Have you ever looked at something and seen something entirely different? That’s what happened when I was making today’s project. It all started when I had a few packs of Designer Series Paper (DSP) on my desk and was looking for inspiration. Then I saw raindrops, and was immediately wanted to pair it with the Under My Umbrella Stamp Set and Umbrella Builder Punch. It was later, much later, when I realised my ‘rain’ was in fact an extreme close up of a strawberry!
BERRY COLOURFUL BACKGROUND
I began, as I mentioned, with the strawberry ‘rain’ background pattern. I really loved the vibrant colours used; Poppy Parade and Daffodil Delight and wanted a real contrast to those. So I decided to use Basic Black Card for all my mat layers.
For my card base I used my Paper Trimmer to cut and score a piece of Thick Whisper White Card. Then I folded it along the scored line and sharpened the crease with a Bone Folder.
I cut my first piece of the DSP 4″x 5-1/4″ and used Multipurpose Liquid Glue to mount it onto a 4-1/8″ x 5-3/8″ layer of Basic Black Card. Then with more liquid glue I attached it to the front of my card base.
Next I cut a 2-1/4″ x 6″ piece of the DSP and glued that to the flap of a Whisper White Medium Envelope. Then with Paper Snips I trimmed off the excess DSP using the edge of the flap as a guide.
Finally I cut a 3/4″ x 5-1/4″ strip of the DSP and glued it down the right-hand edge of a 4″ x 5-1/4″ layer of Whisper White Card. To add contrast I then glued a 1/8″ x 5-1/4″ strip of Basic Black Card against the edge of the DSP. With that done, I glued the assembled layer inside the card base.
Now the ‘rain’ part was complete I began to think about the centre part of my project. I decided that something reminiscent of ‘sky’ would be nice.
BACKGROUND PART 2
I began this part with a 2-7/8″ x 4-1/8″ piece of Whisper White Card. Then using a Blending Brush I coloured the surface with a light layer of Balmy Blue ink. Unfortunately I wasn’t entirely happy, it just looked a bit bland. So I went back around the edges using the Blending Brush but this time with Pacific Point ink.
Oh my goodness, what a transformation! Now it had the impact I was looking for and I used liquid glue to mount the piece onto a 3″ x 4-1/4″ layer of Basic Black Card. Then I fixed the assembled layer onto the card front with Stampin’ Dimensionals.
At last I was ready to start stamping using the Under My Umbrella Stamp Set.
First I chose my sentiment “No matter the weather we’re friends forever”. Next, using Pacific Point ink I stamped it onto a 1″ x 2-3/8″ piece of Whisper White Card. Then with liquid glue I mounted it onto a 1-1/8″ x 2-1/2″ layer of Basic Black Card before adding to the card front with Stampin’ Dimensionals.
UNDER MY UMBRELLA
Now I just needed the umbrella to finish off my design, and for that I also needed the Umbrella Builder Punch.
Using Tuxedo Black ink I first stamped the open umbrella image onto some Daffodil Delight Card. Then I punched out the image. While I liked the bright and cheerful colour, it looked a bit ‘flat’. So I decided to add some depth using Daffodil Delight Stampin’ Blends alcohol markers.
I began with the dark marker on either side of the umbrella ribs. Then using the light marker I coloured over the whole umbrella. This was subtle but made a world of difference to how the image looked.
Next I went back to the punch and punched out the umbrella handle from Silver Foil Card. I also punched out just the curved part of the handle from Daffodil Delight Card. Then using liquid glue I fixed the yellow handle onto the silver one.
To complete the card I used liquid glue to fix the handle directly onto the blue inked background. Then with a few Stampin’ Dimensionals I added the umbrella top and I was done.
You know it was only as I was adding the final touches that it occurred to me I was using a pattern from the Berry Blessings. That pattern wasn’t an artistic take on rain, it was seeds on a strawberry skin! But I still love this project, it’s bright and cheerful, and exactly matches the sentiment. What do you think?
MORE UMBRELLAS?
For more projects featuring the Under My Umbrella Stamp Set, see these earlier blog posts:
Did you know there’s a second stamp set that coordinates with the Umbrella Builder Punch? It’s called Pretty Parasol and definitely worth a look.
PRODUCT LIST
SALE-A-BRATION – The Berry Blessings DSP is not available to purchase, but you can get it for free until February 28th as part of the Berry Blessings Bundle. After entering your order for $120CAD (before shipping and taxes) simply choose the bundle as your free item. For more details see the 2021 Sale-A-Bration Brochure or the Sale-A-Bration section of my online store.
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