Happy Place - March Stamp of the Month Blog Hop

Welcome to the March Stamp of the Month blog hop! If you are here from Melinda's If You Bling It blog, or if you are just starting out, you are in the right place!

 This month's stamp of the month is Happy Place, a set of 7 fun matryoshka themed stamps focused on home & family. Matryoshka are Russian nesting dolls, and they come in all colors, patterns, and themes. The traditional variety look like dolls, wearing pretty traditional clothing.  I opted to make two very different versions today so you can see a little of the possibilities.

I used different colors, papers, and techniques on these cards to show how different they can be. I did not use any sentiment so they can be used for any number of reasons. Both cards are based on sketches from the Make It From Your Heart books.

First, this paper pieced version using Ivy Lane papers.  If you don't like to color or want a lot of pattern, this is a great technique for you. I stamped a base piece on Champagne with Chocolate in and cut it out. I then stamped with Smokey Plum ink on the green pattern once and the pink pattern twice.  I cut the bottom from the green and adhered it to the base. I cut the babushka once from pink and just the tie portion from the second pink, and adhered them to the base, using foam tape to pop up the tie piece. I then cut the flower portion from the green and adhered it, using a button for added interest on the flower.  I had also noticed that a shape on the pattern paper was very similar to the apron shape so I stamped directly over it. To make the pattern of the stamp more visible, I stamped it in Hollyhock pigment ink and dried it. After cutting out the apron piece, I adhered it over the green doll bottom.

 

I stamped the heart image with Smoky Plum several times on the pink pattern and cut them out, using them to create a border image on my card.  Finally, I used a coordinating paper to line my envelope. I cut my piece 3.5" x 5.5", and scored it at 1.5" along the long side. I trimmed the edges to fit the flap and slipped it into the envelope, adhering it only on the flap portion to make it easy to close.

For the second card, I stamped both matryoshka images in black pigment ink on white cardstock and dried it with my heat gun.  I colored them in using watercolor pencils and a water brush. The bright colors are achieve by using very little water. After drying, I cut them out and adhered them on my card front.

Again, I lined the envelope with a coordinating piece of Skylark paper.

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Supplies for card 1:

• Make It From Your Heart, volume 1
• Happy Place, March 2014 stamp of the month
• Ivy Lane paper pack
• Exclusive Inks Stamp Pads in Chocolate and Smoky Plum
• Pigment ink in Hollyhock
• Micro-tip Scissors
• 3-D Foam Tape

Supplies for card 2:

• Make It From Your Heart, volume 2
• Happy Place, March 2014 stamp of the month
• Skylark paper pack
• Pigment Ink in Black
• Micro-tip Scissors
• Watercolor Pencils
• Water Brush

 I would love to hear what you think of my cards, and when you're ready to move on we'll head over to Nancy's Heart 2 Heart blog and see what inspiration she has for us this month!