Konnichiwa, everyone!  Today I'm going to show you how to create a really pretty card made with just one layer...no paper piecing, no ribbons, no additional layers whatsoever.  Might sound boring, but it's the complete opposite.  It's a challenge to create depth, texture and perceived layers without actually adding additional pieces of paper or other embellishments.

Here's how I got started.  I pulled out my Cherry Blossom stamp set that is included in Paper Made Bakery's June Fresh Baked Kit, aptly called Cherry Blossom.  The set is by  Sweet Stamp Shop and available only in this kit during June.  I used a simple black ink border, some Copic markers, Distress Inks and sponge blending tools and some blue painter's masking tape.

I cut my Neenah Classic Crest cardstock in Solar White to 4.25" x 11", then scored and folded my card to get a 4.25" x 5.5" fresh white card front.  The stamp set includes a really pretty cherry blossom branch, and I wanted to make that the focal point without making it seem like it was simply suspended in midair, so I blocked off .75" on each side of the card with blue painter's masking tape.  I drew a line with a fine black marker to create borders.  I stamped the little cluster of cherry blossoms along each border and then colored them with Copic Markers.

The branch was stamped and then the paper lantern images were "hung" from the tree branch.  Everything was then colored in with Copics.  Here is the selection of marker colors I used.
I wanted to give the card some depth, so I used the foam blending tool and Distress Inks in Shabby Shutters (green) and Tumbled Glass (blue) to blend the inks in a sort of crafty "scrubbing" motion.  This technique provides the blue sky and the green background to the blossom borders.  So you see, this is a one layer card -- ink on paper.  Very simple, yet very striking!