July Stamper's Group Projects

As I mentioned in this post, one focus in our demo magazine was 3D cards. So for our stamper's group this month I decided to try out another type of 3D card - a shadow box card. The idea behind this card is simple, create a shadow box with cardstock and place your scene inside, message on the outside. The trick is to make your scene 3D as well, using dimensionals, etc., to give the shadow box elements depth. I also wanted to showcase the new In Colors so our shadow box was made of Rich Razzleberry, Soft Suede and Melon Mambo textured cardstock.

The great thing about this shadow box is that it fits into a standard A2 card envelope! It is constructed with two pieces of 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" cardstock, each scored at 1/2" and 1" on both ends (cardstock in landscape orientation). The front and back pieces of the cardstock are adhered together using Sticky Strip - just to make sure that the shadow box stays together if it's manipulated a lot by admirers - which it most certainly will! :)

The card recipe for this Forest Friends shadow box card is:

Stamp Sets: Forest Friends, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Cardstock:Soft Suede Textured, Rich Razzleberry Textured, Melon Mambo Textured, Melon Mambo, Whisper White
Ink: Soft Suede, Crushed Curry, Basic Grey, Old Olive
Accessories: 1 3/4" Circle Punch, 1 3/8" Circle Punch, Wide Oval Punch, Modern Label Punch, Slit Punch, Crushed Curry 1/2" Grosgrain Ribbon, Soft Subtles Buttons (retired), Vintage Brads, Linen Thread, Paper Piercing Tool, Mat Pack, Stampin Dimensionals, Sticky Strip

Our second card involved lots of brayering and two resist techniques: wax resist and emboss resist. We used the new Animal Stories stamp set and made a jungle-themed birthday card. I especially love the look of wax resist, which involves taking crumpled wax paper and ironing it on glossy cardstock (make sure to use a cloth between your iron and the wax paper so that you don't ruin your iron!). Then brayer over the cardstock with a dark color - we used Chocolate Chip - and wipe off excess ink with a tissue or paper towel. The ink will only adhere to the areas where there is no wax creating a safari looking effect.

For emboss resist, the image is embossed in white on Whisper White cardstock. Then ink is brayered over the cardstock and the embossed image 'resists' being ink, causing it to stand out from a colored background. Much more so than if it was simply embossed on coloured cardstock. We used Crushed Curry only, but you can use more than one color to create neat color gradient effects. The ink doesn't adhere to the embossed image and causes it to pop out. On this image we also sponged chocolate chip around the edges to help the giraffe stand out.

The card recipe for this emboss resist card is:

Stamp Sets: Animal Stories, Family Phrases
Cardstock: Chocolate Chip, Crushed Curry, Dusty Durango, Whisper White, Glossy White
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Crushed Curry, VersaMark
Accessories: Scallop Oval Punch, Wide Oval Punch, Sponge Daubers, Heat Tool, White Stampin' Emboss Powder, Brayer, 1" Double Stitched Chocolate Chip Ribbon, Wax Paper, Iron

Enjoy and keep letting stamps bring out your creativity!