See What You Can Do - Try Something New!

OK, truth time. How many of you acrylic stamp users have accidentally put your stamp on your acrylic block with the wrong side facing out? Then when you stamped it, you were shocked to see a large area of ink where you expected to see your image? Yeah, we've all done it. But today, I'm going to show you a technique where you're going to do just that - on purpose! I saw this technique/design by Julie Campbell in “Stamp It! Cards – Volume 9”. Here's how we'll make a cool "shadow-stamped" card:
 
Step 1: Place your stamp onto your acrylic block backwards, so that the flat side of the image faces out. Stamp the image onto your background in second-generation* ink (I used Close To My Heart's "Love Blooms" stamp set with Honey ink). (*To stamp in second-generation, ink up your stamp, stamp once onto scrap paper, then stamp the image onto your project.) Repeat this step in the bottom-right corner of the cardstock.

Step 2: Create a mask for your image by stamping it on a piece of scrap paper or a sticky-note, then cutting it out. (Originally I had this as Step 3, which is why you see that the next step is already done in the photo. But if you do this now, it saves you having to switch your stamp around again to create the mask.)

Step 3: Turn your stamp image around so that the correct side faces out, and stamp your image on top of the "shadow" you created. Use first-generation ink in the same color for this step.

Step 4: Cover your image(s) with the mask(s) you created, then repeat steps 1-3 with the smaller flower image, overlapping the larger flower several times. (I used Sunset ink). Remember to stamp your "shadow" in second-generation.

Step 5: Using the masks you created for the flowers, repeat the stamping technique with the leaf image (I used Olive ink). Here is the completed background:

Step 6: Now all that's left to do is build your card! To finish mine, I pierced holes around the edges of my background, then mounted it to my Sunset card front. I then tied some Olive Baker's Twine around the front of the card, stamped a sentiment in Olive ink from the "Casual Expressions" stamp set, mounted it to an oval piece of Sunset cardstock, then mounted that with 3D Foam Tape to the front of the card. I think it came out really nice, and I didn't have to hand-color a thing!

So the next time you accidentally stamp the wrong side of your image, remember that you can turn it into a beautiful work of art! Who knew?!