Hats Off For An Inky Solution

On Christmas Day my card featured a robin against a striking watercoloured scene from the amazing New Horizons 6″ x 6″ Designer Series Paper (DSP). Sadly the project you saw was a do-over, as while cleaning up I’d dropped an open black ink pad onto the original card and ruined it. So that day I took the card apart and remade it with a new (but identical) background. However as I mentioned yesterday I hate wasting product, so here’s the second part of my solution to use that damaged piece.

Create this card with camouflage cap using the New Horizons paper, Hats Off Stamp Set and Hat Builder Dies from Stampin' Up! #papercraftwithme

SIMPLE START

I started this project by using my Paper Trimmer to cut and score some Old Olive Card. Then I folded it along the scored line and sharpened the crease with a Bone Folder.

Next I turned to the damaged scene I’d salvaged on Christmas Day. I’d already cut 2″ off the left side for another project, so now I just needed to trim around the DSP to remove what was left of the old mat layer.

After measuring the size of the remaining section at 3″ x 3-3/4″ I cut a 3-1/8″ x 3-7/8″ piece of Evening Evergreen Card. Then I mounted the scene on top using Multipurpose Liquid Glue (Tombow). Finally, using more liquid glue I attached the assembled piece onto the left side of my card base and set it aside.

HATS OFF

At this point the inky damage was still painfully obvious but I knew I had to camouflage that. And that’s when I came up with the idea for a camouflage cap.

This part of the project began with some Pear Pizzazz Card and a selection of ink pads. Using a Sponge Dauber I simply dabbed ink randomly over the card, starting with Old Olive. Then I added random spots of Mossy Meadow, followed by Evening Evergreen. While it wasn’t bad I decided there was a bit too much green. So I finished off by adding spots of Soft Suede ink. That was much better.

Create a camouflage background using ink and Sponge Daubers, then stamp and cut out a cap using the Hats Off Stamp Set and Hat Builder Dies from Stampin' Up!. #papercraftwithme

To turn this inky card into a cap I turned to the Hats Off Stamp Set and coordinating Hat Builder Dies. First I used Evening Evergreen ink to stamp the large cap image over my camouflage background. Then I placed the coordinating die on top and ran it through my Stampin’ Cut & Emboss Machine.

Also included in the Hats Off Stamp Set are a number of images designed to work as ‘patches’ on the cap. I thought the one with the mountains and trees was perfect. So next I stamped this image onto a scrap of Very Vanilla Card using Evening Evergreen ink. Then I cut that out with the coordinating die, before gluing it onto the hat.

While I had the image to hand I decided to use the ‘patch’ as my coordinating feature. So, still using Evening Evergreen ink, I stamped it in the centre of the flap of a Very Vanilla Medium Envelope. Then I stamped it in the middle near the top of a 4″ x 5-1/4″ piece of Very Vanilla Card.

After adding the Very Vanilla layer to the inside of the card base I was ready to finish off the front.

THE NEXT ADVENTURE

I still had the sentiment to do and from the Hats Off Stamp Set I chose “Here’s to the next adventure”. I stamped this onto a 3/4″ x 2″ piece of Very Vanilla Card using Evening Evergreen ink. Then I used liquid glue to fix it to the 1″ wide strip of Kraft Paper that I’d originally put through a crimping tool and glued across the DSP.

Here's how I repurposed a card front after dropping a black ink pad onto it. #papercraftwithme

Finally it was time to hide the damage on what remained of my original panel.

Taking the stamped and die-cut cap I put Stampin’ Dimensionals over the back. Then all I had to do was fix it to my card front in such a way as to cover up all the black inky marks. Because of the size of the cap this was a simple job, and with that my project was complete.

I can’t tell you how pleased I am with this project, not least because it meant none of the New Horizons DSP went to waste. The solution also encouraged me to bring out the Hats Off Stamp Set and Hat Builder Dies which have been a bit neglected of late. I hope you like the finished result.

In addition I’ve learned not to leave my ink pads open on my desk. Until the next time that is. Have you ever ruined a project at the last minute? Please leave a comment below and tell me how you dealt with your disaster.

If you missed the previous projects with the original card, and the tag using the first part of the damaged background, check out these blog posts…

PRODUCT LIST

BUNDLE BONUS – I bought the Hats Off Stamp Set and coordinating Hat Builder Dies using a single ‘bundle’ item number. This meant I saved 10% off the cost of buying the two items separately. I’ve included both options below in case you’re considering adding them to your collection and want to explore this further.