Hello!! It's Papertrey Countdown time again.....have you been following along with all of the festivities over at Nichole's blog? Today, I'm happy to help introduce you to three different stamp sets! Background Basics: Chevron Stripes is a set that Maile Belles designed, to allow you to create the super popular chevron pattern that can be found all over the place these days. Flower Fusion #3 is the next installment in Melissa Bickford's series......this one is super cute, and I think you'll see that it's easy to make cards using that little $5 set all by itself! Of course you can mix and match it with lots of other stamp sets in your collection too, but I love it when a little $5 set can stand all on it's own, don't you? And lastly, I'll be showing you peeks at all three of the sentiments in the next installment of the Think Big Favorites series....this one featuring sentiments from Candice Aguilar's popular Birds of a Feather stamp set.
Let's get right to the projects, shall we?
On this first card, I used all of the stripe images from Background Basics: Chevron Stripes, to create this fun background by stamping the stripes in hawaiian shores ink on aqua mist card stock.
Next, I decided to use the herringbone patterned image from Mat Stack 4 Collection on a mat stack 4 die cut of kraft card stock. I stamped the image in versamark ink and then heat set it with clear embossing powder.
Next came a couple of fillable frames die cut layers using the fillable frames #5 & #7 dies. The "hello friend" sentiment from Think Big Favorites #3 was stamped on the cream layer in pure poppy ink. The nice thing about the sentiments in the Think Big Favorites series, is that they're large enough to easily serve as the focal point on the card instead of just accenting a focal point.
The flower was die cut from pure poppy card stock using the new Flower Fusion #3 die and was then stamped with a coordinating image from the same stamp set. It was topped with a cream button and a bit of poppy baker's twine.
Behind the mat stack layer, I added a few strips of goodies to provide a bit of a color pop. The pure poppy card stock layer was die cut with the small scalloped border die. Next came a strip of vintage cream card stock and it was topped with a bit of hawaiian shores saddle stitch ribbon.
The cool thing about the Background Basics: Chevron Stripes set is that Maile designed it in such a way that you can use any one of the stripes individually, or they can be mounted on the same block at the same time, to make for a larger pattern and faster stamping all at once. In the above photo, you can see that there is just a single striped image on each block. Those could be stamped in alternating colors as shown, or you could stamp them in the same color, simply alternating the stripes.
The above photo here, shows two different stripes mounted to each block.
And this photo shows all of the various striped images from the set, all mounted on one block at the same time. It sure makes quick work of stamping a background pattern when they're all on the same block at the same time!
Here, I took a bit of that striped paper I'd created and die cut it with a limitless layers: 2 1/2" circle die, and then used the scalloped die from the same set to die cut the summer sunrise layer.
The circles were layered on a bit of white paper that I die cut with the parisian lace doily die, with a bit of summer sunrise saddle stitch ribbon tucked in between. Topping off the focal point is a butterfly that was die cut from In Bloom patterned paper using my Signature Series: Butterfly Die.
How about that cool white button? It is one with a shank on the back side, however I had my hubby take a pair of wire cutters to the shank on the back! He cut the shank off making it much easier to mount flat on the butterfly. Lastly, a few summer sunrise buttons finished things off.
And is that a gorgeous sentiment, or what? It is from the new Think Big Favorites #3 stamp set and was stamped in fresh snow ink.
Ahh.....here's a girly little number. This one began with a hibiscus burst card base and I stamped a few rows of Background Basics: Chevron Stripes (all at once) using versamark ink.
I love how simple it was to add a bit of detail on the card base, without it being too busy. And is it just me, or do the stripes in the above photo kind of remind you of Charlie Brown's shirt? :)
I pulled out the mat stack 3 die to cut the rustic cream layer and stamped it with a coordinating label image from the mat stack 3 collection stamp set, using hibiscus burst ink. The kraft circle was punched with a 1 3/4" circle punch and stamped with the darling little leaves from Flower Fusion #3 in dark chocolate ink. Next, I used a straight pin to pierce holes all around the border of the circle. The two little flowers were die cut from hibiscus burst felt using the Flower Fusion #3 die and they were stitched to the kraft circle with a dark chocolate button, using rustic cream button twine.
The "You made my day!" sentiment is also from Flower Fusion #3 and it fit just perfectly into the space on the mat stack 3 image! Lastly, I used the largest Turning a New Leaf die to cut some leaves from the kraft colored patterned paper in the 2009 Bitty Dot Basics paper collection. I simply tore the two sections of leaves apart and reconfigured them to peek out just so behind my mat stack layer.
This next card just goes to show that with one simple little $5 stamp set, you can whip up adorable cards in no time!
For this one, I began by die cutting 12 little flowers using the new Flower Fusion #3 die -- 3 of each color.....raspberry fizz, hibiscus burst, melon berry and berry sorbet. I stamped each of them with the outline image from Flower Fusion #3 and then pulled out my paper piercer and pad to poke a hole in the center of each flower. The nice thing is that because of the flower's small size, the paper piercer automatically forces center downward and the petals forward a bit. This comes in handy when it comes time to put the flowers on the card!
A brad was inserted into each of the 12 flowers. Another way to ensure that the petals pull forward a bit is to bend the prongs on the back of the flower forward rather than just leaving them flat.
Don't those little flowers just look cute hangin' out together?
To adhere the flowers to the card front, I just put a tiny piece of scor-tape right in the center of the flower. You don't want the tape to get on the petals, or they won't be able to "stand up" on the card once you put it all together.
To assemble everything, I started off by stamping the sentiment on the card front and inked the edges of the card with vintage touch tea dye ink. Next came the stitching on my sewing machine. Now, I'm not gonna lie to you here.....I just eyeballed it and it happened to come out fairly straight. It could have gone either way though! Haha. I started the stitching to the right of the sentiment and just tried to stay the same distance from the edge of the card, as I stitched my way around. It's certainly not perfect, but I think that adds to the hand crafted look.
All that was left to do after my border was stitched, was to peel off the scor-tape backing and stick the flowers to the card front. After pressing the adhesive down well by pushing on the brad, you can pull any petals forward that might need adjusting.
Lastly, a sympathy card.....I pulled out the Year of Flowers: Gladiolas stamp set for this one.
The gladiolas image was stamped with clear embossing powder on melon berry card stock and heat embossed with clear embossing powder. An R01 Copic marker was used to lightly trace around the entire image to provide a bit of a shadow. The corners were rounded with a corner chomper before that layer was adhered to the vintage cream card front.
The "With Sympathy" sentiment from Think Big Favorites #3 was also heat embossed with clear embossing powder on a strip of kraft card stock. Before I adhered that strip to the card, I tucked a strip of berry sorbet card stock behind it that was die cut with the small scalloped border die. Lastly, a threaded berry sorbet button was added to accent the sentiment.
I hope that you've enjoyed the projects I shared with you today! I'll be back tomorrow to share another fun project for you so I hope to see you then! Until then, you'll want to be sure to visit Nichole Heady to see her projects focusing on these same stamp sets.
Lisa Johnson, Heather Nichols, Maile Belles, Melissa Bickford, Beth Silaika & Tiffany Pastor will also have more peeks for you, at their newest stamp sets.
Have a great day!
{Hello Friend supplies}
Paper: rustic cream, kraft, aqua mist, hawaiian shores, pure poppy
Stamps: Background Basics: Chevron Stripes, Think Big Favorites #3, Flower Fusion #3, Mat Stack 4 Collection
Ink: hawaiian shores, pure poppy, versamark
Other: clear embossing powder, flower fusion #3 die, mat stack 4 die, fillable frames #5 & #7 dies, small scallop border die, vintage cream button, poppy baker's twine, hawaiian shores saddle stitch ribbon
{Merci supplies}
Paper: kraft, stamper's select white, summer sunrise, In Bloom
Stamps: Background Basics: Chevron Stripes, Think Big Favorites #3
Ink: summer sunrise, fresh snow
Other: parisian lace doily die, limitless layers: 2 1/2" circle dies, signature series: butterfly die, summer sunrise saddle stitch ribbon, fresh snow & summer sunrise buttons
{You Made My Day supplies}
Paper: rustic cream, kraft, hibiscus burst, 2009 Bitty Dot Basics
Stamps: Background Basics: Chevron Stripes, Flower Fusion #3, Mat Stack 3 Collection
Ink: hibiscus burst, dark chocolate, versamark
Other: flower fusion #3 die, leaf prints die, mat stack 3 die, hibiscus burst felt, dark chocolate button, rustic cream button twine, 1 3/4" circle punch
{Thanks for Making Me Smile supplies}
Paper: vintage cream, raspberry fizz, berry sorbet, melon berry, hibiscus burst
Stamps: Flower Fusion #3
Ink: berry sorbet, vintage touch tea dye
Other: flower fusion #3 die, Making Memories brads, sewing machine/thread
{With Sympathy supplies}
Paper: vintage cream, kraft, melon berry, berry sorbet
Stamps: Think Big Favorites #3, Year of Flowers: Gladiolas
Ink: versamark
Other: clear embossing powder, R01 Copic marker, berry sorbet button, rustic cream button twine, small scallop border die, corner chomper
