Arrange a (clean & simple) Wreath

To make today’s card, all you have to do is arrange a (clean & simple) wreath! It’s a very simple design but uses a couple of interesting techniques that you might be interested in trying. Take a look ~

I used Arrange a Wreath Stamp Set and came up with this design after seeing two card challenges that caught my eye.

The first challenge is Less is More #424: Christmas in July. Here is their challenge banner.

It is to be a one layer card, which is always a challenge for me! I achieved a simple layered look without the layers. I’ll explain in a minute!

The second challenge is Freshly Made Sketches #445. Here is their banner.

Two Fun Techniques

1. Masking off the sentiment strip

I created the illusion of a sentiment strip on my one layer card by masking off a 3/8″x 4-1/4″ strip across the front of my card. Once my mask was in place, I stamped the wreath from Arrange a Wreath over the strip so that the sentiment would fall in the middle of the wreath. I used my Stamparatus to do this which enabled me to do the next technique.

2. Clear heat emboss the wreath to give it shine

My first stamp of the wreath was with Shaded Spruce ink. I left the masking paper on, cleaned off the green, and re-inked it with Versamark. Then I re-stamped it with Versamark Ink and sprinkled the wreath with Clear Embossing Powder. That’s when I removed the masking paper and took it to the Heat Tool. Once this Shaded Spruce wreath was heat embossed, it almost looks black. But no, just a very dark green!

Back to the Stamparatus for the sentiment. I stamped Merry Christmas and the hearts on either side with Real Red. To give it that layered look, I drew Real Red dashes across the top and bottom of the strip area using a ruler and my Stampin’ Write Marker.

Here is a close-up of the shine.

I think that extra step of heat embossing gave this one layer, clean & simple card a little oomph (technical term!) that it needed. It has a rather Scandinavian simplicity to it, don’t you think?

The Envelope

When I was looking for paper to decorate my envelope, I ended up pulling out a retired Red DSP from last year. The 1/4″ strip across the top of the flap is Shaded Spruce, but without the Clear Emboss Powder, it didn’t match the card at all. So I took a piece of Shaded Spruce Cardstock and rubbed it with my Versamark Pad, sprinkled it with Clear Emboss Powder, then heat set it. Now it matches perfectly!

Be sure to zip over to the Less Is More site and see all the fun one-layer cards. Then head over to Freshly Made Sketches and see many different designs created from their one sketch. It’s awesome to see so many different interpretations!

Then come back to Stamping Habit on Wednesday and Friday. I will be playing with this stamp set again throughout the week and will be trying some very different ways to use it. You might enjoy the variety!

Here’s to a great week~

If you would like to purchase any of the products I used on today’s card, please click on the product photos below and shop in my online store. My Host Code for July is 9G3P7HSD. I appreciate your support!

Product List

Arrange A Wreath Photopolymer Stamp Set (English) [152587] $22.00	Whisper White 8-1/2″ X 11″ Thick Cardstock [140272] $8.25	Shaded Spruce Classic Stampin’ Pad [147088] $7.50
Real Red Classic Stampin’ Pad [147084] $7.50	Versamark Pad [102283] $9.50	Clear Stampin’ Emboss Powder [109130] $6.00
Heat Tool (Us And Canada) [129053] $30.00	Stamparatus [146276] $49.00	Brights Stampin’ Write Markers [147157] $30.00