Stamp It! Cards – sophisticated yet simple

Jennifer Schaerer

Aside from oooohing and aaaahing during submissions review and then again when we get to see the actual cards as we hand them off to our graphic design team, my main task for each issue of Stamp It! Cards is to write the editor’s note.

Stamp It! Cards Vol. 9 is my fourth volume since joining the Paper Crafts team, and my fourth editor’s note that sings the praises of stamping. You’d think I’d run out of things to say, but every time I sit down to write that note I always seem to find yet another aspect of stamping that pulls me in even further.

For this issue I spent my usual hours reviewing the proofs, checking each card and its supply list to see how each one was made. I’m always fascinated to see how a very sophisticated design is actually pretty simple to create with a few quick steps.

Handy Birthday by Lauren McCabe

The card above was made with a few fun stamps from A Muse Studio and three colors of ink, then embossed with a woodgrain folder after stamping. Simple, flat and guess what? Completely mailable! That’s one of the best things about using stamps in layers and different colors – depth and sophistication, but no extra postage or special envelope needed.

All Your Wishes by Brenda Weaver

Here’s another flat and mailable card that uses a great technique for adding depth without bulky layers: off-stamping. Brenda simply stamped her dandelion fresh from her ink pad for the darker images, then a second time without re-inking for the lighter images. With a little patterned paper, some washi tape and a few staples she’s ready to pop it in the mail with no hassle.

Celebrate by Jocelyn Olson

And then there’s digital stamping, like the card above. Bet you didn’t catch that until I said something, right? Jocelyn used some images from a digital kit by Rhonna Designs and then added a traditional stamped sentiment. See? Sophisticated, simple, and completely mailable.

Because I’m a numbers kinda gal, I went through the issue and found that there are 32 single-layer cards (no matting or other layers – just stamping), 8 digital or hybrid cards, and well over half of the 295 cards in the issue are flat and mailable. This one has to be our best one yet, even if I’m just a bit biased.

But it gets even better, because our friends at American Crafts want you to enjoy some stamping fun to celebrate our 9th volume of Stamp It! Cards, so they sent us some stamping essentials to give away:

Leave a comment to win all these stamping supplies!

Sometime before 5pm MDT on Thursday, June 28, leave me a comment here and let me know your favorite stamping technique. I’ll pick a random winner to receive the goodies above plus an issue of Stamp It! Cards Vol. 9 so you can be inspired by some of the sophisticated yet simple cards within its pages.

Now just go and Stamp It!

P.S. Cath is back! Cath is back! Cath is back! She’s over in the Moxie Fab World this week hosting challenges inspired by Stamp It! Cards Vol. 9, so go play along and tell her we missed her!