Expressions: Sweet Baby Card with Prickly Pear Paper

Thursday, August 24, 2017

Sweet Baby Card with Prickly Pear Paper

It seems like babies come in groups. We've had two friends deliver recently and another just found out she was pregnant. I got on a card making roll with the new Sweet Baby and Baby Animals stamp sets. Here's one of the cards I made:

I just adore that elephant. I stamped him in Heather pigment ink on Watercolor Paper, embossed with Clear Embossing Powder, and then painted with Watercolors in black and pink. After he was dry, I cut him and the balloon with the coordinating die cuts. To save paper, I cut my background panel using MFT's Blueprints 15 (retired), laid it over top of a 4.25 x 5.5 piece of Prickly Pear blue stripe paper, and drew a faint line where the panel would cover once the card was assembled. I then cut inside the pencil line and used that scrap to cut the balloon. I then ran my wonky panel through the new Alphabet Embossing Folder.

The pierced banner was die cut with MFT's Blueprints 20 (retired). I embossed "Welcome" from the Baby Animals stamp set using Heather pigment ink and Clear Embossing Powder. I stamped "Little One" (also from Baby Animals) as the inside sentiment also in Heather ink.

Once I put the card together, I spent a long time fussing with the placement of the balloon. It finally dawned on me that it needed an outline. Now, don't laugh, but my desk was such a mess by this point that I didn't notice there's a stamp in the Sweet Baby set that's an outline of the balloon. I hand-drew this one with a silver gel pen. It's okay, but it would have been better stamped in the same Heather color.

I love the "Sleep is Overrated" sentiment from the Baby Animals stamp set, but it didn't really fit as an inside sentiment. It did, however, work great to decorate the envelope flap. I used Glacier ink to coordinate with the Prickly Pear paper. This paper pack retires in a week, so I've also included a link to the new Whimsy Fundamental Paper Pack in the shopping links below. Whimsy includes soft blue and pink colors which would work just as well for a baby card.

The combination of Sweet Baby and Baby Animals is going to be my "go to" when it comes to welcoming babies into the world. They are my favorite baby-themed stamp sets CTMH has ever produced...and that's saying something!

One more note before I go: I don't know why it takes me so long to order some of the products CTMH has. I guess it's because I think I can get them cheaper by using coupons at a local store. However, the Acrylix Spritz Cleaner and Stamp Scrubber came in my consultant kit. I have struggled for years trying to get pigment ink off my stamps. That stuff gets into nooks and crannies and simply won't come off. I've had to resort to using Staz-On stamp cleaner and even then I still have residue. Um...people...the combination of Acrylix Spritz Cleaner and Stamp Scrubber works. REALLY works! Should have bought them years ago!

Until next time,
Becca

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