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Tuesday, May 27, 2014

'Life is a Circus'.........Well Some of the Time !

Hi everybody ! Toni here with a with a fun project for anyone that enjoys stamping, colouring and stencilling! I've had great time playing with the new Stampers Anonymous, 'Big Top' stamps I received from Kim. So far I've made a birthday card for my son and this little fold out booklet. Initially, I wasn't sure about the stamps as they are quite a departure from what I usually like but I can tell you I absolutely love them ! the images are so playful and cute. I started  by die cutting four arches in manila card and four in Kraft card. I stenciled  red stripes onto each of the manila arches using a home made stencil and Fired Brick Distress Ink. 
I blended some Gathered Twigs Distress Ink onto the edges and Antique Linen over the surface. I then did a bit of 'spritz and flick' and dried the arches with a heat gun. I stamped out the four circus images onto manila card with black Archival Ink and heat embossed them with clear embossing powder. I then coloured them with Pro Markers. I also stamped the elephant in red Archival Ink and cut out his 'blanket' and headdress and adhered these to the elephant I had coloured in.
I then set to with a pair of sharp, fine blade scissors and cut out each of the circus acts. I added dimensional pads to the backs of each shape. This part was quite fiddlesome but worth it. I then adhered each shape to an arch. To enable the circus scene to stand up, I lined up the Kraft card arches and adhered two lengths of ribbon across the width, leaving a slight gap between each one. I then adhered the two sets of arches together.
Here's the finished result. I added some little flock covered beads for the juggler, as well as a stamped 'admit one' ticket.
I also used a fine black pen to create some faux stitching around each panel.
I really enjoyed working on this project and I shall be getting these stamps out again as I have another birthday card to make. I can see they are going to get plenty of use ! x
If you fancy having a go at a project like this, you can pick up many of the supplies I've used from Kim's lovely eclectic Paperie shop. There is even a gorgeous Stripes Stencil by Wendy Vecchi, so you can put that craft knife away! Just click on the thumbnails below and you'll be transported right  to the eclectic Paperie shop.

10 comments:

Claudia N. said...

LOVE it!
Have just ordered these stamps some days ago and you used them perfectly! A gorgeous and whimsical make!

Claudia x

Micki said...

I love it. Love how you colored the images. They really pop. Wonderful way to use them.

Irmgard said...

Spectacular - what a cute little event-booklet! I love the circus theme :)
hugs serafeena

Sue Lelli said...

What a FUN way to use those circus stamps! FAB fold out, Toni! LOVE the big top theme!

Julia Aston said...

How fun is this little circus book!! love it Toni - the stripes and bright colors - this stamp set is really cute!

505whimsygirl said...

Hi Toni,

What a cute project! I love the striped paper with the circus images.
Adorable!

Hugs,
Kay

mamablitger said...

Oh dear... This is so stinking cute !!! LOVE it !!! You are very talented and creativ !! Thank you for sharing this fab project !!
Hugs from SPAIN

Words and Pictures said...

You can really see how much fun you had with this - I love the quirky whimsical look! I know what you mean about having reservations about the stamps, but you've made them look very tempting, Toni!
Alison x

Erin Smetak said...

This looks like a reflection of my life! LOL! This is so adorable! I LOVE the whimsical feel of your project!!!!

Mary-Ann Maldonado said...

This is fantastic. I love the elephant. Recently went to the circus and sat front row in front of the elephants. This would be perfect for a layout! I just love how fun this is.