann Schach is this week’s Featured Designer for this week’s Pals Paper Arts sketch challenge.  Here’s the banner for her super-fun layout that inspired my card:

PPA308

Tips, Tricks and Reminders

  • Gracias.  Where can you find Spanish language stamps in Stampin’ Up!’s current collection?  There’s a “gracias” right in the middle of the World of Thanks background stamp.  For years, Stampin’ Up! offered many stamps in Spanish (and even had a separate Spanish language catalog for years), but the company had to end production of these items when they weren’t selling well.  While I’d love to see more Spanish sentiments, it makes sense to me.  You can find LOTS of different ways to say thank you in this set – and you can pluck each one out by simply painting over the sentiment with a marker.

    World of Thanks, Stampin' Up!

    World of Thanks, Stampin’ Up!

  • The Heart of the Matter.  This card is jam-packed with Mexican or Southwestern references –  the colorful print of the paper, the adorable cactus and the language of the sentiment are all a nod to that rich culture.  But…what ties the “thank you” to the cactus?  I felt I needed to connect the “thank you” to the image of the cactus – and found just what I needed with the Owl Builder punch.  That little heart makes all the difference, don’t you think?  It ties all of these elements together with the right touch of thankfulness.

    http://www.stampinup.com/ECWeb/ProductDetails.aspx?productID=ENTERPRODUCT NUMBERHERE&dbwsdemoid=2104107

    Owl Builder Punch, Stampin’ Up!

  • Double Up.  I’ve been venturing into worlds unknown recently – adding layers to my cards that aren’t matted with additional layers of cardstock.  Thick Whisper White is a perfect thickness for an un-matted layer, so my cactus didn’t need any additional support.  I added a layer of cardstock behind the Designer Series Paper panel though so it was fully supported when I lifted it up with Stampin’ Dimensionals.

    Festive Birthday Designer Series Paper, Stampin' Up!

    Festive Birthday Designer Series Paper, Stampin’ Up!

Stamp Sets:  Birthday Fiesta, World of Thanks  Papers:  Festive Birthday Designer Series Paper, Emerald Envy, Melon Mambo, Thick Whisper White  Inks:  Stampin’ Write Marker (Melon Mambo)  Accessories:  Layering Oval Framelits Dies,  Stampin’ Dimensionals

World of Thanks, Birthday Fiesta, Stampin' Up!, Brian King, PPA308

I hope you’ll pop over to the Pals Paper Arts site to see the cards by the design team members and to play along with this week’s challenge.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Brian

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15 Comments

  1. Super sweet (especially the wee heart on the prickly saguaro). Love how you isolated “gracias” from the larger stamp!

  2. Cute ! Love this set and your just using the cactus is what sets this scene . I like that dsp background too . Festive !

  3. Bright and fun! Definitely the perfect way to say “gracias”!

  4. Fun card Brian with some wonderful stamping magic. Separating the “gracias” was quite clever! Thanks for playing with the PPA this week.

  5. Good Morning Brian!

    Well I must congratulate you on stepping out of your boundaries with a fabulous card without a lot of matting. I must admit that I am having a difficult time doing that. This card is bold, bright and beautiful and I still am in awe of your ability to remember and use parts from multiple sets to make one card! I have a notebook of my stamp sets just so I won’t buy the same sets more than once. Believe it or not, I have still done that! LOL Have a fabulous day.

  6. Absolutely love this bold & bright card, Brian! Will be starting to play each week on the next one. Looks like so much fun!

  7. It was a genius move to marking out gracias for this festive card. What fun! Have a great day, Brian.

  8. Brilliant!! Love this card.

  9. Hi Brian, Love how you picked out gracias from the stamp. It looks so, so great. Love the colors too. Very festive for sure! 🙂

  10. Very fun card today, Brian. I like your new look with the U matted layers and the lifted element. Very clean and smart.

  11. That comment should have read ‘unmatted’ layers. Oh that Spellcheck!

  12. Would you sell me just PART of your brain???? I adore your cleverness!!!
    Fabulous card!!!❤️❤️❤️❤️Dianne

  13. Brilliant! Great design. I love it!

  14. Cindie McDuffee

    Totes adorbs! What would we do without the heart from that punch? It absolutely made this card for me. TFS, B!

  15. Super cute! I especially love the bright colors.

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