Easy technique for multicolored stamp images

I'm still having a hard time focusing on card making, so I'm going to work on sharing some cards I made a while back and never posted. For today, here is a clean and simple, gender-neutral card that you could use for any occasion.

Supplies (all Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted):
Stamps: All the Good Things, By the Bay
Paper: Whisper White, Pool Party card stock
Ink: Pumpkin Pie, Basic Black
Accessories: Layering Circles dies, blue sequins (Paper Pumpkin leftovers), Corner Chomper (We R Memory Keepers), foam tape (3M), Art Glitter Glue (Art Institute)

I love that this card focuses on stamping -- with a little twist. I think these multicolored koi look pretty realistic, and it's so easy to create this look. Just ink the stamp in the main color (I used Pumpkin Pie) and then, using a marker, randomly scribble black spots on the stamp. That's it! When you stamp the image on paper, you have a fun multicolored koi fish. This technique would be great for a variety of images, such as butterflies, flowers, balloons, and even "chunky" sentiment stamps.

To make the focal layer for this card, I used white card stock and repeatedly inked, colored, and stamped the large and small koi fish images until I was happy with the arrangement. (I did clean the stamp after each impression so my ink pad didn't end up with black spots.) I rounded two opposite corners of the white card stock to mimic the curve of the fish and then mounted it on a Pool Party card base. I die cut the sentiment with a circle die, added a Pool Party circle to the back, and adhered it to the card base with foam tape. I finished the card with a few light blue sequins, which reminded me of bubbles in a pond.

Here's another tip I shared a couple of years ago, but I think it's a good reminder. If you have a stamp that contains multiple images, you can cut it apart and use them separately. (Really! I promise nothing bad will happen.) The large koi image I used for this card was actually on one stamp with a sentiment. I liked the sentiment, but I wanted to be able to use the fish separately without having to mask the sentiment every time. So I did a little stamp surgery by carefully slicing apart the stamp (I have this set in cling-mounted red rubber). I made sure to pull the blade without using a sawing motion, and I didn't worry about having a perfectly straight cut. In fact, it helps if it's a little imperfect -- then if I do want to use the two parts together, I can just join them up like puzzle pieces before attaching them to a clear block. (I haven't tested this process yet with clear photopolymer or acrylic stamps. You can certainly cut those apart; I'm just not sure how easy it would be to match the pieces back together since those materials are more pliable than rubber.)

That's it for me today. My bright spot this week is that I finally have my first appointment for the COVID-19 vaccine on Friday afternoon. Yippee! I know I will still need to be careful, wear a mask, etc., but it will be good to have one worry eased a little bit. I hope you are having a happy, healthy week. Thanks for stopping by!