Be Merry

I do not buy many non Stampin' Up! stamps because I find I just don't use them much. I do visit my LSS on occasion to see what is new in the world of stamping and when I do make a purchase it is usually accessories or tools. This Poinsettia stamp by Magenta grabbed my attention on my last visit and just had to come home with me. I just love the size of it...it really makes a statement!! It is also one of my first unmounted stamps which posed a slight problem as the stamp is so large I couldn't find an acrylic block to mount it on. Awhile ago I bought a plastic trivet kit with an embroidery insert. I thought I would stamp something to go inside but hadn't gotten around to it. It was a perfect fit!!

This card measures 5 1/4" square and the stamp takes up most of that space! I embossed it in gold and trimmed it around it's frame. I used Twinkling H2O's to paint the flower a pretty shade of pinkish red and the frame in green. To tone down the shimmer white cardstock I used, I used creamy caramel and an aquapainter to fill in around the flower. I mounted it onto a piece of gold cardstock that I pierced and then onto a piece of rose red. The Be Merry tag is gold and celery cardstock punched with SU's oval punches. I brushed some green H2O's over the celery tag so it would better match the card. When it was all done I added some gold liquid pearls on the petals of the flower but I think next time I would leave them off, seemed like overkill. I love the final look, the colors are very contemporary but the embossing makes it elegant. The best part was it actually did not take long to do.

I am working on another tutorial so check in again soon