Howdy my friends! Happy the third month of the 2022!
Month of March is one week away and it will be time to start coloring everything green. I have been inspired by the stamp from Colorado Craft Company called Shamrock Trinity (click here) and I have this particular design in mind for a long time now, but somehow always forget to do it, or remember it once it’s too late…
Well, I found a way to use this wonderful stamp for something else rather than St. Patric’s Day. You will have to perform some stamp “surgery” and I know that is something most of you are not willing to do, but, I realized that I’d rather cut a piece of a stamp and use it for something different, then not use that stamp at all. So, do not be afraid to use your scissors creatively.
Aside from the Shamrock Stamp I also used Sophisticated Script Stamp Set (click HERE) from Concord & 9th, embossing ink, embossing powder, I used green embossing powder by Recollections and VersaFine Onyx Black ink.
And the list goes on: cardstock, stamp positioner, heat gun, scissors and glue.
And this is what I’ve created:
The first thing is, as I mentioned earlier, trimming off or separating the top leaf and position the cut stamp on the paper using your stamp positioning tool, like MISTI in my case. Before I stamped my image on the paper, I prepped my cardstock by applying some baby powder on it (or “antistatic embossing powder” how most card makers are calling it). Just simple ink up the stamp, cover it with the embossing powder, melt it with a heat gun and repeat the process if you would like your image to be darker or bolder. Next, I took my cut piece, my lonely little leaf, and arranged it so it touches one of the leaves on the paper and repeat the process of embossing. Next, I cleaned my stamp and arranged it next to the other leaf making sure the pattern matched and embossed the image. Since there was a gap left, I took a VersaMarker, which is essentially embossing ink in a pen form, and fill in the gap between my images, making it look like it’s a part of the actual design and repeat the process of embossing. After I was done with embossing, I used a blending brush that I have dedicated for the color blue, and without adding any extra ink I simply colored the background. I then used Woodless Coloring Pencils from Altenew to add more dimension to the leaves and a little bit more color to the card. I then took a wonderful stamp set from Concord & 9th and created a sentiment. Next, I trimmed the panel and created a mat with gold metallic paper and attached everything together. And the card was completed.
And, just for fun, I made one more card that is 5 1/2″ x 5 1/2 “. I used the same technique and the only difference, aside from the size, is that I added a sentiment strip.
Overall, I these cards turned out wonderful and I do not regret cutting my stamp. So, be brave and try to see another way to use your stamps. I hope you liked this post and feel free to reach out if you have any questions.
