Flowers on a Rainy Day

Well toady even the British Met Office is saying we will have a wet summer this year – I certainly have needed my umbrella more than I have needed my sun cream!

Anyway today I am going to share with you a couple of other projects we made at last Saturday’s card class.

The first card was made using the very versatile Petal Pizzazz Stamp Set, combined with two of the fabulous Background Stamps, Polka Dot and Paisley. The Polka Dot was stamped in Almost Amethyst to form the background. The flowers were stamped using Elegant Eggplant, the large one kissed with the Paisley Background Stamp. If you would like to learn how to kiss with your stamps please get in touch and I can help you learn another fun way to use your stamps.

And here is the gift bag we stamped using stamps from Fresh Cuts and Life’s Beautiful

To book a place on any of my classes please just get in touch. Dont forget that registration for the first Get Ready for Christmas Class closes on Saturday! Full details here.

Happy Crafting

Bekka

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Its Sunday already ...

So its time for another Stamp With Us Challenge. This week is colour challenge week – I love these challenges as we are given a lovely picture as inspiration.
Here is this weeks picture

And here is my card.

The colours I have used are Real Red, Pretty in Pink, Sage Shadow and Not Quite Navy. While they are not colours I would have reached for I was really pleased with how they came together. The background was made using the Paisley Background Stamp which I coloured with my Stampin’ Up! Markers. The main image is from the True Friends Set and again it was coloured with my markers. One it was dry it was covered with Versamark Ink and then triple embosses with clear embossing powder. This gives it a lovely tile like quality. The ribbon in the Pretty in Pink Striped Ribbon and the bow was made using a rhinestone brad – I love the ‘bling’ that these add to a project. The sentiment is from the Live Your Dreams Stamp Set.

If you have not yet checked out the other design team creations you can see them here – they are stunning and it would be great if you decided to play along. I look forward to seeing what you create.

Happy Crafting

Bekka

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Its Sunday so it must be Stamp with Us day!

Happy Sunday everyone! Sunday is a day I look forward to for a number of reasons, not least of which is that I can share the card I made for the week’s Stamp with Us Challenge.

This week’s challenge is a theme challenge and this week’s theme is Congratulations. Now a number of people I know are expecting babies so I thought I would make a Baby Congratulations Card.

I think the little elephant in the Nursery Necessities Stamp Set is adorable, so I wanted to use it for this card. I decided to make it even cuter by kissing the stamp onto the Paisley Background Stamp. A small hole was then cut for its eye and it was mounted onto coordinating card. I am pleasesd with how it turned out.

The same background stamp was stamped onto Vellum to create a lovely soft look. The vellum strip was then pleated – top tip from me – is make sure the ink is really dry before you do this – otherwise you spend your evening explaining the colour of your fingers! The Stampin’ Up! Classic Inks do work well on Vellum Card, but they do take a little longer to dry.

Strips of Whisper White Card with the same Paisley Background Strip were also used to decorate the card. The base card and ink are Taken With Teal. The congratulations sentiment comes from the Cheers and Wishes Stamp Set.

Thank you for stopping by – I hope you have enjoyed this challenge – don’t forget to have a go yourself and post your entry on the Stamp With Us Blog. I love seeing what everyone has created.

Happy Crafting

Bekka

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Background Basics

I have had a couple of people ask me about how to use the Stampin’ Up! Background Stamps. I think these stamps are amazing and sooooooo versatile. I will admit however that like many people I was a little intimidated by them at first – they are not exactly small!

However once you have been shown how to use them the creative possibilities are endless. Today I am going to share some basic techniques on how to use them. If you come back tomorrow I will share 10 different things you can do with them, just to get you started ...

The best way to ink your background stamp is to put it on its back on your work surface and take the ink pad to the stamp, tapping lightly until you have an even coverage of ink.

From here there are three main techniques for using the stamp – all work well and it is really a matter of personal preference.

Technique 1 – Take the Stamp to the card. As you would with your other stamps pick the stamp up and take it to your surface. The grooves in the wooden base of the stamp assist you in being able to control the stamp. Since the stamps are large, to get an even coverage you will need to press down and ensure that all the stamp makes contact. I always use grid paper or scrap paper underneath my stamping projects but this can be especially important when using a large stamp like this where I am probably intending to go over the edges of the card I want to stamp. When you lift the stamp away your image will be on your paper.

Technique 2 – Card to the stamp. Ink your stamp as above and then leaving the stamp on its back, carefully place your piece of card onto the stamp. Run a brayer (or something similar like a rolling pin) lightly over the surface to ensure an even coverage and then very carefully lift the card away. Personally I find this method can be very messy, but if you find the stamps hard to handle it could be the one for you

Technique 3 – Use the box. This technique is especially helpful for those who find the stamps a little heavy, or if you want to carefully position your stamp relative to your piece of card. The Stampin’ Up! Stamps come in wonderful clear storage boxes and this technique makes use of that box. Put your stamp in the deep side of its box with the wood down. Carefully Ink the stamp. Next put a very small amount of Snail Adhesive in each corner of the card you want to stamp – you really don’t need much. Stick the card on the inside of the box lid. Next close the box lid. As you close the lid, check how the stamp will line up on the card and move the stamp in the box if you require. Once the box is closed gently rub the lid to ensure you get an even coverage of ink.

When you open the box your image will be perfectly stamped (if you find you have missed a bit, before you move the box you can close it again to get that part of the image. I then leave my sheet of stamped card in the box until I am ready to attach it to my card.

Now some of you who have been looking more closely at the pictures in this post may be wondering if there is some additional magic happening when you close the box and rub the lid ... Sorry but there is not – I took some of the pictures when I was using one background stamp and some when I was using another!

I hope this has answered the questions I have had about how to use such large stamps, and if you come back tomorrow I will share with you 10 things you can use them for. If you have any other questions please get in touch. Dont forget if you have a Stampin’ Up! Party in June or July you could get your hands on one of these wonderful stamps for Free. See the post below of the special offers page for more details.

See you tomorrow

Happy Crafting

Bekka

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