Shadow Technique

I have a new technique for you to try. This is super simple and you need ink, paper, and some stamps that aren’t too detailed. For my samples I used the leaves from the Everything is Rosy set, but I think it would work well with snowflakes and stars and some flowers as well. Simply ink up your stamp, stamp the image, then shift your stamp slightly right or left and stamp again for a second-generation image.

Simple Thinking of You Card

I started with a blank quarter sheet of Very Vanilla and some Cherry Cobbler ink. I wasn’t super fussy about the offset, but I did make sure to vary the direction of the images and make sure they “fell off” the edge of the paper. This makes it appear more like a designer paper than a stamped piece of paper.

To finish the card, I trimmed my stamped piece to 4″x5-1/4″ and wrapped the striped burlap ribbon around the bottom third. I layered that onto a base of Cherry Cobbler using Dimensionals.

The sentiment is from Darling Labels, and I punched it out with the matching punch, but a circle punch would have worked well too, or even a circle die. Lastly, I used a wood element in my stash. This is the perfect kind of card to dig into your stash and see what works. Pick colors that match your ribbons and embellishments that match your style.

Stepped-up Thank You Card

This card started out exactly the same except for the ink and card base. I used Soft Suede ink and a Crumb Cake base. The “thank you” sentiment was from the Share What You Love stamp set. I had created it months ago but didn’t use it and it was sitting in my stash. The Ink color was Tranquil Tide. If you like the color, Pretty Peacock or Shaded Spruce would be good alternates.

Next, I shifted through my embellishment stash. The Champagne foil circlets was from a retired set, but there is a similar die included in the upcoming Occasions catalog with the Painted Poppies set. Look for that in January. The leaves came from past Paper Pumpkins (always a source of great leftovers) and other kit paper. When I have leftovers after removing pre-punched pieces from a kit, I always try to punch shapes out of the remains if I like the paper. Who doesn’t like gold sparkles?

Finally, the little flowers are from a retired punch and a paper coffee cup insulator from a well-known coffee shop. I love the corrugated look. You can replicate this if you don’t buy fancy coffee (I don’t very often) using the Corrugated embossing folder and there is a similar punch that is going to be available in the Sale-a-Bration catalog. You can earn it for free with a qualifying product order. I love small punches like this for using up those fancy leftovers.

Try the technique. Let me know what you think or contact me with questions. Happy stamping.

Were you inspired?