Create a smile: clean & simple ideas 2/7 * beautiful backgrounds

Hello crafty people, Nicole here.

This is part two of my clean & simple cardmaking series about "how to spice up clean & simple cards".

I love making series and I asked what you would like to see on this blog in our Facebook group "Create A Smile Friends & Family". Many of you were interested in tips on "how to spice up clean and simple cards". So here we are :-)

Clean and simple cards are super fun but because there is so much white (or blank) space on them, you don't want them to be boring, right?! I try to add an eye-catching element to my cards to keep them interesting. I picked ten of my favorite ways to spice up clean & simple cards.

What's a clean & simple card?
I made a mini series on that too. You can find part one here -> clean & simple 1/4

My second tip is BEAUTIFUL BACKGROUNDS. I did some pretty basic coloring but the backgrounds really give the cards some extra interest. So lets spice up your clean & simple cards with happy and eye-catching backgrounds! :-)

I love Birkas Videos and she just made a new one about Distress Inks and stencils. She shows, how easy is it to make fun backgrounds with supplies you might already have on hand.

Look around you and get inspired! :-) Just try something new once in a while and take your time. A clean and simple card is not always a quick card ;-)

pick and immage and color it the way you like it. You don't have to choose a special technique, basic coloring is absolutely fine for this type of card
pick one or two Distress Inks colors and start with a soft blending with one of them
take a stencil you like and add the same color but with more pressure or the second (darker) color
arrange your card and add a fun sentiment

It's that simple ;-)