EMBOSSED CRUMB CAKE

Have you ever played with white embossing powder on Crumb Cake cardstock? And then "painted" the images?

I designed my card before the Stampin' Up! retiring lists were released, and used the perky Bordering on Romance. When I did discover it was on the retiring list, I was devastated and mourned the loss of a darling versatile set.

While Bordering on Romance is the perfect set to use for this technique -- unless you already own it -- I have done a bit of research for you to discover other current sets that will work equally as well and give you delightful results.

Everything Eleanor, page 66, is ideal in that you can use the swirl for the background embossing and the flowers for the focal point. A little bit of masking would bring the flowers together into a neat and beautiful bouquet.

Betsy's Blossoms on page 87 is another great option. The medium six-petaled  flower, coupled with the trio of flowers and some masking would make a great focus. For the background, throw in either the long sprig of leaves or a mass of the veined leaves. I can see it now!

Found on page 89, Mixed Bunch would give an entirely different look, but would be adorable. Any or a combination of the circle stamps would work well in the background.

Creative Elements, found on page 105, is another good option. Obviously the swirl would be great embossed in the background. The flower can be embossed and painted as is. But . . . I think it would look extra-special if you treat the flower as I did in this post, Lush Layers.

In fact, I think that just might be so gorgeous, I may have to try it myself -- maybe today yet! 

Lovely As a Tree, page 78, is a tried-and-true set that would be beautiful using this technique. Probably using autumn colors on the large tree and scattering the single embossed leaves around the background. Ahhhh. Another one I will have to try as the weather turns cooler.

Another good option would be the hostess set Simply Sketched on page 205. Either the bird or the flower would be beautiful as your focal point. Adding a few well-placed berry branches in the background promises to be really nice. 

And, finally, Fabulous Florets, found on page 93, would also be glorious, with the two line art flowers (with masking) as the focal image, and the veined leaf as the scattered background. 

Several sets offer wonderful focal options, but would require a separate set for the background images. For focal images, I would recommend the lovely Pleasant Poppies, on page 75, Backyard Basics, page 79, (which is on the top of my wish list!), or Flower Shop, on page 94 (which I have, but yet to use). 

To be a little more whimsical and depart from the floral look, give For the Birds, page 28, or Giggle Greetings on page 29, a try. Wouldn't they be adorable?

For these last several sets that I mentioned for the focal point, you will need a separate set for the background images. A few options for that purpose include the dots from Gorgeous Grunge, on page 109, any of the images from Flowering Flourishes, on page 118, any of several of the images from Summer Silhouettes, page 127, or the three adorable circles from Bug Me, on page 85.

I hope I managed to plant a few creative paper seedlings with my suggestions.

Otherwise, sit down with the scrumptious new catalog, leaf through it, use your imagination, and I know you will come up with some other delightful options.

Since this post has turned out to be much longer than I had anticipated, I will continue in my next post with the directions on how to create your own embossed crumb cake card. So, stay tuned. OK?

Smiles.