Aloha, all!
You'd think that I'd be so excited about the new Stampin' Up! 2014-2015 Catalog that my first blog post of the new season would feature new "stuff"! Not so, as it takes a bit of time for "stuff" to get to Hawaii from locations on the U. S. Mainland. I would have loved to have used a brand new background stamp for today's project, but there were none available for me to preorder last month.
And why would I be concerned about using a background stamp? Because that's what I wanted to use for my Stampin' Up! Only Challenge project for today. The theme this time is "Stamping in the Background." Yes, I could have used ANY stamps, but I couldn't get the idea of using a background stamp for this project out of my head. So an oldie but goodies for today's project!
The stamp that I used is called Dictionary, and I used the Reverse Masking Technique to stamp it on the top layer of this multi-layered card (I did go overboard, didn't I!). Before I stamped the image, I used one of the Deco Labels Collection Framelits to cut out the center of a piece of plain copy paper that I cut the same size as the top layer of Very Vanilla Cardstock. Then I used a removable adhesive to adhere the copy paper to the cardstock and stamped the Dictionary image over the opening using Chocolate Chip Classic Ink. Before I removed the mask, I lightly sponged some of the Chocolate Chip ink from the outside edge of the Deco Label shape toward the center of the cutout. Then I removed the copy paper, and I had the background for my card.
My next step was to add an image with a coordinating color. I'd decided to use Garden Green as a color that would go well with Chocolate Chip. But then I had an "ooops" moment. I chose as THE perfect stamp set one that was going to retire before this blog post went live! I lived in blissful ignorance until it came time for me to write this blog post and I could NOT find the stamp set I'd used in my collection. Why not?! Because I'd already removed every set that was going to retire from my collection. That was the "ooops" moment. But I didn't have anything new, so what was I going to do (I wax poetic every once in a while). I scanned all my current stamp sets and finally realized that the tried and true and old enough to be double mounted Thoughts and Prayers Stamp Set would be perfect for this card. Another oldie but goodie!
But, yes, I'd already put the whole card WITH the retired stamp set together. I was just not in the mood to recreate a whole card with that many layers. So I did something I rarely do. I pulled out my bottle of Un Du® Adhesive Remover. Yup, what you're looking at today is a card that's had its stamped layer removed and replaced (gasp!). But it worked!
Everything else about the original card is as I'd had it designed in the first place. I wrapped a piece of the 7/8" Cotton Ribbon around the bottom of the stamped layer and added a sentiment from the Teeny Tiny Wishes Stamp Set to finish off the card. And I also happen to have the perfect person in mind to whom to send this. In fact, as you read this, it's already in the mail to her.
Beginning tomorrow, you'll see more of new products that are in the newest Stampin' Up! Catalog. I'm so excited about so many of the new stamp sets and embellishments and tools. This is going to be such a fun year. I hope you'll share it with me by purchasing some of the products that I share with you in my blog posts!
OR – if there's a Stampin' Up! product about which you've read or heard and you'd like me to shoiw you how it can be used – just leave a comment or send me an e-mail, and I'll get something made up right away! There's something for everyone in the Stampin' Up! catalog – and the seasonal catalogs. I'd love for you to find something you just can't live without!
Here are the featured products for today's project:
