Today I’m excited to share that I was asked to be the guest designer for this week’s Sweet ‘n Sassy Stamps Inspiration Challenge!  This was a fun way for me to ink up some new-to-me Sweet ‘n Sassy stamps.  I used the current Sweet Stop sketch for my layout, but stretched it out to a rectangle.  I think the image works for the sketch “spin” to create a non-traditional valentine, don’t you? As I was attaching the layers, I had a sudden thought that it might look better if I rotated the sketch 180° so that the image wouldn’t be “looking off” the right edge of the card.  So I made that last-minute revision to the sketch.  I also decided to round the opposing corners to mimic the round shapes in the inspiration photo.  I took my color scheme from the photo, and I embossed the cherry panel with a swiss dots design embossing folder to imitate the little pinprick holes in the candle holders in the photo.  I really wanted to use my Cherry Cobbler seam binding for the ribbon part of the sketch, to go along with the red branch in the photo, but then I would have had to rearrange the papers used for the smaller panels on the card and I didn’t like the way that looked.  But I think the navy ribbon looks all right.

Enough babbling… here’s the card:

Supplies:
Stamps: Love From Cocoa (Sweet ‘n Sassy Stamps)
Cardstock: Night of Navy, Cherry Cobbler (Stampin’ Up); Vintage Cream (Papertrey Ink); designer papers from Boxer 6″ x 6″ paper pad (Basic Grey)
Ink: Tuxedo Black (Memento)
Other: corner rounder punch, navy grosgrain ribbon (SU); Swiss Dots embossing folder (Provo Craft); premier colored pencils (Prismacolor); odorless mineral spirits (Houston Arts)