Going, Going, Almost Gone....Medallion and God's Blessings

Well it is May 1 and I am getting more and more excited about the new catalog that will be coming out soon.  I'll get to see a few sneak peak items today, but next Monday I'll get to view the catalogue in its entirety.  I am not a patient person and the suspense is driving me crazy!   But in the meantime, I still have a few retiring sets that I am going to miss.  Perhaps the set I will miss most of all is God's Blessings.

This set has 8 sentiments that very eloquently cover a number of occasions, ranging from Wedding to Baptism to Birthday to Sympathy to Christmas.  I helped run 2 different church fundraisers last year where we made simple cards based on God's Blessings.  The participants got to pick which sentiment they wanted, and they used either the swirl from Baroque Motifs (retiring) or Medallion (retiring) or Serene snowflakes (retiring - not shown), to make a background pattern on their card.


The Wisteria and Concord card, and the Baja and Not Quite Navy card you see here are only 2 of the many versions of cards made at those events.  And when the sentiments chosen were birthday or Christmas, a little dazzling diamonds glitter brought the whole card to life.



Isn't it amazing the way both cards have an entirely different flair, based on the colour scheme chosen and the background image.  I must say, when 80 different women make essentially the same card at a workshop, yet it looks unique for each and every one of them, you know the basic elements of the card are effective!

 Of course, the Medallion stamp as the actual focal element of a card makes a very dramatic statement too.   Here is a version I did, using a "stained glass" technique.
Isn't the Medallion image just scrumptious?  Who even needs a sentiment?

Along with the stamp, that cute little rhinestone brad on this card is retiring.   I sure hope there are more fun embellishments to "play with" when the new catalogue is released next week!

I can order catalogues for customers beginning on May 7.  E-mail me to find out how you can get your own personal copy!


In the meantime, have a wonderful week.  God Bless,      ~Cynthia     <><

Going, Going, Almost Gone....Baroque Motifs for a Fast & Fabulous Friday

Happy Friday!!  May I present, for your visual enjoyment, another gorgeous card that uses a retiring stamp set.  And it qualifies for Fast and Fabulous Friday too!!  How great is that?!  Don't forget, if you like this stamp set (and trust me, you won't just like it, you'll love it) you only have until May 31 to order it because then it will be gone forever!  And keep checking the retiring accessories list.  Some of the items have already sold out (accessories are all "while supplies last").  If you see anything you want, order it now, before it is too late.

Moving on -- Todays' card uses the Baroque Motifs stamp set to create a simple but gorgeous card.  And the cute little "frame-slash-Medallion" element....that part is easy peasy.  Just use the ribbon punch in the centre of each of the 4 sides of a piece of cardstock that is 3 1/8" square.  You'll end up cutting a cute little motif into the sides, but the centre square stays attached to the frame. 

Supply List
Stamps - Baroque Motifs (retiring)
Paper - Whisper White
Ink - Baja Breeze
Tools and Accessories - Baja Breeze Seam Binding Ribbon, Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border Punch, Basic Rhinestones, Dimensionals

Trust me, it is a pretty simple card.  But it definitely has Wow-factor.  Baroque Motifs has such an elegant and fluid swirl as one of its images.  How could you not fall in love with that stamp?

I hope you have been enjoying my stroll through retiring stamp sets.  I have lots more to show you.  And I am certain I will convince you that there is at least one of these retiring stamp sets that you really need to own!

Until next time....
Have a wonderful weekend and God Bless,       ~Cynthia    <><

Fast and Fabulous Mixed Bunch

Another Fast and Fabulous Friday?  Already?  Where does the time go?
When the clock is ticking and you just don't have time for all the extras, this card is quick and easy.  The definition of fast and fabulous.

The swirl from Baroque Motifs was stamped several times in Lucky Limeade on a Whisper White card base.  One of the Mixed Bunch blossom images was stamped in Concord Crush ink on a scrap piece of white and punched out with the Blossom Punch.  The edges were sponged with Concord ink and a basic pearl was added to the centre, then the blossom was mounted using dimensionals, onto the card.  A Thank You (from Thank You Kindly) was stamped in Concord Crush onto the card front, then a 2-way Glue Pen and Dazzling Diamonds glitter were used to accent the flower and parts of the Baroque vines.

And that's it.
Doesn't get much simpler than that, does it?

So next time you are pressed for time but you need a card in a hurry - remember that clean and simple is often fast and fabulous.

Hope everyone is looking forward to a wonderful weekend.   I know I am !
                God Bless,              ~Cynthia       <><