Thanks a Latte Card by February Guest Designer Caitlin Anthony

Hi everyone! For my third project this month, I really wanted to change things up and do a slim line card. I should probably start off by telling you that as a human being, my body is probably made up of about 64% coffee on any given day. So, when I saw the super sweet new Love Café Stamp Set from the Valentine’s release, I knew I needed it immediately and I thought I would use it to inspire my slim line card.

I started out by cutting down some plain white 80 lb cardstock to 3 x 8 inches and taping it to the back of the circle stencil from the Slimline Masking Circles & Squares Stencil Set. I used a blending sponge and two colors of distress ink to create an ombré effect for each circle, with the darker color (Walnut Stain) on the outside and the lighter color (Gathered Twigs) in the middle. I also made up a water mixture with each color and added splatters to each circle. I really wanted to give it the feel that lots and lots of coffee had dripped and spilled there over time (but really, who would dare to waste coffee like that…). The last  addition to the circles was the little coffee beans from the Love Café Stamp Set, which I stamped with the Walnut Stain distress ink since I wanted a more rustic, splotchy feel.

I stamped the lady from the Pumpkin Latte stamp set and the coffee mugs from the Love Café Stamp Set in alcohol friendly ink and stamped a sentiment from the Pumpkin Latte Stamp Set in the middle circle in the same black ink. I picked out a cool black and beige pattern paper for the main card panel and used coordinating copics to color in the images, adding in a hot pink combo for a fun pop. I used the coordinating die sets to cut out the images then removed the circle panel from the stencil and added some Antique Linen and Gathered Twigs to the outer edges of the rectangle.

This card came together so quickly at the end. I glued the circle panel to the pattern paper and added my images to their circles. I decided to put the cups at the bottom because they had a heavier feel vs the latte lady. I glued the whole piece down to a card base measuring 3.5 x 8.5 inches and paired it with a kraft brown slimline envelope. This was a really fun card to make and I can’t wait to play with these slim line stencils some more.

As a bonus, I was begged into sharing one last picture with you this week. My 6 years old daughter came to inspect my work and fell in love with the Woodland Spring Stamp Set that I used in my first card. She made her own card with those stamps, completely on her own start to finish and asked if I could share it with you all- we hope it makes you smile!

- Caitlin