Seriously Sassy: My Favorite Retiring Stamp Set!

Hi Stampers!

Happy New Year! Whew...back to blogging after a long holiday break! I hope 2009 brings you happiness, contentment, and a life richly blessed with the love of family and friends. A little stampin' time wouldn't hurt, either!

Today's card is my original design and features the stamp set "Seriously Sassy"...I am seriously sad this one is being retired! I've used this set with girls of all ages and they all love it...the little girls that attend crop night with their moms, and my college girl, too! It even coordinates with the "Cool Dude" stamp set which is also retiring...great for boys and surfers! The Tempting Turquoise layer is stamped with the Canvas Background Stamp for added texture...another well-loved stamp that is also retiring. If you want to add these to your collection, let me know before January 18th!

My Seriously Sassy cards features a couple fun techniques: Beaded Staples and Frog in a Blender. I LOVE frogs, so trust me, I didn't choose the name for that technique! Here is the recipe and the how-to so you can re-create this card at home:

Stamps: Seriously Sassy, Canvas Background Stamp.

Ink: Green Galore, Gable Green, Tempting Turquoise, Basic Black Classic Ink Pads; Pink Passion and Lovely Lilac Reinkers.

Cardstock: Pink Passion, Tempting Turquoise, Lovely Lilac, Gable Green, Whisper White.

Accessories: White Grosgrain Ribbon, Ticket Corner Punch, Dazzling Diamonds, Stampin' Dimensionals, SNAIL adhesive, Crafter's Tool Kit, Bead Duo, Future Floor Wax, Staples.

Method:

Pink Passion card base: 5 1/2" x 8 1/2"; score long side at 4 1/4" to form card.

Tempting Turquoise: 2 1/2" x 4 1/4"; Ink Canvas Background Stamp in Tempting Turquoise and stamp.

Lovely Lilac: 3 3/4" x 2 3/4" and 1 3/8" x 2 3/4"; use Ticket Corner Punch on each corner.

Gable Green: 3 1/2" x 2 1/2"; use Ticket Corner Punch on each corner. Stamp the "Seriously Sassy" image using Green Galore ink, and use the direct-to-paper technique with the Green Galore inkpad to add dimension to the Gable Green cardstock.

Whisper White: 1" x 2 1/2". Use Ticket Corner Punch in each corner. WOW! That punch comes in handy!

Frog in a Blender Technique: Pour a little Future Floor Wax in the bottom of a container slightly larger than your Whisper White cardstock. Take your reinkers and squeeze out a few drops of each color, separating them by an inch or two. Take a skewer or toothpick and swirl your ink drops until you get the effect you're after, being careful not to mix them completely! Lay your cardstock face down on top of the marblized Future Floor Wax. Make up a bunch of scraps and save them for later use! Carefully lift your cardstock up and set aside to dry. If desired, sprinkle some Dazzling Diamonds glitter very lightly on top (you can also sprinkle it into the container of wax, but I liked having the control of adding it myself). When dry, stamp an image onto your swirly-colored cardstock. I used the "bff" image in the Seriously Sassy set! The result is a colorful, almost pearlized looking embellishment for your card.

Adhere the Tempting Turquoise strip to the Pink Passion base, the Gable Green to the large Lovely Lilac mat, and the Frog in a Blender piece to the small Lovely Lilac Mat.

Adhere the "Seriously Sassy" image over the Tempting Turquoise strip using SNAIL, and the "bff" image overlapping it using Stampin' Dimensionals.

Beaded Staple Technique: To get perfect results with the beads, take a staple and hold it between your fingers. Gently press it down on your card so the staple prongs mark where you want the beaded embellishment. I used two staples for some extra punch! Next, choose beads from the Bead Duo and string them on the staple. Use a paper piercer or needle and the little foam mat from the Crafter's Tool Kit to poke holes in the cardstock where you marked it with the staple prongs. Push your beaded staple through, and manually bend the prongs on the opposite side to hold in place. Voila! Isn't that a gorgeous touch?!

This is a great set for birthdays, Valentine's Day, and is fabulous for scrapbook pages! I hope you enjoy this card and it inspires you to make one for your own bff!