It appears I may be a bit contrary. I go out of my way to get stamp sets and dies suitable for masculine projects, and then spend my time working out how to use them for feminine projects! Today’s card is a case in point. I pulled out the Geared Up Garage Stamp Set and coordinating Garage Gears Thinlits Dies and designed this…

OIL SPILLS OR ABSTRACT BACKGROUND?

It all started with the ‘oil spill’ image from the Geared Up Garage Stamp Set. I wanted to see how it might look in a bright colour instead of an oily brown, grey or black.

So beginning with a layer of Whisper White Card I stamped the image all over it using Berry Burst ink. I quite liked the effect but thought it needed a second colour, so then I chose Fresh Fig to fill in the gaps.

I really liked the effect. So much so that I repeated it over the flap of a Whisper White Medium Envelope. Finally I repeated the stamping over the bottom 1″ of a second layer of Whisper White Card.

Next, while I had the stamp set out, I decided to use the ‘All geared up to celebrate’ sentiment. I stamped this onto a scrap of Thick Whisper White Card using Berry Burst ink. Then I cut it out using my Big Shot and Magnetic Platform with the #2 oval die from the Stitched Shapes Framelits (counting from the smallest up).

TEXTURED LAYERS

Now I needed to think about the layers between the background and sentiment. I still wanted to keep it feminine, but without resorting to flowers and bows.

In the end I pulled out a 2″ strip of Fresh Fig Card and cut it to 4-1/2″ long. Next I tore the long edges before lightly spritzing it with clean water. I placed the card inside the Corrugated Dynamic Textured Impressions Embossing Folder. Then placed the folder directly onto the multipurpose platform with a cutting pad on top, and ran it forwards and backwards through the Big Shot. Finally I set the embossed piece aside to dry thoroughly.

On top of the dark textured card I knew wanted something bright and shiny. I chose the Lovely Lipstick Foil Sheet that I got with a recent order as my free Sale-A-Bration item.

To balance the very bright foil I would need something a little softer. I decided to use the Powder Pink 3/8″ Shimmer Ribbon when I got to that point in putting it all together.

GARAGE GEARS FOR GIRLS?

Finally I thought let’s really go all out with some added sparkle. The question was, could I make the Garage Gears look more exciting?

Back at my Big Shot I used all the gear dies from the Garage Gears Thinlits (except the largest one) to cut out some Gold Glimmer Paper. I wasn’t sure I’d use them all but any I didn’t need could be saved for another project.

Before I went any further I used liquid glue to fix the three connected gears to the left side on the front of the sentiment. The way wrapped around the words just seemed to make sense.

Now I really was ready to start putting the card together.

STEP BY STEP

Using Multipurpose Liquid Glue (Tombow) I began by fixing the corrugated strip to the background. Because of the very deep embossing I’d initially cut this piece 1/2″ longer than I needed. It was a wise move as after embossing the strip was 1/8″ shorter than when it started out. Once the strip was attached to the background I used my Paper Snips to trim it to size using the edge of the layer as a guide. Then I fix the foil strip on top with more liquid glue.

Next I used Tear & Tape Adhesive to attach the ribbon to the foil, wrapping it around the sides and securing it on the back.

With the ribbon in place my next task was to create a card base using my Stampin’ Trimmer to cut and score a piece of Berry Burst Card. I folded the card along the scored line and sharpened the crease with a Bone Folder, then fixed the background layers to it with liquid glue.

The gold flower-like gear came next attached to the right side of the foil strip with liquid glue. Then using Stampin’ Dimensionals I added the sentiment to the front of the card.

All that was left was the second Whisper White layer.

I used liquid glue to add a 1/8″ strip of Lovely Lipstick Foil Sheet along the top edge of the 1″ stamped area, then fixed the layer inside the card base.

I have to say that this project came out even better than I had hoped. Initially I thought it might be a bit of a stretch making a more feminine project using the Geared Up Garage Stamp Set and Garage Gears Thinlits. Apparently not.

Of course that’s just my opinion, I’d love to know your thoughts.

BUNDLE PRICES AND FREE PRODUCTS

I purchased the Geared Up Garage Stamp Set and coordinating Garage Gears Thinlits dies using the single bundle item number. Like all of the bundles in the Stampin’ Up! catalogues this saved me 10% off the cost of buying the same items separately. You’ll see I’ve provided both options in my product list so you can look at these further if you wish.

The Lovely Lipstick Foil Sheet I used today is not available for purchase. But you can get it for free during Sale-A-Bration. Simply place an order and for every $60 spent (before shipping and taxes) you can choose a free item from the 2019 Sale-A-Bration Brochure. The 12″ x 12″ Lovely Lipstick Foil Sheets come in a pack together with Grapefruit Grove Foil Sheets. You’ll find it at the bottom of page 12. There’s 4 sheets of each colour in the pack with makes this free item worth $22! I used the Grapefruit Grove foil on my project in my blog post Colorful Seasons Colourful Tag.

Yesterday I heard that the Organdy Ribbon Combo Pack has been Stampin’ Up!’s most popular Sale-A-Bration item ever, and has now sold out. As a result it cannot currently be selected as a free item. Further stocks are expected sometime in March and once the backorders have been fulfilled you will once again be able to select this item. Once this additional stock has been depleted it will be discontinued permanently

PRODUCT LIST