How Many Cards can you Make with a Mini Stamp Set?

     In January I ordered a mini stamp set from Gina K Designs called "Love is Friendship".  It had one image and one sentiment.

1

   

     I have heard stampers discuss the fact that you should think of three ways to use a stamp set before purchasing it so that you get your money's worth.  That sounds like sound advice because the stamp sets I never use do not inspire me to create different types of cards.

     The first card was inspired by a floral card created by Melanie Muenchinger.  It isn't as pretty as hers, but the inside front of the card is also stamped with the guitar so that it looks like it lines up with the front of the card.

2

     For my second card, I wanted to use some wood tone paper for the guitar.  It didn't turn out as I had hoped because the wood tone was on too big of a scale.  A smaller scale would have worked nicely.  I used Washi tape stripes.

3

     For the third one I did some simple masking of the guitar to make the hearts go behind it.  The stamp had three hearts in a row so I used my MISTI to line them up evenly.  I also performed "stamp surgery" on the sentiment because the entire sentiment wouldn't fit on one line where I wanted it to fit.

4

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     I put even more work into the 4th card.  I used a script stamp on a panel behind the red and cut out a heart near the center.  I stamped the sentiment and guitar on black card stock and used versamark and silver embossing powder for the detail, plus I stamped a swirl near the bottom with the versamark and used the same silver embossing powder.  I then took my versamark pen and "drew" a line along the two edges of the panel behind the guitar and also applied silver embossing powder.  It makes it look like there is a third layer of card stock but it is the same layer the script stamp is applied to.  Then I took the entire panel and attached it to an A2 card base.  The right side of the photo has glare but the panel is centered on the card.

6

     For the 6th one I used  the heart that was die cut out of the red card stock from the above card and used my versamark pen to outline just beyond the stitch marks, then used gold embossing powder on it.  I also used versamark ink and gold embossing powder on the stamped sentiment and stamped guitar.  I found some black patterned paper and applied it to a slightly larger piece of cardstock that I had outlined with my versamark pen and embossed with gold embossing power.

     What you don't see is card number 7 which is still in my head.  I have yet to find a stamp that would help me create it.  I wanted musical notes that were not on a straight line, but were on a S shaped curve that I could have stamped behind the guitar.  I ended up creating card number 3 as an alternate to that design, but I still envision it looking better on a swirl of musical notes.  

     If I never use this stamp set again, I have probably gotten enough use out of it.  And it was so inexpensive!