Pink for Dolly | Believe 🩷🦋

Some cards are created for an occasion. Others are created simply because you feel the need to put a little love onto paper.

This card is PINK FOR DOLLY—a celebration of a beloved human being whose life brought so much color, joy, kindness, music and sparkle into the world.

For this square card, I shopped my own crafty stash and combined products from different companies, including Pajama Crafter Stamps and Scrappy Boy Stamps. I wasn’t concerned about keeping everything within one collection. I simply chose the elements that helped me create the feeling I wanted.

And, of course, there had to be PINK! Including my TAPE RUNNER!!

When the First Idea Doesn’t Quite Work

I originally stamped and heat embossed the large floral image from Together Stampsin silver on white cardstock using Lisa Horton Crafts Cloud 9 ink. It was beautiful, but once I began working with the image, I realized it didn’t have quite enough contrast for the bold, vibrant card I had envisioned.

Thankfully, I had left the stamp positioned in my MISTI Stamp Positioner!

Without moving the cardstock or the stamp, I was able to go right back over the original image and re-stamp it using black VersaMark pigment ink. I covered the freshly stamped image with clear heat embossing powder and heat set it.

That simple change made ALL the difference.

The black embossed lines gave me the strong definition and contrast I wanted while still allowing touches of the original metallic embossing to contribute to the texture and character of the finished image.

It’s also a great reminder: don’t be too quick to take that stamp out of your stamp positioner! Sometimes being able to re-stamp an image in exactly the same location can completely rescue—or transform—a project.

Bring on the Copics!

Before I had that beautiful dark outlines over the silver embossing, the colors just did not pop.

I wanted the flowers to feel vibrant and dimensional, with everything from soft pink highlights to rich raspberry and deep burgundy shadows. The butterfly carries those same pinks into deeper magentas and purples, creating a dramatic focal point against the softer pink background.

Copic Color Palette

Pinks & Florals
R81 • R83 • R85 • R89
RV02 • RV04 • RV06 • RV09

Magenta & Purple Accents
RV17 • RV19 • V06 • V09

Greens
YG03 • YG17 • YG67 • G28

I added small white highlights and dots after coloring to emphasize the texture and give the images a whimsical, almost illuminated appearance.

And because this is Dolly we’re talking about, there was absolutely no reason to stop before adding a little sparkle!

The Butterfly Takes Center Stage 🦋

The large butterfly is from another Pajama Crafter Stamps set called Awareness Stamp Set and became the dimensional focal point of the card. I colored it in saturated pinks, magentas and purples, keeping the outer portions very dark so all of those bright colors would pop.

The white detailing adds another layer of contrast, and the metallic letters spelling DOLLY across the butterfly turned it into the centerpiece of the entire design. The alphabet die is from Scrappy Boy Stamps and is called Marquee Sign Die Set. I love it because all the letters of the alphabet are on one cohesive one die piece and you get the whole alphabet in one pass of your die cutting machine. Simply run it through as many times as you need to get all the letters, but then you can save all the extras for future cards. It’s a perfect size and is slightly smaller than the Scrappy Boy Alphabet Die. I set and I find it easy to read and must have for your collection.

I kept the additional sentiment beautifully simple:

Believe.

The sentiment is also from the Awareness Stamp Set. Sometimes one word says everything you need it to say.

A Little Metallic WOW

To finish the card, I created multiple layers around the floral panel using black, bright pink and a fabulous metallic diamond plate cardstock.

Living in Florida, humidity can be tough on paper, so I love using dry adhesive from Tape Runner to help minimize warping. It’s quick, clean, mess-free, and perfect for tossing into your craft bag for a crop. In honor of Dolly, I naturally chose PINK! 💕 Tape runners come in different sizes and refillable or disposable options, so it really comes down to personal preference. Shop Tape Runner and use KELLY10 to save 10% on your entire cart at no additional cost to you. Your support lets them know you were inspired by my project, and I truly appreciate it! 💗

That metallic layer was exactly what the design needed. It catches the light without competing with the flowers and gives the card just a little unexpected edge against all of those feminine pinks.

A few sparkling embellishments and glittery details in the flower centers brought everything together.

The finished square card is bold, feminine, dimensional, sparkly and unapologetically pink.

More than anything, though, it was created from the heart to honor the life of a beloved human being.

Believe. Love. Add a little sparkle. And when in doubt, make it PINK. 🩷🦋✨