Emperor's Swan

This gorgeous Emperor's Swan die is from Cheery Lynn Designs and I had so much fun playing with it that I've made two different versions for you today.  


The first one was made with a fun patterned paper (oranges and pinks) and I used the entire die - the frame as well as the swan itself.  I backed it with a piece of solid cardstock in a darker shade of orange so the die cut would really stand out.  Next I used my Scor-Tape from Scor-Pal (love this stuff) to adhere the lace on the back side of the panel.  The card base and sentiment are from My Mind's Eye. Glossy Accents was added to the word "Unique" so that it would be a bit more shiny and dimensional.  I added brads and adhered it in a curved position, for a more "unique" look.  Here's a close up (plus you can see a glimpse of the inside where I adhered a Lacey Oval (#5) die cut in the same shade as the front of the card for a personal message).




For the second card, I went with a more formal look.  The card base was cut using a Sizzix die (Card, A2 Gate Fold with Flower Silhouette).  On the front of this card, I incorporated the Italian Flourish doily die from Cheery Lynn Designs along with the inserts from the Japanese Lace and Flourish Frame.  The Italian Flourish is cut out of vellum paper and the black paper used throughout this card is Malmero Perle.  It has sparkles embedded throughout the paper on both sides and looks very cool in person. The metal charm, which says "peace", is attached with brads.  I added a bit of black ribbon and a small flower in the center of the bow to finish the front. 

I carried the ribbon to the inside of the card as well.  Now you can see the peaceful swan in all her glory.  The swan is cut out of silver metallic paper and is adhered to a Petite Scalloped Oval, large from Spellbinders (#6) cut out of the Malmero Perle.  The bottom has two more of the inserts from the Japanese Lace and Flourish Frame.  Although I wanted the subtle look of the same paper on paper, I wanted it to pop just a little, so only the center is adhered to the base.

Here's a closer look at the Emperor's Swan.  You can catch glimpses of the sparkle embedded in the black paper.

Enjoy!