Yesterday I decided that as time was running out for stamp sets being retired by Stampin’ Up! I’d should take another look at the ones I’m going to miss.  Having focussed on Rose Wonder and the coordinating (and also retiring) Rose Garden Thinlits I thought it would be fun to do a stencilled image.  As so often seems to happen in my craft studio, once I got started I went off on a tangent and ended up with, what I’m calling, my magazine technique.

I began with a damaged copy of the Stampin’ Up! 2018 Occasions Catalogue.  It wasn’t fit to keep or give out so I was using it for scrap paper.  I tore out the next page, page 18, and tore it in half so it would fit on my Big Shot Platform.  Using the Magnetic Platform I placed the large rose die from the Rose Garden Thinlits onto the paper and ran it through the machine.

Next I took a layer of Very Vanilla Card and held the die-cut rose on it as a stencil while I used Sponge Daubers to colour the rose using new Lovely Lipstick ink and the leaves using Call Me Clover ink (both from the 2018-2018 In Colors).  When I removed the mask I had a lovely stencilled image, but in my hand I had something much cooler.  The ink on the stencil combined with the printing from the magazine had created the most wonderful pattern on the die-cut piece so I set aside the Very Vanilla layer I’d been working on and started my project again.

I used my Stampin’ Trimmer to cut and score a piece of Thick Very Vanilla Card, folded it along the scored line and sharpened the crease with a Bone Folder.  I used Multipurpose Liquid Glue (Tombow) to attach a plain Very Vanilla layer to the front of the card base and then fixed the inked piece onto the front.

Next I went back to the piece I’d torn from the catalogue and used my Big Shot and Magnetic Platform to cut two small flowers and the label shape using dies from the Rose Garden Thinlits.  With a Sponge Dauber I coloured the label shape with Call Me Clover ink and the flowers with Lovely Lipstick ink.

Of course I then realised that being a page from the catalogue meant that the label was much too flimsy to be attached with Stampin’ Dimensionals, so I went back and die-cut another label shape from Thick Very Vanilla Card.   With liquid glue I fixed the two label pieces together and then wiped the paper side with an Embossing Buddy to remove any oils and static.  I used VersaMark Ink to stamp the ‘Happy Birthday’ sentiment from the Rose Wonder Stamp Set, removed some stray specks of powder and then melted the rest with my Heat Tool set on 2 (high).

On the back of the sentiment I placed a couple of Mini Glue Dots so that I could attach a folded piece of Gold 3/8″ Metallic-Edge Ribbon and then fixed the sentiment to the front of the card with Stampin’ Dimensionals.  The sentiment was finished with a few Mint Macaron accents from the new Faceted Dots pack.

To complete the project I went back to the two small die-cut and inked flowers.  Using liquid glue I attached one to the centre near the top of a layer of Very Vanilla Card and fixed that to the inside of the card base.  The final flower was added to the centre of the flap of a Very Vanilla Medium Envelope and my project was complete.

Well to say that this project was a surprise is an understatement.  I’ve no idea if other crafters have die-cut pieces from a magazine or catalogue and inked them up to use on a project, but if they have I’ve not seen it.  What I love most about this technique is the way that the printing on the catalogue page gives a random but somehow natural looking variation to the die-cut image.  What do you think?

SUPPLY LIST

Here’s a list of all the currently available Stampin’ Up! tools and materials I used to create today’s project.  The Faceted Dots will be available for customers to purchase when the Stampin’ Up! 2018/2019 Annual Catalogue goes live on June 1st.

RETIRING PRODUCTS – The Rose Garden Thinlits Dies are only available while stocks last.  The Rose Wonder Stamp Set is guaranteed until May 25th and then that too will be available only while stocks last.