Wednesday, November 7, 2012

using stamps big and small






Apparantly I am as nuetral as Switzerland today. I know.. bad joke. I was craving creams and whites with a touch of black. So I went with it! I grabbed two of my favorite stamp sets. I used the Christmas Tidings and Pine Wreath sets to create a card and a set of gift tags. Now with my tags I wanted to show a project with my stamp being the main image..which of course is the wreath. I did just a touch of coloring using a distress marker on the wreath ribbon and they poinsettia leaves that I fussy cut out. I like to cut them out and than use them for demension. I added some ribbons and some kraft tags stamped with a sentiment from the set. Of course a button or two...and a jingle bell had to be added. I never tire of them!
Now if you let me ramble a bit... as a stamper...I find I am not a traditionalist. I am not big on coloring to add personality but lean more on stamping my images and either layering them or fussy cutting. I admire others coloring projects but feel for the most part it just isn't for me. I love demension. I love to fuse things together....diecuts, embellishments, along with my stamps. I also sometimes like to double stamp and than use my pattern paper to enhance the stamped image. When I first started I felt a bit intimidated by those that used all stamps on a card etc. I realized that I could start small and work from there. So as you can see on the second project, my card, I used an ornament as my main image. To add detail I relied on the Christmas tidings set. I stamped the border at the bottom and also used the poinsettia image again and cut it out. I nestled it amongst the ribbon and rusty bell. I enhanced the antlers by using the black soot jellie dots which gave the card a pop of color. I added a rubon for my sentiment to complete my look.
So if you are just starting out with your stamp adventure and feel overwhelmed, remember you can always use them for the details in your projects. They do not always need to be the main focal point. Start small and work from there. I think that is what is fun with using stamps...they really are so versatile and show your true style. As always I hope you enjoyed my projects! hugs, cherry




stamps used- christmas Tidings , Pine wreath
paper- cardstock- pti, pattern- graphic 45, Echo park
ink- Pti
kraft tag- maya road
reindeer - my stash
noel rubon- october afternoon
ribbons- Really Reasonable ribbon
buttons- vintage
jingle bells- michaels
spray paint- Walmart (for jingle bells)
diecuts- Spellbinders- circles and scallop circles
adhesive- Scrap happy glue
other embellishment- black soot jellie dots
adhesive- Scrap Happy glue

10 comments:

Ros Crawford said...

Beautiful ... love the stamps and they look so pretty uncoloured ... I'm like you ... I don't colour them either but admire those who can

Rebekah said...

So soothing and beautiful. Love your neutrals.. and your advice about stamping. Some days it is overwhelming and, like many, I don't like colouring either but you make it look effortless..letting the stamps shine on their own. Wonderful:)

Patty O'Malley said...

Love the cream tones and the vintage look it gives.

ileyssilver said...

Thanks so much for the awesome blog post. I never took off with the copics probably because of the expense and time it takes. I started as a stamper. I'm thrilled to death with your list of items used and know how much time that must take to list.Thank you Cherry for sharing so we can learn and grow with you.

Holly Saveur said...

STUNNING love the neutrals!

Gloria Westerman said...

These are beautiful...and I'm with you on the coloring...I love how you combine all these colors...love...love..it...I will be casing these for sure....would make any gift extra special....tfs

TLady said...

VERY PRETTY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I like the neutrals too!!!!!!!!!! :) LOVELY with all your extras on these! :)

Lisa Elton said...

Soft,vintagey and lovely Cherry! What a fun reindeer too.

Joanne Leddy said...

I've been a stamper for nearly 14 years and have gone full circle with my use of stamps. Starting with simple images ... just ink it up and stamp it. Then moving on to two step stamping with layered colors. Of course, there was the few years where I'd color everything ... trying all sorts of methods. Now, I'm back to simple ... just ink it up and stamp it. I couldn't agree with you more - your post today spoke to me ... lately I prefer to spend less time on the stamping and more time on the embellishments. I just love the variety you can achieve with different textures and layers.

Your projects are fabulous!

Joyce said...

This is really pretty. I love the soft color scheme.