Card Inspiration Archives - PageThe Maine Stamper

Best Butterflies

June 9, 2022

Finished card using the Best Butterfly Stamp Set and Build a Butterfly Dies.

Best Butterflies Bundle

Is there anything better than flowers and butterflies for card making? Maybe you agree with me, the more the merrier! In fact, I couldn’t wait to dive into the Best Butterflies Bundle, new in the Stampin’ Up! 2022-2023 Annual Catalog.

I was so eager to recreate (or C.A.S.E…copy and share everything, or in my situation, copy and selectively edit) the card shown on page 36 of the catalog. This was the card I picked out to do a live cardmaking demo on (see my video here). Best Butterflies Bundle, check. Cardstock, adhesive, dimensionals, of course. Designer Series Paper…ooppps.

Butterfly Kisses Designer Series Paper

I did not have the right designer series paper! This card is so cute and adorable using the Butterfly Kisses DSP. And I was missing that main ingredient.

As any good crafty person does, I improvised. I went thru the collections of papers I did have on hand. And when I discovered the Tea Boutique DSP was similar in color palette, I decided that selectively editing this card was the way to go!

Tea Boutique DSP Swap

Both of these fun 6 x 6″ paper packs are bright and colorful. The big difference is pretty obvious…one has butterflies (the theme of my Best Butterflies card!) and one has teacups. But, I needed the demure pattern side, and each of these packs provided that!

I began by comparing designer series paper colors used on the card I wanted to recreate to the paper I had on hand. Light purple, yes! Bright yellow, got it. A fun green print, a fantastic floral design…I had things I could work with.

Designer Series Paper Work-Arounds

Speaking of work-arounds, I had a couple of a-ha moments while making this card. Of course, they are in my making of video, but here are some notes:

Stamping on Designer Series Paper

I found that the floral pattern in my replacement pack of paper needed a little help. Very sadly, the paper was lacking in purple ink. I corrected this by using the dots stamp from the Best Butterflies Stamp Set, and adding in purple elements.

If you haven’t tried stamping on pattern paper before, you must! My best advice: look for patterns that have some white space in them already so that you are not competing with the original design. Also, use small image stamps. You will find this easier when filling in additional color.

Close up image of the Best Butterflies Card

Embossing on Designer Series Paper

According to the original sample in the catalog, the lower half of the butterfly was supposed to be yellow and white. My replacement dsp was just yellow. I die cut my upper and lower butterfly pieces using the Build a Butterfly Dies and my Stampin’ Cut & Emboss Machine.

But when I put the 2 die cut pieces together to create my butterfly with the Crushed Curry body (complete with antennas!) the result was just too boring and bland. White embossing powder to the rescue! Fortunately, the Best Butterflies Stamp Set has images that work with the wings. I was able to change the pattern, and the look, of the lower half of my butterfly.

Best Butterfly before and after adding a stamped image and white embossing powder.

My Best Butterflies

In the end, my butterfly card turned out very nicely. Sure, I had to improvise a little, but I encourage you to do the same. It is hard to always have the supplies on hand needed to recreate a specific project. And if you are going thru your stash and find yourself short on something you just need to have, stop by my online store anytime.

Colorful Butterflies

Typically after my Make It Monday event, I follow up with a color swap card or two in my FaceBook Community, Positive PaperCrafters. I make the same design of my card, but switch up the color scheme. Take a look at my other card options, then let me know which one is your favorite!

Cards made with Best Butterflies Stamp Set and Build a Butterfly Dies

I am looking forward to playing with these beautiful butterflies again in the near future! Ready to try them out for yourself?

Shimmer Paste & The Poppies

June 2, 2022

Painted Poppies cards using Shimmer Embossing Paste

Painted Poppies Meet Shimmer Paste

You may not believe this, but when I opened my jar of Shimmer Embossing Paste, it was completely dried out. Yes, a very crumbly chunky powder greeted me when I lifted that secured lid.

Now, in my defense, I hadn’t used the Shimmer Paste in quite some time. Probably since my last play with it for my blog post on using stencils and paste.

I had kept the foam circular insert inside the jar lid. And the cap was screwed on tight. Still, I discovered that this paste was a desert inside. Not at all what I had in mind to showcase during my Make It Monday live card demo. I needed paste in a couple hours time…

Shimmer Paste Quick Fix

After a bit of online research, I determined I had 2 options for my dry Shimmer Paste. First: I could throw it away and order more. Or, Second: I could attempt a fix. At this point, I didn’t really have much to lose!

I took my jar of paste into the bathroom along with the largest palette knife. Using the knife, I scored thru the middle of the dry paste, sawing away til I reached the bottom of the jar. Next, I added a little water and started to work it in.

Adding water to embossing paste to make it useable again

Slowly, my paste started to come back to life. I found that the key was to continue to add small amounts of water and work it into the paste well before adding in more. When I had a good size of decent paste in the middle of my jar, I stopped.

Perfectly Pasted Painted Poppies

I had never used the Shimmer Paste as an overlay before. First, I stamped the poppy images from the Painted Poppies Stamp Set on Basic White Cardstock using Memento Black Ink. Next, I colored my flowers using Stampin’ Blends. Lastly, I used the Painted Labels Dies in the Stampin’ Cut & Emboss Machine to die cut my flower images.

Coloring in the Painted Poppies stamped image uisng Stampin' Blends

Playing with the sparkly paste and the poppies was a lot of fun. The Shimmer Paste dried quickly, and although the paper bowed up for a short while, it relaxed flat for use. The effect is quite charming. In fact, I think this great technique could be used on any flowers that are stamped. And why stop at flowers? Let your imagination run wild.

Painted Poppies with Shimmer Paste Overlay

Poppies In Color

Did you know that the Painted Poppies Stamp Set has been around since January of 2020? If you have this stamp set and coordinating dies, try this new way to use them! One of my favorite things to do is create the same design, but switch up the colors.

Don’t have this amazing set yet? You will find it in my online stamping store. While you are there, check out the Matte Finish Embossing Paste and the Palette Knives. And if you don’t have a Silicone Craft Sheet, make sure to get one, it makes this messy technique manageable.

More Tips And Tricks…

Looking for more details on how I used the Shimmer Embossing Paste? Check out my card making video here, where I dish info as I go. And join my cardmaking community, Positive PaperCrafters, on FaceBook. My Tuesday Tool Tip showcased how I plan to keep my paste from drying out in the future. Hope to see you there!

Creating A Plaid Background With Ink

May 26, 2022

Plaid Background Technique with the Happy Hedgehogs Stamp Set

A Happy Hedgehogs Plaid Background

When I discovered a sample card in the Stampin’ Up! January-June 2022 Mini Catalog, I just had to recreate it. There it was, nestled on the page displaying the Happy Hedgehogs Stamp Set and Hedgehog Builder Punch. Such a sweet card, even though it was hedgehog free.

The plaid paper in the background was just beautiful. My first instinct was to search every pack of designer series paper to find that perfect plaid design. But I quickly discovered it wasn’t designer paper at all. In fact, it was a plaid design made from a technique!

Plaid Watercolor Background

Now that I knew what technique I was trying to learn how to do, I needed someone to show me how to do it. Of course, I turned to YouTube. And searched. And searched.

It turns out, not everything is on YouTube. I finally found the general idea and decided to just go for it. Paper and ink and inspiration…what more does a crafter really need?

Preparing A WaterColor Ink Wash

Perparing to water color with ink refills and water painters.

Every time I watercolor, I am reaching for a few basic things:

Water Painters. Stampin’ Up! sells them in a 3 pack, with different size brush heads.
An Acrylic Block. Useful for more than holding stamps for stamping.
Ink refills. You can use an ink pad too, but the refill drops go farther for use.

Of course, you may have heard that to watercolor with such a wet technique, you need special paper. Like the Fluid Watercolor Paper or Shimmery White Cardstock. While these papers are great at absorbing all the extra liquid this technique brings, you can use regular white cardstock, like I did!

Simple Stamping, Simple Watercoloring

I was able to put these cards together very quickly. The flower tree stamp and sentiment are both from the Happy Hedgehogs Stamp Set. I used Memento Black Ink for each, with more watercoloring along the branch, leaves and flowers.

The beautiful part about the front focal piece is that it covers just enough of the plaid background’s potential imperfections. So don’t let your fears of wobbly crooked lines stop you from trying this! I share lots of pointers and tips you may find useful in my how to video.

Create Some Plaid Backgrounds For Your Cards!

As you can see, the possibilities are endless when making plaid backgrounds with a watercolor wash. Because this technique is so unique, it is impossible for 2 cards to look the same. And as crafters of homemade cards, isn’t that what we are looking for…our personal spin on something everyone can do?

If you are missing out on the Happy Hedgehogs, don’t despair. Those adorable critters do have a scene in my video. And I am sure I will be playing with them again soon.

The Happy Hedgehogs Bundle

The Happy Hedgehogs Bundle includes both the stamp set and punch. By purchasing the bundle, you save 10% automatically until June 30, 2022. After that, the stamp set and punch will be sold separately, without the discount.

Looking for this or any of the other products I used for my project? Shop my online store anytime! I appreciate your business very much. Happy crafting!