Wow, is all I can say about Urban Garden Designer Series Papers! This set caught my eye the minute I saw it and now that I've had a chance to work with it, I love it even more. The beautiful, rich jewel tones of Kiwi Kiss, Not Quite Navy and Baja Breeze play perfectly with the fourth color, Basic Gray. 
I''ve not used a lot of gray in my cards but am finding that it is a great neutral color and goes so well with many different colors. Click on the thumbnail to see a larger photo of all 12 designs in this set.
This first card begins with a base of Kiwi Kiss, layered with Not Quite Navy and one of the DSP patterns. The corners are punched with the Ticket Corner Punch. The large flower from Fabulous Flowers was so much fun to stamp. I inked the entire image with Baja Breeze ink and then took a Sponge Dauber and added touches of Kiwi Kiss and Not Quite Navy. One of the things I love about this technique is that you never quite know the final result. Each one is different but isn't it beautiful? I cut the stamped flower out and mounted it on layers of Whisper White and Not Quite Navy. I tied a length of the delicious new Kiwi Kiss/Very Vanilla Double Sided Satin Ribbon (it is so soft and easy to work with) on the card, added the flower image and then tied a bow. The sentiment, from Best Yet, is stamped with Black Stazon ink. Such fun!
This next card uses the large flower pattern paper from the DSP pack. I love this pattern and the ways the colors and images work together, but the flower is so large that sometimes it is overwhelming. My philosophy when using large patterns like this is to use it in small bits. This pattern would be way too much if you used it on the entire background of the card or scrapbook page. But in small pieces, it's very pretty and effective. The card base is Not Quite Navy. I attachedthe DSP print onto a layer of Kiwi Kiss and again used some of that delicious satin ribbon. The floral image from Upsy Daisy, is stamped on Whisper White. I inked the stamp in Baja Breeze ink and then using that same Sponge Dauber with Not Quite Navy ink, I just barely touched the ends of the flowers on the rubber. When you stamp it, you get this lovely two-tone flower -- a great technique for these large silhouette stamps. I stamped the sentiment from Absolutely Fabulous in Not Quite Navy ink and attached this mat to a layer of Baja Breeze cardstock. I applied it to the card base using SNAIL adhesive and tied a bow with the Kiwi Kiss/Very Vanilla Double Sided Satin Ribbon. A nice finishing touch for any card, but especially helpful when using a dark colored card base, is to put a lighter color cardstock piece on the inside of the card. And if you're going to put it there, you might as well stamp it!
One last card for today! Here is that beautiful Basic Gray color and look how beautifully it works with the Baja Breeze? Those are the only two colors to worry about on this card. The flower image is one of the DSP prints so it makes for a fast and beautiful card. I punched the corners on all the mats with the Corner Rounder Punch. I attached the 1" Baja Breeze Double-Stitched ribbon across the card and then stamped the label with the Cute and Curly stamp (Baja Breeze on Basic Gray cardstock) and punched it out with the new Curly Label Punch. This punch and stamp set come together as a bundle and are not available separately at this time. I stamped the sentiment on Baja Breeze cardstock and punched it out with the small oval punch. The entire thing is attached with Dimensionals. And you can see the inside image peeking out, stamped with Upsy Daisy. How is that for a fast and beautiful card?
Well, that will do it for today. I am again offering Sampler Kits of Designer Series Paper and Ribbon sets. It's a great way to get a little bit of everything without having to buy complete packages of paper or spools of ribbon.
And don't forget the CASE contest! Pick any card or project from the current Stampin' Up! Idea Book and Catalog and remake it using your own colors, stamp sets and embellishments. Read the details by clicking on the link!
Have a great evening and Happy Stamping! Blessings, Gretchen
