Spring...stepped up

Hi stampers!  I have something extra special for you today, not one but TWO cards.  I've been working on an Easter themed swap recently and this is one of the designs I was working on (don't worry if you're in my swap, this is not the card I settled on...and I'll post that one some time in April:-).  I started out with the more involved card as the final idea but in the process of making it, I realized that I really liked my card in it's "unfinished" state as well.  So, I left one more simple (since I almost always make my cards in pairs) and stepped the other one up to look more like the idea I had in mind all along.

Stampin' Supplies:
Stamps:  Easter Blossoms, Bella toile
Paper: very vanilla, baja breeze, marina mist
Ink:  Baja breeze, marina mist
Accessories:  Scallop oval die, crystal effects, baja breeze glass glitter

As soon as I saw this stamp set I just thought it was screaming out to be used with one of my favorite background stamps, Bela Toile!  And boy was I right!  That's one of the many reasons I love SU!  Not only do their fabulous colors coordinate so well but there are always tons of combinations with stamps and stamp sets that coordinate perfectly!  They make it so easy to create! 

I also love the combination and the simple color palate here.  It's hard to tell in the picture but the card base is marina mist and the background was stamped in baja breeze and then sponged as well.  The girl was stamped in marina mist so she would stand out and then the sentiment is also marina mist that I stamped off once to make a bit lighter shade.  I'm a bit surprised I really liked my half finished card so well (the one on the left of course)...I guess sometimes less really is more!  But I also like the stepped up version where I added the scalloped border (sponged and popped up for some dimension) and just a bit of the glass glitter on her flowers. The scallop border popped up also sort of reminds me of those old fashioned cameo charms, no? So, which one do you prefer?  Leave me a note and let me know, ok? 

Happy stamping!