Simple and Elegant

I love creating simple cards, with the wow factor coming from texture and color.  Today's cards have both, with a textured layer and a colored paper or element providing the POP.  

I used a circle die to cut an aperture in the top layer of these cards and glued a piece of designer series paper beneath.  The texture on the top white layer is from the Subtle embossing folder (unfortunately retired!).  It lives up to its name, adding texture without overpowering the card.  

The lemon paper is one of the pages from the Tea Boutique DSP.  Three dark green colored pearls in the corner balance the composition.

Here's another where I colored flowers from the black and white Perfectly Penciled DSP with red and green alcohol markers.  The bling is on one card is black faceted gems, the other pearls I colored dark green.

The final touches are faceted black gems or pearls I colored with a dark green alcohol marker.

This one uses the same concepts, but the image is from the Blessings of Home stamp set, which I die cut and set so it emerges from the circle.

Most of the products are retiring from Stampin' Up! and won't be available much longer.  If you see something you want, let me know soonest!

Tea Boutique DSP

Perfectly Penciled DSP

Blessings of Home Bundle

One Stamped Image, Two Versions

Another retired stamp set, this time In the Country.  I made two cards with it, using alcohol markers to color them with different results.

The image reminded me of pictures of Italy or Greece.  Soooo, my first version takes us on a trip to Sicily. 

However, Greece called to me (perhaps it was the blue door?), so I took a much lighter approach with the second one.  The houses on islands in Greece are whitewashed and they're visually intense, especially on a cloudy day.  Instead of coloring the image, I decided to bring out the white by highlighting the details on the walls and stairs in a light blue, which you might be able to make out.  A darker blue for the door and dabs of green and red for the plants completed the look.  I left it simple and didn't fill in a sky this time.

Which do you prefer?

The set includes a second stamp of a hillside with trees and a dirt track.  New England, perhaps?  I might try to capture fall colors in those trees for a future card.

I should have taken a picture of it before I colored in the sky, which really made it pop.  I mounted it on some Early Espresso cardstock to bring out the browns.  As usual, I'll add a sentiment later on.