Predicting weather here in Seattle is a complete mystery. The day starts out gloomy and ends up being spectacular OR it will start out beautiful and then turn cold and rainy. They are now "forecasting" snow, yet again for us this weekend! What's up with that? Needless to say I thirst for spring. So when selecting this month's stamp of the month I keep telling myself that all these showers are going to bring forth a myriad of spring flowers!
To begin I selected one of the fabulous new Memory Box paper packs - Fernbrae. Included in this set are a diverse selection of BEAUTIFUL papers. I wanted to share some of the different ways that you can put together this month's kit to make a set of cards that is diverse and yet similar.
I began by cutting the key paper pieces approximately 4 3/4" x 3 7/8" using the New Scallop punch to create the decorative lower edge. The Martha Stewart punches have all (except the Embossed Diamond - this punch is not doing the job the way I would like to see it done) punched the Memory Box cardstock and papers beautifully.
I then stamped the IB Umbrella on a couple of different patterned papers.
For this card I cut out the umbrella and placed it on the sticky side of the Scalloped Circle stickers being careful not to touch the sticky surface and leave finger prints. I used the tip of my dry embossing stylus to help it adhere.
Tip: When using products such as Flower Soft, Fun Flock and glitter use a "tidy tray" to work in. This allows you to then easily dump the excess product back in to it's original container.
I then covered the entire surface with glitter and using my finger I pressed the glitter in to place. I then removed the excess glitter and ran this "sticker" through my Xyron machine to add adhesive back to this surface. This application allowed me to adhere the sparkley, clear "sticker" directly to my cardfront.
To change it up just a little I decided to use the springy flower paper and then once again cut out my IB Umbrella and adhered it using a dimensional.
I wanted to share a close-up picture of how it is that the punch aligns. Being over 40 (by more than I would like to admit - LOL!) I do need to wear my reading glasses to make certain that the holes and markings are aligned on the left side, but I have had excellent success with creating a beautiful decorative edge on my notecards and layers. This "gadget girl" always smiles when she finds a tool that creates something so gorgeous Ü
The last card is just another simple version. The "happy spring" sentiment is not included in this month's packet because I have found that if I include too many different items it is not as versatile. You could use any sentiment in it's place - one that I felt like using was "rain, rain go away!"
I thought I would also remind you of the trick to use your self-closing tweezers when tying ribbon, especially if you have short ends. This makes it SO much easier!
I hope this gives you a good start on this month's collection of cards. These would make a wonderful gift set as well. Package them in one of our Crystal Clear boxes and brighten someone's rainy day Ü
