A Quick and Easy Layout

Aloha, all!

     Last week, I was so bogged down with a bunch of different complicated projects that I needed some time just to make something simple.  Some rectangles with one mat layer each – stamp, stamp, stamp.  No ribbons or knots or bows or funny angles.  At just this point, I happened upon a chat room that had a quick and easy challenge going on.  Bingo!  There was my layout.

     It took me no time at all to make this card.  I didn't agonize over where the flowers were going to be and where the stems would land.  On the other hand, I was using the Cottage Garden Stamp Set in the clear mount form.  So I could see pretty well where the flowers were being stamped.  I wasn't quite so accurate with the stems.  But remember that this was supposed to be simple and I was NOT going to stress over it!  For my background, I used a sheet from the Designer Series Paper set Sunny Garden.  (Can you tell that the papers and stamp set were meant to be coordinated?  If not, the names of the products would give you a hint!)  I chose the colors not only based on what colors were in the papers, but also on colors I might expect to be in a "sunny garden."  Daffodil Delight, Peach Parfait, and Poppy Parade.  For the mats for all the stamped pieces, I chose Pear Pizzazz, and that's the color I used to stamp the stems for the flowers. 

     Here's a stamper's hint:  When you're a bit too relaxed, you might just get a little sloppy.  We all do.  When quickly thinking out the colors for this card, I intended for the darker of the three flowers to be in the center and coordinate with the color in the stamped sentiment (also from the Cottage Garden stamp set).  But I started flinging things around and, oops!  I got a smudge on the bottom of the Daffodil flower strip.  Sigh.  But not to worry (this was a "no worry" day).  Just rearrange the flowers, and suddenly that smudge gets covered up by the sentiment strip. 

     I really did intend for there not be any embellishments on this card.  But those Daffodil Delight Flower Brads kept calling out to me, so I let them decorate this card.  Heck, all I had to do was punch some holes!

     Here's the layout for the card.  Any time you want to make something simple, just cut the stamped paper the size you want it, then add 1/8" to the height and width to get the size for the mat layer.  So simple!  For this particular layout, the only stamped layer that you need to be a bit more careful about is the center vertical layer.  Lay your card out on your working grid paper (or put a ruler up against the top edge) and find the center of the card (at 2-3/4").  Then arrange that center vertical layer so that ITS center is at the card's center.  Then arrange the two outer vertical pieces the same distance from the center piece.

     Have fun stamping!