Anne's card has six layers, a colored cardstock base, and (as I said) real cancelled stamps. I obviously simplified the layers down to two, used a white card base, and created my own faux postage with a handy punch I have lying around. I don't collect ephemera like cancelled postage so making my own was the best option.
To make the faux postage, I cut a 3/4" x 7/8" rectangle from a post-it note to create a mask. Then I stamped the flowers on a large scrap of cardstock through the mask, moving the centers of the flowers around so they wouldn't line up and look static...the bling moves your eye around a bit to add interest. Once stamped, I positioned each image in the punch by turning the punch upside down and centering the stamped area, and then punching.
Once the faux postage was ready, I used a quilting ruler and temporary adhesive to position them properly. Using the postage as a guide, I stamped the words between (cleaning the stamp very well between impressions!), popped up the postage on dimensionals, and added bling to match the color of the words. That touch helps unify the card nicely.
Anne's card is sized a bit differently from mine at 3" x 6.5". Mine is 3.5" x 6.25 to fit a standard #6 3/4 envelope because the obsessive compulsive in me really, really prefers the card to fit the envelope...unless the card is square because in the U.S. square envelopes require additional postage, which is completely ridiculous, but there you have it.
Isn't that punch the bomb?
Thank you, Anne, for the wonderful postal inspiration!
Now let's indulge in a little rant. When making this card a week ago, I used up all my yellow Stickles. This alarmed me...it's the Stickles color I use the most! So of course I ran to Marco's Paper to see if they had any (rather than placing a huge order to get free shipping...a decision I now regret), and I snatched up their last bottle.
When I got home, however, I noticed a huge difference in the shades of the yellow.
How, how, how can Ranger think these are the same color?!?!?! It's not just a different dye lot, it's a different color altogether. The bottle on the left is my old one, which looks full but is actually empty except for what's stuck to the inside of the bottle. This is a first-world problem, I know, but still. I feel betrayed.
Thank you for listening.
Now, the question. How many of you still buy or subscribe to magazines for stamping inspiration? PaperCrafts had to fold because inspiration has shifted so much to the internet, but some magazines like the Stampington and Company publications seem to continue to do well. I buy some magazines and still enjoy perusing old ones I've kept, but how do you feel about it?
Supplies
stamps: Papertrey Keep It Simple Healing Wishes
ink: Impress Fresh Ink persimmon, tangerine; Memento Luxe rose bud, espresso truffle
paper: Papertrey white
accessories: dimensionals, rhinestones, postage stamp punch
I've been wanting a postage stamp punch for a while! Great card!
ReplyDeleteI've been wanting a postage stamp punch for a while! Great card!
ReplyDeleteCute card! I don't subscribe anymore, but do pick up the Take Ten & Stamping Sampler from time to time. I have kept them all and periodically go thru them as my taste and ability change.I think they are great resources and fun to peruse!!
ReplyDeleteLu C
I agree!
DeleteI love your card, the colours are great and would certainly make someone feel much better! Drop customer services at Ranger a line with your photo, they need to know if there is a quality control issue and hopefully they should send a replacement Stickles of the correct colour to you. I would love to be able to browse through some stamping magazines, so much nicer than viewing online. Yes the internet has a lot of uses but books and magazines are comfortable,to be read at leisure, nice to handle and view without straining the eyes. Unfortunately the cost of a magazine and postage to France is prohibitive for me. I really miss my Stampington publications!
ReplyDeleteWill do on contacting Ranger.
DeleteThere is something nice about holding a magazine.
I only buy a magazine now if there's a freebie I might find useful or if it's on special offer. I used to buy mags & books but there is so much content online now that there is just no time for magazines and they are quite expensive now. From time to time I will pull out an old magazine and look through it for ideas.
ReplyDeleteAs for the Stickles, I would get in touch with Ranger attaching the pic. They have excellent customer service and have even sent stuff out to the UK to replace faulty items.
I will contact Ranger. And it's so much fun to look through old magazines!
DeleteI love looking through a paper magazine and yet they seem to multiply in my house! Thus I have tried on-line magazines but it is just not the same. The advantage to on-line is that they are less expensive and if there are just one or two pages that I like I don't feel as guilty. I seem to do both. It would be sad if we did not have any type of magazines. I love Pinterest but.....
ReplyDeleteI love Pinterest, too, but...you're right!
DeleteLove the bright and cheery colours on your gorgeous card and I would lose my mind over the Stickles too. I'd be curious to know what Ranger's explanation would be for the difference. As for magazines, I really miss PaperCrafts and I love to flip through my old issues. The online crafty world is great but sometimes I son't want to have to stare at a screen. I want the feel and smell of paper in my hands.
ReplyDeleteIf I find out about the Stickles, I'll post the answer.
DeleteI miss PaperCrafts, too. Screens are fine, but so intangible, if that makes sense.
Such a happy card. It LOOKS so easy, but I have tried doing that type of card and it doesn't work for me. I admire. I don't create. The Stickles is really not the same AT ALL. I would be disappointed too.
ReplyDeleteI don't buy magazines. I really never did but the Internet does the job for me and does not produce clutter. I like that,
So glad you can be happy with just the internet. It is pretty amazing.
DeleteLovely card, & I would share your frustration at the Stickles.
ReplyDeleteI get Stampington's Art Journaling magazine - for ideas & for a relaxing read, which just wouldn't be the same to me on a machine. I love the feel of books & magazines, although I do acknowledge the clutter!
The Art Journaling magazine often has some REALLY cool stuff in it!
DeleteI stopped buying all the stamping mags. I find better inspiration on blogs like yours. Also, so many of the stamping magazines (even Take Ten and Stampers Sampler) have gone over to mixed media and the overdone look so I wasn't finding much of interest in any of them. I do miss PaperCraft magazine though, they were more my style
ReplyDeletePaperCrafts was more my style, too, but when I look at the mixed media for inspiration, I try to focus on the bits and pieces rather than the whole, and often find startlingly wonderful inspiration for a CAS project out of a collage-y, layered project.
DeleteI like the size and shape of your card, along with the stamps. I hardly buy magazines anymore. I loved Papercrafts. I had a subscription and really miss it. I will thumb through magazines at book stores periodically. But the are so expensive now. The Internet is great, but definitely not the same. I have all my old magazines and go to them for inspiration when I feel the need.
ReplyDeleteI forgot to say, please do let us know about the Stickles. The color change would have upset me also if I had been a regular user of the yellow.
ReplyDeleteAdd me to the list who greatly misses Papercraft. My BFF in another state would save them until we both had ours in the mail and then pour over the magazine while on the phone together. I really miss that! I have had a CardMagazine subscription for the last 6 years maybe but the last year they reduced the # of pages in the paper magazine, while increasing the price. They claim they added more online content, but its not the same. Don't get me wrong, I want online inspiration too... I'm just not willing to pay for that as part of a "magazine" subscription. Older copies of the magazines are almost 100 pages, and the last one was maybe 40 pages? But they want me to pay more for that??? No. I'm done. I feel badly that I'm contributing to the death of the papercrafting magazines, but I don't think its ultimately my fault. BTW, I love your card and I hope you get a good explanation from Ranger!
ReplyDeleteI buy a magazine when I can glean more than one idea from an issue. PaperCrafts was fun but almost seemed to become an arm of one company, so I lost interest. Card Maker was great for a while, but as Karen said, it has shrunk to the point of not needing it. The Stampington publications are really expensive, and since I don't care for the smudgy / shabby look, I don't bother with them. I follow numerous blogs and Splitcoaststampers for ideas now; they're not as touchy-feely, but the price is right and I can just scroll past or delete the styles I don't care for.
ReplyDelete