In this post I'm hoping to illustrate how one can start off with very few products (as most of us do) and gradually build up a creative stash. Exact choices, of course, are very personal but one tip I can provide is to think about versatility when choosing a stamp set, papers etc I always ask myself, "what else will this go with? Can I use it for multiple occasions?"
All the photos in this post are of the same card, increasingly stepped up. We start here with most basic version.
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| Version 1: a simple card using the Tea Room Memories & More Card pack and Tea Room Cardstock Pack |
I took an A4 sheet of Coastal Cabana cardstock, cut it to 8.75" x 6 3/8" and folded it in half.
I then cut a piece of Calypso Coral cardstock to 4 3/8" x 6 3/8" and stuck it to the card.
The next layer (the stripey one) is one of the Tea Room cards which I trimmed to 4.25" x 6.25" and adhered to the card front.
The "You are Lovely" card from the Tea Room pack measures 4" x 3" and I stuck it to a piece of Coastal Cabana cardstock trimmed to 4.25" x 3.25". I stuck this piece straight onto the card front but, if you have them in your stash, you could adhere it with some Stampin' Dimensionals to give a bit of depth to the card.
At this point, the card could be finished! However, it can also be stepped up with the addition of some Coastal Cabana ink (see the next image, Version 2, below). Ink pads can be purchased individually or in Collections (there are four collections of 10 colours and two In-Colour collections with 5 colours each) Coastal Cabana is part of the Brights Collection. One of the great joys of Stampin' Up! is the way all the colours coordinate and match perfectly: cardstock, patterned paper, ribbons, embellishments etc
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| Version 2: The Tea Room Memories & More card, stepped up with the addition of some Coastal Cabana ink |
TIP: Water is the enemy of your ink pad - never be tempted to dab your wet brush directly onto the ink pad.
This stepped up version of the card is now finished. So let's look at the next step up in Version 3 below.
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| Version 3: The same Tea Room Memories & More card with the addition of die cut flowers using the Serene Garden Bundle |
If you don't have a Stamparatus: stamp the flower image onto Pool Party cardstock with Coastal Cabana ink, carefully line up the coordinating die around it and run through the Big Shot to cut. You'll need three of these.
If you do have the Stamparatus: cut the shapes first and then follow the method outlined here for perfect alignment of image and die-cut. (You might also want to see this video for some more Stamparatus tips.)
Then simply adhere these flowers to the card front either with the Tear & Tape adhesive, some liquid glue or if you'd like to get a bit trickier - add liquid glue to the stem end and a dimensional at the other end to lift the tip of the flower. I used liquid glue.
So on to Version 4 for the next step up (see image below)
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| Version 4: Tea Room Memories & More card pack, Serene Garden Bundle and some Coastal Cabana ink |
In this penultimate version, I used the same method as before to add shades of Coastal Cabana ink to the die-cut flowers. The coloured cardstock is much more susceptible to water though, so care must be taken to use a damp rather than wet brush. TIP: Try using light brush strokes in just one direction to avoid pilling or damaging the cardstock.
OK - that leads us to the last version (Version 5 - see below). I simply added some self-adhesive pearls from the Share What You Love Artisan Pearls pack.
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| Version 5: Share What You Love Artisan Pearls finish the Tea Room Memories & More card |
Most of us don't have the luxury of buying everything at once when we start a new craft or hobby (however much we'd like to!) and I hope this post has helped to show that it's not necessary anyway. Just start with some basics and see where it leads you!
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask - I'm always happy to help if I can.
Thank you for visiting.
'Til next time, have fun crafting!
Stephanie
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