Papertrey Ink's April 2017 Create Along With Us

Hello everyone! Today I have a post for the Papertrey Ink Monthly Create Along With Us Challenge. There are so many projects during release time every month and my card for this Challenge is inspired by Nichole Heady!  Nichole made this gorgeous tag using this month's Mix & Mat Die Release which has an  optional lace panel this lace inset panel that you can cut. It can be cut into a card base or used in conjunction with the outer frames of the die set.  This is the 2nd in a series of "to be released" dies each month for an unspecified period of time.  I think as long as the designers have ideas it will continue. Nichole introduced this month's set on April's Release - Day 1.  You can read more about it here.  

Since the release doesn't go live until the 15th of the month at 10:00 p.m. Eastern Time, I obviously don't have that exact die yet, but it did make me look around to see what I have that I could use to mimic that feel. I don't need too many gift tags but I am wishing I would have put a messy "nest" of gold thread on my card.  By the time I thought of it, it was too late to do it without tearing up my card.  I tried lifting the banner up to tuck a bit under there, but I used foam tape so it was stuck!  I have a pretty good size zipper baggie that has all kinds of bling embellishments in it from pearls to "jewels" so I've been trying to remember to use them and I'm happy that I remembered them today.  

When I started out with a tag for today I used the same colors as Nichole did since that is part of what inspired me; Aqua Mist and White Cardstock with a touch of Sweet Blush.  But then I saw a corner of something from yesterday laying on my desk next to the tag and it all kind of just morphed from there.  I had stamped a background stamp yesterday and did some ink blending on it in Cracked Pistachio and Broken China Distress Oxide Inks but I didn't get it stamped very well so the whole center of my design didn't get the embossing powder which means I don't have a clean design on the background to use as a card front.  But after I had cut my lacey piece of Stamper's Select White from the Garden Guild Cover Plate Die (part of the Make It Market Garden Gild Kit) and used Multi Medium Matte to attach it to my tag, I set it aside to dry.  This background panel was laying there next to it.  Laying side by side, you can see that the Aqua Mist is a good match for the ink blending I had done.  Actually, there's not too many things that Aqua Mist doesn't work with.  It's not really a combination I've thought of before, but I always have extra or stray "Parts & Pieces" on my desk that I try and eventually use.  So, because it was laying there I was thinking how pretty the lacey piece would be cut from gold cardstock and from there, its easy to see what happened. I promise, I really can make a card without gold, but I simply don't want to; it's part of my signature style.  

The outline of the background stamp works well with the outline of flowers and leaves from the cover plate die.  I also cut a couple of the individual flowers and a leafy stem to go along with it on the tag. In the final project, I changed out the aqua colored brad for a larger gold bling dot.

The background panel was ink blended and spritzed with shimmer sprays in the same method as always. I used Ocean Tides for my card base which was also inspired by Nichole Heady.  The little touch of Kraft cardstock makes for a nice contrast.  I used the little strip of Sweet Blush Cardstock for my sentiment banner, just as Nichole did for her Gift Tag. Both of Nichole's projects inspired me so I tried to do a blend of both her projects into my single card.  I'm happy with my results. I think this card is beautifully understated with it's more classic color and the gold.  I find more and more that I don't care for the look of Gold Mirror Board.  It's way too much for me, but I do love using Gold Foiled Cardstock which fits perfectly with the warmer tone of the embossing powder I use most often.  I hope that my card is as classy and elegant looking as Nicole's.  The Mix & Mat: Scallops are definitely going on my wish list. It would be easy to use a different sentiment and change the card up for other occasions or any occasion as I like to call it.



Thank you so much for stopping by my blog today.  I appreciate the time you took to be here and to read through my blog post.  I also appreciate it when you take the time to comment.

ETA:  I liked this card so much that I made a second one to send to a friend.  This one has genuine Sworovski Crystals in the flower centers!  How much fun is that!?!