Back to Basics - Stamps, Ink & Paper

To be honest, I love using just stamps, inks and papers on most of my cards (and scrapbook layouts). I will sometimes use a few small embellishments to add a little pop, and I often use punches or the Big Shot to add some interest, but if you look at most of my cards, they are mostly created with these basic supplies.

Shelli's Challenge this month is to go back to basics, and create using these essentials, so I tried to go without using even punches or the Big Shot and came up with these cards.

This card uses a new set from the upcoming Holiday Mini (available next week)! It's called Gifts of the Earth, and it's a beautiful set for Watercolouring. I added some visual interest by tearing and distressing the edges of the cardstock layers.

supplies (all SU!): Stamps (Gifts of the Earth); Inks (StazOn Jet Black, Soft Suede, Bashful Blue, Pumpkin Pie, Dusty Durango, Crushed Curry, Sahara Sand, , Old Olive); Cardstock (Soft Suede, Dusty Durango, Old Olive, Watercolour Paper); Aqua Painter

This card uses Masking and Reverse Masking to add some interest to the focal image. First I stamped the flower image from Le Jardin Botanique with Rich Razzleberry ink on Very Vanilla cardstock. Then I stamped it again on a post-it note and cut it out. I placed the mask over the stamped flower. I used a post-it note and a craft knife to create a rectangle reverse mask to frame the flower. I sponged inside the rectangle with Old Olive ink. I then used the quote stamp from the stamp set and Soft Suede ink (stamped off on scratch paper) to stamp over the sponging. I removed my masks, distressed and inked the edges of my focal image and set it aside.

One thing I love about Stampin' Up! cardstock is that you can crumple it up and roll it around to break up some of the fibers, then peel it apart. You get two pieces of distressed, suede-like cardstock. I did this with some Rich Razzleberry cardstock, then rubbed the inkpad over top to catch the wrinkles and add more interest. This was layered over Kraft cardstock stamped with the leaf image from Le Jardin Botanique. I stamped the oval piece with Old Olive ink on Old Olive cardstock, and hand-cut around it. It was mounted over the focal image with Stampin' Dimensionals.

I hope I've shown that limiting yourself to stamps, inks and paper doesn't mean your cards will be boring!