Did you have a good weekend? I didn’t get as much done as I’d liked, but I did solve a major problem on my computer so I’m calling that a win. Between decluttering my studio and computer I also found time for a little crafting. My plan was to try out a new (to me) background stamp called Drybrush. Me being me however, I had something a little different in mind for my first project.

DRYBRUSH OVER INK

Before I could get to the Drybrush Stamp Set I first needed to prepare the base. So I cut half a sheet of Very Vanilla Card and then set to work covering it with ink using a Blending Brush. I began by quickly covering the whole piece with a layer of Coastal Cabana ink. I wasn’t too worried about it being even, in fact some variation was welcomed.

Next I went over the card with Bermuda Bay ink. This time I was more deliberate in making some areas darker than others.

Now it was time to break out the Drybrush (background) Stamp Set. As it’s very large I decided to use my Stamparatus stamp positioning platform to help me. Not that I was worried about the image being straight, I just find it easier than trying to hold a very large acrylic block.

So with the stamp mounted onto one of the hinged plates I inked it up really well with VersaMark ink. Then I closed the plate onto the inked card and pressed down firmly. After taking the card from the Stamparatus I then sprinkled the sticky ink with Gold Stampin’ Emboss Powder. Finally I tapped off the excess powder, and melted the rest using my Heat Tool set on 2 (high).

I now had an amazing piece of coloured and embossed card ready for use on various projects.

TWO SETS OF DIES

To continue with today’s project I first needed to cut the tag base using the Tailor Made Tags Dies. I chose the largest die with the straight top and ran it through my Stampin’ Cut & Emboss Machine. I also cut a plain piece of Very Vanilla Card using the same die.

Next I used the small die with the oval holes to cut the reinforcing pieces from Gold Foil. Then using Multipurpose Liquid Glue (Tombow) I glued the two tags together back-to-back, and then added the gold hole reinforcements on each side.

All I needed now was to find a sentiment, and I must admit it took me a while to decide. I wanted something that would compliment the background but not obscure it. In the end I chose “For you” from the Elegantly Said Stamp Set.

Using VersaMark ink I stamped the sentiment onto some Very Vanilla Card and embossed it in gold as before. Then once the embossing had cooled I cut it out using a die from the Ornate Frames Dies.

Next I put a couple of Mini Glue Dots on the back of the sentiment. Then I used them to hold three loops of gold trim from the Simply Elegant Trim pack. Once they were firmly attached I added some Mini Stampin’ Dimensionals to the back of the sentiment and fixed it to the tag.

Finally I threaded another piece of the gold trim through the hole at the top and tied it in a simple knot. With that my gift tag was complete.

I’m really pleased with how this tag turned out. I wasn’t sure how well the Drybrush Stamp would look when embossed, but it’s stunning. Now I have the rest of the sheet already inked and embossed to play with. I wonder what I should make with it next?

PRODUCT LIST

BUNDLE BONUS – I bought the Elegantly Said Stamp Set together with the Elegant Tag Punch (not used today) using a single ‘bundle’ item number. This meant I saved 10% off the cost of buying the two items separately. I’ve included a link to the bundle in case you want to explore this option.