Encre, papier, ciseaux: Thinking of You Wreath

Inspiration: Time Out Challenge #203 (Inspiration: a stenciled patterned paper)

I finally came back and made a finished project with a piece I had started working on this summer. I had used the Painted Flowers Wreath on a leftover piece of patterned paper with Distress Oxide inks and blender brushes and covered my inked wreath with clear glaze for dimension. I love the final result and I wanted to use it on a card, but I wanted to make sure not to hide the wreath too much. I sat on it for a while and then got started with Holidays projects, but as I was putting stuff away tonight, I found it and I got inspired to see how it would look paired with a larger sentiment to fill the center of the wreath.

One of the stamp sets I didn't have at the time is Thinking Thanks & Peace, from the current holidays minicatalogue. I was liking the large "Thinking of You" in the center of the wreath, so I stamped it in Basic Grey ink to keep with the softer look. I cut the sheet to a 5½" square and distressed the edges with the blade of my scissors, before using a dauber to add Antique Linen Distress ink to the edges. I cut a slightly larger square out of a scrap of Designer Series paper, using my Deckle Trimmer, and I did the direct-to-paper inking on it using the same ink pad. I needed a 6" x 6" card base, so I looked through my 12" x 12" cardstock to find a colour that would match, and I decided in Pool Party. I ink the edges with the dauber again.

To add texture to the card, I looked through my ribbons. I had a few options that fit the colour scheme, so instead of picking one, I decided to glue two of them flat and tie the third one on top. The added width also fit the card size better. I added Vintage Shimmer pearls around the wreath as well.

I needed a handmade envelope for my oversize card, so I went to my scrap drawer, where I keep full-size sheets at the bottom that can specifically be used for envelopes. I found this striped paper from the old Paradise Beach collection by Echo Park, which colour suited the card perfectly. I pulled out Classic inks and repeated the wreath on the paper before assembling the envelope. I don't do florals often, but they do appeal to me when the result looks like this!

Supplies
Stamps: Paix et reconnaissance (Thinking Thanks & Peace - Stampin' Up!)
Cardstock: Pool Party (Stampin' Up!)
Patterned Papers: Paradise Beach (Echo Park); scraps (Unknown)
Ink: Calypso Coral, Pear Pizzazz, Pool Party, Basic Grey Classic Ink (Stampin' Up!);
Tumbled Glass, Bundled Sage and Abandoned Coral Distress Oxide,
Antique Linen Distress (Ranger)
Accessories: Lace Trim, Pear Pizzazz Glimmer Ribbon, Calypso Coral Ombre Ribbon.
Envelope Punch Board (Stampin' Up!); Vintage Shimmer Pearls (Studio Katia);
Deckle Trimmer (Tim Holtz for Tonic); Dauber Brushes (iCrafter);
Clear Texture Paste (Heidi Swapp); Blender Brushes (Taylored Expresssions);
Painted Flowers Wreath Stencil (Simon Says Stamp)