Croatian Inspiration 23

Hi Everyone! I am changing gears here & shifting to a Vintagey - Old World Style for this card & then some... I needed some Sympathy cards for a few co-workers who recently experienced the loss of a family member so I pulled out some Vintagey-soft looking K&Company DP. For sketch inspiration, I used Beate's Weekend Sketch Challenge #102, WSC102. If you have never visited Beate's site, you have no idea what you are missing! You really ought to visit her site as she has so much to share! :) I hope you don't mind, I would like to share some pictures that inspired me in making this card. They were taken in Dubrovnik, Croatia which sits the the Adriatic Sea. Dubrovnik was a port call on a cruise that my honey & I took in the summer of '08. There is so much history in Croatia & the city is full of old buildings, beautiful flowers, countryside & very friendly welcoming people. I would love to know if you have ever been to Dubrovnik, Croatia? Be Sweet!

This is Dubrovnik, Croatia. It is surrounded by a massive wall that served to protect the city during war time.

You can see the beautiful flowers in bloom & rustic old buildings.

This picture is from a lil' countryside town on the outskirts of the city.

This is my DH :) We were eating lunch at this lil' restaurant next to the creek that you see up above. The Croatians are very proud of their wine!

Here is my Praying for you card...

To make that BIG pink blossom, I inked up my SU French Script stamp with SU Close to Cocoa ink, stamped it then using the Spellbinders Blossom dies, I ran the stamped paper through my die cut machine. To give them that distressed look, you just put them in the palm of your hand & crinkle them up a lil'! MAGIC!

I rarely use Gold but since the pearl brad is trimmed in gold, I used a few gold brads on the Label as well. I think the gold gives it a fancy / elegant look?. I inked the edges of the Label under the Pink blossom with SU Close to Cocoa.

To create those distressed leaves, I cut them from SU River Rock cs, then inked up my PTI Damask Designs image then stamped the leaves. After stamping, I used a distressing tool to rough up the edges then once again, I crinkled them up in my hands! :) Easy Right? I hope you give it a try!

Ingredients Used: Stamps: SU French Script, PTI Damask Designs Paper: K&Company DP, SU Pink Pirouette, River Rock, Close to Cocoa, Kraft Ink: SU Close to Cocoa Sprinkles: Spellbinders Labels 4 & Blossom nesties, Offray ribbon, brads from stash, PTI buttons