Seasonal Expressions 2 New Product Blog Hop

Welcome to my part of the Seasonal Expressions 2 New Product Blog Hop. The stop right before me is Barbara Kell's blog. After I've shown you my projects, I'll give you the next stop. The entire hop is a circle, so just keep going from wherever you started until you get back there. If you get lost along the way, head over to Melinda Everitt's blog for a complete list.

I wanted to feature one stamp set, Timeless Textures.

Here's a picture of the set. It doesn't seem all that appealing, but the possibilities are endless. I've created several different cards highlighting some of the ways I immediately saw how to put this set to work.

The first two cards are fairly straightforward backgrounds.

A good rule of thumb when creating a background like this is to stamp the largest or most heavily concentrated images in the lightest colors. I used Canary, Mint, Glacier, and Sapphire inks on this card, then used the matching Mint Shimmer Pen to highlight the sentiment, which comes from the Stamp of the Month: To My Bestie, on the top panel.

What I really like about this card is that it has a masculine feel to it. I don't know about you, but I'm always looking for ways to make cards for men. This works!

Here I used Linen ink to create a vintage frame effect plus the same dotted stripe image I stamped in Sapphire on the first card. On this card, I stamped it in Peach to highlight the sentiment.  My ink colors here are Linen, Heather, Espresso, Peach, and Sweet Leaf. I added shading using Watercolor Pencils. To make the watering can have the slightly textured look to it, I inked the stamp then swiped the ink in a diagonal direction. I then inked again, swiped in the opposite direction and stamped a second time to create a sort of cross-hatch look. Once the ink settled into the paper, it gave me that spotted look.

I finished off the card with White and Gold Ribbon and then, because I needed to add more gold to complement the ribbon, I added Loose Gold Sequins using Liquid Glass. TIP: I squirt a puddle of Liquid Glass onto my Craft Mat, pick up the sequins with my Tweezers, dip the back of the sequins into the puddle, and then press it into the card. I then immediately add a small dot of Liquid Glass over the top of the sequins. By having Liquid Glass both under and on top of the sequins, they will stay on the card better during mailing.

I used the same background stamp to create this rainbow. I turned the image 180 degrees each time to create the illusion of variation. To keep the background soft, I inked the stamp, stamped off on a scratch piece of paper, then stamped the second-generation onto my panel. The colors here are Candy Apple, Nectarine, Lemon, Willow, Carolina, and Thistle. The flower was cut using the Flower Market Cricut Cartridge, although I trimmed off the bottom of the stem to make it fit.

All three of the above cards make use of the Stitched Rectangle Frame Thin Cuts. I almost didn't purchase them because I had some similar dies, but I really love the double cuts you get with these. For example, the top card and the rainbow background card use the same die cut. One creates the full panel, the other creates a frame. The outline panel on the watering can card was leftover from this card. I have a pile of leftover cuts on my desk and pull them out as needed.

Here I used the large, loose dot image to color this adorable hippo which is a Hostess Rewards set. I. LOVE. THIS. HIPPO!

I started by creating an inverse mask. Sorry for the blurry picture, but it gives you the idea well enough. Notice that I kept the teeth covered with the mask. I stamped with Linen ink at the top, added Mink starting about one-third of the way down, then added Heather on the bottom half. I then went crazy with more Linen over the entire image until I was happy with the coverage.

I added color to the ears, cheeks (or are those nostrils?), and toes with a colored pen, then cut it out with Micro-tip Scissors. I made a small slit just under the chin to add the bowtie, which was stamped in Raspberry for the center.

The balloon is the Circle Shaker Thin Cut with a triangle cut from the same Background and Texture paper (from Craft On).  I filled it with Crafty Loose Sequins plus stars cut from the same paper as the frame and topped it with a Raspberry Twine bow (see the "Going Soon" page) adhered with Liquid Glass. I glued all of the images to a 5.5 x 3.75 panel backed with 3-D Foam Tape. I added Hello Pumkin Washi Tape to the card base before adding my panel. Because the Hippo also has 3-D Foam Tape behind him, I added one small extra piece under where he hangs off the edge of the top panel.

I hope I've inspired you with some of the various uses for Timeless Textures. I'll be featuring it more, so please come back and visit me in the future. Now you're off to see the fabulous-ness on Melissa Robinson's blog.

Until next time,
Becca