Background Stamping

Simply Beautiful Quiet Meadow

September 14, 2022

Card made with the Quiet Meadow Stamp Set and Meadows Dies.

Quiet Meadow, Classic Beauty

The Quiet Meadow Stamp Set has been around for awhile. So you may be wondering why I am featuring this lovely set once again. (See another blog post featuring Quiet Meadow here.) After all, the holiday catalog is all the rage right now. I am sure you are busy thinking fall leaves and Merry Christmas projects, not quiet meadows.

And yet, much like this timeless stamp set, the Stampin’ Up! Annual Catalog is also classic. I think we often forget all the hidden gems in it as we bounce from mini catalog to mini catalog. So here it is, and with perfect timing. I’ll explain that later.

The Quiet Meadow Stamp Set and Meadow Dies

Let’s take a look at this amazing stamp set, Quiet Meadow. This one is red rubber cling, and has 10 stamps in it. I love the combination of flowers, sentiments and background stamps.

Of course, we all love a good die set to match our stamps! The Meadow Dies will not disappoint. In fact this set of 13 dies features lots of floral picks and sprigs. And did I mention there are 2 butterflies in this set? The only thing missing, really, is dies to cut out the stamped flower images.

Make It Monday, Easy

I chose this card from the Stampin’ Up! Annual Catalog to C.A.S.E. (copy and share everything) for my Make It Monday live card demo. You will see it on page 68 and 69 in the 2022-2023 copy. I was so pleased that for all the beauty of this card, it was so simple to create. You can view my video on FaceBook, or my video on YouTube.

The Card Recipe

There were not a lot of pieces that needed to go into this one, so making multiples would be fairly easy to do and nice on the paper budget. Here are the details:

-Crumb Cake Card Base, 5-1/2 x 8-1/2″, scored at 4-1/4″

–Pretty Prints Calypso Coral DSP, 2-3/4 x 4-3/4″, cut at an angle; Bermuda Bay 1/2 x 4″

-Scraps of White CS for the sentiment and butterfly

-@7″ of ribbon, similar to Silver Metallic Edge Cotton Ribbon

Can we just take a moment to notice how beautiful this paper is?

The Right Angle Cut

This card features a unique angle to the focal designer series paper. Sure, you could take out your scissors and trim away a chunk, but this method may leave you a little crooked.

Instead, I chose to use my Paper Trimmer to do the job. After a little experimenting, I found the best way to cut my paper to match the card sample. I walk you thru the process in my video, but here is a picture visual to guide you.

Lining up the dsp in the paper trimmer to make an angle cut.

Quiet Meadow Card Elements

This card features some fantastic elements. First, I started with background stamping, using tone on tone (Crumb Cake Ink on Crumb Cake Cardstock).

TIP: Make sure you stamp with a protective sheet behind your card, as this method requires stamping both on and slightly off the card front.

Sponging

Sponging is one of my favorite ways to add some color. After I die cut the butterfly from plain white cardstock, color was definitely needed. I added some Mango Melody with a Blending Brush for a soft sweep of color.

TIP: Start with your Blending Brush off the intended target and work your way in. Less pressure is better, as you can always add more color if needed.

Blending color on the butterfly die from Meadow Dies

Heat Embossing

Isn’t it fun to heat emboss on Designer Series Paper for an elegant look? The dsp is thinner in weight than regular cardstock, so it is normal for it to bend or buckle slightly after the heat embossing process. With enough adhesive, it will lay flat during assembly.

TIP: When choosing DSP for stamping on and/or embossing, make sure the image on the paper is plain enough so that your stamped image really shines. Don’t let the paper and stamping compete with each other.

A close up of heat embossed stamping using the Quiet Meadow Stamp Set

Ribbon

I really think a good ribbon swooshing sets a card off nicely. I like to start with a strip of Tear & Tape Adhesive, and use my ribbon right off the spool for less waste.

TIP: The Tear & Tape will let you re-position the ribbon if you aren’t happy with the first (or second or third) placement. Just be gentle when you pull the ribbon off the tape.

A look at ribbon placement on the Quiet Meadow Card

Color Swap!

You may have noticed another card very similar to my featured card, but in different colors. I love to share my Make It Monday Card not just once, but twice, with a few modifications. In fact, every Wednesday in the Positive PaperCrafters FaceBook group, we vote on Who Wore It Better. Which one do you prefer?

Annual Catalog Stamp Sale

As I created this card for my live demo, Stampin’ Up! was just announcing an Annual Catalog Stamp Sale. They had not listed the stamp sets that would be on sale, so I randomly picked one from the catalog that I thought might be on sale.

Turns out, I could have picked ANY stamp (other than the host stamp sets) from the Annual 2022-2023 Catalog. They are ALL on sale, 15% off, but only for September 15th, 24 hours. Please visit my online store by clicking here, and look for Shop Now, Specials, and Stamp Sale. Plan to shop early to avoid out-of-stock items. Hope you take advantage of this amazing 1 day only deal and stock up on some of your must have stamp sets!

Bright Baubles In Pale Papaya

November 24, 2021

In Color: Pale Papaya Part II

I was hoping that the Bright Baubles Stamp Set would come to the rescue. I struggled with great difficulty to create a card with this color combo: Pale Papaya, Merry Merlot, and So Saffron. On the color swatch book, these colors seem to blend quite nicely.

But, as I pulled out the papers and began to design, I just didn’t feel these colors clicking. Merry Merlot is a deep red-wine color, lending itself to Christmas. I wanted Pale Papaya and So Saffron to be gleaming, glowing bright baubles. In the end, I may have come up with the “ugly sweater” of Christmas cards! Let’s see how I got there…

Slimline Card

While I was creating an unusual color-combo Christmas card, I decided to also start with an unusual size card base, the slimline card. To see another slimline card in an unusual Christmas In Color, click here.

To begin, I cut my Basic White Thick Cardstock Base to measure 7 x 8-1/2″ with my Paper Trimmer. If your trimmer doesn’t have an extended arm for measurements, just cut 4″ off the 11″ length of an 8-1/2 x 11″ sheet of cardstock.

Cutting a slimline card base with the Paper Trimmer

After your cardbase is cut to slimline size, score the 7″ width in half, at 3-1/2″. The Paper Trimmer has both a cutting blade (the darker gray color) and a scoring blade (the lighter gray color). Be sure not to confuse the two!

Scoring the slimline card base with the Paper Trimmer

Bright Baubles Stamp Set

The Bright Baubles Stamp Set is an over the top larger than life Christmas ornament set, with 2 different shaped baubles. With a slimline card in mind, I wanted to use both images of the bright baubles. Because I intended to color my baubles in with Stampin’ Blends, I needed a dark Memento Black Ink outline.

Stamparatus to the rescue! Did you know that this amazing tool comes with a foam mat that is needed for photopolymer stamp sets, but removable for cling (red rubber) stamp sets? This is based on the thickness or height of the stamps themselves.

Bright Baubles Stamps on the Stamparatus

After 3-4 ink-ups and stamps using Memento Black Ink, I was able to get the dark outlines I wanted. I love using the Stamparatus when I know I will need to re-stamp an image. This tool makes it effortless to repeat stamp and not worry about lining up my stamp each time, exactly.

Bright Bauble stamped images using the Stamparatus — *** Use extreme caution keeping the 2 included magnets far away from each other. They may shatter if the strong magnetic pull attracts them together. Replacement magnets are sold separately.

Colorful Bright Baubles

Coloring the round bright bauble image with Stampin' Blends

These Bright Baubles are big images, which makes them fun to color. I say this as someone who doesn’t necessarily enjoy coloring. In keeping with my color theme of Pale Papaya, So Saffron and Merry Merlot, I pulled my Stampin’ Blends and got to work. To temper my color palette, I also added a touch of Pool Party and Soft Seafoam.

Coloring the fancy bright bauble image with Stampin' Blends

After I finished coloring in my bright bauble images with my Stampin’ Blends, I used the coordinating die set, Delicate Baubles Dies and my Stampin’ Cut & Emboss Machine to die cut them. Notice that the white surrounding edge of my die cut bauble is larger on one side? My die shifted during the cutting process, so I simply trimmed it a bit with my Paper Snips.

Die cutting the bright bauble images with the Delicate Baubles Dies

Merry & Bright

In order to make my card more merry & bright, I relied on the sentiment stamp from the Bright Baubles Stamp Set. I love to create background paper by stamping a fully inked word image, followed by a stamped off image. And then I continued the process with Merry Merlot Ink… repeatedly!

Creating a background paper with a sentiment stamp from the Bright Baubles Stamp Set

After filling my paper with merry & bright wishes, I added some soft color with my Blending Brushes. I started with So Saffron Ink at the top. As I moved to the bottom, I switched brushes and color, to Pale Papaya Ink.

Colorful Cardstock

With my Basic White Thick Cardstock base, I don’t have to worry about adding an insert to the inside of my card. This also gives me more freedom to add layers to the card front without the worry of additional bulk. I began with a layer of Merry Merlot Cardstock, then added my Merry & Bright stamped and shaded paper over that.

Remember the dies I used to cut my bauble images? I die cut two more in Merry Merlot Cardstock to place behind each bauble. By placing them slightly offset, this creates a shadow for my baubles. I also added a piece of So Saffron Cardstock and Pale Papaya Cardstock behind each bauble as I assembled my card.

Beautiful Bright Baubles

Just like Christmas ornaments, ribbon and embellishments make them incredibly beautiful. I added a bow to the top of each bright bauble, using Pale Papaya Open Weave Ribbon and some Mini Glue Dots to adhere.

Adding ribbon bows to the bright bauble stamped images

There are certainly lots of embellishments to chose from! After careful consideration, I chose the Artistry Blooms Adhesive Backed Sequins. These sequins come in a variety of colors, and the shiny faceted gleam of Calypso Coral, Coastal Cabana and Rich Razzleberry blended perfectly. I used my Take Your Pick Tool for easy application.

Adding Atristry Blooms Adhesive Backed Sequins uisng the Take Your Pick Tool.

Ugly Christmas Card?

This card sat on my desk for almost a week, while I pondered its fate. I just wasn’t confident that I had used the color combo to the best of my ability. I worried that I had created…an “ugly sweater” Christmas card! Then, I decided that even if it wasn’t the most glamorous of cards, maybe someone would love it. Or at least laugh with me, as I determine that if there is a place for ugly Christmas sweaters, why not ugly Christmas cards?

During my 2021-2023 In Color tour, I have created many cards. To see another unusual Christmas card color combo, click here. And if I have inspired you to try your hand at a Bright Bauble Christmas card (ugly or pretty), be sure to pick up the Bright Baubles Bundle so that you save 10% automatically. My online store has everything you will need!

My In Color tour will come to a close with just one more card, so stop back in soon to see how this chapter ends…

Enjoy The Moment in Soft Succulent

November 1, 2021

Finished card with the Enjoy The Moment Stamp Set

In Color: Soft Succulent Part III

In this final installment of Soft Succulent, I have another color pairing that will help you enjoy the moment you discover how nicely they coordinate. For this card, I am using So Saffron and Early Espresso along with Soft Succulent.

I have really enjoyed my moments with Soft Succulent. It is such a warm gray-green color; it sometimes lends itself toward blue. And mixing in Early Espresso is easy, this deep and rich neutral brown always shines. But, So Saffron has never been my favorite yellow. However, once I began to work this subtle color in, it started to grow on me.

Enjoy The Moment

With my color palette of green, brown and yellow, I wanted a nature themed card. My first thought was some lovely autumn leaves or trees. But as I thumbed through the Stampin’ Up! Annual Catalog, another stamp set caught my eye: Enjoy The Moment.

The Enjoy The Moment Stamp Set has great sketch style images of various seed pods, nuts, seeds and the like. I began with the largest image, the trio of seed pods, and stamped it using VersaMark Ink on Water Color Paper. Next, I added Copper Metallic Embossing Powder and heat set it with my Heat Tool.

Heat embossing with a stamp from Enjoy The Moment Stamp Set

TIP: Keep a small generic paintbrush handy to swipe away loose particles of embossing powder from your paper before you heat emboss it. This will help minimize stray powder from being a permanent fixture.

Moments of Watercoloring

After my focal point image was heat embossed, I began to watercolor the image and surrounding paper. I started by placing a single drop of ink refill from Early Espresso, Soft Succulent and So Saffron onto a Clear Acrylic Block. By keeping the refill bottles near the corner of the clear block that coordinates with the ink drops, I know what color is where at a glance.

I started with the Early Espresso Ink Refill drop and my smallest Water Painter Brush. With a small squeeze of the barrel, I mixed some water with the ink. Then, I covered the middle of my embossed seed pod trio.

Watercoloring with Early Espresso Ink Refill

Next, I moved onto the medium Water Painter Brush and the Soft Succulent Ink Refill drop. Again, I added some water from my Water Painter barrel to the ink drop to lighten the color and make it easier to water wash with. I swept the color along the bottom and sides of the embossed stem.

Watercoloring with Soft Succulent Ink Refill

Lastly, I used the largest Water Painter Brush and the So Saffron Ink Refill drop. I took care to not run the yellow into either the brown or green. This way, each color would stand out on its own.

Watercoloring with So Saffron Ink Refill

TIP: Cleaning Your Water Painter Brushes

Squeeze some water from the barrel and let it wash over the brush end. At the same time, use either a baby wipe or a paper towel to wipe away the inky remains. It is okay if your brush ends are stained. As long as no ink transfers when you swipe the bristles, you are good to go!

Enjoying Background Stamping

There is not a lot of designer series paper in either Early Espresso or So Saffron that I could use on my card. So instead, I created my own.

On a layer of So Saffron Cardstock, I stamped the hanging thistle image from the Enjoy The Moment Stamp Set, using So Saffron Ink. By using tone on tone ink to paper, the result is noticeable but not glaring.

Background stamping using Enjoy The Moment Stamp Set on So Saffron Cardstock

I repeated tone on tone stamping using Early Espresso Cardstock and Early Espresso Ink. This time, I chose the small trio of seeds from the Enjoy The Moment Stamp Set. The petite size was perfect, and instead of stamping all four sides, I stuck with just one edge.

Background stamping using the Enjoy The Moment Stamp Set and Early Espresso Cardstock

Checks & Dots

When it came time to add texture to my card, I looked for just the right embossing folder. Of course, I didn’t want anything floral. Bricks and animal print were not even considered. I wanted something neutral, almost masculine.

So, I turned to the Checks & Dots Embossing Folders. They are sold as a pack of two, one is checks and the other is dots. These slim folders measure 3-3/8” wide, perfect for smaller embossing machines, like the Mini Stampin’ Cut & Emboss Machine. They are also perfect for smaller pieces of cardstock, like my Soft Succulent. Did you know the black line along the bottom of the folder will help you to line up your paper straight when preparing it for embossing?

Great Grapevines

Usually, I am adding swirly leaves and flowers to my card designs. Since this card is more “natural” and masculine themed, I had to look for something a little different.

The Grapevine Dies are perfect for my need of ‘swirly’. The large die bends around in a lovely L shape, sending shoots of leaves and vines along the way. I die cut this in Watercolor Paper with my Stampin’ Cut & Emboss Machine. Because this paper is thicker (to hold watercolor washing), it may require some removal of small cut pieces. To make quick clean-up of my die cut. I use the Take Your Pick Die Brush Tip on my Take Your Pick Tool.

Take Your Pick Tool with Take Your Pick Die Brush Tip

TIP: It is easy to switch up all the tool heads on the Take Your Pick Tool, but I prefer to have 2 of the Take Your Pick Tools so that my tool is ready to go without swapping back and forth. And the foam pad that comes with the Take Your Pick Die Brush Tip fits nicely in a clear Standard Stamp Case for storage.

After cleaning up my grapevine, I gave it a watercolor wash using my Water Painter Brush and some more Soft Succulent Ink Refill.

Sprigs And Sentiment

My card layers are starting to develop nicely, so it’s time to look for the right sentiment for my card. I love generic sentiments when I am not sure who my card is going to, or what occasion it may eventually cover.

The “a little note…” stamp from the Enjoy The Moment Stamp Set is perfect in this instance. I chose to heat emboss it on a small slip of Early Espresso Cardstock. First, I applied VersaMark Ink, then covered my wet stamping in Copper Metallic Embossing Powder. Lastly, I heat set the powder using my Heat Tool. The copper shine of the sentiment mimics the embossed focal point.

Heat embossing the sentiment from Enjoy the Moment Stamp Set

Because there are no coordinating dies or a punch for the Enjoy The Moment Stamp Set, I am free to try different products where needed. I chose the Sprig Punch to add a decorative touch behind my sentiment. This time, I punched Soft Saffron Designer Series Paper from the Subtles Collection.

Enjoy The Moment Base Assembly

Once I have everything stamped, die cut, punched, colored, embossed and prepared, it is time to put the card together. I started with an Early Espresso Cardstock base, then added my background stamped So Saffron piece, followed by my Checks embossed Soft Succulent.

Base Layers for the Enjoy The Moment Card

Next, I adhered the large leaves of the grapevine die down on my card front. I found it easiest to place the image where I wanted it to go, then lift the large leaves and added a drop of glue behind each. This was much easier than adding Mulitpurpose Liquid Glue to all of it and trying to place it precisely in one motion.

Enjoy The Moment Focal Assembly

Before I went too far with my focal point, I decided to do a rough tear along one edge. I also added a little Early Espresso Ink with a sponge along the opposite side. Although Stampin’ Up! retired their round sponges, I keep mine handy for small jobs like this.

My focal point layers consist of the watercolor paper, the edge stamped Early Espresso Cardstock and another piece of plain So Saffron Cardstock.

As I prepare to attach the focal point to the front of my card, I realize I have a lot of odd layer depths. My quick fix for this is to add a piece of like color cardstock to the back. This helps to raise up the “lower” side and make it lay flat when I adhere it to my card. By using the same color, it blends in beautifully if viewed from a side angle.

Adding a little lift to the layer with additional cardstock

Preparing the focal point for adhering to the card front

Before I could adhere the sentiment, I needed to place my sprig punched pieces. After a dry fit, I stuck them down with some Tear & Tape. I always place my tape in a manner that will be covered by another layer. In this instance, the tape also artfully secures some sweeping Linen Thread.

Adding sprig punched pieces and Linen Thread to card

The very last thing that I attached to my card was the sentiment. Because there were some bumps and lumps from the Linen Thread to cover up, I chose to place Mini Stampin’ Dimensionals on the back of my sentiment piece. This bit of “lift” helps give the sentiment prominence too.

Adding sentiment with Mini Stampin' Dimensionals

Soft Succulent Moments

I have truly enjoyed my color exploration of the 2021-2023 In Color, Soft Succulent. To see my last card and color combo with this great green, click here. And don’t despair because we are done exploring Soft Succulent, there is still one more new In Color to delight us in November.

Do you need any of the products I used here for your next creation? Make sure you stop by my online store at any time and enjoy the moment of shopping for your stamping supplies! Until next time, stay inspired!

Words of Cheer In Fresh Freesia

August 3, 2021

In Color: Fresh Freesia, Part III

Do you love Words of Cheer? I know I do. And when you combine them with a beautiful color like Fresh Freesia, you can’t go wrong.

Fresh Freesia is one of the new 2021-2023 In Colors. And a lovelier soft purple could not have come along! During July, my In Color Club explored Fresh Freesia. For this card, we are pairing it with Soft SeaFoam and Gray Granite.

Words of Cheer in a Slimline Card

For this cheery card, I mimicked the Words of Cheer Stamp Set sample on page 20 of the August-December 2021 Mini Catalog by Stampin’ Up!. If you see the catalog image, you will note that their card is done in blue. My focus was to use purple…more notably, Fresh Freesia.

The standard recipe for a slimline card is 7 x 8 1/2″, with the 7″ side scored in half at 3 1/2″. The great thing about a slimline card is that it fits into a standard size business envelope.

Christmas Cheer Dies

The coordinating Christmas Cheer Dies give us our cheer. I die cut the cheer background using Fresh Freesia Cardstock. Next, I stamped the large floral image from the Words of Cheer Stamp Set in Fresh Freesia Ink over the die cut, to add lined interest.

Before I die cut the individual cheer letters, I sponged Gray Granite Ink over my Gray Granite Cardstock using a Blending Brush. By doing this before I die cut them, I didn’t have to worry about getting each letter inked up individually to deepen its color. I love that the die is one large image, but cuts out each letter separately. I used Multipurpose Liquid Glue to attach the cheer letters to the cheer background die cut. My Silicone Craft Sheet is perfect for this type of sticky situation!

Another die that was fun to use from the Christmas Cheer Dies was the holly sprigs! Just a small scrap of Soft Seafoam Cardstock yielded me 3 individual sprigs with one pass thru the machine. Each sprig has two connecting leaves, which I chose to keep together. But, I could have easily used them individually by snipping them apart.

Specialty Papers

Did you notice the white flowers that were die-cut above? One die creates 3 large flowers and the other makes 3 small flowers. They all come out of the die cutting machine individually and can be layered, small over large. I used the Snowy White Velvet Sheets for my flowers, and Multipurpose Liquid Glue to attach the small flower to the large. The texture is velvety soft!

Another specialty paper that went into the making of my Words of Cheer card is the 2021-2023 In Color Shimmer Vellum. Of course, I used the Fresh Freesia color. The shimmer is soft, without the harsh glare of glitter, and it made the perfect backdrop for my words of cheer.

I used some Tear & Tape Adhesive on the backside of the shimmer vellum, with a piece approximately the size of my cheer diecut. It is easy to tell the front of the shimmer vellum from the back, only one side is shimmery. My die cut word of cheer will help to hide the “see-thru tape” once my card is assembled.

Words of Cheer Background Stamping

From the remaining Fresh Freesia Cardstock leftover from creating my slimline card base, I cut an additional front layer. This measures 3 1/4 x 8 1/4″. You will only have 2 small strips of paper leftover from your 8 1/2 x 11″ sheet of cardstock if you try this method.

Just like the sample card I am copying, there is some background stamping to do. I used the sentiment stamp ‘Sending you Christmas Cheer’ and Fresh Freesia Ink. Starting at the top of the cut layer, I began to stamp a lazy “S” design, winding the words down my cardstock from top to bottom.

When I was done with my sentiment stamping, I added Fresh Freesia Ink to the sides of my front layer using a Blending Brush. I try to start off my cardstock and move in circular motions onto the outer edges. This method deepens the color of the cardstock and helps it stand out as a tone on tone color on my card.

More Than One Way to Silver It Up

The card sample in the catalog appears to use Brushed Metallic Adhesive Backed Dots on each of the holly berries. In fact, a whopping 24 in total! That is a lot of bling, and I like to be a bit more frugal. So I came up with my own work-around.

With a little VersaMark Ink and some Silver Embossing Powder, I created my own silver toned berries. I have a VersaMark Marker, but an ink pad and Blender Pen would work just the same. I split the embossing work into two sections, to make it easier to heat emboss accurate berries with my Heat Tool.

Words of Cheer Card Assembly

First, I adhered my sentiment background stamped layer to the front of my card base. Next, I added the shimmer vellum. Following this, I put some Multipurpose Liquid Glue on the back of my cheer die cut, and placed this on the vellum.

The next step is to add the Soft Seafoam holly sprigs. I started by placing a mini glue dot in the location I wanted each sprig to go. For the flowers, I added a mini glue dot to the back of each and placed them over the holly sprigs. Last, I made a simple bow out of Linen Thread and placed it on my card front.

Simple Slimline Cards

If you love this card and would like to watch my live assembly on FaceBook, click here. Looking for another slimline card idea? Check out my slimline card post on Zany Zebras here. And of course, if you need more Fresh Freesia inspiration, click here.

As always, I hope to inspire you in your creativity. When you purchase the Words of Cheer Bundle (both the stamp set and dies together), you will save 10% automatically. If you need new, refills, or clearance deals on Stampin’ Up! supplies, please visit my online store at any time. I look forward to helping you become a better paper crafter!