Custom Wedding Ensemble

I PROMISE I have not been slacking over here! I received a request earlier this week to design the wedding invitations for a friend-of-a-friend's daughter. They were wanting a contemporary look (which is not my specialty), with a polka-dot theme, and they had very specific color choices: Green Galore and Brilliant Blue, with Black as an accent. Not exactly your typical wedding colors! Well, it took me a bit (hence the lack of posts), but I came up with a sample that I was pleased enough with to present to them... and they absolutely LOVED it! I met with the bride's mother and grandmother today and I was hired! In this post, you will see basically what I came up with - there have been some tweaks here and there, but this is the basic idea...

Below is the invitation... a tri-fold, gate-type enclosure where the top flap tucks behind the embossed monogram. The monogram is held on with a brad to ensure that it doesn't pop off (can you imagine the horror?). This sample is made with Textured Green Galore cardstock, but we will have to go with non-textured as Stampin' Up! doesn't carry textured 12x12 cardstock in single colors.

The next photo shows the bottom flap on the inside. They decided not to go with the monogrammed polka-dot here (and it's a different letter here because I didn't know the groom's last name originally), so instead, it will just be a row of polka-dots.

The next two photos are of the coordinating RSVP card. The sentiment is embossed.

On the inside, I will add a layer of Green Galore behind the white.

And lastly, this is the first draft of the menu. There are several changes to this... Instead of the monogram between their names, I will use the "&" from the Lovely Letters Alphabet set. They took off the cocktail hour section which allows the text to fit much better. They also decided to go with a Green Galore background since the tablecloths will be blue, and instead of just the two colors of polka-dots, I'll use all three colors. But this is the basic look.

Now you can understand why I haven't been posting! This was a true challenge for me, and I am SO honored and flattered that they are trusting this important task to me. So... I'll be swimming in polka-dots for the next few weeks - but it will all be worth it if it means I can help make the bride's big day more special! (and besides, with all boys, wedding planning will not really be part of my future, will it?!)

Ensemble Recipe:
Stamp Sets: Lovely Letters Alphabet, Together Forever
Ink: Basic Black Craft
Cardstock: Green Galore, Brilliant Blue, Basic Black, Whisper White
Tools: Clear Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Corner Rounder punch, and just about every size circle punch Stampin' Up! carries. :)

May Stamp-a-Stack

It's May 1st... and you know what that means! Three brand new Stamp-a-stack cards! Well, in this case, it's more than three... but three basic layouts.

First, let me remind you of the details. This month, my Stamp-a-Stack workshop will be held on Tuesday, May 20th. Together, we will complete 12 cards (4 each of the 3 different designs below) using my supplies. The only thing I do not provide is basic adhesive. The cost is $10 with a $15 minimum catalog order, or $20 without an order. Clear envelopes are included, unless you'd like paper envelopes that can be stamped to match the cards. I sell those at the workshop for .20 cents each.

Can't make that date? Or you don't live in the Dallas area? No problem! You can receive the supplies by mail! I will send you all of the consumable supplies (cardstock, envelopes, ribbon, brads, etc.), along with detailed instructions with color photographs, and you can complete the cards at home with your own stamps, ink, and tools. If you need any of the stamp sets, ink, and/or tools, I can help you with that as well and have it shipped right to your home or office. The cost for the Mail-a-Stack option is $15 for local pick-up, or $19.60 if shipping is necessary (I use Priority mail). I take payment via PayPal and will send an invoice when you place your order.

Whether you would like to come to the class or have the kit mailed to you, I will need to know by May 18th! Please contact me at mgf@forceworld.com.

Okay... enough of that! This month, we are going to focus on Father's Day (which is June 15th), Graduation, Friendship, and Wedding (for all those June weddings you'll be invited to!)... although the wedding card could also double as an Anniversary card or a Baby card. I like versatility, don't you?!

This layout came from an old card I made, which I CASEd from who knows where. It was one of the very first cards I ever made... I won't show it to you here because I don't want you to get confused as to which cards are in the Stamp-a-Stack this month. But I'll show it to you tomorrow, just for kicks. In any case, as you can see, I modified it to fit both Father's Day AND Graduation... you know how the saying goes about the two birds and the one stone. Poor birds. Anyway, my idea was to make 2 of each, but if you happen to have 3 dads and only 1 nephew graduating, then you can do it that way... or if you have 3 graduates and 1 dad... oh, you get the idea. Here's a closer look at them:

The colors on these cards are Night of Navy, Bordering Blue, Always Artichoke, Mellow Moss, and Whisper White. The stamp sets are All Holidays and Great Grads. Obviously, I used my Stampin' Write Markers on the stamps in order to get the two colors. The backgrounds stamps I used are Sanded and En Francais. There are also two Night of Navy Eyelets and a scrap of Grosgrain Ribbon.

This next card uses a new favorite set of mine (not a new set, but new to me): Blossoms Abound. I just love how easy it is to stamp this cascading flower... and it looks difficult! (but it's not!) The colors here are Regal Rose, Rose Red, Old Olive, and Naturals Ivory. The ribbon is Vanilla Taffeta.

This card could easily be adapted into a different color scheme - Perfect Plum and Pale Plum would be beautiful as well, but I chose rose because I did plum in this next set...

This layout was directly inspired from a card in the August issue of Cards. It was on page 130 and designed by Melissa Phillips (I like to give credit where credit is due!). My version is different in that I stamped the upper portion instead of using patterned paper. Her card used Organdy type ribbon, whereas I'm using the gorgeous Taffeta. And, obviously, the stamp set is different. I used Carte Postale and Warm Words. The colors here are Mellow Moss, Always Artichoke, Pale Plum, Perfect Plum, and Whisper White. In my mind, these cards could be suitable for a wedding, anniversary, or even a new baby!

I hope you like this month's cards! Remember to either sign up for the Stamp-a-Stack or order the Mail-a-Stack before May 18th!

Baroque Wedding

One of our dear friends is getting married tomorrow, and I thought it was a good opportunity to pull out a couple things I don't use very often - one of which I have NEVER used yet! Here is the card I made for them:

The two things I meant are 1) the River Rock cardstock. I have not used it very much and I should be scolded because it really is a beautiful color... hard to photograph, but beautiful none-the-less! and 2) the gorgeous Shimmery White cardstock! I have NEVER used it before and had to break open the package for this card. I'm sure you can't really see it in the photograph, but it does shimmer ever so softly... makes for very elegant cards. As does the Baroque Motifs stamp set, which is something I DO use often! The third color on this card is Ruby Red. I punched the sentiment out with the Large Oval punch - originally because I had stamped it onto the card crooked. But I like it better in the oval anyway! By sponging the edges with Ruby Red ink, it makes it stand out that much more.

I scalloped the bottom edge with the Corner Rounder punch (guard removed) and then punched the smaller circles with the 1/16" Handheld Circle punch. Which therein lies the one boo-boo on this card. Do you see it? Eeeeek! That's what happened when I tried to slice off just a wee bit on that side. But it was all already stamped and I did not feel it warranted a total re-do. What do you think?

I finished off the card with some River Rock Double Stitched ribbon, wrote a quick note inside, and slid it into a coordinating stamped envelope... all ready for the bride and groom!

...now I gotta run to the store to find a gift that's NOT made out of paper! :o)

Valentine in Blue

Here is the Valentine we made last Tuesday night - even though it's supposed to be a masculine card for our husbands, I just couldn't help adding the ribbon. But to compensate for that, I stayed clear of pink hearts!

The base card is Night of Navy (which requires a Gel Pen for writing on it, unless you want to write on a separate piece of paper and slip it in the card, which I often do) with a layer of Basic Gray on top. The stamped piece is Bordering Blue with the gorgeous En Francais background stamped in the same color and then sponged with Night of Navy ink. On top of that, we stamped the Baroque Motifs swirl using Night of Navy ink, and the small emblem using Ruby Red. The sentiment is embossed using Night of Navy craft ink with clear powder, punched with the Large Oval punch, and then sponged. It is adhered with a dimensional to make it stand out more, and the card is finished off with some beautiful Basic Gray taffeta ribbon.

This was a simple and fast card to make - it's amazing how quickly you can make elegant cards using that Baroque Motifs set!