...say Hello to Asian Gardens

Hello and welcome to the start of the samples for the May 1st release, I have 8 new clear photopolymer stamp sets to show you and I'm kicking off with Asian Gardens. Don't forget to check out what Belinda, Jennifer, Lynn, and Anya, are up to today!!

Totally inspired by a beautiful font I found, I drew up the main tree image in two parts, trunk and leaves, for easy inking in separate colours.

I used tsukineko versacolour inks in two shades of green as they blend beautifully on the stamp. I popped a little bling in the centre of the leaf swirls, I coloured my blingy bits with copics to give them a sort of caramel tone. I stamped the trunk in Memento rich Cocoa and used a fine marker and drew a few squiggly lines to accentuate the bark, I've seen Belinda get a similar wood effect by dragging a comb over the surface of an inked stamp, itching to try that next. I cut the image with a Spellbinders label 2 die and sponged a little green around before removing the image from the die.

The green panel at the back is stamped with a little asian pattern border stamp, so handy for making fast backgrounds. The card base is stamped with the largest of the sakura flower images. There are 4 versions of the flower in this set because I just cannot get enough of it! LOL.


Today's second card used another version of he sakura flower to make a background. It's the image you all were searching for in the blog waltz! I stamped it repeatedly all over some melon berry cardstock and clear embossed it and rubbed over some brown distress ink!! I love how this background turned out!!


The focal image is a little Asian pheasant resting on a branch (the tree) I thought it made a good image for an encouragement card, and so I paired it with a sentiment from another new set, Words of Wisdom.



Inside I stamped the sakura flower again and added the "Try it!" sentiment also from Words of Wisdom.


Today's last card uses the branch stamp (stamped twice) from Asian Gardens and a smaller sakura flower stamped repeatedly to create a cherry blossom image. I very simply cut out the image with a Spellbinders Labels 11 die. This die is a fab shape for Asian themed cards because it is a little reminiscent of a cloud, which I believe is a popular Asian motif. It is all mounted simply on a piece of blue card which has been embossed with a cuttlebug folder, and two strips of orange ribbon, picking up the orange tone of the branches. A little dew drop co-ordinates.


The sentiment panel is a cut down section of another labels 11 die cut, I cut it down using a side section of a smaller die from the set. Stamped friend from Asian gardens and that was it!!


Hope they tickle!!