Together Forever Anniversary

My "little brother" and his wife just celebrated an anniversary. I am so proud of them. Four kids (each with a full slate of activities), two-plus jobs, the various challenges brought by parents of a certain age... and they are still the best of friends. This is no small feat!

I wanted to make them a special card, so I pulled out the Bella Bleu DSP and some appropriate sentiments. The ribbon is actually from last year, but it's so similar to Soft Suede 1/2" grosgrain that you can use that to replicate the look. The cut ends of the ribbon are concealed beneath the medallion. I've used a small strip of burgundy to add a little color and definition to the card front, repeating the color in the scallop mat of the medallion. Two lengths of ribbon are knotted together for the bow and adhered with a glue dot.

Don't forget to decorate the inside of your cards - it needn't be difficult. I simply used scraps and a single, ornate brad placed to accent my sentiment, leaving space to write a message. The other advantage of this liner panel is that what I write will be easy to read against the lighter surface - but I still get the richness of the card base color.

Technique Tip: To make the large scallop square mat, punch 4 scallop squares out of burgundy. Using your work mat to line them up precisely, overlap two squares by the width of one scallop (imagine this line running top to bottom), and glue in place. Do this with the remaining two scallop squares. Now overlap one of these units onto the other (imagine this as a horizontal line) by the width of a scallop, and glue in place. Sponge the edges, and mount your stamped image on top of the large mat. Your eye will "overlook" the overlapped edges.

Take a moment this week to recognize someone you love for something important they've accomplished - like remaining friends through the challenges of marriage. Kathy


All supplies Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted.
Stamps: Friends 24-7, Together Forever, and Word on Word (sorry, this one is retired but it said just what I wanted)
Ink: Soft Suede classic
Paper: Soft Suede (5x5 base), Bravo Burgundy, Naturals Vanilla, Bella Bleu DSP
Accessories: Pretties Kit (large halfback pearls), small halfback pearls from my dollar bin stash, ornate square brass brad Memory Keepers; square scallop, scallop oval, large oval and scallop edge and 1" circle punches