Beetles and bugs (the stamped kind)

Whenever Stampin' Up! releases a new catalog, there always seems to be products that are instant hits. You know what I mean -- the stamp sets that everyone buys and loves makes hundreds of adorable samples with, like the Window Shopping bundle, Dragonfly Dreams bundle and Oh So Succulent bundle, to name a few from the 2017 Occasions catalog. I don't want to take anything away from those sets, because I think they're cute, too. But sometimes I seem to gravitate toward the less-popular products. Maybe I like to root for the underdog. Or maybe I'm just contrary. Who knows. But whatever the reason, I'll be focusing on a few of those stamp sets in my next three blog posts, starting with Beetles & Bugs.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: Beetles & Bugs
Paper: Crumb Cake note cards and envelopes, First Edition Specialty Designer Series Paper (DSP), Very Vanilla card stock
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Crumb Cake
Accessories: Darling Divas trim (Michaels), black mini brads (Joann's), sponge

I know a lot of people don't like bugs and do not find this stamp set at all appealing. I actually liked it right away, and I also knew right away that I wanted to make a vintage-style card with some of the images. I started with a Crumb Cake note card and added a piece of newsprint-style DSP to the left side of the card. On the rest of the card base I stamped six of the bug images, using black ink for the outline and Crumb Cake for one of the detail layers for each bug. (Bonus: The multi-step parts of these stamps are very easy to line up. Awesome!) I sponged Crumb Cake ink around the whole card front, added a piece of trim over the edge of DSP and placed a mini black brad in the upper left corner.

I really liked how this card turned out, so I made a set of six, varying the selection and arrangement of bugs on each card.

Inside the cards I adhered a layer of Very Vanilla card stock stamped with a ladybug in the lower left corner. I continued the theme by stamping a little trail of ants on the envelopes.

I realize that these cards aren't everyone's cup of tea, but I know exactly who I'm going to give them to, and I think she'll love them.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up!):
Stamps: Beetles & Bugs, Labeler Alphabet
Paper: Thick Whisper White, Bermuda Bay card stock
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Pool Party, Bermuda Bay, Peekaboo Peach, Watermelon Wonder, Project Life journaling pen
Accessories: Confetti Stars border punch, Mono Multi liquid glue, Dimensionals

I wanted to make a more colorful and kid-friendly card for my next project. Using black ink I stamped the bug outlines in a clockwise direction around the edges of the white card base, creating a frame. (Here's a tip: Start with the largest images first, then add the medium-sized ones and finally fill in any open spaces with the smallest images.) I filled in the detail layers using different combinations of Pool Party, Bermuda Bay, Watermelon Wonder and Peekaboo Peach.

The empty space in the middle of the card was the perfect place for a sentiment. I used the Labeler Alphabet stamp set to create my own punny greeting, cut out the words and used Dimensionals to adhere them to a piece of white card stock I trimmed to fit inside the bug frame. I doodled a border around the card stock, added a few small Bermuda Bay stars and finished the card by adhering the layer to the center of the frame with Dimensionals.

Later this week I'll be sharing a couple of cards made with Lucky Elephant. Thanks for stopping by!