Happy Birthday Stamp-a-Stack

How about some *bright* birthday cards? Melon Mambo, Daffodil Delight, Old Olive and Bermuda Bay definitely fit the bill. We are making these in my Stamp-a-Stack Classes this week. We'll be using the new Happy Birthday thinlits, and the co-ordinating Happy Birthday Gorgeous stamp set (buy them as a bundle and save 10%).
I love how you can make them look quite girly in Melon Mambo, or more boyish in Daffodil Delight.

 
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Product List

Happy Birthday Gorgeous Photopolymer Bundle [145301] $64.75

Happy Birthday Thinlits Die [143700] $35.00

Classic Label Punch [141491] $31.00

Lotus Blossom Stamp-a-Stack

My classes resume this week, and I am so looking forward to stamping with my lovely ladies again! This is one of the sets of cards we will be making:

I just couldn't go past the Lotus Blossom as my first Sale-a-Bration pick. It's just so pretty and quite different from all the other flower stamps I own. It's a 3-step stamp, in photopolymer, and the stamps are helpfully marked 1, 2 and 3. Check out the video:

On my cards, I've also used the Something Borrowed DSP, Stacked with Love Washi Tape and Simply Wonderful Sale-a-Bration stamp set. The colours I've used are Sahara Sand, Blackberry Bliss, Black and Mossy Meadow.


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A Reason to Smile Stamp-a-Stack

We had fun playing with the new "Reason to Smile" stamp set at my Stamp-a-Stack this month. I'm always happy if I can make a few people fall in love with a stamp set by the end of the class...and I think I achieved that with this class ;o)

They were all devastated to hear that this set is only around for a couple more weeks...never to be available again. But the good news is that the clear mount version will only set you back $28.95, or you can get it free with a $125 purchase.
I think 2-step stamp sets are the most versatile sets of all. In one set, you have outline stamps that are suitable for water colouring, bold stamps that are suitable for backgrounds and all sorts of stamping techniques, and you can combine the two to create quick but striking dimensional effects. I always direct beginner stampers to a 2-step set, and I think it's a must for every rubber stamp collection.

For these cards I've used the outline image alone (bottom left) and watercoloured it. I've used the bold "fill-in" image alone (bottom right and top left), and I've used the 2 together (top right). All 3 work equally well.

The colours I've used here are Marina Mist, Certainly Celery, Perfect Plum, Basic Grey, and just a dash of So Saffron. I've used some Baker's Twine and a Itty Bitty clear button to jazz them up a bit. It's hard to tell in the pic, but I've used the Jumbo "Texture" wheel in Versamark ink for the background. Love this wheel - it adds a very fine textural finish...and it's impossible to roll it crooked. In fact, I don't even try. I just run it back and forth over my card in all directions! The sentiments are from "A Word for You".

1 card, 3 ways

I think 2-step stamp sets are the most versatile sets of all. I always recommend them for those starting off with stamping because you can use one set for lots of different techniques. I'll show you what I mean.
In a 2-step stamp set you get an outline image and a base image. The idea is that you stamp the outline, and then stamp the base image over the top (or vice versa). The base image does the colouring-in for you. It's quick and easy to produce really effective results. Don't worry about trying to line them up perfectly. It adds movement and interest when they are slightly out of alignment (at least that's my story and I'm sticking to it!). Here's a card I made using this technique with the "Botanical Blooms" Sale-a-Bration set: Now just because this is a 2-step stamp set doesn't mean I have to use it that way. Here I've used just the outline stamps, stamped them onto patterned paper and cut them out. Then I've stamped the same images onto some plain cardstock, and paper pieced my cut-outs over the top of some stamped images:

I can also use the outline images to watercolour. Here I stamped in Black Stazon ink onto watercolour paper. I then coloured with my markers and spritzed a mist of water over the top to allow the colours to blend and run slightly.

So there you have it - 1 card, 3 ways! Having both an outline image and a base image gives you lots of possibilities. You can make a quick card when you need to, using 2-step stamping, but you can still do other techniques like paper piecing and watercolouring when you want to.

Remember - only 4 more days to earn this set for free!

Materials for all 3 cards (all Stampin' Up!)
stamps: Botanical Blooms, linen
ink: Certainly Celery, Perfect Plum, So Saffron, Versamark, Chocolate Chip, Black Stazon
card: Certainly Celery, Whisper White, Perfect Plum, Groovy Guava,
other: Wide Celery ribbon, Afternoon Tea DS paper, Certainly Celery Prints DS paper, Rich Regal brads, Word Window punch, 1 1/4" Square punch, Rich Regal markers, Soft Subtle markers

More Blooms

Here's another card made using my favourite SAB set "Botanical Blooms". I made a few of these in some different colour schemes for some special December and January birthdays. I'm not sure if you can tell from the pic, but I stamped the Linen background on most of the pieces of this card. I just love the subtle texture it gives. It was Teneale who got me addicted to this stamp!
The colours I've used here are Apricot Appeal, Pumpkin Pie and Old Olive. I embossed the greeting (from "In the Stars") with white powder so it would be nice and crisp. The photo corner punch comes in really handy when you need that extra balance to a design. It punches a large and small photo corner in one go.

Materials (all Stampin' Up!)
stamps: Botanical Blooms, In the Stars
ink: Apricot Appeal, Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive, Versamark
cardstock: Apricot Appeal, Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive
Other: Photo corner punch, silver brads, White Embossing powder, Wide Old Olive grosgrain ribbon

Colour Challenge #23 -Take 1

I decided to dust off my 'Heartfelt Thanks' set for this one. Like a lot of demos, I got this set in my Starter Kit, loved it, used it to death, and then haven't used it since!
This is one of those cards that just didn't turn out how I saw it in my head. I must say, I really don't like Bravo Burgundy!! I think I'd quite like this card in some different colours!
I've stamped on Naturals Ivory. I did some 2-step stamping, and added some leaves and dots with my Markers. The greeting is from "So Many Sayings", punched out with the Word Window punch, and a Pumpkin Pie eyelet added. The ribbon is Old Olive Wide grosgrain, which my camera has turned a bit fluoro!
As soon as I made this card, I knew I wanted to try the challenge again. I just didn't feel I did the colours justice (darn that Bravo Burgundy!)

Blending colour directly on rubber

A few of you have asked how I did the multi-coloured flower image in my last post, so I thought I'd go into a bit more detail and also show you another example. Applying colour to a bold stamp before you stamp it is one of my favourite ways to add impact to a card. It's quicker than watercolouring a line art image, but still looks great. You simply use markers to colour directly on to the rubber in whatever shades you desire.
Here, I've coloured with Almost Amethyst on the outer rims of the petals, and Apricot Appeal towards the centre, using the brush-tipped end of my marker. I've left a small blank space where the 2 colours would meet, which is where I'll do some blending. Use a fine-tipped Aquapainter with water in it, but dry the tip off on a tissue, so it isn't too wet. Then, just blend the 2 colours together. You don't want to end up with a muddy brownish colour, so don't overwork it. A few strokes should do it. Then stamp onto Whisper White or Very Vanilla cardstock, and hold your stamp down on the paper for a few seconds, to allow the colour to soak in. I've found that you won't get a very good result on other types of cardstock.
Next, I've done some 2-step-stamping with this image, where I've inked up the matching line image with my markers, and stamped it over the top of the bold image, to give a dimensional look.
The vellum has been wheeled with the Scatter Sunshine Jumbo wheel in White Craft ink. I've attached most of it behind the main image, so the adhesive won't show, with just a few bits of Snail adhesive behind some of the whiter flowers. The Snail adhesive is invisible under vellum if you use it behind a patterned area. I've torn the bottom of the Apricot Appeal cardstock.
The rest of this card is pretty simple: paper piercing in the corners, 3 Apricot Appeal brads in the lower right-hand corner for balance (I used the Paper Piercing template to get them lined up straight!)
I hope that helps those of you who have had trouble colouring and blending straight onto your stamps. Those of you who haven't tried it, why not give it a go!

NEWSFLASH! There will be a new mini coming out on the 1st August, and I received my Demonstrator copy today (one of the things I love about being a demo is getting to see it all first!). We get to pre-order on the 1st July, and I have an enormous wishlist already. Some of the sets I've been eyeing off on US blogs will be here really soon....YAY! Email me if you desperately want to know if your favourites have made it here!

More Springtime Stems!

LOL, winter must be getting to me...I seem to be doing a lot of "springy" cards lately!
This set really lends itself to sweet and simple cards, and those are right up my alley.
Here I've used Certainly Celery, So Saffron, Bordering Blue and Perfect Plum. The first step of the 2-step stamp was done by stamping off once. The "grass" was done by tearing a piece of Certainly Celery and inking the edge of it.
This was one of those rare cards that didn't want any ribbon on it (mind you, if they made stitched ribbon in Bordering Blue, I suspect that might have made it's way on there )