I have something really fun to share today! Yesterday, I wanted to challenge myself to keep things simple for a change and limit my use of all the extras like the Big Shot, the framelit dies, the embossing folders, etc. I wanted to get back to basics with a stamp, some ink and some paper.
The set that inspired this challenge is the "Eclectic Expressions" set, a Sale-A-Bration freebie. I think sometimes we get caught up in all the spectacular tools we have available to us and forget about where this papercrafting hobby started... rubber stamping with ink on paper! For my first card, I used the largest "splotch" image with Lemon Lime Twist Ink. I then went back over it with Tranquil Tide dots in each splotch. After that, I added some Pool Party bubbles in all the white spaces.
For this card, I decided on a more geometric look. I took the upright dashes stamp and started in the left lower corner and moved across and up one space to the right, then back to the left, back to the right, etc all the way up the card piece with Chocolate Chip ink. After that, I used the circular dots stamp and Pacific Point to fill in the white spaces. I actually love that this didn't work out perfectly. I didn't measure anything or use a stamping placement guide like a Stamparatus or a Stampamajig. For something like this, "eyeballing" it works just fine! If you're curious about the framing piece on my Happy Birthday, I punched two Pacific Point pieces with the Tailored Tag punch and put them together.
This card is actually the first one I made. I was so happy with it, it inspired me to keep going! I used the watercolor circle stamp and Shimmery White paper. I started with random Peekaboo Peach circles, then Flirty Flamingo, then Sweet Sugarplum. I purposely overlapped my circles here and there to bring out even more shades of color. For my sentiment, I grabbed Fresh Fig because I wanted it to really stand out.
I wanted to make one more Thank you card for my last idea and somehow, I'm not exactly sure, I thought of a flag image. I started in the upper left corner with four Dapper Denim large splotch stamps. I added the dots with Night of Navy. I then used the upright dashes stamp in Cherry Cobbler for my stripes. After that, I went over the stripes with the smaller splotch stamp in Real Red. My stars are a combination of punched out Cherry Cobbler and some random old Paper Pumpkin gold stars.
It's exciting to see where your imagination will take you when you challenge yourself by setting out some parameters like... one stamp set, no tools (other than a couple of punches), keep it simple! I loved trying this and sharing it with you. This is particularly good to remember for that new stamper that is starting out and has a smaller budget. You don't need all the bells and whistles to have fun. All you need is ink, rubber and paper!
If you would like to get your own stamp set Eclectic Expressions, place an order over $50 and you can choose that stamp set as a freebie for the Sale-A-Bration promotion (#147338). This promotion will be ending March 31st so act now!
Back to more creating to ink, rubber and paper!~
Sarah
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