winnie & walter :: february leading lady, part 3 :: a trio of "simple" cards

Hi, friends!  I have to say that Winnie & Walter maybe have the best fan following in the paper crafting business.  You guys are awesome!  Thank you again for all the love and kind words you have left for me.  I love being able to create but when I hear that I've inspired you or that you get where I'm coming from, that, in turn, inspires me.  Your comments are truly appreciated and taken to heart.

**Be sure you read all the way through as I'm hosting a giveaway over the next 2 weeks!  Keep scrolling for all the details :)**

I actually had a different project in mind for this week than the one I'm sharing here today, but life got a little out of control last week and, as my deadline for submitting this post was approaching, I realized there was no way I'd be able to complete it on time AND be thorough in my photos and written content.  The good news is, you'll still get to see it as my finale next week!

So without my planned project, I was facing a nerve-wracking dilemma.  What can I come up with in 24 hours to share this week?!  Remember, I'm not a super-fantastic-amazing-mindblowing stamper...but I do really love to make cards and I do have other awesome Winnie & Walter products at my fingertips--like Cutaways!  And after a somewhat panicky brainstorming session, I had a few ideas for some quick and simple cards.

The first one I made was the simplest, and it inspired the two that followed.  I have acquired a W&W product collection that would make most people drool and I set out to use as many different sets as I could, while still keeping the feel of each canvas clean and easy.  A thank you card is always useful, I thought, eyeing the bold brushed style of the From the Bottom of My Heart stamp set.  So I started by die cutting some leaf stems with the Framed with Evelin T Designs in different papers.  All the papers seen here are from Pinkfresh Studio's gorgeous Indigo Hills line.

I clustered 3 of them together and added a tiny glitter heart at the bottom.  There's always a careful laying-out process to all of my projects, and this card trio was no different.  I was about to stamp RIGHT ON THE CARD, which is always an anxiety-ridden task because what if I mess up?!  It's right there on the card!  So planning for these kinds of things is a must, and honestly, while each of these cards maybe took 10 minutes to put together, the concept and layout of each one probably took over an hour!  (So when I say quick and easy, I really mean: these are quick and easy after the whole design and layout finally came together :)

I carefully stamped "thanks" on the card, emitting a huge sigh of relief when I lifted the stamp and found a complete image, sans smears and weird discoloration.  Then I stitched on a strip of lace with some gold thread, adhered the leaf cuts, and added a few sequins.  See?  Quick, easy, simple...after all of the mind-changing and anxious hemming and hawing over the actual design of the card!  But surely we've all been there, right?!

My second card was a a bit less agonizing as I was using a much smaller stamp this time and it isn't one of the main focal points.  I wanted to be sure I got to use the In a Word: Precious Script die at least once during my Leading Lady tenure because it's gorgeous.  I had the idea to cut the word out of floral paper and pair it with the phrase "You are."  "You are my" is one of the sentiments from the Sentimental: Endearments set so I masked off the my.  It worked, yay!

I decided to take the small flag die from the Essentials: Lana Cutaways and create a little bunting (who can resist buntings?!) to accompany my statement.  A little bit of lace underneath, because precious and lace go together like milk and cookies.  When I adhered the flags for the bunting, I didn't glue down the entire piece, leaving the bottoms raised and even curling them up a bit with my fingers for some extra dimension.

Just for a little interest, I stitched a few doily scraps along the bottom edge of the card.  It adds another kind of texture without making the card too busy.

I had a different idea for my last card, but when that wasn't really working so well, I scrapped the original idea and decided to use a few less elements, which actually made me like the card a lot better when it was all done.  I was going to do another bunting-type card, but with a different die.  In my mind I pictured a drapey sort of look with scalloped lace, a banner-type stamp, and this other bunting, however, the scale of the card was much too small to achieve this and it ended up just looking way too chaotic.  I got rid of the DIY bunting and just went with the lace and the stamp, which is from the New Release set of Scenery: Stripes 2 and I curved it when I placed it on the acrylic block to make it look like a party banner.  I like the simplified look much better.

Again here, though, I had to stamp directly onto the card--TWICE!--and let out a huge sigh of release when it worked again!  This time, I used the new 'sweet' cutaway from The Big, the Bold, and Baby and paired it with 'heart' stamped in pink.  I stitched pale pink tulle to the bottom edge this time, added another doily remnant and glitter heart.  (*Those hearts are pieces I've cut over and over again because they're the perfect finishing touch item to almost everything.  The last time I needed one, I went ahead and cut 20 just to have at the ready!)

While my original bunting idea was unsuccessful, I still felt as though this card needed a little something more so I tested out a glitter bow (another item I cut and assemble in bulk) and it was perfect!  It's such a cute card for a baby or little girl, don't you think?

Well, hopefully the cards don't look too thrown together in haste (because, remember, the concepts took me quite awhile :).  I'm actually pretty pleased with them and feel they are definitely MY signature style.  I'm really looking forward to sharing my LL finale with you next week, though.  I hope it's fun for everyone!

**Until then, I've got a Winnie & Walter Giveaway happening this week and next!  I'm sure you could all use a $30 gift card to the W&W shop, right?  Simply leave me a comment here telling me your favorite go-to technique or product when you're in need of a quick project.  (Mine are generally textures and layers.)  The giveaway will run next week, as well; there might be a different question but all comments for this blog post and next Saturday's W&W LL Part 4 post will be eligible to win.  I'll announce the winner on Tuesday, February 28.

Have a fantastic weekend!

~Rebecca xo