Saying Goodbye to Happy Celebration

What horrible "fowl" weather we are experiencing here in Southern Ontario.  It rained all day yesterday, and this morning the rain started to freeze.  Then it snowed, then rain that froze on top of the snow.  It is expected to be worse tomorrow, and forecasters predict we won't see the sun until Thursday April 19 (5 days from now).

So, I've been busy cleaning drawers, and making more cards.  I much prefer the latter, but sometimes organization takes precedence.

I've been using Water Color Wings stamp set a lot this week, and this card is no exception.

To say farewell to the Happy Celebration stamp set I used 3 retiring colours (Dapper Denim, Peek-a-boo Peach, and Emerald Envy) as well as the Butterfly thinlets to create a bright watercolor  background for this card.  The die cut thinlets give the illusion of the Eclipse effect.

I used the Stamparatus (and hinge stamping) to stamp the background.  After inking the stamp it was spritzed with water before stamping it onto watercolor paper.

Once I stamped all the colours, the paper was spritzed again and then dried  with my heating tool.

Once dry I die cut 3 butterflies and set them aside while I assembled the rest of the card.

The base card of Emerald Envy was matted with Basic Black Card stock, and the die cut watercolor paper was adhered to that.

The die cut butterflies were reinserted into the die cut openings using small dimensionals on the body only.

Some rhinestones and the card was done.  I deliberately omitted the sentiment.

Supplies Used:

Stamp:  Happy Celebration

Inks:  Dapper Denim, Peek-a-boo Peach, Emerald Envy

Papers:  Emerald Envy, Basic Black, Water color paper

Accessories:  Stamparatus, Water spritzer, Heat tool, Butterfly thinlets, small dimensionals, rhinestones.

Water Color Wings with Fancy Fold

Okay, the spoiler alert has been lifted and I can tell you the name of the retired colours and stamp sets - in this post anyway.
One of the retired colours - Soft Sky, so that means the Ink, DSP and card stock.
In a previous post I informed you about the retirement of the Water Color Wings stamp, the Bold Butterfly framelits and the Butterfly Thinlets.
This card features these retired colors

The base card is Soft Sky; the butterfly is stamped with Soft Sky ink, and layered with a Butterfly thinlet die cut with retiring Iridescent glimmer paper.

Here's how to make the fancy fold.

The Soft Sky DSP (size 4 by 5 1/2") is cut 2" on the 5 1/2" side about 1/2 way down.  The two ends are then folded in on themselves and creased well with a bone folder.

This folded DSP is adhered to the card stock back with the edge flush with the spine.

The sentiment is stamped onto the card stock about midway down and the layered butterfly was adhered at an angle at the angle of the fold.

No card is complete without embellishments, so I added another retired item - Tutti Fruittie adhesive backed sequins.

Supplies Used:

Stamp:  Water Color Wings

Ink:  Soft Sky, Black Memento

Papers:  Soft Sky, Whisper White, Soft Sky DSP, Iridescent Glimmer Paper

Accessories:  Stamparatus, Bold Butterfly Framelits, Butterfly Thinlets, Adhesive backed sequins (Tutti Fruitti)

Swirly Bird Thank You - a Swap card

When I first saw the Swirly Bird stamp set I did not like it.  As a matter of fact, I even went on record stating that I would never buy it.  My mother once told me never say "never", because it does not give you room to change your mind. Well, I said "never" but I did change my mind.  Was my mother wrong?

The more I looked at the stamp set, and saw samples of cards on Pinterest that were made using this set, the more I saw possiblities.  It's like "Gorgeous Grunge".  I did not like that set either - at first - and now it's one of my favourite stamp sets.

So, obviously I bought the stamp set, and made this thank you card using Swirly Bird.  As I mentioned, I was inspired by the many cards I saw on Pinterest.

The base card is Flirty Flamingo, layered with Whisper White.  On the left side of the Whisper White cardstock, I stamped the stamp with dots on it (reminds me of Gorgeous Grunge)repeatedly, with a heavier concentration on the upper half.

Then I die cut the Swirly strip, first in Flirty Flamingo, and then in Vellum cardstock.  I used the Fine tip glue pen to adhere these pieces to the card front.

Two other swirly circles in vellum, each a different size.  The larger was adhered somewhat over the other strips, and the smaller one above it.

No card is complete without a butterfly, even if it is technically a "bird" set.  So, I pulled out the small Butterfly framelit and die.  First I die cut the butterfly in Flirty Flamingo: the framelit in Vellum. The two were adhered using glue dots.  To finish this off, I added some pears,  to the butterfly body, and extended the pearls above the butterfly to underneath the sentiment.

The sentiment is from "Another Thank You" and was stamped with Black Memento directly onto the card front.

Supplies Used: 
Stamps:  Swirly Bird, Another Thank You
Inks: Flirty Flamingo, Black Memento
Papers: Flirty Flamingo, Whisper White, Vellum Cardstock
Accessories: Swirly Scribbles Thinlet dies, Butterfly thinlet dies, Pearls, glue dots, fine tipped glue pen.

These are the 4 cards I made: