Celtic Heritage Day 2

If you're new to my blog - I'm showing samples this week of things I've made using my two NEW clear photopolymer stamp sets due for release early next week!!!

This mornings items feature a braid rope border stamp that I used to make the background of the gold wedding card yesterday.

I wanted to show you a neat trick to use with this stamp - because it is a clear long thin bendy stamp you can curve the image!!! I use a nestability circle die as a guide, placing it directly onto my acrylic block and then curved the stamp into place inside it - see?



I used this technique to help me make the circular border for the top of my welcome tin - I added my sentiment in the same way. I was really pleased with how this worked and also it guaranteed that my border would fit correctly when I cut it out with the die.

I then took the stamp off the block and laid it out flat to stamp a strip of card to make the border for around the outside of the tin, here I stamped the sentiment 'Be Happy' (Celtic Heritage) first and then a braid on either side - I trimmed it at the back to fit the tin.

I used one of the two lunette shapes I talked about yesterday (from the Celtic Heritage set) on the lid. I used the solid lunette for this project, stamping two close together, with the straight edges beside each other - so easy with clear stamps! When you stamp the image in this way it is so easy to just go ahead and punch it out with an EK success 1 and 3/4 inch circular punch (Whale of a punch - greeny/olive colour)

A very easy little altered project - this would make a good party favour container, I had this in mind for a new neighbour - I'm going to put a nice key ring in it and give it as a little welcome gift.

The second card this morning used the braid stamp as a very simple element on a quick and easy friendship card. It was gold embossed.

It features the Claddagh symbol which is a crowned heart between two hands - this is an old Irish betrothal symbol, commonly used on wedding, engagement, and friendship occasions. The most likely place that you will have seen a claddagh is on a ring - it is a common feature in Irish jewellery, traditionally given as a friendship or wedding ring. For this reason I chose to gold emboss the image here. Read more about it here. This info is from Wikipedia:

• The Claddagh's distinctive design features two hands clasping a heart, and usually surmounted by a crown. The elements of this symbol are often said to correspond to the qualities of love (the heart), friendship (the hands), and loyalty (the crown). The expression which was associated with these symbols in the giving of the ring was: "With my two hands I give you my heart, and crown it with my love." Yet, the expression, "Let love and friendship reign forever" can be found as another meaning for the symbols.

The phrase 'Let love and friendship reign' also associated with the Claddagh, the 'welcome' sentiment and the braid stamp are both from the new stamp set releasing early next week:

Irish Blessings