One of the things I love about Stampin’ Up! is their colours, and the fact that the ink, card and everything coordinates. I’ve found that when I see something that catches my eye I often think of it in ‘Stampin’ Up! colours’. The funny thing is I know I am most definitely not alone in this. One of the new colours introduced during last year’s colour revamp was Gray Granite. This is an odd one for me as it seems to be a cross between grey and brown. I have to say I love the colour and it was my first choice for today’s Simple Sunday project.

WARM TONES

Given that Gray Granite is a bit of a chameleon colour I decided to embrace the warm tones by pairing it with Very Vanilla. So I began the project with a piece of Thick Very Vanilla Card that I cut and scored with my Stampin’ Trimmer. I folded card along the scored line, sharpened the crease with a Bone Folder, and then set it aside.

With the colours decided I could then set to work on the background and sentiment.

LEAFY BACKGROUND

My thinking of you cards are always fairly quiet, and unfussy with minimal distractions. I often avoid flowers for something more simple, and decided to pull out the retiring Wonderful Romance Stamp Set to use the leafy image one final time.

I used StazOn Jet Black ink to stamp the leaves randomly over a layer of Very Vanilla Card. I also stamped the leaves on another layer of Very Vanilla Card, but this time just in the top left and bottom right corners. Then I did the same on the front of a Very Vanilla Medium Envelope.

Instead of green, I thought I’d stick with Gray Granite to colour the leaves. So I squeezed the closed ink pad, transfering some ink to the inside of the lid. Then I took an empty Aqua Painter and dipped it into some clean water and wiped it onto a paper towel so the brush was barely damp.

Next I mixed what was left of the water on the brush with a little of the Gray Granite ink on the inside of the lid. Then I very quickly ‘painted’ all the stamped leaves on both pieces of card and the envelope.

TIP – Very Vanilla Card is not designed for watercolouring so it’s important to use as little water as possible and work quickly. Take care not to over-wet the card as it will break down the polished surface and become spotty. Practice on scraps first if necessary.

GRAY GRANITE LAYERS

The only stamping I had left to do was the ‘thinking of you’ sentiment from the Wonderful Romance Stamp Set. Once again I used StazOn Jet Black ink, stamping it onto a wide strip of Very Vanilla Card.

Using Multipurpose Liquid Glue (Tombow) I mounted the sentiment onto a strip of Gray Granite Card. Then I took the main leafy panel and fixed that to a layer of Gray Granite Card.

Using Stampin’ Dimensionals I added the sentiment to the layered background, and then to the card base.

All that remained was the second Very Vanilla layer which I fixed inside the card base with liquid glue.

So that was it. Simple and subtle, and done in no time.

I’m still left wondering about the ‘Gray Granite’ name though. I think it’s time I tried the polished stone technique to see if this granite can really live up to its name…

Whatever you have planned for today, I hope you’re able to fit in a little time to craft.

PRODUCT LIST

Sadly the Wonderful Romance Stamp Set is retiring and only guaranteed to be available until May 24th. There were dies that coordinated with the set but they sold out long ago. Also retiring is the Stampin’ Trimmer which is now only available while stocks last.