Peace in the Parts

When I started playing with the two wood-mounted Hero Arts winter scene stamps in my hidden stamp stash, I remembered why they were hidden.

They are somewhat challenging to stamp, requiring just the right amount of ink or detail is lost. Pigment ink works best, as long as the pad isn't too juicy. Can you tell I ruined a lot of perfectly good paper that day? Of course, you can.

Also, getting a variety of looks with them is challenging. Neither one is proportioned to fit evenly on a standard card, and their larger size limits variety of layouts as well. I feel like every card I make with them looks the same as every other card. *sigh*

Nevertheless they are beautiful. Since I've been on a square-punch kick, today's card plays up how useful it is to have graduated punches in basic shapes.

The white squares make a lovely CAS frame for the small snowy scene, and the sentiment placement moves your eye around the design. Very satisfying!

So today's design lesson is this: don't give up on larger images. Look for parts that will stand alone. Play with cropping larger images into smaller ones. You never know what pretty card might happen!

Mercy grace, peace, and love,
Susan

Supplies
stamps: Hero Arts Winter Scene, Papertrey Winterberry sentiment
ink: Memento Luxe Danube blue
paper: Papertrey white
accessories: square punches, glue