Just Because...A Color Challenge

The Paper Players are running a Color Challenge this week:  River Rock, Rose Red, Baja Breeze, and Very Vanilla.  I love color challenges because I learn so much about putting different combinations together (that's something I am usually too scared to do on my own).  Once I have direction though, I can often make it work and I think it does here (all products used here are Stampin' Up!)

The card base is River Rock with a Baja Breeze layer punched on one side with the Scallop Trim border punch.  A Very Vanilla rectangle is stamped in Rose Red with the phrase from Notably Ornate, then the corners are ticket-punched and the piece is sponged with Rose Red.  Both the safety pins and the button brads are copper-hued Vintage Trinkets.  The phrase is mounted with Stampin' Dimensionals.

My flowers are actually River Rock cardstock stamped in Rose Red with the butterfly from the hostess set Punch Potpourri, then punched with the butterfly punch, edged with Rose Red, curved slightly and attached together with more of the Vintage Trinkets button brads.

The Very Vanilla seam binding is easy to gather if you are patient--cut a piece about half again as long as the card and very carefully (I used a silk dressmaker's pin) grab about the middle three strands of the binding on both ends.  Slowly gather from each end toward the middle by pulling those strands (it is much easier than it sounds as long as you are gentle and don't break the thread).  Gather until it is the length you need.  I used glue dots on the ends (which are underneath the Baja Breeze layer) and actually tied the two strings together in the middle and then used regular transparent tape to fasten the knot and ends to the cardstock--that keeps everything straight and taut but nothing on the front of the card has to be fastened down.

It's not country or Victorian or vintage or retro--I'm not quite sure what this card is stylistically, but I'm pretty pleased at the way it turned out and I hope you like it too.