Stampin! with Jaydee

Hi Everyone.  Happy Monday night. 

Tonight's card is for the playdatecafe challenge.  The challenge?  To create a black and white card with a touch of blue.  The blue choice is up to you - but it has to be a touch of blue.  Well, I don't often do black and white cards - in fact very rarely, but I was intrigued by this color combination.  Especially after I saw some of the amazing cards created by the design team.

My initial thought was.... oh! dear where is my brilliant blue when I want it.... I don't know, but the idea of brilliant blue with black and white just seemed right.  However, when I re-thought it.... mmmmm... I realized that I wanted to go a different direction altogether.  Black, white and Night of Navy.

Now, I love the look of some of the vintage papers and embellishments, but my mind just doesn't go there when I create cards.  I always remember the great Coco Chanel's advice.  Before you leave the house, look in the mirror and take one thing off.  I tend to take two things off :-)  I do tend to accessorize with control.  However, I have a few vintage items on my list from the new catty for my July 1st order.  For me, the challenge is to take something that is labeled "vintage" and see if I can make it clean and simple.  Tonight's card is an example of that.

I really do think that the Because I Care set has a vintage feel, as does one or two of the sheets of the retired Day and Night DSP.  So, I decided to put them together for this black, white and blue card.  Yet another example of what to do with this set!  Did I tell you I was loving this set?

There are vintage feel elements on this card.... the not quite perfect ribbon, the distressed backdrop, the flower itself, the typeface of the sentiment, and yet, the lines are clean, modern and uncluttered.  To me, it is a perfect combination of vintage feel in a modern setting:-)

I really enjoyed playing with this challenge.  I mean, it's pretty difficult to take am image as strong as this and do something different with it - but each of the cards I have created with this set is very different.  To me, that's what makes a great set.  If I can use it multiple times, in multiple different ways - then I call the stamp set a success.

Card recipe:

• card stock:  Basic Black, Night of Navy and Whisper White.  (LOVE this combination!)
• stamp set:  Because I Care (level 1 hostess set from the new IB&C 2010/2011)
• accessories:  half pearls - non SU; Whisper White satin ribbon;
• DSP:  Night & Day - doesn't this piece of N&D DSP look like a school book page from a much earlier time?  faint lines, marked with ink from a nib and ink.... yep... has a vintage feel for me :-)
• inks:  Night of Navy - classic ink for sentiment, marker for ribbon
• tools:  stamp-a-ma-jig, t-square, dimensionals

Card instructions:

• Card base A2 - vertical cut
• Layer 1 - whisper white 3 1/2"w x 4 1/4" h
• Layer 2 - basic black - 3 3/8"w x 4 1/8" h
• Layer 3 - N&D DSP - 3 1/8"w x 3 7/8"W
• Ink up the stamp with Night of Navy marker, stap onto Whisper White card stock.
• Snip around flower and cut off the leaves.
• Mount Whisper White layer to card base with snail
• Mount DSP layer to basic black layer with snail
• Stamp sentiment with Night of Navy ink and place using stamp-a-ma-jig
• Color whisper white ribbon with night of navy marker and wrap around black/dsp layer
• Mount black/dsp layer to whisper white layer with dimensionals - tuck stem underneath ribbon
• Mount flower with dimensionals.  place at an angle
• Use dimensionals to mount the flower to the DSP base.
• OK.... I can hear you... where on earth did this silly woman use the t-square?  I know I can hear you asking that :-)...... well, on a card that has CAS lines, I need to make sure that they are straight.  So I use a t-square and my SU black mat and make sure that I line up the layers straight as I lay them down.  I know... I know.... we all know what Brenda thinks about my behavior and the fact that everything is in alphabetical order and placed in containers and filed away.  I can't help it... it's a disease amongst IT people.   The truth is... I am straight line challenged.  I can't write in a straight line, place anything in a straight line or walk in a straight line!  But... a t-square really does help! 

Many of you have asked me what cutting die I used on a couple of the recent cards chalkboard still life and the Paper Players Challenge 3 card.  I used a nesties deckled rectangle.  I love it - and it's another example of something with a vintage feel that works so well on a clean and simple card.

On a personal note:  it was another hot and humid day here ... oh... and for something completely different - it rained.  Yes, my friends, that would mean that it has rained every day except 2 for the last 16 or so days.  Brenda... you promised you were taking this with you!

Actually, I think Adelle sent it... you may remember that Adelle told us she was trying to clean out her garage and couldn't because it wouldn't stop raining!  We have, however, managed to sit on the deck, under the awning and let the rain fall around us whilst we ate dinner.  There's something really fabulous about that.

I am off to try to make a few more cards for the card drive before dinner tonight.....As always, your visits, your support and your comments are very much appreciated. 

Prayers for Trish, Germaine, Beth, Lynn and "T".

Have a fabulous Tuesday everyone.  I hope it is a day filled with laughter, love and sunshine.  Don't forget - smile at a stranger - it may very well change their life.

Hugs to you all

Jaydee