Free time to play with my crafts! Yes please! I am always looking at clean and simple type card challenges to find inspiration. Due to my obsession and hoarding of designer series paper, I have a hard time NOT layering pretty paper onto a card base with a simple sentiment. I am on a bit of a designer paper overload, so I really wanted to take some time to focus on “stamps, ink, paper”. As I was sipping my coffee and thinking about SIP cards, I perused a few clean and simple card challenges. Two card challenges that inspired my clean and simple card are Less is More and Addicted to CAS. These sites are great for inspiration. I just admire the beautiful “clean and simple cards” all the talented card makers out there can make (and boy, do they make it look easy!).
Less is More #476 “Use a Stencil”
Addicted to CAS #232 card challenge “Sympathy”
The big hurdle for me was that clean and simple cards really take WAY more time to create the initial design than my “slap on some pretty paper and go” cards. I had purchased some Stampin’ Up stencils “Butterflies & Flowers” and after staring at the stencils for 6 months, this card design popped in my head. I used retired Perfect Plum and Blushing Bride for the flowers. Always Artichoke (retired) just seemed like the right green for the leaves and sympathy sentiment. The sentiment is from SU! Peaceful Moments stamp set, one of my favorites.
The stencils have two pieces for the flowers. I did the first layer in Blushing Bride and the second in Perfect Plum. I wanted soft, subdued colors, for this sympathy card.
For the Love of Paper 
This is gorgeous – very soft and subtle and perfect for a sympathy card. Thanks for playing over at LIM.
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