I procured a fabulous addition to my stamp collection recently. I was drawn to the pretty, light, floral arrangement, but don’t be fooled by it’s delicate nature. I was able to make a bright and bold design with this lil guy in addition to subtle “girly” ones.
I started experimenting with white ink on a luscious black card stock I had saved from a vinyl record cover project last year. I had sliced and diced the card stock into 4″x 6″ note cards as well as 9″x 6″ pieces to fold into sleeves for the cards.
Yes, I’ve held on to scrap paper for an entire year (and I’m sure there are older scraps tucked away in my craft room). I’m an overly attached paper hoarder, keeping gorgeous paper much longer than I should. …Gotta find a project worthy of it’s beauty, amiright? Slowly but surely I’m overcoming my addiction and actually using “the good paper”. Whether I’ll be able to let go of the final product is a story for another day.
Anywho, while mindlessly stamping, I came to realize that a space to write in regular black pen would be a nice addition (white colored pencils aren’t always at arms reach). I glued white card stock to the back of the note card (also stamped with the flower arrangement in India ink) and added a a touch of gold paint on the baby’s breath.
The final product turned out nicely. I imagine the envelope could be written on with chalk or metallic sharpie for more permanence and could be sealed with brightly colored washi tape. (or do whatever your heart desires. Be creative!)
In contrast, the next experiment was a very colorful watercolor base with stamped overlay. Easy peezy lemon squeezy with a surprisingly nice outcome. On pre-cut white Congratulations cards I had recently printed (another upcycle), I used the stamp as a guide to place a watercolor base. You could eyeball this, or stamp a sample and use that as a template for applying watercolor (Eyeballing is for professionals, I use the template -it’s much easier). Once the watercolor has fully dried, stamp with black India ink and fold in half to complete the card.
While the first experiment was full of joyful monotony, the second experiment provided a unique piece every time. Structured and exact vs. inconsistent and asymmetrical. Both beautiful in their own ways. Success.
KARA | KYLE 