Here we are in mid August and normally we would all be anticipating that "back to school" routine that we have done for years. It's "back to school" alright but everything feels different this year. There is so much uncertainty and tentativeness to our days. In our county alone, several different school districts have made different decisions about how to proceed forward and who knows what the best ideas are. It's so confusing, isn't it? I've been vicariously stressed a bit because I have kids that are teachers and in listening to them, it's overwhelming! We definitely need some encouragement and motivation to do the best we can each day and carry on.
The stamp set I want to share today is called "Press On" and while I'm considering it in the context of hanging in there, no matter the circumstances, it actually is a stamp set with a coffee theme! The double meaning of "pressing on" works for me! I passed by this set in the new Aug-Dec Mini Catalog at first (pg 68) because I was too zeroed in on the holiday themes. Also, I am not a coffee drinker but I am related to several! After seeing some ideas on Pinterest and looking at it more closely, I decided I really liked it and wanted to add it to my stamping stash. I played with it the other day and have some ideas to share with you!
Stamp sets like this are so fun because you can go in any direction with color scheme, theme, embellishments or tools used. The embossed background on this first card was a leftover from a recent video I made on the new Stampin' Cut and Emboss machine (Go here! ). I have a hard time throwing away scraps and this one worked perfectly! I combined it with some colorful Ornate Garden Designer Series Paper. You'll notice my stamped piece has a layer of Early Espresso card stock peaking out on 3 sides. This was another scrap and although it wasn't big enough to cover the entire area, I liked the 3 sided look which I've definitely never done before. I used my Stampin' Blend alcohol markers to color the beans and coffee cup.
My second idea was to use a piece of the Plaid Designer Series Paper, also available in the Aug-Dec Mini catalog. This is an autumn color palette (Pretty Peacock, Cajun Craze and Crushed Curry) but not in an obvious way - no pumpkins in sight! I also repurposed some Pretty Peacock ribbon by cutting it up the middle and making it more narrow. It frayed a little but I just snipped off the extra threads.
My last card is either Christmas, Valentine's Day or just because I love the color red! I grabbed some "Poinsettia Place" Designer Series Paper and added some die cut hearts using the "Stitched Be Mine" heart dies. I thought this was a cute sentiment too - again, double meanings!
I hope you'll give this stamp set a second look, especially if coffee is part of the way you "Press On" in light of all the circumstances we are navigating. Maybe I will take up coffee drinking!
Thanks for taking a peek at what I'm up to! My supplies are below as always. If you've never shopped in our online store, it's very easy to set up a customer profile and shop or even shop as a guest. You do need to select a demonstrator to order anything from Stampin'Up! and if you live in the United States, I hope you will pick me if you don't already have one. I offer great customer service and am readily available for questions or help with your stamping experience.
Happy Stampin'!
Sarah
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