Perfect Repeating Pattern w/Dawn ft. HAPPY WISHES

Hello crafty friends! I have a fun technique to share today. And I'll warn you ahead of time, it is addictive!

I don't know about you, but I'm a sucker for a pretty pattern. However, I have a love/hate relationship with patterned paper. I love to look at it, but I hate to cut into it! Hence why I love to stamp out my own.

I can't tell you how many times I get halfway through stamping out a pattern only to stamp an image too close or not close enough and then the "seamless" is off, or one area overlaps that shouldn't. Now normally I go with the flow and figure out a way to cover or cut out that area, but sometimes I have to start over.

Today's technique shows you how to take out the guess work and stamp perfect patterns every time. With the tiniest bit of pre-planning, you'll be stamping out as many pretty patterns as you'd like.

Watch above or watch in HD at YouTube

Bonus? Once you've set up your "template", it can be reused again and again with different color combinations!

Let me apologize up front for the poor picture quality today. My DSLR settings seem to have mysteriously gone awry, combined with a rainy day(s)...and well, you get the point. I'll have to figure that out.

This is one of those that is definitely a show, rather than tell technique, so be sure to watch the video. Here, I'll go over each card along with the color combos and products used. You will need a stamp positioning tool for this - I've used the standard sized MISTI - but whichever you have will do. As the name suggests, repeating pattern, you will be doing a lot of repetitive stamping of a simple floral motif. The MISTI makes this super quick, easy, and best of all...accurate.

All of the patterns today were stamped using the Happy Wishes stamp set. (All products will be listed at the end of this post for reference) This first pair of cards comes from the same pattern. I stamped out a 6x6" inch pattern using the following Wplus9 PURECOLOR ink color combination:

Color Combo 1

• Warm Wool
• Flamingo
• Fairy Dust
• Wild Mango
• Last Leaf

For the first card, I trimmed a 4 x 5.25" panel from the patterned paper and mounted it to a standard card base with foam tape. The sentiment, also from Happy Wishes was stamped onto a die cut circle using the Simon Says Stamp Stitched Circle wafer dies. To accent the sentiment, I stamped a few extra floral elements, die cut them using the Happy Wishes Die and used them to flanked the sentiment with a few floral clusters.

I had some left over pieces of pattern from where I trimmed out the panel from the first card, and used them to die cut a couple of envelopes from using the Love Notes Die. I also cut a few of the floral images from the patterned scraps using the Happy Wishes Die.

I arranged all of the pieces in a little vignette and stamped my sentiment below it.

I knew I wanted to place all of this on a white base, but it felt a little too plain with all of the white on white, so I added a little bit of texture to the background using my score board and stylus. I have a video on this technique in this post for more on how to do that.

The next card uses the same color combo as the previous ones, except I chose to use a bit more of Last Leaf. Switching up which color you use more predominately in a pattern can give it a whole different feel.

I trimmed this one down to 5" square and mounted it to a 5.25" card base. Again, I used the same main sentiment and added the "on your special day" and placed both on a hexagon label die cut from the Clear Cut Stackers: Hexagon Die. More little floral images stamped and die cut flank the top and bottom of the sentiment.

This time I added some texture to the background by using a couple sizes of the Clear Cut Stackers: Hexagon Die to dry emboss instead of cutting. I nested them in the center of my background and swapped out my cutting mats for my embossing mats in the Big Shot. This allows the dies to emboss rather than cut.

The next card uses many of the same colors, but I swapped out the Fairy Dust for Miami Spice. I also changed my floral motif a bit and used some different images from the set.

Color Combo 2

• Warm Wool
• Flamingo
• Miami Spice
• Wild Mango
• Last Leaf

I trimmed the paper down to 4 x 5.25", cutting from the side rather than the middle makes the pattern appear to be more random. If you prefer to retain the "radial" effect of the pattern, be sure to cut your panel from the center of your paper. Again, I used the Clear Cut Stackers: Hexagon Die to cut a hexagon from my pattern and nested a smaller hexagon inside with my sentiment. This time I used the Bold Banner Greetings stamp set.

And this final card really just lets the pattern shine. I used the following color combo:

Color Combo 3

• Warm Wool
• Sweet Nectar
• Shell Pink
• Nautical Navy
• Last Leaf
• Sea Breeze

This time I used the MISTI to stamp out only the largest elements - the large leaf segment and the large flowers. I then came in and hand stamped the rest of the filler images in a more random pattern to fill in the empty spaces. I made sure to repeat some of the same elements across the clusters but didn't worry about making them exact. For the sentiment, I stamped "you're the best" from the Basic Labels stamp set in the middle.

I hope you enjoyed today's projects and that it gives you some ideas on ways to use this technique. Try it with different images like critters or basic shapes, layering stamps and outlined images. The possibilities are endless!

Thanks for stopping by and I will see you next time!

Featured Supplies

For your convenience, here is a list of the featured supplies used on today's project(s), along with links to purchase. Please note: this list contains affiliate links.

Wplus9 White Cardstock Shop at: WP9	Wplus9 PURE COLOR Nautical Navy Dye Ink Shop at: WP9	3M Scotch DOUBLE-SIDED FOAM TAPE Shop at: SSS	Ranger Multi-Medium Matte Shop at: SSS
EK Success CRAFT TWEEZERS Precision Tip Shop at: SSS	We R Memory Keepers TRIM AND SCORE Board Shop at: SSS	Wild Mango PURE COLOR Dye INk Shop at: WP9	Flamingo PURE COLOR Dye Ink Shop at: WP9
Wplus9 Basic Labels Stamp Set Shop at: WP9	Wplus9 Dove Grey Cardstock Shop at: WP9	Wplus9 Gift Card Layers Die Shop at: WP9	Miami Spice PURE COLOR Dye Ink Shop at: WP9
Last Leaf PURE COLOR Dye Ink Shop at: WP9	Sea Breeze PURE COLOR Dye Ink Shop at: WP9	Sweet Nectar PURE COLOR Dye Ink Shop at: WP9	Warm Wool PURE COLOR Dye Ink Shop at: WP9
Tombow MONO Adhesive PERMANENT Tape Dispenser Shop at: SSS	Bold Banner Greetings Shop at: WP9	Fairy Dust PURE COLOR Dye Ink Shop at: WP9	Simon Says Stamp STITCHED CIRCLES Wafer Dies Shop at: SSS
Happy Wishes Shop at: WP9	PURE COLOR Shell Pink Dye Ink Shop at: WP9	Clear Cut Stackers: Hexagon Shop at: WP9	Lawn Fawn Glue Tube Shop at: SSS | EH
Tim Holtz Tonic GLASS MEDIA MAT Shop at: SSS	MISTI Precision Stamping Tool Shop at: SSS | EH	Gemini Junior Shop at: SSS	Happy Wishes Die Shop at: WP9
Love Notes Die Shop at: WP9

GUEST ARTIST FEATURE: Janette Kausen

Happy Satur-yay to you! It’s Janette Kausen here, guesting with you today. I am enamored with Wplus9 and am thrilled to be able to share with you, once again! I am a die-hard summer fan, but I must admit there is just something about a cool breeze flowing through my home and snuggling into cozy sweatshirts. Let me have it autumn! The anticipation of the turning weather inspired this fall themed card.

The project I am sharing with you today features the newly released Wplus9 Autumn Blessings, its companion die cuts, and Clear Cut Stackers: Hexagons. I’ve used Daniel Smith Watercolors in Transparent Red Oxide, Aussie Red Gold, Quinacridone Purple, Quinacridone Violet, Perylene Violet and Sugilite Genuine, the colors of a rich fall.

Watch above or watch in HD at YouTube

After stamping the images in Pure Color Black Dye Ink, I clear heat embossed them. I then watercolored the flowers adding the pigment to the base of each petal where the shadows would realistically be the darkest and blended out with clear water. The leaves are painted with all six colors on my palette. Sometimes I wet the leaf first, other times I did not. The variation provides interest and detail to the overall finished project.

Once the images were dry I die cut them with the Autumn Blessings companion dies and tucked them into an Oatmeal cardstock panel that had been die cut with Clear Cut Stackers: Hexagons. The tutorial shows tips for die cutting delicate cardstock and keeping all die cuts secure when the need to turn the panel to the back arises.

Add foam tape to back of panel, adhere to an Oatmeal mat, and then to a folded card base. Finish card by adding a white embossed sentiment on black and adhering gold sparkly sequins.

Thank you for joining me today, and, thank you to the Wplus9 family for inviting me to another adventure into creativity! I hope you’ve been inspired and I’ll see you again!

XO ~Janette.

Featured Supplies

For your convenience, here is a list of the featured Wplus9 supplies used on today's project(s), along with links to purchase.

Wplus9 PURE COLOR Black Dye Ink Shop at: WP9	Wplus9 Oatmeal Cardstock Shop at: WP9	Autumn Blessings Shop at: WP9	Autumn Blessings Die Shop at: WP9
Clear Cut Stackers: Hexagon Shop at: WP9

Distress Oxide Stamping w/Dawn ft. BEATIFUL BUTTERFLIES

Who doesn't love hexagons and butterflies?

I know I do. Put them together, and it's a recipe for design success as far as I'm concerned. Throw in a little watercolor and it's a trifecta of fun!

Today's cards are not only fun to create, but easy as well. I used the "stamps from dies" technique along with our new Beautiful Butterflies stamp and dies with our Clear Cut Stackers: Hexagon Die to create a modern card set with a slightly vintage feel.

Watch above or watch in HD at YouTube

I stamped the all-over background pattern using a little water and Distress Oxide Inks in Candied Apple, Fossilized Amber, Peacock Feathers and Peeled Paint onto watercolor paper. The stamped pattern looked so stunning all on it's own, that it didn't require much fuss after that to pull them together into cards.

I die cut the "BEAUTIFUL" stacked sentiment from one of the medium sized hexagons and adhered a die cut "birthday" from our Happy Birthday Die on top. I colored each using an ink blending tool and matching Oxide Ink color to match each background. I finished off the sentiment with "wishes" from our Birthday Wishes stamp set stamped in PURE COLOR dye ink in Warm Wool.

I may have found a new favorite Autumn color palette!

Thanks much for stopping by today!

Featured Supplies

For your convenience, here is a list of the featured supplies used on today's project(s), along with links to purchase. Please note: this list contains affiliate links.

3M Scotch DOUBLE-SIDED FOAM TAPE Shop at: SSS	Wplus9 Oatmeal Cardstock Shop at: WP9	EK Success CRAFT TWEEZERS Precision Tip Shop at: SSS	Ranger MINI ROUND INK BLENDING TOOLS Shop at: SSS
Sizzix BIG SHOT Shop at: SSS	9 x 12 WHITE FUN FOAM 12 Pack Shop at: SSS	Warm Wool PURE COLOR Dye Ink Shop at: WP9	Sizzix Magnetic Platform Shop at: SSS
Birthday Wishes Shop at: WP9	Happy Birthday Die Shop at: WP9 | SSS | EH	Fiskars 4 Acrylic BLOCKS SET w Storage Shop at: SSS	Beautiful Butterflies Shop at: WP9
Beautiful Butterflies Die Shop at: WP9	Clear Cut Stackers: Hexagon Shop at: WP9	Lawn Fawn Glue Tube Shop at: SSS | EH	Tim Holtz Distress Oxide Ink Pad PEACOCK FEATHERS Shop at: SSS | EH
Tim Holtz Distress Oxide Ink Pad CANDIED APPLE Shop at: SSS | EH	Tim Holtz Distress Oxide Ink Pad PEELED PAINT Shop at: SSS | EH	Tim Holtz Distress Oxide Ink Pad FOSSILIZED AMBER Shop at: SSS | EH	Ranger Studio Paint ARTIST BRUSHES Brush Shop at: SSS
Tim Holtz Tonic GLASS MEDIA MAT Shop at: SSS