July Stamp of the Month Blog Hop - "Sweet Life"

Close To My Heart's July Stamp of the Month is called "Sweet Life" and is by far and away my favorite one in the current Idea Book. You can view all the images in this great stamp set in the right-hand column of my blog. With each new Stamp of the Month comes a consultant Blog Hop, so if you're already hopping, you came here from Tamytha Jenkins' blog. (A very talented gal!) To see where to go to next, simply scroll through my tutorial and I'll provide the link at the end of my post.

Lovely sophisticated images of fruits in this stamp set (perfect for trying out those alcohol markers) triggered the idea of vintage seed packets in my head. Now I just needed a little inspiration to get the look I envisioned. So I Googled "seed packet" and found several great ideas, among them this one...

I designed this portion of my card based on the above seed packet and several others I saw. I'll share how to achieve this look below.

 I mounted the image to my 5 x 7 inch card. This card features the Surf's Up papers, burlap ribbon, alcohol markers and red button assortment.

Begin with a piece of Colonial White cardstock cut at 3 1/4" x 4 1/4", then use a sponge dauber and Olive ink to ink the outer edges and swirl lightly inward until you get the look you desire. I like a bold look so I went fairly heavy.

Next is Crystal Blue. Blend from the outer edge inward leaving it lighter as you go. Both of these colors will absorb into the paper and lighten a bit once completely dry.

Cut another strip of Colonial White 3/4" x 3 3/4" and begin with Honey on the left working your way right, then blend Sorbet from the right to the left.

Stamp "Sweet Life" with Chocolate ink, then ink the top and bottom edges with Chocolate. You don't have to do the sides until you trim.

Stamp several of the images in the "Sweet Life" stamp set onto Colonial White cardstock using archival black ink. Color in areas as desired with alcohol markers. (I'll share which markers I used below.) Cut closely around the images. {Tip: I use a new Xacto blade first to cut the detail areas in the inner portions then I use scissors to cut around the outer areas.}

Arrange the pieces until you get the look you desire, remembering the "Sweet Life" strip will be going through the middle.

Now you can adhere your pieces. I kept some leaves and flowers in the background and pulled others to the foreground. I stamped an additional large leaf to fill in and maintain balance just above the apple. Don't forget to ink the outer edges of this unit with Chocolate ink, making sure to catch the "sweet life" strip as well.

Markers used:

Peaches: Creme Brûlée and Autumn Terracotta Light

Apples: Autumn Terracotta Light and Cranberry

Stems: Desert Sand

Leaves: Olive Light and Olive

Blossoms: Blush and alcohol blending marker

Here's another quick look how the card came together. I cut the burlap ribbon down and frayed the edges, then used some of the pieces of burlap that I pulled off to make the bundled knot at the bottom and for the buttons.

Thanks for stopping by today. I hope you'll let me know how you liked what I did with the Stamp of the Month. Now it's time to continue on for more inspiration with the creative Nancy Brown.