Simple Stamping With Floral Essence

Hi there Craftin' Friends.

Today I want to show you that making a beautiful homemade card does not have to take a lot of time and materials. The cards I'm sharing today were made using stamps, ink, and paper. No die cutting machine. No embossing folders. No ribbons or fancy gems. But they're very pretty and you can be proud to send them.

The first card I have to share includes a sentiment stamped directly onto the card front. Then the flower images and leaves were stamped from the bottom right corner leading out to the upper right and lower left corners using Balmy Blue and Soft Sea Foam ink. Don't overthink this. Turn your stamp into different positions to make the design look random. If you're unsure, try it on a piece of scrap paper cut to size, then repeat it on your card front. This is a fun way to create a unique card every time. This card uses Balmy Blue and Whisper White cardstock, but it would work on Soft Sea Foam cardstock, if you preferred. To dress up this card, you could add some adhesive backed Pearls or Sequins, or you could tie a ribbon from top to bottom along the left hand side and glue it under the card front panel. But again, the card works as it is. Quick. Easy. Ready in minutes.

The second card to tell you about used the most materials, because I used four ink pads - Petal Pink, Balmy Blue, So Saffron, and Soft Sea Foam. I also used Soft Sea Foam and Whisper White cardstock, plus the Floral Essence Stamp Set. You could absolutely dress this card up with some of the Perennial Essence Floral Centers, some flowers made using the Perennial Flower Punch, or some Rhinestones, but it works as it is without all the extras. Tip of the day, when you stamp a sentiment on a paper strip (I use my scraps), you can create a little dimension by using your bone folder or even a pencil, to curl the strip, then attach with glue dots, keeping the "curl" in the paper. You will also notice that I cut a notch in the end of the strip to add interest. To do this, I recommend cutting from the end of the strip in the middle making the cut as deep as you want the notch to be, then cut from the corners on a diagonal towards the end of the initial center cut.

The final card I have to share with you today is very simple, and is my favourite of the bunch. For this card, I started stamping in the bottom right corner, then just moved out from there, randomly stamping images of flowers and leaves. A little tip here, you will notice that there are three of the largest flowers. Generally, things in odd numbers look better on cards. I didn't worry about it overall, but I knew I wanted three of the largest flower to help with the appeal of the design. As you can see, I used leaves to "fill in the gaps" in my stamping. The sentiment strip was done the same way as for the first card. This card could be dressed up with some twine or ribbon tied in a bow and attached to the sentiment strip, or you could add Rhinestones or Pearls. Both are available in my store.

If you're interested in some simple stamping, picking a stamp set with both sentiments and images is a good place to start. Stampin' Up has some terrific options. I would love to help you select one that will work for you.  Pick a couple colours of ink that you love, add a colour of cardstock (or a mixed pack with multiple colours) and some Whisper White cardstock, and you're ready to go.

I hope this gives you the courage to try stamping your own cards. It's a rewarding hobby, and I find the personal touch of a handmade card is always appreciated. Warning though, occasionally you love them too much to give them away! Please contact me through my Stampin' Up Web Store, or through Craftin' Granny's Facebook Page, if I can help you get started.

In addition to the blog, I also share videos on Facebook each Thursday evening at 7pm. Why don't you join me for some more stamping fun? Or if you're local, pop in for a card class. We're always looking for some new stamping friends. You can find events listed on my my Facebook page.

Happy Stamping Friends!
Craftin' Granny