Those lazy days of summer are here and wow...it's hot outside. In weather like this I like to enjoy making the most of it. I'm a die-hard crafter no matter what time of the year so I'm still creating but find summer is a great time for making things clean and simple.
Here's the simple summer card I have to share with you today. When I first saw this stamp set I just knew I had to have it. The woodgrain, the circles, that darling little bird....lots of possibilities.
If you look at the set there is a wide variety of images. I love this as it really makes a stamp set versatile. But sometimes this can also leave you wondering how to tie it all together. I have a couple tips to share with you today.
First of all... LAYER your stamps. I don't mean lots of layers on the card as I've actually only used two here but layer your stamps by overlaying the images when you stamp them. If you look up to the original photograph, you can see that everything in my design touches.
Even the sentiment is anchored in by overlaying the ink over the chevron image. There's always exceptions. Many times the sentiment looks best on it's own but stamp with a definite plan in mind. By having design elements touch in a project, it ties it all together.
Secondly, REPETITION is another great element of design. By using a shape such as a circle repeatedly, it makes a more cohesive design. There are three circle elements in this design, the circular frame, the wood button and the circular woodgrain stamp. I've carried the repetition into using this woodgrain stamp in three different ways.
One of the ways I've used this woodgrain stamp is to stamp the kraft heart trinket pin. These pins by Maya Road are so stinkin' cute that I just want to use them on everything.
The kraft trinket pins come flat so that you can stamp or alter them as you wish before putting them together. I'm inked up my woodgrain stamp with Vermillion Archival Ink and stamped the little kraft heart as my first use of the stamp.
Archival Inks by Ranger are my absolute favorites for their range of use, depth of color and crisp impressions. One drawback they do have is that they can stain your stamps. This really does not bother me in the slightest. The results far outweight the staining but I thought I'd bring it to your attention just in case you are someone who gets a little anxious over things like that.
The above stamp has been well-cleaned but is still rather red. It will fade over time. The color won't transfer off...
...this stamped image in green was stamped with the above stained stamp. No color transfer at all.
So onto my second use of the woodgrain stamp...a circular border. I like to use an acrylic block with grid lines for all my stamping. By lining up the circular stamp directly on the center of the block, it makes it easy to stamp evenly along the edge of the card.
Using clear stamps along with the grid makes it so easy to get a perfect border. To vary the pattern on the woodgrain, I've turned the block 180° each time for a more interesting look.
The final place I've used the wood grain stamp is for the leaves. I've stamped the image on white cardstock this time with Pear Tart Ink. Making paper leaves is quick and easy with a circle punch. First punch out a circle and then place it back into the punch. Slide to you get the size of leaf you want and punch again.
You should be able to get two leaves from each circle you punch. For this project I've used a 1.5" circle punch but this works with any circle punch. The large the punch, the larger the leaves.
Here's a closeup of the focal point. It's punched out an adhered with dimensional foam adhesive.
Thanks for joining me today in the CLASSroom. Hope you've enjoyed these simple techniques. Stay cool and happy crafting!
Supplies:
STAMPS: Studio Calico My Happy Stamp Set from Hero Arts
INK: Jet Black Archival ink, Vermillion Archival Ink and Aquamarine Archival Ink by Ranger, Brushed Corduroy Distress Ink by Ranger, Pear Tart Memento Ink by Tsukineko
PAPER: Pool Cardstock, Solar White Cardstock by Neenah
TOOLS: 1.5" Circle Punch, 2.5" Circle Punch, Clear Acrylic Block with Guides
EMBELLISHMENTS: Vintage Kraft Heart and Butterfly Trinket Pins by Maya Road, Wood Alterable Buttons by Maya Road
ADHESIVES: Craft Glue Dots Sheets, Mixed 3D Foam Squares
OTHER: twine
