I fell in love with the Snailed It Stamp Set the minute I saw it in the Stampin’ Up! January to June Mini Catalogue. There’s something very expressive in the eyes, right down to the eyelashes on one image! The images can be left as they are or coloured in, which makes them extra versatile. What’s also great about this stamp set is that there’s coordinating Snail Dies which cut out the snails, the toadstools and more. Plus there’s the Snail Mail 12″ x 12″ Designer Series Paper (DSP) which coordinates with the stamp set and the dies too.

But it was one particular pattern in the DSP that sparked an idea and I couldn’t wait to try it out. It occurred to me that the random dotted lines could be a tell-tale ‘snail trail’, all it needed was a little shimmer…

SNAIL TRAILS

With the snail trail in mind, I began by cutting the DSP starting with a 2-1/4″ x 6″ piece. Then using Multipurpose Liquid Glue (Tombow) I attached it to the flap of a Whisper White Medium Envelope. Finally I cut off the excess with Paper Snips, using the edge of the flap as a guide.

Next I decided on the colour for my card base, Bermuda Bay to coordinate with the DSP. Using my Paper Trimmer I cut and scored the card, then folded it along the scored line and sharpened the crease with a Bone Folder.

Going back to the DSP I cut my second piece 1-1/2″ x 4-1/4″. Then using liquid glue I mounted it onto a 1-5/8″ x 4-1/4″ layer of Gorgeous Grape Card. Finally I fixed the assembled layers to the front of the card base, lining up the bottom edges.

Now the DSP was in place I took my Wink of Stella Clear Glitter Brush and ‘painted’ over all the dotted lines. Then I set the card base and envelope aside while I continued with the stamping.

SNAILED IT

For today’s project I chose the image of the snail carrying gifts (this is the one with eyelashes).

First I used Tuxedo Black ink to stamp the snail coming in from the bottom right corner on a 4″ x 5-1/4″ layer of Whisper White Card. Then I stamped the whole snail onto a scrap of Thick Whisper White Card.

To colour the images I chose Stampin’ Blends alcohol markers. I began by colouring both snail bodies using the light and dark Crumb Cake. Then for the shells I used light and dark Melon Mambo. Finally I coloured the gifts, one using light and dark Bermuda Bay and the other, light and dark Highland Heather.

Now I was ready to start putting the card together.

Using liquid glue I first fixed the 4″x 5-1/4″ Whisper White layer inside the card base.

Next I cut out the other snail using the coordinating die from the Snail Dies set. Then, with liquid glue behind the bottom of the snail and Stampin’ Dimensionals behind the rest, I attached the die-cut snail to the front of the card.

That just left the sentiment and I chose “You snailed it”.

First, using Tuxedo Black ink I stamped the sentiment onto a 1-3/8″ x 1-7/8″ piece of Whisper White Card. Then I mounted it onto a 1-1/2″ x 2″ layer of Gorgeous Grape Card with liquid glue. Finally using Stampin’ Dimensionals I added the sentiment to the card front and my project was complete.

Although the snail trails are visible in the photos, they’re much more impressive in real life. That little bit of shimmer adds that final bit of fun to this cheerful card.

PRODUCT LIST

BUNDLE BONUS – I bought the Snailed It Stamp Set and Snail Dies together 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 so you can compare them if you wish. NB: all dies in the Snail Dies set fit the Mini Stampin’ Cut & Emboss Machine.