Card Making

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I looove rubber stamps, and its not hard to see that I am getting a little addicted to playing with my Unity Kits, but one of the main issues I have with myself is that I like variety. Of course, what I mean is, I love stamps but I don’t want a million cards with the same design on each one.

This was the biggest challenge for me when I was making my wedding invitations – repeating the same design over and over again made it completely NOT FUN! But I know that this is a quirky little thing specific to my personality. Nevertheless, this personality trait means that I often try to think of different ways in which I can use my products so to add variety and interest into my creative life.

So today, I want to show you how I have used one stamp to create two totally different cards – both completely different to stamping the image of the whole stamp itself.

This stamp which I have chosen is from the March KOTM from Unity, and is a beautiful design of a picket fence with a flower on either side. Pretty, huh?

Card Number One

The first card I have made focuses on the flowers in the stamp. Here I have stamped the image 4 times onto a spare piece of cardstock, and cut out the flower heads individually. I then stuck these unto a die cut label shape, which I had inked and stamped with my hero arts Raindrops stamp and Distress inks. For each flower, I’ve used two stamped images, first one stuck directly onto the background and the second I have raised up to add dimension. The stems I have hand drawn with a pigment liner pen and added the little leaves with didi glue dots. As a unique design element for this card I’ve made the Shadow Box feature by creating a frame using nestabilities dies and then I have raised this panel using 3d pop gluedots.

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Card Number Two

The second card that I have made focuses on the fence element of the stamp. I have stamped two images and cut out the fences with a craft knife. These were perfect for creating a country scene, using layers of pattern paper and a little moo-cow stamp that has been hiding in my stamp collection for years. Because the main focal element is quite colour heavy, I wanted to keep the background of the card sweet and simple, so I have added a little colour using a Stampin’ Up wheel stamp, and faux stitching using a green fine line marker.

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For the Moo-cow card, I thought that a cute little ribbon flower would finish it up nicely. Ain’t it cute!

Hope you like the cards, and I hope you’ll be inspired to look beyond the expected when you next pick up a rubber stamp. :0)

Have a great day.

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Hello everyone.

I’m running a little late posting this Miss You Monday card, but hey, thats what Bank Holiday’s are for, right? We’ve had a weekend full of variety. Some time spent with friends, some alone, some laughs, some tears, a death in the family, and a birth in the family, some eating junk, some healthy foods too. And although i’ve enjoyed having the time off work, I kinda feel like I want to get back into the old routine again, although i’m sure that as soon as I’m back at work i’ll want a rest again. LOL.

For those of you who follow my Miss You Monday posts, they are all for my friend Sarah (check out this post), and I have some news regarding her pregnancy. She has reached the four month stage, and is finally starting to feel a little better thanks to the medication the doctors in the USA are giving her. She is able to get out of bed, and keep some foods down. I think its absolutely fantastic and I am so grateful for everyone who is helping her get through this year. I’ve been told that she loves the cards and letters, and is encouraged and excited when they arrive in the mail box, so I’m thrilled that I can use my craftyness to help someone in need of a little something special.

If you would be interested in using your card making or craft skills to give someone that special feeling, you can check out this Cards For Kids Drive over on Jennifer Macguire’s blog. Such a fantastic way to show support and kindness to those who are going through difficult times in their lives.

So back to today’s Miss You Monday card. I have incorporated today’s MYM card into a Hip Hop Sketch Challenge. This is a great way to ignite your creativity especially on those days when your brain’s a little numb. Its also great if you are perhaps starting out and want some guidance on card design. The great thing is that you can follow the sketch closely, or merely use it as a starting off point and finish up with a completely different look. But as long as its fun then it doesn’t matter one bit!

Here’s the sketch if you would like to join in, and make sure you read all about it over on the Splitcoaststampers forum, where you can post your creation if you wish to take part in the challenge.

For the card I’ve used my nestabilities dies, Unity stamps Feb 2010 KOTM (gee i have used that set SOOO much, i love it) and the Pretty Please papers from MME, finished with a little prima flower and gem.

The Big Reveal. Coming soon…

I’ve been working on another project (the one which I gave you a sneak peek here) and I am nearly ready to reveal it, and I’m really excited about it. I’m just finishing up the final finishing touches, but be sure to check back soon so you can share my excitement.

Thanks for stopping by!

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