Stamp Review Crew - Birch

Stampin’ UP! Birch & Peaceful Cabin

It's the third Monday of October and that means it's time for the Stamp Review Crew.  We are a group of Stampin' UP! demonstrators sharing a ton of ideas focused on a single stamp set. This week we're featuring the  background stamp set Birch. You have likely come from Nikki Spencer’s blog on your way through this amazing hop. If you get lost, simply click on the banner for a list of participants and get back on track.

Just because it’s CALLED Birch, it doesn’t mean it has to LOOK LIKE a birch tree.  Let’s make it look like clouds and drifted snow.  

This project involves some very creative masking.  It also required that I figure out when the Birch image needs to be behind things as “clouds” and when it needs to be in front of things as snow drifts.  The Drybrush background stamp can also work well for this technique.  We will mask off all the places where there will be snow.

• Stamp the cabin on the card front and on a sticky note.  I used Basic Grey ink.  Cut out the image from the sticky note and place it over the cabin.
• Stamp the trees in front of the horizon and on a sticky note. I used Mossy Meadow ink.  Cut out the sticky note trees and place them over the stamped images.
• Create the horizon mask and place it on the card front.  You will be covering the snow.  Not the sky. It can be the straight edge of a piece of paper or a torn edge.  I used a torn edge.
• Stamp the trees beyond the horizon on the card front and on a sticky note.  Cut out the sticky note images and place them over the trees.
• Apply the sky color using a Blending Brush with whichever colors you want the sky to be.  If you’d like the snow drifts to show up, also lightly color the foreground snow.
• Remove ONLY the horizon mask and replace any tree masks that were on the horizon mask.
• Finally ink the Birch background stamp using VersaMark ink and stamp over the card front.  There is a heavy cluster of texture on this stamp.  Make sure it appears in the lower left corner of the card front.  Heat emboss using the Basics White Embossing Powder.

 

   

Next stop on the Hop is Charlet Mallett’s blog where she'll

wow you with her beautiful design skills.

Comments

[Charlet]

Wow! What a cool idea to use the birch as clouds in the sky, Fantastic!

[Heidi Baks]

That's fabulous, Mike! Brilliant use of the background!!

[Kathy Bolam]

Beautiful scene, Mike!

[Cindy Elam]

Oh my gosh, Mike, that's *really* thinking outside the box. Brilliantly done!

[Holly/Rubber Redneck]

Wow Mike this is brilliant idea!! I absolutely love the idea of using it as clouds!! Gorgeous card too I love the blending on it.