BUTTERFLY ARCHES

Butterflies. More butterflies. What can I say? They're beautiful -- and Stampin' Up! does such a wonderful job creating lots of butterflies for papercrafters to use in their work. 

This card features butterflies created from the Beautiful Butterflies Bigz Die (page 193) and the Beautiful Wings Embosslits (page 189), both run through the Big Shot, to grace the smallest of the arches.

At first, when I was designing the card, I simply stacked the three butterflies, but they were blah. They needed something more. Out come the Stamping Sponges (page 179) and I softly sponged the edges of all three butterflies, as well as the raised embossing on the smallest of the three. 

The two arches overlapping to form the front of the card add interest and grace. A button and ribbon from the Sale-A-Bration Sycamore Street Ribbon and Button Pack are the perfect finish for this delicate card.

And the two arched gates screamed out for emboss resist. Don't you agree?? Now, that being said, are you surprised to discover that the only card stock used in this card is Naturals Ivory? 

Ah, sponging!

Adding a precious sentiment from the Curly Cute set (page 138) echoes the arches and swirls.

A word of warning gleaned from my experience though: When you are sponging the edges of the arches, give a few beats for the ink to dry before closing the card. Take note of the {stupid} inked arch above my greeting from my learning experience. Grrr. 

Oh, and one more thing: the card measures 3 3/8" x 5 3/8". The smallest arch is 3 3/8" tall at its highest point, while the taller of the two is 5 1/4" tall. 

To recreate this special card . . .

Supplies:

Creative Elements stamp set (page 126)

Curly Cute stamp set

Naturals Ivory card stock

Island Indigo ink

VersaMark ink

Pool Party Ribbon

Pool Party Button

Card Template (see measurements above)

Big Shot

Beautiful Butterflies Bigz Die

Beautiful Wings Embosslits

Craft Knife

Cutting Mat

Heat Tool

Embossing Buddy

Clear Embossing Powder

3/16" Corner Punch

Simply Scored

Stamping Sponge

Sponge Dauber

Instructions:

Cut out card shape. With the smaller of the two arches tucked into the upper left corner of the Simply Scored, score the card at 3 1/4" and 6 5/8". Crease well on these score lines.

Fold the larger of the arches in first from the left, then the smaller arch from the right Keep in mind which side of the arches face out, and rub the Embossing Buddy well over the larger arch. With VersaMark ink, stamp the flourish twice on the large arch. Sprinkle with Clear Embossing Powder, and heat to emboss. Repeat this process on the smaller of the arches, but only stamping the flourish once.

With the Stamping Sponge, rub in circles with Island Indigo ink over the embossing. Darken some of the areas in the same fashion, but this time using a Sponge Dauber. Do this to both arches. Sponge the edges of the card. BE CAREFUL ABOUT CLOSING THE CARD BEFORE THE INK IS DRY!

Use the Beautiful Butterflies Bigz die and the Beautiful Wings Embosslits to create three butterflies from Naturals Ivory card stock. Sponge the edges of all the butterflies as well as the embossed portion of the smallest. Adhere the butterflies together. Tie a small piece of crochet cotton in a knot through the holes of the Pool Party button. Attach this to the center of the butterfly pile with a glue dot.

Open the card flat, and lay it on top of a cutting mat. With a craft knife, cut a small slit along the fold of the smallest arch about an inch above the bottom. Insert Pool Party Ribbon through the slit, and tie in a bow at the far right side.

Attach the butterfly over the ribbon with a few Stampin' Dimensionals.

Stamp sentiment inside the card in Island Indigo ink.

Butterfly

Smiles.