Kindness is good for the soul and is contagious.

Kindness is so important. Not just for the people that you are kind to, but for yourself. When we are kind to others, it releases serotonin in our own brains and makes us happy too. But more importantly is creating time for kindness to yourself. 

As creators, we are constantly pushing ourselves to explore the limits and do more with our time. But today, I'm encouraging you to slow down and take time for creating kindness in your life. When we slow down and create something with love and kindness in mind, it allows us time to be gentle with ourselves too. 

And that is why I love Scrapbook.com's Cards for Kindness! (And today, they have released a bundle focusing on Creative Kindness, which you should definitely check out so you can practice some creative kindness too.) We so often think of spreading love and kindness to our own friends and family. But there are so many others out there that we can be sprinkling love and kindness on like confetti--plus it's contagious! You don't know who will end up with your handmade cards, but creating for the unknown person can really take the creative pressure off of you, allowing you to have more fun while creating. 

You don't have anyone holding you to a specific creative standard (*ahem* like yourself putting you up on a pedestal), plus you have time and opportunity to really play around with techniques. It allows you to be kind to yourself and your creative process while spreading light and love to others. What better way is there to give you all the warm and fuzzy feelings?!

Now that I've heralded the benefits of creative kindness, let's dive into this card tutorial which features a heart pocket, Pops of Color and an ombré inked sentiment! Scrapbook.com's Creative Kindness bundle features the brand new Dusty Rose Pops of Color, a new set of Cards for Kindness Stamp Sentiments, and the A2 Boho Smooth Cardstock Pad. So I also pulled out a few other coordinating supplies, which you can find listed throughout this blog and also at the bottom of the blog!

I started out by die cutting one of the Nested Tags from some solar white cardstock so I could stamp out my "hi" sentiment. To get an ombré stamp impression, you'll need a tool like the Misti or the Tim Holtz stamp platform that will allow you to stamp multiple times without worrying about lining things up. 

I placed my cut tag into my stamping platform and then stamped the "hi" in Distress Oxide in worn lipstick first. I stamped it twice with this color to get good coverage. I then covered half my stamp in Distress Ink in victorian velvet and stamped my sentiment again. I then covered the bottom quarter of my stamp with victorian velvet again and gave one more good impression. The key for ombré stamping with Distress is to always stamp with an Oxide Ink first and then layer over it with a regular Distress Ink. Also, for more definition between the two colors, choose different colors within the same family, rather than the same color in both ink and oxide.

Once my sentiment was stamped, I added a large amount of the Dusty Rose Pops of Color to the center of the tag then spread it out diagonally using a silicone brush. I then set this aside to dry while I worked on die cutting and stitching! 

I also cut out one of the new DIY Pockets Hearts dies and then stamped and embossed some of the butterflies from the stamp set in clear embossing powder to create a tone on tone damask look. To match the butterflies, I cut out a small butterfly from a Spellbinders set (but you can also use some of the new butterflies from Scrapbook.com here too--I just got this die in my hands and can't wait to try it out)!

Once the Pops of Color was dry, I added a bit of stitching to the tag and a bit of trim. I then added it to the front of the card with some foam adhesive to pop it up. I adhered down the heart pocket with 1/8 inch adhesive and filled up the pocket with all of the sprigs and cut florals, using Collage Medium. 

Next I added the die cuts butterfly and then a sticker sentiment. For a little bit more dimension, I added a few dots of the same Pops of Color. And for a bit more sparkle, I added a few Pinkfresh jewels. Now it's time for you to practice a little creative kindness! Until next time, happy crafting!

Adrienne

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Below are the products that I used for this project.