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"Floral"And Other Background Stamps From Stampin Up Create A Beautiful Base For Card Fronts.I fell in love with "Floral" - one of the Large Background Stamps as soon as I saw it in the catalogue. Yes I love flowers, but I also enjoy various forms of print making - a subject I majored in at Art School. This stamp reminds me of an etching with its fine lines and lots of detail. 
I thought I'd try a series of cards using "Floral" and another lovely Stampin' Up set called "Embrace Life". I've used a number of techniques on the four cards based on the "Floral" Background Stamp. You'll note that different ink colours have been used to create different effects. The paler colours tend to give you a muted background whereas the darker colours give a more graphic effect, sometimes making the background a very strong component of the overall design. The first card is the simplest of the group. I inked the stamp in Pretty in Pink and printed it onto Whisper White card stock.
The Direct to Rubber technique was used on the multi coloured central image. This too is an "easy to achieve fabulous results" technique, where you basically colour in the image on the rubber stamp using your Stampin' Write Markers, breath moist air onto the stamp , then staamp onto the card. Voila - a multi coloured image in a very short time. HINT: Remember to always use the lightest colours first - 2 reasons: the first is dark colours go over light colours, and the second is that you will keep your marker tip the correct colour or at the very worst have a little lighter colour on it. This can easily be removed by stroking the tip onto some scrap paper until the residue is removed. The next card adds more techniques such as Sponging, Distressing Edges and using a Paper Piercer. You will note on these flowers how you can achieve more variation in the colouring by using darker tones for shadows.
Adding "matts" or borders around the circular image and the Background Stamp add further interest to the overall design. I also like the way you can direct attention to the central image by softening the edges of the Background Stamp with sponging. The next card adds a little of the beautiful Silver Hodge Podge, some Taffeta Ribbon and a couple of Rhinestone Brads. The final card is a monotone card made entirely out of Elegant Eggplant Classic Ink and Card stock, plus some Whisper White Card for printing the images. Again I've use the Sponging technique both on the Background Stamp and on the central motif. This softened the edges nicely and helped to bring the card together as a whole. There are many different Background Stamps available on the market and you can find all the current Stampin Up ones in the Ideas Book and Catalogue. Use them to create a series of quick cards - just change your colours and a couple of embellishments, and you'll have plenty for all occasions. They are terrific to use when doing the
"Kissing Technique"
and are great for scrap pages too.
The five that I find most useful are: Floral, Weathered, Sanded, Polka Dot and Canvas. Check them out and if you need any help you can
contact me
Why don't you try the concept of using one background stamp for a series of cards? Just change colours, embellishments and the card template (layout) and you'll create a great stash of cards for those "emergencies" throughout the year. Keep checking this site for more techniques that save you time and money. Many of our products are very versatile, and I'm happy to share my ideas and techniques with you. If you require further information please use the "contact me" link above. Try using Background Stamps with other stamping techniques
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