One of the best parts of being a Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator is the discount I get on every order I place. This means my crafting budget gets to go further. But what’s even better is that I’m still able to take advantage of promotions just like any other customer. So Sale-A-Bration is just as exciting for me as I get to choose from all the free products too. Now I’m slowly working my way through my new stuff, and today it’s the turn of the pretty Catching Butterflies Stamp Set.

TEST STRIPS

My regular readers will know that I often try out new products with ‘test’ projects. These use minimal supplies and often end up as gift tags or bookmarks. Today I grabbed a 2″ x 5-1/2″ strip of Thick Very Vanilla Card from my pre-cut stash and set to work.

When I first saw the Catching Butterflies Stamp Set I was immediately drawn to the image of the girl. She looks so carefree, and that’s where I began my project.

Using VersaMark ink I stamped the girl towards the bottom of the card strip. Then I stamped the scribbled shadow image beneath her feet. Finally I stamped the sentiment “celebrate every beautiful thing” towards the top of the strip.

Next I sprinkled the sticky ink with gold Stampin’ Emboss Powder and tapped off the excess. After removing some stray specks I melted the rest using my Heat Tool set on 2 (high).

NO BUTTERFLIES?

I wanted to keep the colouring really simple and chose Highland Heather Stampin’ Blends alcohol markers for her dress. Then for her skin I used Petal Pink. Alcohol markers can take the shine off heat embossing so I took care to avoid the embossed lines.

To turn the strip into a bookmark I shaped the top and added a ribbon slot using the Fancy Tag Topper Punch. Then I threaded some Highland Heather 1/2″ Grosgrain Ribbon through the slot. To secure the ribbon in place I tied some Very Vanilla twine from the Baker’s Twine Essentials Pack around it in a simple bow.

The stamp set also includes a small cloud of butterflies and a single one but for some reason I decided not to use either of those images. However having finished this ‘test’ project I have an idea for a card where the butterflies also put in an appearance. Watch out for that project in a future blog post.

I’m pretty happy with how everything turned out although in hindsight the sentiment should probably be a little lower. I must remember to punch the top before doing anything near the top of the strip!

PRODUCT LIST

FREE STAMP SET – The Catching Butterflies Stamp Set is only available during this current Sale-A Bration promotion. It’s not available to buy, but can be yours simply by placing an order for $60 CAD (before shipping and taxes) and choosing it as your free item when prompted. Sale-A-Bration ends on February 28th and all items featured in the Sale-A-Bration Brochure are only available while stocks last.