...say hello to Vintage Labels No.2 and Victorian Fripperie

Welcome to the second day of samples for our new July stamp release, (see yesterdays post if you're new here, you might have to scroll a bit, this is a long post! LOL)

You will want to check out what the ladies have been up to as well!! Here are the links! Belinda, Bonnie, Anya, Julia, Lisa, Carly, Jennifer, Lynn, and Edna.

Ok, hands up who has the Spellbinders Labels 2 dies and isn't quite sure what to do with them? yep? me too. I loved the shape of them, and I bought them when they were first new out, but for some reason, they get a little less use than some of my other dies...hmmmm. I don't know why, the shape is appealing, excellent for pictures and sentiments but I seem to overlook them sometimes.

High time for a few stamps to 'liven them up a bit' LOL! and so let me introduce you to Vintage Labels No. 2

It's always a challenge (and I love a challenge unless it is of the household variety) to try to fit in lots of different sizes of stamps for these Spellbinder friendly stamp sets. I love to have stacks of options in a set and it pains me to have only 3 or 4 die compatible stamps in a set so I'm always trying to think up more ways of sneaking a full 'frame' in.

The stamp I use for today's first sample is just such a wee gem! I was up to 7 frame stamps with only a little space left over when I hit upon the idea of making two little corner stamps that could be easily combined to make a full frame! Voila, 8 frames possible from this 8x6 inch set!!

In the pic below you can see how one corner stamp is used in each opposite corner, this is the same stamp, stamped twice in opposite corners. I really like how this looks an would quite happily use them in this way but I wanted to show you how easy it is to make a full frame


Followed by the other corner stamp.


Voila, a full decorative frame option, from two small stamps!


My sentiment is from the new Rescue Remedies Additions set, a smaller 4x6 inch set also new this Thursday. The leaf behind the prima flowers is a stamp from another new set, Victorian Fripperie, more on that set below.


Just wanted to share a wee tip for something I like to do with Spellbinders dies from time to time. I love the shapes of their dies but sometimes I want a sort of distressed version and so I lay the die down on the cardstock, cutting side up.

I hold the die down firmly with one hand while pulling the cardstock up, ripping it away from around the die, with the other hand. You can see how I've just started in the pic below, and then how it looks when finished in the next pic.


The next two cards how the same label, a large heavily patterned stamp from Vintage Labels 2. the first card is a clean version and the second is a 'dirty' version.

I am in love with this label. It speaks to me of Christmas, Valentines, masculine cards, and of course anything vintage! lol Anything requiring sumptuous detail.


I am particularly pleased with the pattern inside the label shape, it is redrawn, by yours truly, from an actual vintage wallpaper pattern! I isolated the repeat and drew the design up, first as a border, showcased in the 'Merci' card way on down this post, and then as a solid background for use in this frame.

This means that this Vintage Labels 2 label design, perfectly matches the border design from Victorian Fripperie. Of course you don't need both sets as there are plenty of other goodies in Victorian Fripperie which also match the border design, but I really wanted to have the option of being able to use these two tamps together!

For my Christmas card, I stamped the green 'curtains' with the border stamp from the Victorian Fripperie set to compliment the label. I bowed the label so that it would sit out from the card and provide some balance to the open curtains below, where the wee gingerbread folks and sweeties from Gingerbread Joy, Oven Fresh are tumbling out. Sentiment is from Very Vintage Christmas.




Below, you can see how I bowed the label using a little length of card. I fold the ends back so that the centre length is narrower than the width of the panel and tape the folds to either side of the panel with strong double sided tape.



I love the proportions of this label design, I love how the sentiment/image space is off centre and that there is a large area of pure pattern below the clear oval. I like how I can add flowers or other embellishments to the bottom of the oval and still have some pattern showing below.

To start with, I sponged a panel of card with Victorian Velvet distress ink. I marked the centre with pencil so that I could stamp the border from Victorian Fripperie either side ensuring that the pattern was centred on the card. Look how crisply the Neptune Versacolour ink prints, I love how sharp this is, but I wanted a softer look, so I took a sponge to it! lol! (The soft pinky background leaf design is the same one on the card you saw above.)


You can see the contrast between the sharp impression of the stamp and the smudgy effect starting to happen with the sponge here in this pic, where I had just started sponging the label, these versacolour inks smudge quite well, lol!


Finished up with a little sentiment from Victorian Fripperie and some prima flowers dyed with copics! this is a very moody thank you card! LOL!


Sure hope these tickle!

Don't forget to leave a comment on yesterdays post telling me what you like so far to be in with a chance of winning a little something!