August 2010 SOTM

I'm thrilled to finally be introducing our August Stamp of the Month! This stamp is a beautiful cherry blossom image by Harmonie. As you saw in our previous post, it's a gorgeous wooden stamp with an laser cut design on the block- it'll just be pretty sitting on your shelf :)

I'm gonna apologize up front for the colouring of my photos here... I take them in natural light, and with all the smoke from forest fires now, it makes everything have this nasty green hue... blech! (My sample board background *is* green, though... just not quite the shade it's showing up to be here!)
This is the first card I made when I inked up my stamp- I love how easy it is to make a background with this image. As you know, I have a love affair with Kraft cardstock... so I chose that for the base of my zig-zag card. The focal image on this card is also by Harmonie, cut out with a Spellbinders die & coloured with copics (as are the blossoms in my background). I actually used the largest size die cut for my image, so had to handcut the layer behind it... so please don't look too closely ;) My patterned paper (on this and all the other cards) is also from Harmonie!
Here's a photo of my card open... I used a flash on this one, so you'll get an idea of the true colour these cards should be. Makes the others look blah, doesn't it? I love these zig-zag cards- they're so simple (just one extra score!), but are a fun twist on the usual card layout.
Mom made this next card. She clear embossed the SOTM on cream cardstock and inked over it with some chalk ink, then die cut a QK butterfly from it. The label design was on the back side of one of the papers in this collection & the sentiment (Stampendous) is silver embossed. The wavy card bottom was done with the QK edge dies.
For this next card, I selected three of the six images on a collage stamp and coloured them with my copics. My SOTM was stamped in brown, coloured lightly and then each blossom was topped with a pearl by Zva Creative. I used my fabulous new Chinese knot EK Success edger punch on this card as well- love it! I finished off the card with a simple sentiment by Amuse- they have the best small sentiments!
I went back to basics for this next card- gold embossing on a die cut piece of cardstock! My sentiment (Hero Arts) is also embossed and matted on gold cardstock. My background features the SOTM stamped with Versamark.

I found the instructions to make this 'Good Luck Knot' on a package of Mizuhiki paper cords we had in the store, but I actually used a combination of some ribbon cording and twine to make it. After a bit of time googling.... I found a tutorial online that will show you how to do the basic knot. Have fun! I think if I make a few more I may be able to figure it out just by looking at my knot for a refresher....
Hope you enjoy this month's stamp, even if it is late :) I do have some extras of this one, so even if you're not in our SOTM club, you can take this little beauty home with you! Of course, if you decide to join the club, you'll save 35% off the regular price on this and on upcoming stamps...

Thanks for looking and reading- can't wait to hear what you think about this one :)


Comments

Sarah said…
beautiful! I love that stamp and the cards you made with them! Did you just do those today?!