Grand Central Stamping

If you joined us for the InKing Royalty Blog Hop last week, you heard my confession that I need more belated birthday cards than regular birthday cards. But this one will be on time–I made it in advance, anticipating a colorful spring birthday.

Tips and Tricks

CASE-ing the Catalog. Do you CASE (Copy And Share Everything)? CASEing is nothing to be ashamed of–it’s a compliment to the original artist and it’s a great way to get those creative juices flowing. Just give the original credit when you can. Does my card look familiar? Maybe that’s because I CASEd the annual catalog:

Planning Projects. Do you ever get towards the end of your project and then realize you don’t have the right ribbon, or sequins, or doily? That can be frustrating. Sometimes, especially if I’m CASEing and know what elements I might need, I plan a project around what I do have. For example, I knew I had 1/8″ Grosgrain Grapefruit Grove Ribbon, so I planned this project around that ribbon. Then all I had to do was pick colors that would coordinate with the ribbon. How to do that? My favorite way is to look at the Designer Series Papers’ color combinations that use that color. But I have to admit, this time, using the original as a guide, I just held up paper swatches until I found the right combo!

Colorful Collages. When I saw this card in the catalog, I wanted to try something a little out of my comfort zone. Using several colors in a collage seems daunting when I’m trying to design my own card. But by CASEing the catalog, I could use a similar design and colors and then change a few things to make it my own. CASEing is an easy way to try something you might not normally think is “you”.

Papers: Basic Black, Coastal Cabana, Whisper White
Inks: Coastal Cabana, Grapefruit Grove, Poppy Parade, Memento Tuxedo Black, Versamark
Stamp Sets: Happy Birthday Gorgeous
Accessories: 1/8″ Grosgrain Grapefruit Grove Ribbon, White Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Big Shot, Tufted 3D Dynamic Textured Impressions Folder,