The Maine Stamper

New Year: Game On!

The stamp set, Game On, from Stampin’ Up! is perfect for anyone who enjoys game play…and making cards! I am starting out the New Year with the need for a couple of masculine birthday cards, and both of the men in my life love board games.

I found the Game On Stamp Set perfect for these quick cards too. The 2 main images, a (really nice) hand of cards and some chess pieces, are simple focal points. That meant I didn’t need to work too hard to dress them up. More on that part in a bit…

Game On: Playing With Patterns DSP

I really love adding Designer Series Paper to my cards. The patterns make fantastic background pieces, and add so much richness. I think my cards look naked without that pretty paper!

For my Game On Stamp Set cards, I focused first on the hand of cards stamp image. I needed a paper pattern that resembled what would be a natural “back” for the deck of cards. When I looked at the colors and styles of the designs in the Playing With Patterns DSP, I knew I had a winner!

Because the designer series paper is 6 x 6″, and I like to get a lot of use from each piece, I started by cutting the designs I wanted to use in half. This created two 3 x 6″ pieces, one to use up and the other for another day.

Next, I trimmed the length to 5-1/4″, to best fit on my card front. You know that little scrap left over (the 3/4 x 3″ piece)? I swapped each design for an add-on to the opposite card. That took care of my “left-overs”.

Game On, Sponge On

You may know that I love to add sponging to my card pieces. And I am really loving Stampin’ Up’s new Blending Brushes. For these cards, I used a combo of old and new style sponges.

I sponged Crumb Cake over my focal game pieces with the new Blending Brush. For the Old Olive square scraps on my card, I stamped the background chess board and club designs first. After that, I used the old-school style sponge with Old Olive ink to deepen the edges.

Game On, Spritz On

For a little extra color and accent on my focal pieces, I pulled out my Stampin’ Blends and my Bone Folder. By removing the cap on the larger brush end and holding it above my paper, I was able to tap on the barrel with the bone folder to make the ink splatter delicately. Just be sure that anything surrounding you is safe from splatter mayhem.

Game On, Inside-Out

The outside of my Game On Stamp Set birthday cards were mostly made with scraps I had lying around. The Old Olive squares were quite literally pulled from my scrap holder as is, no cutting or measuring required.

And the inside is completed with a Happy Birthday greeting (from the Here’s A Card Stamp Set), and the dice stamp image from the Game On Stamp Set in the bottom corner. Here, I used Old Olive Ink on the dice image, which wraps the same green from the outside to the inside.

It’s So Easy To Game On!

As I mentioned earlier, these Game On Stamp Set cards were very quick and easy to make. There was no fussy cutting, punching or die-cutting. I did not add ribbon, bling or dimension.

The thing I really enjoyed about creating these cards is that they are totally different, using the same basic card lay-out on each. This is a great way to make cards if you are not a fan of repeating the same design over and over. Just switch up your colors, designer paper and stamps. And throw in lots of your scrap papers for fun!

For more easy card designs, check out my Monday Style Cards, found here on my blog. These cards feature simple supplies and easy stamping too! Just what we all need for the busy “game” we call life!