When I was a young girl growing up on the farm, Sunday afternoons were spent in the company of friends. It was not uncommon to have my Grandma, Grandpa, friends and neighbors come for a visit. (My grandmother was the perfect grandma, by the way! She had the perfect grandma lap, and perfect silver and gold grandma hair pulled back into a perfect grandma bun. I would climb up onto that perfect grandma lap and we would look into Grandma’s big grandma purse. Without fail, Grandma would always have a lace hanky filled with pennies to give me. Isn’t it funny the things we remember from so many years ago?) So on a day when many of my stamping friends are showcasing the wonderful new sets and exciting new colors that Stampin‘ Up! has to offer, nostalgia has gotten the better of me. I decided to spend my Sunday like I did when I was growing up…with some old “friends”, many of which are on The Last Chance List. Please enjoy today’s simple card, which was first showcased in the “All Creatures Great and Small” Dirty Dozen Gallery. Click Here for information on how you can join the Dirty Dozen Fan Club.
The Stampin‘ Schach Design Tips:
- Simple but stunning! Simple images can make stunning focal points! With its Nouveau flair, the “Dragonfly” image from Nature’s Nest was inked with Basic Gray and stamped onto Whisper White card stock. The key to making this work, however, is leaving plenty of “white” space!
- Bling the Bug! Iridescent Ice Embossing Powder coats the wings of our “critter”, while the thorax and abdomen of the dragonfly were given the “WOW” treatment! Green Microbeads from the Green Bead Duo (still available on The Last Chance List) were easily applied with Tombow Adhesive. A single Lilac rhinestone removed from a Circle Ice Brad adorns its head. And you are asking…”This is simple?” You betcha! It literally takes less than two minutes to apply the microbeads.
- Layer a ribbon! For this layered ribbon treatment, Basic Gray Satin Ribbon was adhered onto the card, and then layered with Mellow Moss Taffeta Ribbon. The Basic Gray bow was then tied and affixed to the card. For those of you who have been wondering about my ribbon treatments, all of my large satin bows are tied separately, then attached to the card. (If you love the rich look of Basic Gray, it is still available as a Last Chance item. Unfortunately, Mellow Moss is gone.)
- Rejuvenate! Fresh out of Mellow Moss card stock? No more Basic Gray ribbon? Think how fantastic this card would look created from a combination of Bashful Blue, Certainly Celery and Chocolate Chip! Wowza!
I hope that you have enjoyed spending a few minutes of your day with some of my old “friends”! I don’t know about you, but I can hardly wait to order my new “friends” July 1! My problem is deciding on what to order first! I am certainly going to have to pace myself! I definitely will be investing in a few packages of gorgeous Designer Series Paper during my first order, and there are a couple of must have stamp sets! Also on July 1st, I will be posting a list of retired stamp sets that I have for sale. So be ready for some bargains! Of course, July 1 will mark another Pals Paper Arts challenge. Have you played at the PPA this week? There is still plenty of time to upload your card by Noon CST Tuesday! As always, I appreciate your comments. Of course, if you have any questions about today’s card, or if you have questions about adding microbeads or watercoloring, please email me! I am more than willing to answer your questions. Remember…I was a teacher in my other life! Until next time…
Click Here to Order Stampin‘ Up! 24/7
Stamps: Nature’s Nest; Card Stock: Whisper White, Mellow Moss, Perfect Plum; Ink: Basic Gray, Sahara Sand, Mellow Moss, Lavender Lace; Tools: Big Shot, Stampin‘ Up! Perfect Polka Dots Textured Impressions Folder, Iridescent Ice Embossing Powder, Green Microbeads, VersaMarker, Tombow Adhesive, Heat Tool; Glitz and Glam: Circle Ice Brads, Circle Fire Brads, Mellow Moss Taffeta Ribbon, Basic Gray 5/8″ Satin Ribbon
I love the story of your Grandmo as much as I love the card. TFS both with us.
SUCH pretty colors and I adore the story!
Ann… now I’m thinking I know what to do with my micro beads. You are right about the amount of white space around the dragonfly! I also love the three rhinestones at the bottom of the card.
Perfect
hugs
jaydee
I too loved the story of your grandma and since I just returned home from a family reunion, my grandmother was much on my mind.
I loved this dragonfly card, it is amazing to me how you made this image so elegant with the embossing and microbeads. Stunning!
Beautiful card Ann, beautiful story!! One day YOU are going to be that perfect story-telling grandma 😉 I adore your posts!!
This is so pretty! Loving the tiny beads, so fun. Also love the sparkly wings.
What a beauty, Ann! Simple, yet oh so elegant!
What a lovely memory! Thank you for sharing it with us! Gorgeous card, too!
Chanda
What a perfect card.
This is beautiful! I’m going to miss these colors.
Love the dragonfly and microbeads! Just the right amount of wonderful details to still be called simple. Adorable story about your perfect grandma. I love reading your blog because of stories like this, and the beautiful cards, too. I am looking forward to your next inspiration. ~Bonnie~
so very beautiful!
I adore your bow!
See there, simple is your style as well as super fancy!!
Love the green micro bead idea. Nice touch. And, adding the bling to the wings really finishing it off making the eyes go straight to your focal point.
I’m not usually into the simple type cards, but this one had me at “green bling!” 🙂
Olivia
Hi Ann! What was it with the lace hankie and pennies and grandmas? Even my “fake” grandma had them. I loved your card. I hadn’t noted all the details until you mentioned them. I, too, like Mary am asking if you put some shading color around the dragonfly or not. Simply gorgeous. I have some of those beads that have never been out of the package. Thanks for so many fun ideas and memories. Grandma Geiger had a farm in Morning Sun and my Grandma High died when I was young. But, my “fake” Grandma Nell lived a block away and was wonderful!
Chris R. from Iowa
so beautiful!! loved how you colored the dragonfly!
Your card is beautiful Ann. I loved reading about your perfect grandmothe. She sounded like a wonderful grandmother to have. I enjoyed reading about your memories of her.
I love dragonflies so your card certainly made me smile. Have a beautiful sunday.
Mary
Great card Ann. Love the dragonfly body. And the embossing folder really adds a nice touch for the background.
Mike
Does the butterfly stamp create the pretty shadowing or is that something special you added? Hugs, M
That card is stunning! Love what you did with the dragonfly and layered ribbon.
Ann, I just love hearing your stories of life. I had the perfect Grandma to… A lot of beautiful memories.. Your card today is just so elegant… I love the brads they add just the right bit of sparkle..
hugs
Darlene-Joy
Ann,
This card is beautiful! I’m so glad you did this post today!
A lot of demos get rid of the stamp sets when they retire! (I’m not a demo!) I can’t part with my stamp sets whether they retire or not! So, I like to see cards that are from a retired set too! I understand the hype of the new catty and all! It’s just nice to see retiring ones too! So, thank you! I also loved the story about your grandma! Grandmas are the BEST! My Grandmother was awesome too!
How beautiful!!! I so enjoyed your post today. It is funny what stands out most in our memories. Hugs,