August Class: Thoughtful Branches

For this month's regular card class I decided to feature different ways the limited-time release Thoughtful Branches and coordinating Beautiful Branches Thinlits could be used.  

Thoughtful Branches is such a large, versatile set!  The examples below are just a few of the many ways it can be used.  I've pinned more on my Pinterest board, and doing a Pinterest or splitcoaststampers.com search will give you many, many more.  Don't miss your chance to add this to your collection before it's gone next Wednesday, August 31!

I tweaked this design from a card by Sharon Burkert.  The large blossom/leafy canopy stamp was inked up with Blushing Bride and stamped on a piece of card stock the same color.  The coordinating Thinlit was used to cut it out, and then it was layered on top of an oval of Flirty Flamingo cut with a Layering Ovals die.  It was mounted on Whisper White along with the stem and leaves cut with the die out of Wild Wasabi.  The sentiment is from an old Paper Pumpkin set. Card base is Blushing Bride. Embellishments are a bow out of Blushing Bride Stitched Satin Ribbon, Clear Wink of Stella on the blossom, and a scattering of the smallest Basic Jewels Pearls. 

This card I CASE'd from Connie Collins, though I changed the size from 3x3" to 4.25 x 4.25". Colors are Wild Wasabi, Wisteria Wonder and Elegant Eggplant.  To make the notches for the Linen Thread to nestle in we measured up 1" on each side and made a tick mark, then used the ¾" punch to cut out the notches.  Very simple, but adds a little more interest.  This size card works nicely with our medium envelopes, and thus doesn't require extra postage for a square card.

This card was CASE'd fromLinda Callahan.  We started by embossing the Crumb Cake layer with the Woodgrain Textured Impressions Embossing Folder.  Then we inked up the dotted "blossom" stamp with Crumb Cake ink and, stamping off each time, made a splotch on the Whisper White panel.  We added the sprigs of little leaves in Garden Green, and the sentiment in Elegant Eggplant.  Then we stamped the leaf image in Crushed Curry, Cajun Craze and Elegant Eggplant and cut them out with the coordinating die.  A couple were popped up with Stampin' Dimensionals, the rest glued on flat.  A couple of now-retired Regal Candy Dots (could also use the Enamel Embellishments) were the final touch before mounting the two layers on a Thick Whisper White base.

This card features the design of Michelle Long.  This featured the This Christmas Designer Series Paper from the 2016-17 Annual Catalog, with the pine tree from Thoughtful Branches as the focal point.  It's stamped in Garden Green and Early Espresso on Very Vanilla and cut out with an Ovals Layering Die.  It's backed with a piece of Red Glimmer Paper that was cut out with one of the scalloped Ovals Layering Dies.  Before we adhered the two together, we used the ⅛" Handheld Circle Punch in the center of the glimmer oval to make the "Christmas balls" that we adhered to the tree with Ultra Fine Glue.  Then everything was layered on a Cherry Cobbler card base.

Finally, we CASE'd this striking card from Leena Gersa.   We made a mask from a post-it note for the bottom of the Whisper White panel, as well as a 1⅜" circle mask for the sun.  Then we sponged on in layers, moving down the panel but blending well with previous layers.  These are the colors in order used:  Daffodil Delight, Peekaboo Peach, Flirty Flamingo, and Watermelon Wonder.  Then we removed the circle mask and filled it in with Daffodil Delight, and did a final blending layer of Daffodil Delight over the entire top portion.  A quick swipe of Watermelon Wonder around the edges and it was time to remove the bottom mask.  The ground was stamped in Smoky Slate, and the sentiment in Basic Gray Archival ink.  The Basic Gray tree was cut from the center of the panel that became the mat for the Whisper White layer, and the tree was glued on.  While Leena used Watermelon Wonder for her mat and Basic Gray for her card base, I like the Basic Gray as the mat, and felt that Pumpkin Pie pulled all the sponged colors together in the card base.

---

Upcoming Events

September Classes

• One Sheet Wonder - stamp one sheet of card stock and make 7 cards!
• Monthly Card Class - create a variety of cards.

Save the date!  World Cardmaking Day 2016 - Saturday, October 1

• Free event - Make cards to donate to Banner Thunderbird Hospital's Pediatric Department.

Stay tuned for details!

---