The Maui Stamper

Welcome to the May 2015 RemARKable Blog tour, where we explore all things GOODBYE.  I’ve chosen to focus on the Stampin’ Up! 2014-2015 catalog retiring list, and I’ve based my projects around one of my favorite all-around stamp sets, For the Birds:

This is a (sort of) Clean and Simple card.  There’s just one image, and there are no sentiments, but there are multiple layers.  It’s a very quick card to assemble and employs one of my favorite card-making tricks:  have plenty of cards on hand with NO SENTIMENT.

I could add Miss You, Sorry, Love You, Thinking of You, even Happy Birthday – or Happy New Baby in a real pinch!  (It’s a nest – get it?)

If you’re lucky enough to have Blendbilities, For the Birds is a great choice because of the detail and variety, but today I chose to use colored pencils.  If you’ve ever had a kid in grade school, you more than likely have colored pencils in your house.  Even if there are no kids, colored pencils are inexpensive and working with them is easy and generally trouble free.

With this much magnification, you can see the shading, but the general effect is much more subtle.  If you see a few fuzzy bits in that top left corner, your birdie-eye has spotted bits of the white jute ribbon cut apart and tucked behind the image.

For the Birds Clear #126407  $24.95  Wood #132001 $32.95

I must confess that when I spotted this DSP from the Back to Black (retiring) collection I did a little happy dance around my studio.  FEATHERS.  Need I say more?

Look closely and you’ll realize that I am no rock-star-pencil-colorist.  But I do find it relaxing and enjoyable to play with shading and color, and this stamp set is a great all-around addition to your stamping birdhouse!

Enjoy the tour – I love the unique manner with which everyone interprets the theme – and I’ll see you here next month.  Head over to see what Heather Mathiesen has created!