After two days of projects using Stampin’ Blends, I wanted to create something less time-consuming. That’s not to say it’s not colourful, because it is. But for today’s simple Sunday project all the colour comes from the gorgeous Ornate Garden Specialty Designer Series Paper (DSP). For my sentiments I chose the Approaching Perfection Stamp Set. It was only afterwards that I realised it was a free Sale-A-Bration set. The bad news is that this means you only have one more month to get it.

ORNATE GARDEN

I began my simple project with one of the many bright and cheerful floral patterns from the Ornate Garden DSP. Altogether I needed three pieces…

I cut the first piece 2-1/4″ x 6″ and using Multipurpose Liquid Glue (Tombow) fixed it to the flap of a Whisper White Medium Envelope. Then with Paper Snips I trimmed off the excess paper using the edge of the flap as a guide.

My second piece of DSP was cut 3″ x 5-1/2″. Using liquid glue once again I mounted it onto a 3-1/8″ x 5-1/2″ layer of Early Espresso Card.

At this point I remembered I’d need a card base, and for that I chose Terracotta Tile Card. This is one of the 2019-2021 In Colors that will be retired on May 3rd. Using my Paper Trimmer I cut and scored the card, then folded it along the scored line and sharpened the crease with a Bone Folder. With that done I fixed the layered DSP onto the front of the card base using liquid glue.

My final piece of DSP was cut 1/2″ x 5-1/4″ and glued down the side of a 4″ x 5-1/4″ piece of Whisper White Card. Then I glued a 1/16″ scrap of Early Espresso Card against the edge of the DSP.

Now I was ready to get stamping with an Early Espresso ink pad and the Approaching Perfection Stamp Set.

APPROACHING PERFECTION

From this seven piece stamp set I first chose “Happy Birthday!” After carefully stamping it onto the Whisper White layer I fixed it inside the card base with liquid glue.

All I had to do now was decide on the sentiment for the front of the card. I had four more to choose from, although I’d already used one on a previous project.

In the end I chose “The bad news is: I forgot your birthday. The good news is: I forgot your age.” Belated birthday sentiments are always useful so that definitely appealed to me. However I had a plan for this single sentiment; a little stamping trickery.

I inked up the sentiment using Early Espresso ink, but covered the bottom two lines of the sentence with some sellotape. Then I stamped the top part onto a 3/4″ x 2-3/8″ strip of Whisper White Card. After removing the sellotape, I inked up the stamp again. This time I used sellotape to cover up the top two lines of the sentiment, so now I could stamp the bottom section onto an identical sized piece of Whisper White Card.

With the sentiment now stamped in two parts, I glued each one to a 7/8″ x 2-1/2″ strip of Early Espresso Card. Then using Stampin’ Dimensionals I added them to the front of my card and my project was complete.

Sometimes, it’s good to alter a sentiment to suit your own preference. I’ve seen some people physically cut up their stamps, but it’s something I try to avoid if I can. Instead, by using sellotape to mask sections I can get the same results without taking such drastic measures.

For my other project created using the Approaching Perfection Stamp Set see my blog post Newsflash: another free stamp set used.

PRODUCT LIST

SALE-A-BRATION – As I mentioned, the Approaching Perfection Stamp Set is one of the free choices from the Sale-A-Bration promotion. This means that it cannot be purchased but is available for free with a qualifying purchase. To earn this set simply place an $60CAD order (before shipping and taxes). Then select this stamp set when prompted for your Sale-A-Bration choice. For more information see the Sale-A-Bration Brochure or visit the Sale-A-Bration section of my online store. Sale-A-Bration ends on February 28th and stocks may be limited towards the end of the promotion.