.A Creative Pivot From Christmas to Valentine’s Day
Do you ever find yourself hanging onto a stash of paper scraps, convinced they’ll be perfect for a future project?
Me too!
When I had to cancel my November stamp class at the last minute—after I’d already pre-cut all the paper—I needed a creative way to use those supplies.
One of the planned projects was a Christmas ornament card using strips of Peaceful Garden Designer Series Paper and a Clear Block watercolor background.
Since I had already finished my Christmas cards for the year, I pivoted and used those same strips to create Valentine’s Day cards with the Floating Strips technique.
Floating Strips How-to:
Floating Strips
-Cut the Designer Series Paper into strips of varying widths.
-Die-cut or punch a shape from a piece of window sheet.
For these cards, I used a heart die.
-Adhere the paper strips across the window-sheet shape, leaving small gaps between each strip to create the “floating” effect.
-Trim off any excess DSP that extends beyond the edges of the shape.
Create the Clear Block Watercolor Background
-Tap Balmy Blue and Cloud Cover inks onto Clear Block “F.”
-Lightly spritz the block with water until the inks begin to pool and blend.
-Press the wet block onto a Basic White card front. Let the color sit for a few seconds, then lift the block to reveal the watercolor effect.
-Attach the floating-strips element to the card front using Mini Dimensionals placed behind the DSP strips so they stay hidden.
-Stamp the hearts (Bee Mine) and the greeting (Teeny Tiny Wishes).
-Mount the finished panel onto a mat, then adhere it to your card base to complete the card.
Sometimes the best ideas really do come from the scrap pile!
