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