Hello everyone. I am so happy to be guesting here on Dana’s blog. If my calculations are correct, Dana and I should be coloring together today for The Coloring Challenge Roadtrip hosted by The Daily Marker and MFT Stamps. While she and I color to our hearts’ content, I’m going to show you how I made this adorable card using Waffle Flower stamps Winter Hamsters stamp set and coordinating dies. A little bit about myself, I’ve been crafting since birth but I discovered stamping when I was pregnant with my first son over 15 years ago. I fell in love and have been card making ever since. Since then my joy for paper crafting has grown. My hilarious husband Tim and I also own a family business.

This stamp set was designed differently than most other stamp sets that I’ve seen. The small individual stamps are clustered together to create one stamp and the coordinating die is created the same way. One die cuts out multiple stamped images. I just love how it’s designed and I’ve been interested to play with it and see how I like it. So far, it’s fantastic. The small stamps that you normally get frustrated with are together making it easier to stamp and cut out. 

For this card, I started with a piece of  Neenah 110 lb. cardstock cut to 3 1/2 by 4 3/4. This is my favorite size panel to use on an A2 size card. I masked off a square at the top of the panel that matches the size of the square frame I intended to use on my card. I cut the Scalloped Frame by Pretty Pink Posh out of the same heavy weight white cardstock as I used on the panel. Having the frame die cut helped my make sure I was masking off the right size square. 

I used my Nuvo Blender brush to blend on one of my favorite ink colors to use of all time, versa magic Aspen Mist. I love this color. I concentrated the majority of the color on the outside leaving a brighter inside of the square. To enhance the background even more I stamped the “fa la la la” also from Waffle Flower’s Winter Hamsters stamp set. I stamped it in the same pale blue Aspen Mist ink to leave a subtle tone on tone effect. I made sure to stamp it in a wonky fashion. Hopefully it feels as wonky as the voices that I hear coming from these hamsters. 

I then loaded my background into my Mini MISTI and grabbed the “warmest wishes!” Stamp also from the Winter Hamsters set. This time I stamped it justified to the lower center of the card under the box of blue background that  I just created. I stamped it using Versafine Clair Nocturne ink. 

With the background done, I adhered the thin frame using very thin cuts of clear foam adhesive from Ranger.

I stamped all of my images used on this card with my Simon Says Stamp Intense Black ink and colored them with my Copic markers. I like to make these Copic Color Maps that list all of the colors that I used on a project. I pin them to a Pinterest board and it helps me keep track of different color combinations that I use as well as share them with all of you. 

I used the unique coordinating dies to cut them out. Cutting out all of the tiny music notes was so easy with these new dies. I added the images to the card using clear foam adhesive from Ranger. The entire cards panel was placed onto a Simon Says Stamp Fog card base cut to size A2 and scored in a top folding portrait orientation. 

I hope that I’ve inspired you to create something handmade today. Thank you Dana for allowing my to guest design on your blog and most of all for your friendship that I will cherish forever. Now let’s go have drinks! 

Koren