Thursday, January 19, 2012

Black Tie Affair


According to Forbes, women should stick to the classic cocktail dress paired with rhinestone chandelier earrings, stack of bangle bracelets or a chunky statement necklace for a black tie affair. Oh dear, I don't own anything that is remotely close to that. Yes, a classic cocktail dress paired with chandelier earrings and bangle bracelets sounds shall go on my wish list...




CAS-ual Fridays is challenging you to participate in a strictly black and white challenge this week, and Cindy Coutts is the sponsor! For more details, please check out the blog, there you will find out more about the sponsor, challenge rules and to see the great inspiration from the Girl Fridays too!


I wanted to add a bit of interest in the stark design so I grabbed a detailed and dainty stamp set from My Mind's Eye and stamped both in pigment black ink as well as watermark ink and then embossed in black. It is like a matte/high gloss look that I will have to try again!



48 comments:

Laurel said...

So pretty!

Janet Perafan-Babar said...

Wow, STUNNING card Karen!!!! :)

Jay Gee said...

The black and white colour combo really highlights the awesome details of these stamps - gorgeous :)

Suzie McFloozy said...

Beautiful card love the sleek glossy stamped detail bet it's a card that you have to stroke "in real life" !
Thanks for a fantastic DT inspiration card x
((hugs)) Suzie xoxo

Jenny said...

Wow that detail really stands out Karen!, fabulous placement of the doilies too :)
Jenny x

Lynn said...

So elegant Karen. I love it!

Tammy said...

Great card Karen! Love that script font for "happy"!

Erin (Homemade Cards by Erin) said...

Stunning and the embossing makes it have that extra glamour. You could do so much with this layout-- leave it B&W, add some color blink, do different colors, or another monochromatic look... I think you have a set here.

Marlena M. said...

I love it-beautiful, interesting shapes and sizes! ;)

Jingle said...

Wow. Take my breath away kind of wow. Just say'n.

Jen W. said...

Such perfect image choices for this challenge. They look fabulous embossed like that!

Sherry Eckblad said...

love your simple B&W card. You have reminded me I have that same stamp set somewhere.

Mary Jo said...

Gorgeous, elegant card!

Chunyuan said...

beautiful detailed black image on white. very classic and elegant.

Lindsay said...

OMGGGGGGGGG Karen! I love this card. A. Lot.

I have to agree with you on said dinner attire...I own none of the aforementioned items either! I much prefer jeans and a t-shirt.

Cheryl said...

WOW! So elegant and fabulous!

Virginia L. said...

Way to stamp and emboss, Karen! I love the "drama" in this card! And yes, the formal affair becomes all the more stressful as I get older...I am into "smart casual" :)

Christina said...

Sooooo elegant! I'm sure that glossy embossing is even more incredible in person. You know, I'd put the cocktail dress and jewels on my wish list too if I had anywhere to wear them!

naturecoastcrafter said...

Pinned this for pure inspiration. Such a wonderful design. So elegant.

Amber said...

Very pretty!

BabyBokChoy said...

Fantastic job on this card!!!

Barb said...

simply stunning. this is just plain gorgeous Karen. love the look.

Sue McRae said...

Love all the medallion stamps you used, they're so delicate and pretty! Could you share where the stamps are from?

Cindy C. said...

Fabulous card!

jengd said...

This is gorgeous Karen! Love the simplicity of it! I'm sure it's even more amazing in person with the different inks and embossing.

~Tammy~ said...

Very very elegant!

alexandra s.m. said...

so very elegant!
right up my alley ;-)

Thanks for the inspiration Karen!

lostinpaper said...

LOVE it! This is one of my fave sets of stamps and I adore your B&W version, espcially with the mix of embossing and stamping!

Colleen Dietrich said...

Karen, this is stunning! Your card is my fave in the CASual Fridays line up. ;) What stamp set is this? THanks!

Brandi said...

Wow! This is so gorgeous! I love the simplicity of the black and white!

Dolly Daydreams said...

Sensational card, jaw droppingly gorgeous !

Marie

rockwelldesigns said...

The doilies are a perfect image for the black and white theme! Very pretty Karen!

Braeden said...

I absolutely love this card! Wonderful work!

lynn said...

love the doilies in black, karen!

Andrea M said...

So elegant and classy Karen! I, too, love the depth of the matte and gloss! What a great way to add more amazingness to stunning black and white!

Michelle said...

Oh what an elegant birthday card Karen!! Love the embossing on the doilies.. Really uplifts the stamp:)

Deborah Frings said...

Elegant and beautiful! Love this!

Trinh said...

So elegant! And no wonder I'm not on the Forbes list since I don't own such accessories.

Lisa said...

So beautifully elegant Karen!

walchowDesign said...

Stunning black and white card with all the different designs!

Jennifer Smith-Sloane said...

This card is so fabulous!

Cathy A said...

This is just beautiful, it really caught my eye.

Marybeth said...

Beautiful card, love that happy birthday sentiment I use it often . Gorgeous

Anne Tussing said...

Your card is gorgeous!!

Kristie said...

Your card is stunning! I love the doilies and how you varied stamping them around the card. I had to come visit from the CAS-ual Fridays blog when I entered my card.

jen said...

I adore this. I had seen the challenge (but not your card) and had wanted to use the mendhi medallion on black, embossed with white! (and I would have, if only I'd had power!) I love the matte & gloss look that you've achieved- depth without bulk! :)

Dana said...

Its the little details that make the look. (Including black shiny embossing and large chunky bangle bracelets!)

Lisa Petrella said...

Absolutely STUNNING!!! And...I'm not prepared for the black-tie event either! Would need to do some major shopping beforehand! HA!