Blue Skies

Here’s my card for January’s third Viva la Verve sketch challenge. I took a break from things love themed for this simple encouraging card.

I used images from one of my favorite Verve sets, Blue Skies, for the card. I stamped the set’s large butterfly image and colored it with several yellow Copic markers, then set a second stamped butterfly, this one done on vellum, over top of the colored image. Attaching the vellum butterfly only at the center allows the wings to fold up, giving it the appearance of having fluttering wings.

The rest of the card’s pretty simple. I used two coordinating papers from a My Mind’s Eye paper pad for the panels on the blue cardfront, matting them on yellow cardstock and machine stitching around the edges to add interest before setting them on the blue panel. The set’s “blue skies are coming your way” sentiment is stamped directly on the dotted yellow panel with a strip of yellow ribbon beneath it as an accent. The little crystal flourish extending from the butterfly was a last minute addition. I kept thinking the card needed just a little something else and I think the flourish was exactly the thing.

Materials Used:
Blue Skies stamp set (Verve Stamps); Baja Breeze and Daffodil Delight cardstock, Daffodil Delight grosgrain ribbon (Stampin’ Up!); white cardstock (Taylored Expressions); white vellum (The Paper Co.); Memento Tuxedo Black ink (Tsukineko); markers (Copic); Quite Contrary 6x6 paper pad (My Mind’s Eye); crystal flourish (Recollections); sewing machine