TWO PAPER DIVAS Design Team Card for the week of August 11, 2014 - "Simply The Best"

It is so interesting that Melissa and Gayla, owners of Two Paper Divas, created this Sentiment.  Back in the 90's when my husband and I worked for The LaQuinta Corporation as General Managers (a second career for each of us),  we helped our Regional Manager develop a training program for the other Managers and their Staff.  In order to have fun with this, I came up with the idea of creating it around Tina Turner's song "Simply the Best".  It turned out to be very special and some of the other Regional Managers asked us to show it to them and they used this concept to assist their managers/staff in their regions.  It help "pump up" all of the Staff at the Inns that we trained.  Great SONG!!  Wish that we had a video of it but it is in our memories!!

I was reminded of something today while watching a video on the computer on Gina K Designs.  It was using a die with the rubber mat to create the embossing effect without cutting.  Have not done that in a long time.  So what you see as the outline around the scene is not a layered piece which I have cut and applied to the face of the card.  It is actually the embossed part of the front of the card.  I used a die cut of this die as a mask and did the background green shading.  Once this was done, I stamped the Sentiment and placed the die cut leaves (which I cut apart) onto the card.  The flowers are popped up (just the actual flowers - not the stems) and then I stamped the Butterfly.  I chose not to color the Butterfly to leave the simplicity of the outline to coordinate with the Sentiment.  Sometimes it is not necessary to do the obvious coloring of outline stamps on our card.  Step back and you might just say, "enough is enough"!  See you next posting........

P. S.  This is an ADD ON after reading this again today (8/25/14) and Melissa and Gayla posting my card.  I decided that I would give you the Big Shot formula for building your "sandwich" to produce the concept which is used on this card.  Embossing with a Die:  

• No Tabs on the platform
• Acrylic Plate
• Piece of Card stock for a SHIM
• Rubber Embossing Pad (1) by Spellbinders
• "Die" of choice - normally placed on the non cutting side against the rubber to achieve the embossed look - I decided on the pointed look (sharp edge) so I put the die cut side down on the rubber
• Acrylic Plate
• Piece of copy paper

By the way, I keep a sticky note of this "sandwich" in the original plastic which holds my rubber embossing pads.  I do not know about you but my memory would not remember all of these strange concepts of doing the right "sandwich"!!  Just a hint!!!

Products used on this card:

STAMPS:   Two Paper Divas Stamp Sets:  Simply the Best;  Mason Jar Accessories 1;  Seed Packet Accessories #1.

INK:  Memento Tuxedo Black;  Pear Pizzazz by SU; and Copic Markers.

MISC.:  Wink of Stella Clear Glitter Brush;  Rhinestones; Enamel Dot;  the leafy die; & the largest die in that set to do the embossed effect.