Stampin’ Up!’s Wildlife Wonder

I don’t always feel like an artist, but I will gladly take the credit when I find a stamp set that makes me look like one. ♥ When you see the card I’m sharing with you today, you might immediately think, “I can’t do that,” but I promise you can. Here’s my card:

The card was created for the Fusion challenge that kicked off yesterday – I love the layout of the sketch they shared and knew I could make it work with this brown bear. Here’s a look at the challenge (you can create with the sketch or with the inspiration photo or with both):

The wildlife images in Stampin’ Up!’s Wildlife Wonder stamp set (a Distinktive cling stamp set) are rich with texture – a simple stamp of the images will make anyone look like a water coloring artist. Even if you aren’t jazzed by the wildlife images, I hope you’ll take another look at the sentiments in this set. I love both, both those sentiments make me very, very happy. Here’s a look at the GORGEOUS Wildlife Wonder stamp set:

There’s a story behind how I built the images at the center of my card – and you know I like to tell a good story, right? Let’s take a closer look at the image:

Here’s how I built the focal panel on this card:

• I stamped the bear on a 4-1/4″ x 3″ piece of Thick Basic White cardstock with Early Espresso ink.
• I stamped the ground below the bear with Old Olive ink.
• I ran the image through my Stampin’ Cut & Emboss machine with the Tasteful Textiles 3D Embossing Folder to give it the appearance of a canvas or watercolor paper.
• As I saw with the “finished product” for a while, I knew I needed to add something behind the bear. Not scared that I might have to toss this and start over, I grabbed a Light Pool Party Stampin’ Blend and quickly colored the background. Perfect! It gave me exactly what I wanted and didn’t have to start over. Yay!

You may have noticed that I didn’t include a sentiment on this card (even though I told you how much I love the sentiments in the set). You are perceptive! I decided the sentiment should go inside the card to not take away from the gorgeous bear – I’m happy with how the inside turned out, too, so I’m excited to share it with you today:

The placement of the sentiment in the lower, right corner (with a wisp of greenery) allows the words I will eventually write inside the card to be the star of the inside of the card.

I love the warm mix of colors on this card – the addition of Old Olive, Pool Party and Bumblebee to the trio of browns used here (shades of Crumb Cake, Early Espresso and Cinnamon Cider) lighten things up a bit so there’s not just a big block of brown. It’s the warm mix of Bumblebee, Crumb Cake and Early Espresso that makes me so happy on this card. If you like this mix of colors as much as I do, I hope you’ll save this for future reference:

Stamp Sets: Wildlife Wonder  Papers: Beauty of the Earth Designer Series Paper, Crumb Cake, Early Espresso, Bumblebee, Thick Basic White  Inks: Early Espresso, Old Olive, Pool Party Stampin’ Blends  Accessories: Tasteful Textile 3D Embossing Folder, Stampin’ Dimensionals

Wildlife Wonder Cling Stamp Set (English) – 157923

Price: $24.00

Beauty Of The Earth 12″ X 12″ (30.5 X 30.5 Cm) Designer Series Paper – 155841

Price: $11.50

Tasteful Textile 3D Embossing Folder – 152718

Price: $9.00

Crumb Cake 8-1/2″ X 11″ Cardstock – 120953

Price: $8.75

Early Espresso 8-1/2″ X 11″ Cardstock – 119686

Price: $8.75

Bumblebee 8-1/2″ X 11″ Cardstock – 153077

Price: $8.75

Basic White 8-1/2″ X 11″ Thick Cardstock – 159229

Price: $8.25

Early Espresso Classic Stampin’ Pad – 147114

Price: $7.50

Old Olive Classic Stampin’ Pad – 147090

Price: $7.50

Pool Party Stampin’ Blends Combo Pack – 154894

Price: $9.00

Stampin’ Dimensionals – 104430

Price: $4.00

I hope you’ll pop over to the Fusion challenge to see the cards by the design team members and to play along with this week’s challenge.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Brian

Super-Awesome Fun Time Card Kit

On Sunday, I shared a new card kit I’m offering with my friend Emma, a talented friend from the UK. I hope you’ll take a look and sign up to join us for the fun!

To learn more about the kit, watch our informative video and sign up for the project kit, please click on the image below:

Orders and payments must be received by Sunday, March 5, so please sign up now. ♥

Two New Promotions in March

Two amazing promotions kicked off on March 1 – I hope you’ll check them out! Click on either of these images to read more about these promotions:

NEW Waves of the Ocean Collection

20% Off Mini Stampin’ Cut & Emboss Machine and Select Bundles

Placing an order today?  Of course you are! If you are placing an order for $150 or more, I want you to enjoy all of the Host Rewards you have earned.  If your order is less than $150, I’d love for you please add this Host Code – EEPAQW94 – when prompted. Thank you!