Fun with Two Step Stamping

Coming off of Christmas, I had a whole list of people I needed to drop a thank you note to.  You know the deal... thanks for hosting, thanks for having us, thanks for the gift, etc. etc. etc.  I truly am thankful for everything that we participated in and received this holiday, but boy was I procrastinating with the thank you cards.

And then inspiration arrived in the mail.

You see, I had earned two free stamp sets from Stampin' Up! (one of the many great things about being a demonstrator is that there is about a million ways to earn rewards and free merchandise... especially when you're starting out like I am.  Interested in learning more about being a demonstrator?  Just let me know!)  When my stamps arrived in the mail last week I was soooo excited to get making some thank you cards!

I thought I'd share with you two easy card designs for you to try at home.  They both feature two step stamping - which means that the stamps layer on top of each other.  Sooo pretty!

Here's card design number one:

 

 I used the Greenhouse Garden stamp set, and cardstock in Whisper White, Crushed Curry, and Dusty Durango.

  

 I also used the beautiful Eyelet Border punch.  It's my absolute favorite!  And inks in each Crushed Curry, Dusty Durango, and Soft Suede.

I folded a card out of the Crushed Curry cardstock, and stamped the background on the front AND inside of the card.  I stamped several times before re-inking.  You can get several different shades of one color of ink by stamping multiple times like this.

I then took smaller pieces of each Dusty Durango and Whisper White to use for my main image.  I stamped the petals of my flower with the Crushed Curry ink as shown.

 

And then stamped the center of my flower in Dusty Durango, right over the top of my existing stamp.  So pretty, and so easy!  I added a stalk and sentiment using my Soft Suede ink...

 

 Then assembled the card.  Pretty, no?  The bright colors are so nice to look at at this time of year!

 

The next card design I worked on was soooo simple that I made a whole set in about twenty minutes!

 

I used the Flower Fancy stamp set which has a bunch of flowers and leaves in different sizes.  I used Sahara Sand cardstock to make my card.

 

I used Whisper White cardstock to stamp my image on, and backed it with Soft Suede cardstock.  Instead of working with ink pads for this card, I used Stampin' Write markers in Melon Mambo and Soft Suede to ink my stamps.

I inked the petals and leaves of my flower first, and stamped off on a piece of scrap paper before stamping on my card - this created lighter shades of my original colors.

 

 I then inked the outline stamp that matched, and stamped over the top of my petals and leaves.  Using the Stampin' Write pens allowed me to ink multiple colors on the same stamp.

 

I adhered my image to my card front and added a sentiment at the bottom.  Done!  You can see from the photo of my set of four cards like this above that I experimented with different amounts of ink on my stamp, and stamping off one or more times.

 

The great thing about both of these sets is that your stamping doesn't need to be perfect.  There's no need to try and line everything up perfectly when you're two-stepping, it often looks prettier if it's just a little off.  I love the instant "wow" factor that these stamps create!

Want to order any of the products above?  Head over to my Stampin' Up! website HERE.  Or drop me an e-mail.  I'm off to write and address these cards - I hope they bring a smile to my friends and family when they receive them in the mail this week!

PS)  Are you a Michigander?  We'll be playing with these two stamp sets along with brand new items from the Occasions Mini and Sale-A-Bration catalogs at my 2010 Stampin' Up! open house this coming Sunday.  Here's the info...


2010 Stampin' Up! Open House
Sunday November 17, 2-4pm
641 Giddings Ave SE, Grand Rapids MI

Come try out new products, check out the new catalogs, and learn about Sale-A-Bration at my 2010 Open House!

Come check out the NEW Sale-A-Bration and Occasions Mini products and catalogs.

We'll have snacks, make-and-takes, and product samples (try the new SU clear mount stamps and new punch design!).

Bring a friend who has never stamped with me before and get a free gift!

Sign up to host a workshop and get a free ink pad of your choice!

Everyone who attends will leave with their own copies of the Sale-A-Bration and Occasions Mini catalogs.

Stop by for a few minutes or stay the entire time!