How's your summer going? Getting outside to enjoy your surroundings? Taking in all that nature has to offer? We are! Summer's are short in Montana so you have to pack a lot into a small window. One of our favorite activities is camping! I didn't grow up camping but am so glad I married into it. It's taken various forms over 40 years but I still enjoy it just as much if not more, the older I get.
I'm not sure I even knew there was a field of study called "Campology" but there must be since Stampin'Up! created a stamp set to celebrate it! I had this set on my "must have" list right at the top. Since I got it, it has been a challenge to design with for one big reason - the scale of the images are different from each other. That does weird tricks with your eyes so you have to figure out a clever way to work around things that are smaller than they should be compared to other things that are bigger. For instance, the tent in this stamp set is one of the smallest images and the lantern is one of the biggest. If you camp at all, you know that makes no sense. So, the challenge becomes how to design a project where the scale is compatible given what you are working with. I enjoyed the challenge and came up with a few ideas:
This card uses many of the "Campology" stamps as well as the "Mountain Air" mountains in the background. I purposely offset the coffee pot and cup in a circle "window" so it's featured front and center but doesn't need to be the same scale as the rest of the card images. This card was pretty good after all my stamping but really sparked when I hand drew in the trail with a Stampin'Write marker. To get extra depth in the mountains, do a technique I call "shadow stamping". That involves inking up your stamp once, really well, then stamp, lift up, move slightly up or down and to the right or left and stamp again, WITHOUT reinking the stamp. The second image will create a shadow of the first one and give you some depth.
This was actually the first card I made and I used the same window circle idea for the coffee pot and cup but in this example, I used my Stampin' Blends markers to color the tent and coffee pot. The subtle background grid stamp comes from the "Comfort and Hope" set. After I was all done stamping, I embossed the entire piece in the 3D Tasteful Textile embossing folder. I love adding that slight bit of texture to my work but it needs to be done after your stamping is complete, otherwise it is too bumpy to stamp on!
Finally I decided to try a slimline card. The measurements of the card base are 8-1/2" x 7" with a score line at 3-1/2". These are fun to make as it is a different sized background to try and design on. I knew I needed a "trail" so I used a stamp from the "Playing with Patterns set! I love Pear Pizzaz with our new In Color Cinnamon Cider!
I want to spend some more time with this set just like I want to spend some more time camping before summer wraps up. It's fun to challenge yourself and figure out a solution when you realize that of course the binoculars are not as big as the trees in real life! I try not to get frustrated and instead look at it as an opportunity to push myself and learn something which is always good!
I've listed my supplies below and hope you'll put this fun stamp set on your wish list. We are overwhelmed with new products right now with the Annual Catalog and the Aug-Dec Mini catalog coming out! I have a pretty big stack of new products that I haven't touched so that's my goal the rest of August... create, stamp, dream, and repeat. What a fun way to spend at least part of my life!
If you have questions, need help with an order or want to purchase Stampin'Up! product, I'd be honored to be your demonstrator (if you live in the United States). Contact me and we'll get you going on your next favorite past time!
Happy Stampin'!
Sarah
Love your Campology cards! I used to love to camping also! My brother is in a group that finds different places to camp every summer. So I had to have this stamp set also! Ty for sharing :)
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