April 2010 Stamper's Group Projects

Last month I decided to focus on mosaic type cards. We did a quilting technique - GREAT for using left over DSPs - and the Brick Wall Technique. Both are fairly simple to do but leave a lasting impression on the receiver of your beautiful card!

The DSP quilting simply involves punching out numerous squares of coordinating DSP using any size square punch. I used the 1-3/8" Square Punch for my card and Razzleberry Lemonade DSP. Then organize and adhere in whatever fashion you like to your card. You can do a accent strip or a full background. Or for added punch you can adhere to cardstock and run through your Big Shot using a die such as the Top Note, Scallop Circle or in my case, the Scallop Square die. I love this die because it's clear so you can see where you're positioning your card stock. And it's so versatile! It's 4-3/8" x 4-3/8" so I made this card 5-1/4" x 5-1/4" so that it fits. But you can cut it in half, 3/4 or whatever dimension you like to use on a standard sized 5-1/2" x 4-1/4" card. The scallops add a beautiful accent to any card quickly and easily. And because this die is a Bigz die, it will cut through various materials including chipboard, metal, wood and fabric!

For this card, we also used the Stained Glass Technique to add the flower to the card without taking away from our beautiful DSP background. We didn't emboss the flower, just stamped in Basic Black Ink. But it worked very well regardless! I love the way this card turned out and will be giving it to my Mom and Mother-in-Law for Mother's Day :) Stampin' Up! materials used on this card include
*Stamp sets: Asian Artistry (Hostess Level II set) and Teeny Tiny Wishes, Awash with Flowers
*Card stock: Bermuda Bay, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White, Vellum Card Stock, Razzleberry Lemonade DSP
*Ink: Basic Black Ink, Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, Rich Razzleberry, Crushed Curry and Melon Mambo Stampin' Write Markers
*Accessories: Big Shot, Scallop Square Die, Stampin' Dimensionals, 1-3/8" Square Punch, Paper Piercer, Mat Pack, Soft Subtles Brads, Scallop Oval Punch, Wide Oval Punch

Our second card used the Brick Wall technique. I altered it a bit by stamping directly on Whisper White card stock, not patterned paper. We also drew the grid on the back of the card as I didn't want to see it on the front. We stamped using the beautiful 2010-2011 IB&C Sneak Peak stamp set, Awash with Flowers! It's a gorgeous 2-step stamp set that will surely be a hot seller from the new cattie. A little tip - when you cut apart your card front make sure to keep it organized on a dark piece of card stock or mat so that you don't have a crazy puzzle to deal with later ;) And don't worry if you don't cut your card apart perfectly straight - I didn't and I think it still looks pretty good ;) Lastly, the bricks on my card are 1" x 0.5". So I had to make sure that my 'brick wall' measurements prior to cutting were a multiple of 0.5" (in this case 4" x 3.5"). Make sure you do the same or it won't look right when you draw your bricks. The Stampin' Up! products we used for this card include:
*Stamp set: Awash With Flowers
*Card stock: Bordering Blue, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White
*Ink: Chocolate Chip, So Saffron, Pretty in Pink, Bashful Blue, Old Olive, Old Olive Stampin' Write
*Accessories: Stamp-a-ma-jig, Eyelet Border Punch, Bashful Blue 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon

These stamper's groups are so much fun and you get to learn so many new techniques! I'll be starting new groups in August and/or September. Be sure to let me know if you'd like join one. You can contact me anytime at stampingmonica@gmail.com! Hope to see you at a group, class or workshop soon and keep letting stamps bring out your creativity!