Thank You Teacup

Back in March I purchased the "Cardmaking Value Pack #2" from HOTP.  I wasn't sure how much I'd like it because I always want to do my own thing and wasn't sure if there would be that much flexibility, but this value pack turned out to be a real bargain.  It basically had the printed papers & artwork and idea sheets from TEN "Card Makers Personal Shoppers"!  While it didn't contain any of the additional items that usually come with the personal shopper - like card bases & envelopes, buttons, ribbons, brads, chipboard shapes, specialty papers, dazzles, etc. - the coordinating papers & artwork give a great start to a quick and easy card.  The wide assortment of papers are designed with coordinating papers & embellishments, but done in such a way that you don't HAVE to create the same cards they designed with them. 

This card is an example of my using the papers for my own thing.  In fact, the paper I used as the main background paper for the card front was hardly even used in their examples (just used for a bit of trim)!  

I made this card for a friend who has a teacup collection.  It's a thank you card celebrating her hosting of a get-together for our dance group.

CARD FRONT:

• Background: I cut a piece of the background paper a bit smaller than the card base.  Using a ruler I drew around the outside with a Sharpie (this saves me from matting it on black, but gives a similar look). 
• Focal: Using my prepared teacup (see next bullet) as a guide to the size I wanted, I cut a piece from the coordinating border print paper and drew around the outside with the Sharpie (to fake a black mat).  I didn't feel this stood out from the background as well as I would have liked, so I matted it on white giving it a 1/8" or less border.  I decided I also needed to mat the teacup, so fussy-cut a similar mat for it.  Then I wanted a little more definition on the border area itself, so I cut two thin white strips of paper and glued them above & below.  
• Focal - Teacup: Using a stamp from the "You're Tea-riffic" small stamp set (from HOTP), I stamped the whole teacup twice - once on the lavender paper, and once on the peach.  While it would probably have worked to leave it at that, I went ahead & stamped the flower portion again on the lavender.  Then I fussy cut them - the whole thing from the lavender, the peach one so I had just the cup (without handle & saucer) & flower, and finally cut the flower portion I had stamped on the lavender.  After adding a bit more color for interest (using Sharpies!) I layered all the pieces. As a last touch for the teacup, I added a small peach paper flower and smaller lavender crystal-like flower from my stash - layering them on the larger stamped flower.
• Sentiment: The papers came with some printed artwork sentiment pieces.  I used the two lavender ones, and took advantage of the peach one that left room for my own sentiment.  I stamped the word "Dance!" on that using a portion of a stamp from HOT's "Thank You!" Stamp set.  Then I used another stamp from that set to stamp a sentiment above the teacup.  (I am so glad they include some blank elements so you can easily stamp your own thing and still have it coordinate!)
• Finishing: After layering the elements as you see here, I finished the outside of the card by adding a small piece of ribbon from my stash.

INSIDE:

• Background: I cut a piece of border paper just smaller than the inside of the card & again made a fake mat by drawing around the edge with a Sharpie. (I elected not to add white to the border this time.)
• Focal: This tag was included as part of the artwork.  I didn't have to use the Sharpie here as the border was already printed on the tag.  I DID add the message on the tag using another stamp from the "Thank You!" set.  The stamp has the message as one longer line, so I masked it and stamped twice to split the message to two lines as you see here.
• Finishing: I finished the inside of the card by adding another peach paper flower & lavender crystal-like flower to the top of the tag.