Hello, this is Danielle Flanders here with a guest blog post! I’m so excited to be a part of Card Month here at Ella Publishing, as card making is one of my favorite hobbies. I have decided to put together a list of my “top 10 favorite stamping techniques” and share some ideas with you. Today I share tips 1-5, come back tomorrow for the remaining. Let’s get started!

1. Layer stamped images.

Lately, I have been loving to layer my stamping like you see on this card below. I began with the different shades of green for the holly stamp, then stamped the red sentiment over the top, and then the tree and borders. Start with the lightest color first when stamping and then progress with the darker colors of ink with this technique.

2. Stamp onto patterned paper.

Who says stamping has to be on white or plain colored cardstock? Utilize your favorite patterned papers with a soft design on them and stamp right over the patterned paper. Here I’ve used an older Making Memories graph paper. Text paper works great also!

3. Stamp on vellum.

I’ve stamped on glassine bags here to create little birthday invitations for my daughter’s party. Be sure to use ink that won’t smear when stamping on a smooth surface like vellum. You can stamp the party details on another piece of paper and slip it inside the pocket. If you don’t have these envelopes, try folding vellum to create your own!

4. Mask off a shape and stamp inside the shape.

On this card, I wanted to create a tree shape to go with the sentiment of “growing old friends”, so I cut an oval out of cardstock, placed it down on my card and repeatedly stamped the sentiment inside the shape. Stitching around it gives it more definition as well.

5. Stamp on tags.

Tags are a fun way to add quick detail to a card! You can even cut a tag in half and tie a piece of floss on to hang the other tags. (Don’t forget to dress up your envelopes too!)

I hope you enjoyed these card ideas!  Come back tomorrow for the remaining five. Please visit my blog: Homespun With Heart.

GIVEAWAY: now closed

**winner is Priya Mohan**

Before you go… my favorite stamp company, Papertrey Ink, has offered to give away one of my favorite stamp sets and coordinating dies, the Tiny Tags. Please leave a message here to be entered to win!

Leave a message here to be entered to win and share your favorite card stamping technique.

giveaway closes on Wednesday, 10/26 at 10:00 pm MST

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