Wedding Congrats #23 and #98

Wow!  Where has the week gone?  Some Most weeks I feel like I am playing catch-up.  And, it makes me wonder if everyone else does.  It's hard to gauge your busy-ness, if your schedule is the only one you see, or measure.  Know what I mean?  So, to make the most of my time, I  have created a card that will allow me to enter two (yes, 2) challenges.  One is a sketch, and the other is a color & inspiration challenge.

The talented ladies over @ Stampin' Queens Sketch Challenge have a great sketch this week! The ladies just ask that you use your Stampin' Up! supplies when you participate in their challenges.  And the wonderfully creative ladies over @ Shabby Tea Room have a pretty inspirational board and color challenge for us this week, entitled: Sparkle & Bright.  The colors are: white, cream, silver,  with a touch of pink!

So, here is what I made:

The inspirational photo made me think of either a vintage wedding, or tea with your grandmother.  So, I set out to my craft room.  I knew that I was going to use white and vanilla cardstock.  So, I pulled out a sheet of each.  Then, I wanted to see what I had for pattern paper in pink.  I wanted a simple, elegant pattern; not too bright, or too busy.  Twitterpated DSP worked.  The silver (a little glimmer) was easy-peasy: silver glitter paper.  

I wanted the card base to be white cardstock.  The panel to be vanilla cardstock with a design in white.  I inked up a large simple, delicate image in white craft ink, dusted the cardstock with white embossing powder, and heat set it.  Now the plain vanilla has a simple design to break up the empty space.  

I had a scrap piece of sahara sand textured cardstock, so I matted the blushing bride pattern paper to it.  That way, the pattern paper has defined borders.  I wanted some paper 'lace', so I used my lace-trim border punch and a scrap piece of first edition dsp.  

I kept my cut circle simple.  It started as a 3" circle of shimmer white cardstock.  I didn't stamp on it, to showcase the shimmer and keeping the card from getting cluttered.  I made the paper flower.  I punched the leaves using a textured sahara sand cardstock.  I cut some pretty, vintage ribbons (crochet trim, crumb cake seam binding, vanilla velvet ribbon) and added them just below my paper flower.  I have a weakness for those super cute mini vintage tags, so I stamped the word, 'love' from the Fabulous Phrases stamp set, in soft suede classic ink.  

I love this sentiment bracket from Creative Elements stamp set, so I stamped it in crumb cake classic ink, and the 'congratulations' from Wedding Sweet stamp set, in soft suede classic ink.  I tore around the bracket, sponged the edges with sahara sand classic ink.  I used foam tape on the back to lift it off the card.  

For the three tiny flowers at the upper left side, I first punched out the shapes, and then used my foam mat and a stylis to create the bend in the petals.  I added a half faux pearl to the centers.  I punched the leaves out of silver glitter paper.  

To finish the card, I gave it a spray (ok two) with my own home-made champagne shimmer paint.  I wanted the card to have a subtle glimmer.  A twinkle surprise, so to speak.

Thank you for looking.  And let me know how you start your creative process.  Let me know if you start with stamps or paper when putting a card together.  Or if it depends on the challenge requirements.  It's fun to see how our processes go.