Are your stamps up for a little exercise today?  I hope so…because we’re going to show some fun ways to stretch them!  The Web Artists are here and they have some great out-of-the-box heart stamping ideas to share, plus a video! Let’s get started!

First, check out this adorable “good luck” card from Laura Griffin…so clever! Laura says, “Hearts are not just for Valentine’s Day anymore! You can use these versatile images to create entirely new shapes…even shamrocks! I designed this ‘good luck’ card for a co-worker who will be leaving our office soon. Technically, I think four-leaf clovers are the lucky kind, but who’s really counting?!  For variations, swap out the sentiment with a Happy St. Pattie’s Day one, or perhaps substitute a flower for the shamrock.”

What a great “stretch”!  Now, check out this video to learn how to make Laura’s card from start to finish. She also provides tips on creating dimension, using Distress Inks, and heat embossing…and shares where you can find some great vintage text paper like the kind used here.

Supplies:

• Four Stylish Owls
• Clear Design: So Sweet
• Chocolate & Garden Notecards
• Fresh Green VersaColor Ink Cube
• Chocolates & Blueberries Chalk Ink Queue
• White Embossing Powder
• VersaMark Inkpad
• Tim Holtz Distress Ink Old Paper
• Other: gingham ribbon, old book, word window punch (McGill)

Laura’s Tip: Trim around the wings of your owl with a craft knife to tuck something inside for it to hold.

Next, Jacki Jones has created a beautiful layered flower by using a heart from the So Sweet set. She even turned the heart and used the pointed end for leaves!  Jacki shares, ““We are in Atlanta and it’s been below average cold lately. When I’m cold, the last thing I want to do is make cards that remind me that it’s cold outside. Instead, I like to make warm spring floral cards. This really quick card with flowers and leaves made from hearts is destined to bring warmth to a place where the snow is bound to last a few more months.”

Supplies:

• Clear Design: So Sweet
• ClearDesign: All Occasion Messages
• Tim Holtz Distress Ink Peeled Paint
• Tim Holtz Distress Ink Shabby Shutters
• Memories Dahlia Dye Ink
• Kraft Notecards
• Medium Accent Pearls
• Neutral Art Flowers
• Other: patterned paper (Basic Grey’s Eva collection)

Jacki’s Tip: Building a flower from a heart is easy with a clear stamp because it’s easy to see where you want to position the image.

The talented Kandis Smith also used a heart image to stamp some gorgeous flowers for the front of her card.  Kandis says, “This is a quick way to create a background image for your cards. Using one stamp — repeat it side by side to create a large flower. Using this technique you could make many cards at one time, and it gives you another way to use your heart stamps!”

Supplies:

• Clear Design: Many Hearts
• Clear Design: Hugs and Hearts
• Sunshine & Garden Notecards
• Soft Apricot Shadow Ink
• Memories Artprint Brown Ink
• White Opal Liquid Pearls
• Other: patterned paper (Me and my Big Ideas), machine stitching, photo corners, linen string

Kandis’s Tips:

• Create smaller flowers by using smaller hearts — or use many different sizes to create unique flowers like pansies!
• Use Liquid Pearls or gems to make the flowers stand out!

Kandis has another card to share, and it’s just too cute for words…I’m speechless!  So here she is again to tell you about it: “I’ve always wanted to be one of those cute moms who put handwritten notes in their children’s lunch sack. It’s a great way to reconnect with your kids through the day. This is the perfect way for me, make a bunch ahead of time and have them stashed in my kitchen ready for a little note. And wouldn’t any kid love to get this in their lunch?”

Supplies:

• Clear Design: Hugs and Hearts
• Clear Design: Anytime Messages
• Memories Ruby Ink
• Memories Black Ink
• Crimson, Sunshine & Kraft Notecards
• Midnight Black Pearls
• Summer Art Flowers
• Other: patterned paper (Me and My Big Ideas), scallop punch (Fiskars), linen string, pen (Zig), machine stitching, photo corners

Kandis’s Tips:

• Turn your heart upside down to create different animals. The ladybug is always a fun one! Try heart centipedes too!
• Use black pearls for the spots — this will give it a more realistic feel and add a three dimensional element to your card.

Laura, Jacki, Kandis…thanks for the super creative examples today! I can’t wait to try them!

Hope you’re having fun with your “heartfelt” creations so far!  If you haven’t had time to play yet, don’t worry…you have until Sunday, Feb. 1 at 11:59pm PST to enter. (More details HERE!)  And remember…we’ll be awarding a special bonus prize this week for the most creative use of a heart stamp!

Happy heart stamping!

Filed under: heartfelt

This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 28th, 2009 at 5:45 am and is filed under Watch It Wednesdays. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.