Something New

Do you ever get in a rut and find that you are using the same stamp sets over and over again? This leaves some of my stamp sets feeling very neglected.  If you are anything like me, you probably have several stamp sets that have never even seen ink!  I've been trying lately to use a variety of stamp sets, so I turned to one that I had never used before, World Treasures.  I found two stamping challenges that worked perfectly for this card, colourQ and Freshly Made Sketches. 

 

 

I thought the colors would look perfect on a peacock.  I don't have too many detailed stamps like this one that require a lot of direct-to-stamp coloring, so I had fun with this one.  The whole time I was coloring I was praying that the colors didn't bleed into each other.  It took quite a while to color and I didn't want to start over! :)

 

 

I decided to pull out my Top Note die for this one.  I used to use that die so much before Stampin' Up! introduced the framelits.  The nice thing about it though is that it is a Bigz die, so you can cut thicker materials like chipboard or foam.  I still love the shape of it and it fit the peacock perfectly.  One little touch that you can't really see in the picture is the mat behind the "enjoy."  At first I didn't put a sentiment on the card,  because I wasn't really sure where to put it without ruining my card!  I asked Brett and he said it needed one. :)  I decided to use a word from Fabulous Phrases since they are so small and I punched it out with a 3/4" Circle Punch.  I matted it with one of the new Naturals Designer Buttons to give it a little frame.  It looks so cute in person and adds a lot of dimension. 

 

Stamp Sets: Fabulous Phrases, World Treasures

Cardstock: Calypso Coral,  Early Espresso Core'dinations, Pool Party, Very Vanilla

Ink: Calypso Coral, Early Espresso, Pool Party, So Saffron

Tools: Scallop Trim Border Punch, 3/4" Circle Punch, Fancy Fan Embossing Folder, Argyle Embossing Folder, Top Note Bigz Die, Sanding Block

Accessories: Victoria Crochet Trim, Naturals Designer Buttons, Dimensionals