Grand Vacation Swap 2014 - Postage Due on Etcetera

Grand Vacation 2014 is a cruise on Allure of the Seas around the West Caribbean and that is where I am at the moment! Of course it would not be a Stampin' Up! event without a swap event and here is my Grand Vacation Swap for 2014:

I wanted to do a card that was tropical but at the same time didn't depart too much from my usual vintage/shabby chic style. I hope that the recipients like it. It is always hard for an event like this as you know that everyone is looking extra close at what you have done and I think that the swap needs to reflect on us as demonstrators and show our style and be completely original.

Starting at the bottom and working my way up is the best way to avoid confusion as there are a heap of steps in this little baby! It's a square 6" x 6" card. The base card is Old Olive. I have mounted a piece of Baked Brown Sugar card on this and then a piece of Etcetera DSP (the broad, aged Old Olive diagonal print). Then on top of that I have mounted a square of Very Vanilla and this is my "bare canvas". I stitched a right angle in both of the bare corners of the card using a cotton to match Old Olive as closely as I could.

In the top right hand corner and the bottom left hand corner I have stamped the large script stamp from Postage Due in Baked Brown Sugar. Through the centre I used a rectangle of the colourful advertising page from the Etcetera DSP and mounted this on the distressed Calypso Coral dots page from the same DSP. I trimmed the bottom side with the Large Scallop Edgelit Die.

The sentiment, "enjoy" is from the Simply Celebrate stamp set, stamped in Staz On Jet Black Ink on the Canvas Creations Sheet, cut out with the shape that you see from Chalk Talk Framelit Dies and daubed around the edges in Crumb Cake. I adhered this with Tombow Glue.

The mat leaves are cut from Old Olive cardstock using the Secret Garden Framelit Dies set and then stamped with the branch stamp from Peaceful Petals in Old Olive ink. I like to stamp outside the lines occasionally to add different interest and detail. The rose in the centre is made from Very Vanilla cardstock; punched out with Fancy Flower Punch, daubed with Calypso Coral and folded into the shape that you see, secured with Tombow Glue (see my Rose Making Tutorial from January 2013).

I wanted additional leaves to make the central flower pop and have used Simply Pressed Clay for this aspect. I stamped the clay with the leaf from Peaceful Petals and then fussy cut them, shaped them and allowed them to dry for 24 hours. I then painted them with Crystal Effects and Old Olive Re-inker (about 8 drops). These are nestled under the flower and adhered with Crystal Effects.

The smaller Calypso Coral flowers are made with the Petite Petals Punch. I have then rounded the cardstock using the Simply Scored Stylus and Piercing Mat so that they literally fold up into a flower bud. I daubed the backs of the flowers with Whisper White Craft ink and darkened the insides slightly with Calypso Coral ink on an Aqua Painter.  The centres of these flowers are Champagne Glimmer Paper punched out with the foot from the Build a Owl Punch and glued in with Tombow Glue.  I gave the tiny flowers (which are punched using the flower from the Itty Bitty Punch set in Pool Party cardstock) the same treatment as the orange ones with the stylus [but not so heavy handed] and added the the Basic Pearl Jewels to the centres.

As a final touch I added a piece of Baked Brown Sugar Ruffle Stretch Trim for texture and a touch of luxury.

When this post goes to air the swaps will have been dropped at the hospitality desk on the Allure of the Seas so that the awesome Stampin' Up! staff can make up separate swap packs for attendees and place them on display for everyone to see.  I can't wait to get my stash and will share some on my return.

Ahoy!
Shanni xx