Two More "Stretch Your Stamps 2" Cards

I have been enjoying Online Card Classes' "Stretch Your Stamps 2" class. I've learned a lot, and have enjoyed creating cards inspired by the different instructors' examples! These are 2 more.

My graphic "hello" card was inspired by a set that Kelly Rasmussen did for Day 8 of class. For the top border, I used one of the stamps from Avery Elle's "Rounded Diamonds" set to stamp a row of diamonds in Adirondack's "Clover" pigment ink on a piece of white cardstock. Then, in the spaces above and below, I stamped the same motif in Hero Arts' Navy mid-tone shadow ink. I adhered that strip to the top of an A2-size card base.

I die cut the greeting using this die from Simon Says Stamp out of another piece of white cardstock. I made sure to keep all the inner pieces of the letters, since I was using the "negative" of the die cut and would need them to fill in the letters. For the layer behind the die cut word, I blended Chipped Sapphire Distress ink (which is close in color to the Hero Arts Navy) on another scrap of white cardstock. Then I adhered that to my card base, below the border. I applied LOTS of foam adhesive to the back of the die cut panel, and then mounted it on the card base over the Chipped Sapphire piece. Finally, I glued the inner parts of the letters to the background to complete the word.

I based my second card on a one-layer design by Laura Bassen, again focusing on graphic stamps. This time, I used a tear-drop-shaped stamp from that same Avery Elle set. I marked the center of my card base with a light pencil dot. Then I stamped the tear-drop in rainbow order around that point, using Memento dye inks in Rose Bud, Lady Bug, Tangelo, Dandelion, Bamboo Leaves, Summer Sky, Danube Blue, & Grape Jelly. I repeated this process in the corners.

Detail of sparkly embossing on "you"

For the greeting, I cut the "you" from black cardstock using this Simon Says Stamp die. I coated it in Versamark, then heat embossed it with Stampendous "Marcasite" embossing powder, to give it dimension and sparkle. I finished the greeting with one of the stamps from this set.

I felt the card still needed a little something, so I added a drop of Stardust Stickles to the center of each of the stamped areas. I will be sending this card to Send a Smile 4 Kids, hopefully to brighten the day of a hospitalized child.