Crafting can be a costly hobby, it can be so tempting to buy into all of the latest trends, mediums and tools. It can sometimes be overwhelming – like being a kid in a sweet shop. Where do you start when you have so much to choose from?

The key for me is to keep it simple, and plan what you will use a product for, before you buy it. That way, there is no excuse for that new toy to stay on the shelf gathering dust.

Take the Balloon Celebrations stamp set from Stampin’ Up! This set can be used for so many occasions and the stamps themselves can be used with lots of different techniques.

Here I am using one of the decorative stamps in a different way, by inking up the reverse of the stamp to create an image that is larger than the line drawn image that I have stamped over the top. You can do this with any symmetrical stamp, and it creates a hand drawn/coloured look.  This look is really effective and so easy – you don’t need to line up the line image perfectly, in fact, it is better if it is slightly off kilter.

The sentiment is stamped in Versamark onto black card and then embossed in white.  I have also used a black matt to pull the card together.

I loved the look so much, I quickly made up two more cards, with slight variations to the orginal:

Here I used the smaller balloon stamp to create a repeating background.  The sentiment is raised up on foam pads, and I did the same with the card front to give the card some dimension.

With this last card, I used the swirl stamp for the background, and cut the stamped piece down to give a different look.

Always look at a stamp set and try to see different ways to use the stamps, stretch your stash!  I would love to hear what you think, leave a comment below.

Products used:

Stamp set: Balloon Celebrations (140675)

Inks: Pink Pirouette (126956); Pool Party (126982); So Saffron (126957); Wisteria Wonder (126985) ; Memento Tuxedo Black Ink (132708); Versamark Ink (102283)

Embossing powder: White Stampin’ Emboss Powder (109132)

Cardstock: Whisper White (106549)

I really hope you like what you see.  If you would like to purchase any of the products used click on the individual links above, or click here to be taken straight to my Stampin’ Up! shopping page.

If you want to see more of what you can do with this set, check out my last blog post.