Today is the last Monday in May and it’s the last time I’ll be showing retiring products. This week the What Will You Stamp? challenge is #WWYS221 – Timeless Textures, and a fitting set to close out the 2018/2019 Annual Catalogue. I have to admit that even though Timeless Textures is retiring this is probably one set I’ll keep. It’s great for creating backgrounds and interest, with small details that add a whole new dimension to a project.

LEAFY VINES

But before I get to Timeless Textures, I first need the leafy vine image from the new Verdant Garden Stamp Set.

I began with a layer of new Rococo Rose Card wiped with my Embossing Buddy to remove any oils and static. Then I used VersaMark Ink to stamp the vine image all over the piece. Next I sprinkled the sticky ink with Clear Stampin’ Emboss Powder, tapped off the excess and removed some stray specks. With that done I melted the remaining powder with my Heat Tool set on 2 (high) and set it aside to cool.

TWO-PART SENTIMENT

The Verdant Garden Stamp Set has a lovely two part sentiment,’here’s to a wonderful couple…’ and ‘and all the happiness you’ll share together’.

So using Merry Merlot ink I stamped the first part of the sentiment near the bottom of a piece of Very Vanilla Card. Then I added parts of the leafy vine image across the bottom left and top right corners.

I attached the sentiment to a piece of Champagne Foil Sheet with liquid glue and set it to one side.

Next on a layer of Very Vanilla Card I stamped the vine across the top left and bottom right corners using Merry Merlot ink. Then I added the second half of the sentiment in the centre. Once I’d created a card base using Thick Very Vanilla Card I used Multipurpose Liquid Glue (Tombow) to fix the stamped layer to the inside.

Finally on the front of a Very Vanilla Envelope I stamped the vine across the bottom left and top right corner to coordinate with the inside of the card.

SUBTLE BACKGROUND TOUCHES

I was nearly done, but first my embossed background needed a few extra touches. It was time for the Timeless Textures Stamp Set, and specifically the dotted image.

Now the embossing was completely cool I used Whisper White Craft Stampin’ Ink to stamp the dotted image all over the background. This stamp is sort of rectangular so I stamped in a line across the piece and then added another line above it, repeating my stamping until it was completely covered. It wasn’t perfect, but any minor imperfection in the spacing wasn’t glaringly obvious.

Craft Stampin’ Ink takes a little longer to dry than the usual Classic Ink, so I speeded up the process with my heat gun set on 1 (low). Then once I was sure the ink was dry I wiped the piece with a soft cloth to remove any ink from the surface of the embossing. This did dull the embossing a little, but I had a fix for that. I reheated the embossing using the Heat Tool set on (high) just to the point where the shine returned.

All that was left was to use liquid glue to attach the embossed background to the front of my card base. Then I added two narrow strips of Merry Merlot Card to the background.

Finally I added the layered sentiment with Stampin’ Dimensionals and my project was complete.

I’m so pleased with how this project turned out, and it’s amazing the difference those small white dots made. I only wish now that I’d taken a photo of the background before I added them.

TIMELESS TEXTURES

At the end of the challenge we’ll choose one person to be our weekly winner. They’ll get bragging rights and a winner’s badge to display on their social media. We’ll also invite them to be our guest designer two weeks later.

The rules of the challenge are very simple, just use at least one image from the Timeless Textures Stamp Set. Your project doesn’t have to be a card, and there’s no theme, style or colour restrictions. I can’t wait to see what you stamp.

You’ll find other projects I’ve created using the Timeless Textures Stamp Set in these earlier blog posts:

• Timeless Textures Thank You
• Flourishing Phrases For #WWYS215

VERDANT GARDEN

The new Verdant Garden Stamp Set is a photopolymer (see-through) set with 3 sentiments and 5 images. I love the combination of organic, natural images and the geometric patterns. It’s not a show-stopper, but like Timeless Textures, I have a feeling this is a set that stampers will grow to love.

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