Sparkly Butterflies

Need a simple go-to, yet beautiful card? I love the versatility of this one - it works for almost every occasion...

Need a card which adds some sparkle to somebody's day?!

Hello everyone! I'd love to share a quick card with you - this one is easy, versatile and takes hardly any time at all to make. It's often a go-to if I realise I've missed a birthday or need to send some encouragement at short notice!

Method

The first thing to do is decide on your colour scheme. This card can be equally effective in almost any colour, which is one of the reasons why I love it! I often opt for the blue 'Faded Jeans' #DistressInk and select an equally strong, or darker, shade of the same colour to be my background. Other colours can work too - a mid-dark grey looks lovely behind the pink 'Victorian Velvet' ink.

Your colour scheme is a great way to personalise a card towards your recipient!

Cut your dark background cardstock with a guillotine to fit a blank A6 card, leaving a small white border. Repeat this process with a piece of white card, leaving a small dark border. Then add an edging to the white piece using your ink pad; it should be darkest at the edges and fade inwards so the centre is left white (this way, your butterfly will stand out). This is the same technique used in the 'Something for your Valentine' post - simply tap a firm brush into your ink pad and work it into the card in a circular motion.

Next, stamp your main image using the same stamp pad (ink up your stamp well so the image is stronger in colour than the faded edging). This beautiful butterfly I've used is #VisibleImage's 'Butterfly INKognito' stamp, which I find prints very cleanly. Adding a second butterfly on the right hand side of the card helps to fill the space as well as showcase more of the smattered design. At this point, I allow the ink to dry and then stick all the card pieces together using UHU glue (this is quick and gives you time to position the card before the glue dries, although double-sided tape works just as well).

Finally, add a sentiment peel-off or rub-on and some silver Stickles around the edges of the inked card. Don't forget to add Stickles to the butterflies before closing up the fourth edge! Leave the glitter to dry and then add a blank inner to your card, if desired.

Quick tip: Turn the card as you add Stickles round the edges, so you are always working in a horizontal line (or whichever angle is most comfortable for you). This way, your wrist also rests on the table and not on the card design, where you may smudge the ink or glitter.

Materials:

- White and coloured cardstock

- Visible Image 'INKognito Butterfly' stamp

- Distress Ink pad and brush (you can also achieve a similar effect with other brands)

- Sentiment peel-off or rub-on

- Stickles (silver, or whichever colour best matches your colour scheme)

- Guillotine, double-sided tape or UHU glue, scissors and pencil.

Quick, right?! Let me know if you have a go at this one - I'd love to see your creations!

Amy x