Some News and Some Card Samples

Well I have been itching to shout about this piece of news since the middle of last week! I am joining another Design Team! I am very proud to say that I will be joining the Stamp Addicts Design Team. Wooohoooo!!! I received my first package from Sarah on Friday and have been busy putting some samples together over the last couple of days.

When I get new stamps I like to study them before I use them and as ideas come into my head I draw quick sketches and jot things down. Of course when I actually get to using them I often go off on a tangent and things turn out completely different but I am better if I start off with some sort of structure!

I also like to put them through their paces - making cards just with the stamp/stamps in the set and whatever I have in my stash as regards papers and embellishments. I do like to try to create my own backgrounds too. Often our craft goodies are a considered purchase and I want to know I have something versatile. I like to know that I can make quick cards when needed and something a little more involved when I sit down to play!

With that in mind I set to work on the first of the three sets of stamps received - Printworks Clearly Defined Frames & Flourishes.


I began with a couple of very easy and quick cards:-


Simple stamping and layering, embellishing the layers with Swiss Dots cuttlebug embossing and adding a few gems.

For this card I have stamped onto Vellum with one of the swirl stamps and layered it over a piece of patterned paper. I have cut the vellum at around the half way mark, attaching to the paper with brads and covered the join with a ribbon trim. I have then added a topper made using one of the frame stamps and the xoxoxo text stamps.

For this card I have used one of the stamps to make a piece of backing paper, stamping randomly and at different angles maing sure to go off the edge of the paper as I stamp. This has been layered up with coloured card, the bottom piece has been popped through a paper crimper. For th topper on this I have used another of the frame stamps and the Hello text stamp, layered up and mounted 3D over the background. Embellished with satin ribbon and prima flowers.

All of these cards were quick and easy to make using basic supplies.


For this card I have used the Hello text stamp to creat a background strip, embellished it with ribbon and mounted over a base card that I had already preapered with the Swiss Dots Cuttlebug embossing. The topper has been created by stamping a flourish stamp onto white card using Versamark. This has been embossed with white embossing powder. I have then taken my pink Marvy matchable and pressed some ink onto my craft sheet, misted the ink with a water spray and then swished my embossed sqare through the ink. Once dry, using the same marvy ink pad I ahve stamped a couple of the border stamps around the Flourish, trimmed and layered, mounting it 3D onto the card, finally embellishing with gems.

For my last card I decided to play with some strong colour and I reached for the Adirondack inks and sponges, using Butterscotch, Ginger and Espresso. First of all I sponged the whole piece of card with Butterscotch ink. I decided to use a faux layer technique and cut a square mask using decorative edged scissors. I placed this at an angle on my inked card and proceeded to add the other inks, making the card darker at the outer edge and around the masked layer. Once I was happy with the colour I took the mask off and stamped one of the Flourish stamps, with the Espresso ink pad, inside the masked are at the left hand side and along the bottom, using one of the Frames and a text stamp for a central greeting. All around the edge of the card I have selectively stamped a section of one of the Flourish stamps. Emellished with Primas, a Flora Doodle and a die cut heart that has been distressed with ink and stamped with the xoxoxo greeting before being mounted 3D with a metallic ribbon behind.

Well I thoroughly enjoyed playing with that set of stamps - they are very versatile, an exccellent quality and I still have a number of ideas running round in my head! I can see myself using them alongside a number of other stmaps I already have in my collection so definitely a big thumbs up for the Frames and Flourishes Set!

Do check out the other Printworks Clearly Defined stamp sets that Stamp Addicts stock and for those who don't know there is a blog keeping you up to date with news and ideas called The Purple Zone.

Wendy -x-