As we have been reminded over the last couple of weeks, our world, our country and our own hearts need to hang on to reasons for HOPE!
I love this sentiment from the Sailing Home stamp set that says, "Let HOPE be your ANCHOR through the storms of LIFE". I do believe that hope is what keeps us going during difficult days, and hope comes in different forms for each of us. For some, hope comes through prayer and our faith. For others it may come in the form of a a phone call from a special friend. And yes, hope can also come in the form of a special card that arrives in our mailbox.
The scene on this card reminds me of what the water and the sky often look like after a storm has passed. The water is still a little dark and moody, but calm, and the sky is clearing with hints of pink, purple and blue. I didn't make the card with that goal, but sometimes things just work out.
I kept the card fairly simple starting with a Basic White front panel embossed with the Tasteful Textile embossing folder. This is my go-to embossing folder when I feel like a card just needs a little something.
The black and white background from Pattern Party Designer Series Paper was cut with a die from the Ornate Layers Dies and added to the embossed panel on the front of the card.
To create the sky I created a mask punched with a scalloped oval punch to give just the hint of a couple of faint clouds. You'll have to look close to see them as I wanted them to be very faint. The water was blended with Pool Party and Pacific Point ink. I did use a retired stamp from By the Dock stamp set to create a few ripples, but these could just as easily have been made with a marker. The ripples were highlighted a bit with a white glitter gel pen which was also used to highlight the water line.
The completed scene was then matted to Pacific Point card stock. The sailboat was stamped with Black Stazon on basic white. The boat was colored with a Pacific Point marker, and the front sail was lightly tinted with a Blender Pen and Pacific Point ink. After coloring, the sailboat was die cut with a coordinating die from the Smooth Sailing dies. Next, a black/silver striped ribbon was wrapped around the scene and tied in a bow. The assembly was then adhered to the card base with dimensionals. All that remained was tucking a silver heat embossed and die cut anchor under the bow and adding the sentiment. The sentiment was stamped with Black Memento ink, and after die cutting the sentiment with another die from the Smooth Sailing dies the edges were sponged lightly with Pacific Point.
For the inside I stamped another sailboat and colored it as I did for the one on the card front. I adhered the completed Basic White card to a Pacific Point mat and then to the inside of the card base. If desired, I can always add a sentiment later when I have a specific purpose for the card or alternatively, there is plenty of room for a handwritten note to someone that needs a little encouragement.
If you would like more dimensional cutting details and step-by-step directions to recreate this card, a free tutorial can be accessed by using this link.
Below is a list of current products used to create this card.
