Stamp Review Crew: Zoo Babies

Welcome to the Stamp Crew Review blog hop!  We are focusing on the Zoo Babies stamp set this time and these little critters just plain ADORABLE!  You can see the full blog roll by clicking HERE to visit the Stamp Review Crew home page.  Our past hops remain permanently linked so you can view them at your leisure.  (And check out any that you may have missed!)

Zoo Babies is a set that has been around for a while but what we Review Crew members love to do is take an older set and give it a new look.  One really cute new stamp set in the Occasions Mini is called From the Garden.  That set is a perfect compliment to Zoo Babies in that the petite leaves and foliage are just the right size for adding a background setting for the Babies.

The sweet giraffe now has leaves to nibble:

Her cute little bow is another image found in the From Your Garden set.

The impish monkey can swing from a vine:

And the alligator is happily hanging out in a weed patch.

This petite little oval is also part of the set and perfectly frames the word "baby" from the Zoo Babies set.

Because From the Garden is a clear photopolymer set it is a breeze to stamp all the delicate details in just the right place!

The rest of the Crew has more wild and wonderful things to share.  Please click on the buttons below to continue on your way.  The NEXT BLOG will take you to Tanya's terrific projects.

      

And this PREVIOUS BLOG button with pop you back to Kerry's cute creations.

    

Stamp Review Crew: Painted Petals

Welcome to the latest Stamp Review Crew blog hop!  Our stamp set this session is the dreamy Painted Petals set.   Watercolor images are one of my very favorite styles.  In fact, two of my first stamp purchases were SU!'s Roses in Winter and Watercolor Mini's.  

Painted Petals has that same lovely "old-fashioned" watercolor feel.  I chose to keep my card and bookmark set very simple to focus on that.

This is a one layer card stamped on Naturals White cardstock.  There were two advantages to using the Naturals White compared to Whisper White cardstock in this instance.  It is a heavier weight making a nice card base and it is not quite as smooth as Whisper White.  That tiny bit of roughness adds to the softness of the stamped watercolor effect.

To add depth to the flowers I first inked the stamp with Strawberry Slush ink and then added highlights with a Rose Red marker directly to the stamp.   A Stamp-a-ma-jig was essential in getting the perfect alignment.  I love my Stamp-a-ma-jig!  It sounds a bit paradoxical but I find it relaxing to stamp with a Stamp-a-ma-jig so I can view and precisely place images in the exact spot to get a pleasing and balanced placement.  I have to admit I used to be hesitant to reach for my SAMJ thinking the extra step was a nuisance,  but I find I have far fewer "mistakes" and am much happier with the end result when using this wonderful tool!

Thanks so much for joining us for our Blog Hop.  Now please click on the links below to continue on your way to see more wonderful projects with the Painted Petals stamp set.  Click "Next Blog"  to see the talented Mike Funke's creation or "Previous Blog" to view Nancy Smith's lovely projects.   Our next hop will be two weeks from now when the Crew will return to review another stamp set!

  

  

Supplies:  Stamps: Painted Petals, Paper: Naturals White Cardstock, Ink: Strawberry Slush Classic Ink, Rose Red Stampin Write Marker, Wild Wasabi Classic Ink, Blackberry Bliss Classic Ink,  Tools:  Stamp-a-ma-jig.