Variation on a theme......

Hello again,

I ordered a new background stamp the other day but when it arrived I wasn’t too sure whether I liked it after all.  With a little gentle persuasion I decided to keep it and with that decision came another, that if I was keeping it I would jolly well use it and not allow it to become a seldom used stamp that languished in my stamp cupboard.

So that’s the ‘background’ so to speak to these cards today…. a birthday card and a thank you card both using the same background stamp.  Both are rather large, measuring 21cm x 15cm, but they needed to be to take the large die cut from the Spellbinders Floral Oval and leave enough room for the Guipure lace rosette I wanted to add.

The base card for each is cream pearlescent 250 gsm cardstock which I matted with coloured card followed by the cream pearlescent card again.  I stamped the back ground on each card in Old Paper and Spun Sugar Distressed Ink respectively before embossing with Detail Clear embossing powder.

I then cut out two dies for each, from the Spellbinders Floral Ovals set, and inked the edges of each in Old Paper and Spun Sugar depending on which card I was working on. To keep the ink to the floral edge I used a mask.  I cut an extra die from the same set, tore it along the inner pierced oval to leave just the central oval which I then used as my mask.  This way the ink stayed on the floral edges of the die and didn’t migrate into the centre.  

As the pink came out a tad too bright for my liking,
I used Stazon opaque  cotton white over the top to soften it a little. 

The small die cut for each card was stamped with my desired text which I had intended to emboss but due to a slight mishap (my heat gun gave up the ghost with a BANG!) I left them plainly stamped.  Each die cut was then  popped on to dimensionals but before I adhered them to the card, I added a strip of double-sided satin ribbon (on the Old Paper card) and lace (on the Spun Sugar card). Four large cream pearls went into each corner on both cards

For the Guipure lace rosettes I cut a 1 inch circle out of cream cardstock, covered it in strong, double-sided  tape, then curled the Guipure lace round the outside allowing it to slightly curl up as I went.  I tied triple bows (a double-sided satin ribbon  in brown on one card and cream taffeta ribbon on the other) which I glued in place using my glue gun.  

A couple of large pearls were also added to the rosettes and on the Spun Sugar card, I also added a couple of cream pearl hat pins and cream flower stamens.  Each rosette was popped onto dimensionals before fixing into place on each card.

And my background stamp, do I like it now?  Well, I have to say it has grown on me….lol.

Happy crafting,

Carol. xx.

Card Menu

Cardstock: Cream Pearlescent 250gm. Pastel Pink and Old paper Brown from stash. Ink: Spun Sugar & Old Paper (Tim Holtz Distressed Ink), Cotton White (Stazon Opaque) Stamps: French Filigree & Happiest Birthday Wishes  (SU), Thank you (Stash) Dies: Spellbinders Floral Ovals Punches: 1 inch plain circle (Friskars) Ribbon: Brown double-sided satin  & cream taffeta (Ribbon Girl), Guipure lace (RibbonBox)) Accessories:  Cream background  lace (Stash), Cream pearls(SU), Detail Clear embossing powder                            (Stamp it Stuff), Cream flower stamens(stash)