Barbie-Inspired Friendship Cards!

I must confess that I haven't seen the Barbie movie yet, but am hearing good things about it from friends who have.  When I was growing up, I was definitely a fan of Barbie.  I can remember very much wanting a special pink Corvette for my doll for Christmas one year, and being thrilled to get it--thanks, Mom and Dad!  Anyway, I was tickled pink (sorry about that, couldn't resist!) to receive this fabulous card in the mail from my friend Joyce Costello: 

Joyce used the Driving By Stamp Set from last year's Sale-a-Bration, and some wonderful shades of pink past and present from her Stampin' Up! color collection!  

Joyce mentioned she was inspired by a card I had sent her during that Sale-a-Bration, and it turns out that is one I don't think I'd shared here before, so here goes now:

I love how Joyce adapted the layout, turning it horizontal and using that space to create clouds and more of a scene around the car on her card!  

And, her color choices and idea of creating a pink friendship card in turn inspired me to create a new series of cards!  For these cards, I started with Bubble Bath (one of Stampin' Up!'s newest colors) as the main background layer.  For the first set of cards I created, I decided to use the Timeless Arrangements bundle for the die cut pieces and a sentiment from the Share a Milk Shake Stamp Set: 

I colored the pink die cuts with a combination of Melon Mambo and Flirty Flamingo Stampin' Blends.  Here are some closer looks at the cards:

The clouds in the background were created using a technique I learned from Natalie White at an online event for demonstrators this summer called Creativity Now.  Here's the card we made with Natalie, using the Translucent Floral Bundle (this is a sneak peek -- the bundle will be available in the September to December Mini Catalog starting next month!):

In this technique, you create your own stencil or mask by die cutting some shapes out of card stock, then placing that on top of your card front or layer, and applying embossing paste through the cut out shapes.  It is a fun way to add texture and dimension to the background of your card!

After making the cards with the Timeless Arrangements Bundle, I decided it would be fun to try a similar design and the same techniques with die cuts from the Paper Florist Dies and Sentimental Park Dies.  Here are a couple photos of those two cards:

Hope you enjoyed these and they inspire you to create some fun cards of your own!

Thanks so much for visiting my blog!

- Michelle