N'tl Stamping Month - From the Heart

September is National Stamping Month. Yep...a whole month just for stamping! And every year Close to My Heart does something to celebrate.  This year, they've released a double stamp set which might be my favorite stamp set ever.  I paired it with the Flower Market Cricut Cartridge to cut the basket for this Card Concept inspired card.

I used a whole host of ink pads (shopping links below), most of which are self-explanatory. I did, however, want to mention that, for the yellow flowers, I stamped the final layer in White Daisy to give the petals that subtle texture. Because this is a pigment ink, give it plenty of time to dry before handling the flowers for cutting. I waited about ten or fifteen minutes.

The laundry basket is a Flower Market Cricut cartridge cut. In the original, the blanket inside the basket doesn't quite fill the bottom. To make it do so, I ungrouped the image, stretched the blanket a bit, then cut. Both layers were cut using the lighter side of Toffee paper. I stamped using the stripe background that comes with Flower Market vertically and horizontally in Toffee ink then added some more sponging to the edges for a little more dimension. I left my cut on the mat while I stamped and sponged to give this delicate cut a little more stability while sponging the edges.

In order to get my background flowers placed as I wanted, I laid down my basket and flowers without gluing and then snapped a picture using my phone so I could have it for future reference. Without moving the basket or flowers, I stamped just the petals of the background trio of red flowers. Then I removed the basket and flowers and filled in with the rest of the background images.

The background panes were cut using a retired MFT Blueprint die set (#20). Once all the layers were assembled, I embellished with pearls and a twine bow. No sentiment on the front as I need some generic cards.

As I write this, Hurricane Irma is approaching Florida. Her path shifted taking us out of the direct line, but we are still expecting heavy wind, rain, and possible flooding from her outer rim. CTMH has created a special stamp set to aid the many victims of this summer's multiple, devastating disasters. All proceeds will go to The Red Cross as they assist fire victims in the west and Hurricane victims all along the Gulf Coast.  I love the sayings in this set as they apply to all kinds of tough situations. (Shopping link below)

And don't forget the September Stamp of the Month, another wonderful set which is only $5 with a $50 order or $17.95 regular price. There's a link on the sidebar to order this stamp set, and I've included it in the shopping links below.

In writing news, I am almost done with my final deadline for the year. I really need to finish in the next day or two in case Irma knocks out our power for days. I've never been in the path of a hurricane before, and I gotta say...not liking this much. At ALL.

Until next time,
Becca



Shopping Links:

• From the Heart stamp set (stamps only)
• From the Heart stamps and interactive card bases
• Canary Ink
• Saffron Ink
• White Daisy Ink
• Poppy Ink
• Ruby Ink
• Fern Ink
• New England Ivy Ink
• Toffee Ink
• Canary cardstock
• White Daisy cardstock
• Toffee cardstock
• Flower Market Cricut bundle (digital only - available for use with Cricut Explore™, Cricut Explore Air™, and Cricut Explore Air™ 2)
• Flower Market Cricut bundle (physical cartridge and booklet)
• Micro-tip scissors
• Glue pen
• Sponge Daubers
• White Pearls
• White twine
• Stronger Together (disaster relief) stamp set