This week’s technique is Direct To Rubber.  Most rubber stampers know that you can colour directly on to a stamp using markers rather than an inkpad, however most of the time this is reserved for solid stamps and certainly for much smaller stamps than I’ve used here in this example. [photopress:Happy_Birthday_Circles_1_2_3.JPG,full,pp_empty] I made this card for a friend and I used the On The Spot background stamp, this background stamp is actually 105mm x 148mm in size – large enough to cover a standard-sized card.  Colouring Direct To Rubber simply means that you colour the image using markers so that you can get different colours on different sections of your stamp, the markers are double-sided and I used the brush side of the marker to do colour.  Usually when you do this, you need to “huff” (breathe heavily) onto the rubber after colouring it to moisten the colour in case it’s dried on the rubber whilst colouring – then you stamp onto your cardstock.  In this case, and I’m not sure why (maybe it’s the Stampin’ Up! markers? maybe it’s the type of rubber that Stampin’ Up! use? or maybe even the Whisper White cardstock since it’s ultra smooth?) but I didn’t need to huff at all – the colouring was quick and easy and the impression I got from stamping was perfect.  I love the fact that I can get those great dotty circles in different colours and another bonus is that if you do happen to have missed a spot you can always fix it very easily using the fine point side of the marker.  After stamping my background, I randomly stamped the dotted flower onto a strip of pink cardstock (all colours listed below) using ink in the same colour as the cardstock.  This was adhered across the bottom of the card then I attached a green ribbon across the centre of that.  Using the Happy Birthday stamp from the “All-Year Cheer II” set, I stamped Happy Happy Birthday in Green on a piece of white cardstock.  This was trimmed down then layered onto a piece of green cardstock then pink (slightly skewif) then mounted onto the bottom right hand corner as shown.  The beauty of the All-Year Cheer II set is that in one stamp set you get a variety of sentiments that you can use the whole year ’round – apart from Happy Birthday there’s also a Father’s Day sentiment, Mother’s Day, Thank you, I miss you, You’re Invited, Celebrate (which you can use for lots of occassions) and more – 12 stamps all in one set.  Very versatile!  Back to stamping. To finish off my card I stamped the word Fun from the “Sweet Spots” set using green on white cardstock (notice this stamp is debossed instead of embossed which means the outer circle will be in whatever colour your ink is and the word Fun will be in whatever colour your cardstock you are stamping on is).  I then punched out the stamped circle using the half-inch circle punch and mounted that onto my card using some double-sided foam tape.  I also stamped the word “Sweet” up the top right hand corner.  I wanted to highlight this word so I stuck a clear flat button with gold thread threaded through over the word Sweet.  Almost done!  Finally I layered the card onto some pink cardstock then onto the green folded cardstock.  Again, seems like it takes a long time when I type it all out but this would be fairly quick to recreate.  The time is in the design!

All images copyright Stampin’ Up!
Card designed by Angela Sargeant
All products used are by Stampin’ Up! and available for purchase through Angela Sargeant
Products Used:
On The Spot background stamp (October 2006 – January 2007 Mini Catalogue)
Sweet Spot stamp set (October 2006 – January 2007 Mini Catalogue)
All-Year Cheer II stamp set (2006 – 2007 Idea Book & Catalogue)
Pixie Pink cardstock and marker (Bold Brights)
Green Galore cardstock and marker (Bold Brights)
Whisper White Cardstock
Clear Button
Gold Thread
Double-Sided Foam Tape
Apple Green Ribbon
1/2 inch circle punch