Make Your Christmas Simple: Elegant & Understated Card Idea

Some stamp sets just have the perfect artwork. Simple, gorgeous and ideal for those elegant and understated cards. Ornamental Pine (135107) is definitely one of those stamp sets. Just pair it with a simple shape, like the die cut from the Ovals Collection Framelits (129381) and you’re ready to stamp.

I do have one basic stamping tip to share on this card though – it’s about the pine branch and how to make the branch one color and the needles green.

One Stamp, Two Colors: A Stamping 101 Tip from Meg

Ink your stamp with the lighter of the two colors. In this case, you’ll ink the pine needles with the Garden Green Ink Pad. Don’t worry about the branch.
Use a darker color marker to color over the area you’d like in the darker color. Here, you’ll be using the Early Espresso Stampin’ Write Marker to color the branch.
As you color, wipe the tip of the marker off on scratch paper occasionally. The marker tip will pick up some of the color from the stamp, so to keep the color true, you’ll need to wipe away that extra color.
Stamp on card stock. Voila! Two colors on one stamped image!

I know – it’s not rocket science. But sometimes people wonder about how that simple trick works :) There are so many ways to use your markers for neat effects on stamps – check out more Marker to Stamp technique ideas on my blog.

The other thing I love about this card? Hello! The Under the Tree Specialty Paper (135825) turns out to be gorgeous as a card layer! Love it.

Product List

Ornamental Pine Clear-Mount Stamp Set [135107]	Under The Tree Specialty Designer Series Paper [135825]	Ovals Collection Framelits Die [129381]	Cherry Cobbler Classic Stampin’ Pad [126966]
Garden Green Classic Stampin’ Pad [126973]	Early Espresso Stampin’ Write Marker [119680]	Garden Green 8-1/2″ X 11″ Card Stock [102584]	Whisper White 8-1/2″ X 11″ Card Stock [100730]