TOUR OF ITALY

I've had this Hero Arts Italy Background stamp for so long, but I've struggled with how to use it. I've always had trouble with collage-type stamps because my creative ideas with them are VERY limited. Then, I saw this card by Suzzanne. I loved the way she colored it using watercolors. When I went to her blog to check it out, I fell in love with the picture she uses as a header on her blog, and THAT was my inspiration for my cards. Here's her header:

And here is my first of 2 cards with this stamp:

My dad is a full-blooded Italian (Sicilian, actually). He recently made a trip back to his birthplace and was awed by his Italian heritage. He's got some VERY interesting stories about his family history! Anyway, I bought the stamp with him in mind. Since the card is all about Italy, I wanted some kind of greeting in Italian. I don't speak a lick of Italian - and neither does my dad, really - so I went to Google translate to find out how to say "Happy Birthday". Hence, the sentiment is "Happy Birthday" in Italian.

To make this card, I stamped the image onto watercolor paper. Once the ink was dry, I swiped various Distress Stains over the image and "smoothed and blended" the colors with a wet paintbrush. Once I was satisfied with the colors, I let it dry and distressed the edges. For the sentiment, I printed the words onto a piece of white cardstock. I then stamped it with a newsprint background, then swiped Distress Inks over it to get it to match the original stamped image.

Here's card #2:

I basically made this one the same way I did the first one, using the same colors of ink, etc. Again, I went to Google translate for an Italian sentiment. I wanted a "neutral" greeting, like "Hello"...but then I found out that the same Italian word for "hello" (ciao) is also used for "goodbye". To avoid confusion, I decided to use the word "Saluti", which simply means "Greetings".

I certainly haven't mastered Suzzane's art of coloring, but I'm having a whole lot of fun trying!!!

And my supplies:

*Hero Arts Cling Stamp ITALY BACKGROUND 2012 Rubber Unmounted CG425	Memento Tuxedo Black Ink	Antique Linen Distress Stain	Old Paper Distress Stain	*Tim Holtz DISTRESS Ink STAIN BROKEN CHINA Ranger
*Tim Holtz DISTRESS Ink STAIN FADED JEANS Ranger	*Tim Holtz DISTRESS Ink STAIN PEELED PAINT Ranger	Frayed Burlap Distress Stain	Walnut Stain Distress Stain	Tim Holtz Paper Distresser
*Tim Holtz Distress Ink PAD VINTAGE PHOTO Brown Ranger	Neenah Solar White Cardstock	*Hero Arts NEWSPAPER BACKGROUND 2012 Rubber Stamp S5601 Designblock	Ink Blending Tool	Old Paper Distress Ink
Distress Ink "Frayed Burlap"	Faded Jeans Distress Ink	*Tim Holtz DISTRESS INK PAD PEELED PAINT Green Ranger	Hero Arts Kraft cardstock	Scotch ATG (tape glider)
Mementos "Dedication" Embellishments

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