In December I signed up for a demonstrator-only swap to showcase items from the January – June 2022 Mini Catalog. The woman that coordinates this particular swap is always so organized and I get some great samples from the other participants. One thing that the organizer does that I really appreciate is she asks people to propose 3 or 4 stamp sets that they want to use, and she’ll let you know which one(s) are ok. In this way, she ensures that we get samples with a nice variety from the catalog and avoid a majority of samples for a single set. I went a little nuts on my pre-order from this catalog, so I had lots of options. The Flowering Rain Boots was my first choice when I signed up, and happily my wish was granted. I’ve said it before, and it’s still true, that I’m a real sucker for floral stamp sets. The nice thing about this set is that it has flowers + several other images including the rain boots and a watering can. There are some really interesting elements in the coordinating dies, too. I’m looking forward to experimenting more with this bundle.
I used this old sketch as the inspiration for my card layout. I knew that I wanted to use the rain boots and the tulips together which creates a pretty tall image. This layout was the perfect design to highlight this combination of images from the set.
When I created my card, I decided to do #simplestamping (a hashtag from Stampin’ Up!) and create a card that’s easy to replicate by newer stampers and isn’t bulky for the mail. In general, #simplestamping means that a project is created with stamps, inks and paper. And very importantly, it doesn’t involve any special techniques or tools, so it is accessible to everyone. I have to say that it is hard for me to pull off #simplestamping because it is so tempting to try to create a WOW card. That’s an ego boost for me, and I love using all the accessories that I have on hand. BUT… it’s also important to have cards that help others to get that same feeling. And since this swap is for demonstrators, we’re encouraged to create cards that can be replicated in a class or workshop setting. I really hope that the other demos in the swap enjoy this card, and can leverage it in this way with other stampers.
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