Once More, With Gusto

#stampinup   #faithfulinkspirations   #saleabration2017   I used to sing in a choir.  I don't like to brag, but it was the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Choir.  Whoa, that was fun and exhausting.  And then I had a baby....that was almost 23 years ago, so I think my singing "career"--aside from congregational singing during worship--is over.  If you pull up next to my car, you may hear me singing away to the radio, well, that is if I'm not engrossed in a true crime podcast.  

Anyway, one of my choir directors--either at BSO, or the Laurel (MD) Oratorio Society, or in college, or maybe as far back as high school--used to start the chorus off with the exhortation, "Once more, with gusto!"  (I'm sure he wasn't the only choir director to use that phrase.)  I like it and I find it comes in handy for non-musical settings, too.  Like when I've had a week of blog posts with the same (stinkin' cute) stamp set.  Really.  Five days.  Five posts--every one a different "take" on the gorgeous "Avant Garden" stamp set that you can earn for FREE with a $50 purchase.  Seriously.  After seeing all these cards, you know you want this stamp set!  Contact me today and I can hook you up.

I was inspired by these projects by Jennifer Downey, one of the amazing Creation Station design team members.  I can't believe I'm on a design team with TWO Stampin' Up Artisans along with many other awesome artists from around the world.  Our blog hop is once a month, on the first Sunday of the month.  You can start on my blog and hop all the way around the blog and be inspired every month.

Wow! I've digressed again.  I thought that using "Avant Garden" for a one-sheet wonder set of cards would be fabulous--and think my cards are pretty spiffy!  The one-sheet wonder technique is a great way to make a bunch of cards in a jiffy.  If you search "one sheet wonder templates" on Pinterest, you'll get a bunch of ideas.  I, however, went simple, because I wanted to create my own designer series paper with this stamp set and have that shine as the focus of the cards.

So, I started with an 8-1/2" by 11" sheet of Whisper White Card Stock and stamped the flowers in Melon Mambo, followed by Sweet Sugarplum, and then Blushing Bride.  Then I cut the paper at 10" on the long side and 7-1/2" on the short side, which, when cut into quarters, yields four 3-3/4" by 5" pieces of your one-sheet DSP.  I saved the 1" strips to use on two additional cards.

I adhered the quarter pieces onto 3-7/8" by 5-1/8" pieces of Basic Black Card Stock--putting black with these vibrant colors makes them pop even more!  I wrapped a length of Sweet Sugarplum Ruched Ribbon around before adhering the stamped piece to a Melon Mambo Card Stock card base.  I stamped the "happy birthday wishes" sentiment from the same set in Basic Black Archival Ink onto Whisper White and cut them out with one of the Stitched Shapes Framelits.  I adhered this to the card with Stampin' Dimensionals.

I switched it up a little when using the 1" strips of DSP.  I embossed a 3-3/4" by 5" piece of Melon Mambo Card Stock with the Petal Burst Embossing Folder and adhered this to a 3-7/8" by 5-1/8" of Basic Black Card Stock.  I wrapped a length of the SAB Silver Metallic Ribbon around this piece before using Stampin' Dimensionals to adhere it to a Basic Black Card Stock card base.  I used the same sentiment, cut with the Stitched Shape Framelits, for these cards, too!
Here's the whole lot of the cards I made with this method. Quick and easy--and really pretty, too!  And now my #imbringingbirthdaysback cards for February are made.  I just have to write inside and get them in the mail....details, details.

tams# 11784 Card One

Product List

Avant Garden Photopolymer Stamp Set [143272] $0.00	Melon Mambo Classic Stampin' Pad [126948] $6.50	Sweet Sugarplum Classic Stampin' Pad [141395] $6.50	Blushing Bride Classic Stampin' Pad [131172] $6.50
Basic Black Archival Stampin’ Pad [140931] $7.00	Melon Mambo 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [115320] $8.00	Basic Black 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [121045] $8.00	Whisper White 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [100730] $9.00
Stitched Shapes Framelits Dies [145372] $30.00	Sweet Sugarplum 3/8" (1 Cm) Ruched Ribbon [141428] $8.00	Stampin' Dimensionals [104430] $4.00

tams# 11785 Card Two

Product List

Avant Garden Photopolymer Stamp Set [143272] $0.00	Melon Mambo Classic Stampin' Pad [126948] $6.50	Sweet Sugarplum Classic Stampin' Pad [141395] $6.50	Blushing Bride Classic Stampin' Pad [131172] $6.50
Basic Black 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [121045] $8.00	Whisper White 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [100730] $9.00	Melon Mambo 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [115320] $8.00	Stitched Shapes Framelits Dies [145372] $30.00
Petal Burst Textured Impressions Embossing Folder [141493] $7.50	3/8" Metallic Ribbon Combo Pack [143601] $0.00	Stampin' Dimensionals [104430] $4.00