My Favorite Stamp

This week the folks over at Heart 2 Heart challenge us to create something using our favorite stamp or stamp set.  Now if you have been following this blog for a while, you probably know that my all time favorite stamp is the butterfly from the long retired "Find Your Style" set.  Because that stamp is so old I decided to also share my favorite stamp from the current Close to My Heart Catalogue, "Your Own Kind of Wonderful." You might think these are favorite stamps because I love butterflies, but the real reason is that I love to play with color and ink, and these stamps are a perfect way to indulge that passion.  Using this sketch from Atlantic Hearts I made a card using each set:

First up is the butterfly from "Find Your Style:"

I like to ink this up using sponge daubers.  Since I am never sure how it is going to come out, I usually make several, use the one I like best for that project, and stash the rest in the back of the envelope that the set comes in to use later.  This butterfly is one from my stash using Juniper and Sweet Leaf.  I sponged around the edges with Saddle and Chocolate and was ready to move on.  The center panel is a card from the Skylark Picture My Life set.  I got a background and sentiment with no real effort on my part.  How cool is that?  or the butterfly's antennae, I masked off the body so just the antennae were inked and stamped directly on the card.  With a premade butterfly and panel this would have been a quick card if I didn't decide to color the clear sparkle flourish with one of the new ShinHan markers.  I love how well the color took!  Since this was not going to be a quick card, I stamped the butterfly one more time in Saddle, cut out the body and used the Mahogany marker to add texture.  I also stamped a dragonfly with second generation Juniper ink in the upper left of the PML card.  I used the Butterfly stamp on the inside of the card as well:

Speaking of ShinHan markers, my next card features the stamp set "Your Own Kind of Wonderful" which is the prefect showcase for them.  

I love how vivid the colors are and how well they layer!  I heat embossed the butterfly using Black pigment ink and Clear Detail powder.  Again, I used a Picture My Life card, this time from the Laughing Lola set.  I also did some coloring on the inside:

So now you know two of my favorite stamp sets.  What's your favorite?  Thank you for stopping by!  Now head on over to Heart 2 Heart Challenges and Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge to see some more creations.  Until next time, Hansi

Materials used, all Close to My Heart unless otherwise noted:

Card 1:
Paper:  Juniper and Colonial White cardstock
Ink:  Juniper, Sweet Leaf, Saddle, and Chocolate ink, Bronze and Mahogany ShinHan markers
Stamp:  Find Your Style (retired), an old Petite Perks set (retired)
Embellishments:  Small Clear Sparkle Flourish, Green Sparkle (retired), Bronze Shimmer Trim
Other:  Skylark Picture My Life card

Card 2:
Paper:  Crystal Blue, Black, and Colonial White cardstock
Ink:  Black dye and pigment inks, Lavender, Cerulean Blue, Tender Pink, and Peony Purple ShinHan markers
Stamps:  Your Own Kind of Wonderful
Embellishments:  Small Black Sparkles Flourish. Black Sparkle, Purple Shimmer Trim
Other:  Laughing Lola Picture My Life card