Friday, July 6, 2007

A mini-stamping getaway

The other day, we went out of town. John still went to work, so i was left to my own devices. For the whole day. Away from the distractions of home. So, thanks to my new cool craft tote, i brought some stamping supplies and had a creativity-filled day. (Well, aside from the couple of errands i had to do.)

Beforehand, i had visions of making piles of cards, like my sideline Kristin can do given a few hours to stamp. That didn't happen. However, i did get some sets mounted and did come up with a few new designs. And i made several copies of some designs. One of the cards i made is downright ugly, so i am not posting it. :) Here are the rest!












These two are the result of forcing myself to get out colors i NEVER use. I used mostly Not Quite Navy and Old Olive for them, and boy did i fall in love with that color combination! Fun. Also, i tried a new (to me) technique on these, called direct to paper. Basically, you swipe your ink pad over the paper. I had left my sponges and stippling brushes at home and didn't bring a good background stamp, so i swiped some Old Olive on the base of these cards to add a little more color.














I made both of these cards with a stamp set and wheel i had not yet used. I had a lot of fun with that set and am pretty happy with how these cards turned out.

And now, for my favorite card of the day:

This was the first one i made with the Olive/Navy combination. The scanner doesn't quite do it justice, but i really love this one. I used another new stamp set, a hostess set called In the Spotlight. You can really do a lot with this set! If i had only thought to bring my circle punch i would have been able to do even more. (I love the fact that so many of the new SU! sets coordinate with various punches, especially because i am way too impatient to cut things out with scissors.)

So for any of you who are thinking about turning a weekend getaway or vacation into a stamping retreat, here is my advice:

1. Get yourself a tote or bag that has lots of pockets for your scissors, markers, stamp sets, ink pads, etc.
2. Don't forget your SU! dimensionals. If you do, you might be forced to use random-brand foam squares, and you will be kicking yourself big time.
3. Likewise, don't forget your bone folder. You'll be stuck folding your cards with *gasp* a popsicle stick, and trust the one who knows, it won't work as well and will drive you crazy all day.
4. Limit yourself to just a few colors of ink pads, but make sure you have the matching paper and coordinating embellishments or you'll be frustrated.
5. Expect your first card of the day to be kinda ugly. Once you get on a roll, they'll get better and better.

Happy Stamping!

6 comments:

Char said...

Hello Melissa! I just LOVE your cards... especially the Heartfelt Thanks ones. Maybe I'm just a sucker for flowers? :o) And for beautiful cards. Yes, I think that's it. They are exquisite! Stun. Ning. :o) Luvvem!

Alison Shiloh Wear said...

sounds like you've been busy! I really like what you did with that birthday wheel. I was thinking of doing something similar for my b-day card workshop that's coming up, but I hadn't decided on a color combo. I may just CASE you now. That direct to paper seem like a super-simple technique, too.

Claire Lawrence said...

very nice!! the cards are varied, simple, attractive, and demonstratable. awesome job! I'd say that was one productive getaway.

Alhambra Club said...

Your color combinations were great, you were busy all these cards are great.

Kristin said...

Well, your sideline, Kristin, isn't always overly productive! She's stuck in a rut right now. But, your cards have given me wonderful inspiration. They're gorgeous!

Alison Shiloh Wear said...

I finally got a jumbo wheel handle, so I've had fun using this wheel. I think I'm going to use it for my Birthday Calendar workshop at the end of the month. Thanks for the inspiration!