Since starting my paper crafting journey almost 10 years ago I’ve developed a new appreciation for colour. I’ve discovered colour combinations I’d never have put together previously, and fallen back on old favourites too. What’s more, I’ve learned that something doesn’t have to contain every colour of the rainbow all at once. So for today’s project I went right back to basics with a simple black and white scheme. After having made one I wondered what it would have been like if I’d reversed the colours, and now I know…

BLACK AND WHITE

My two bookmarks are basically the same with just a couple of minor tweaks.

Each one started out with two pieces of card each 2″ x 5″, one Basic Black and one Basic White. Then I cut the sides of the piece that was going on top using the ‘comb binding’ die from the Blossoming Happiness Dies.

Next I selected the fern image from the Nature’s Prints Stamp Set. Then using VersaMark ink I stamped the image twice onto the die-cut pieces. On the white layer I angled the fern over to the right. This meant the tops of the two images curved in towards each other. However on the black die-cut piece I angled the ferns in the opposite direction. So now the tops pointed away from each other.

With the stamping done I reached for the Basics Stampin’ Emboss Power pack. On the white card I sprinkled the sticky VersaMark ink with black powder. Then I tapped off the excess, removed a few stray specks and set it aside. Meanwhile I sprinkled the black piece with white embossing powder, tapped off the excess and removed some stray specks again. Finally I melted the images on both pieces using my Heat Tool set on 2 (high).

WHITE AND BLACK

Once the embossing had cooled I was ready to mount the embossed pieces onto the remaining card strips. Having omitted to back the embossed pieces with Adhesive Sheet before die-cutting them, I used Multipurpose Liquid Glue (Tombow). So the black die-cut card was glued to the white strip, and the white die-cut card was glued to the black one.

To finish I punched a hole at the top of each assembled piece using the Label Me Fancy Punch. Then I reached for the Baker’s Twine Essentials Pack. From the 5 colours of twine included in the pack I obviously chose the black and white. After cutting two 6″ pieces of each colour I threaded the twine through the punched holes; white to match the white embossing, and black for the black embossing. With the twine tied in a single knot close to the top of the card I was done.

I have to say that I love how these turned out. As well as the bold contrast of the embossing there’s the contrasting card peeking through the die-cut holes down each side. I can’t decide though which is my favourite layout for the fern images… towards each other (black ferns) or away from each other (white ferns). What’s your favourite? Please leave a comment below and let me know your thoughts.

If you like the ‘comb binding’ effect, you might also like the ‘spiral binding’ piece I created for a card project. You’ll find that in my blog post Another adventure with Campology.

PRODUCT LIST

BUNDLE BONUS – I bought the Nature’s Prints Stamp Set in a bundle with the Natural Prints Dies (not used today). I also bought the Blossoming Happiness Dies in a bundle with the Happiness Abounds Stamp Set (not used today). Buying products using a single ‘bundle’ item saved me 10% off the cost of buying the same two items separately. So I’ve included links to both bundles in case you want to explore these options.