I like to think of myself as a “glass half full” kind of person, and as we head toward the end of 2017, I realized that there are many occasions approaching that are cause for celebration and a chance to gather with friends and loved ones. I can’t think of a better stamp set that can help celebrate all of them than the Half Full Stamp Set (144996). This is also a Million Sales Achiever set, inspired by Linda Bauwin.
The line art images in this set lend themselves perfectly to coloring. The sentiments are fun and the fonts perfectly mixed! I wanted to create a little something that could sit at a place setting on any celebratory table. Name place holders are always a good idea for a large group and to personalize this one I used the Labeler Alphabet Stamp Set (141936). Rather than sharing a large bottle of wine, I love the idea of a mini gift of bubbly for each person presented with a sweet tag! It doesn’t matter if it’s Thanksgiving, Christmas, a wedding or birthday party, this set works perfectly for any occasion.
I have used the same techniques on all three of my projects. Since the subject is wine I have incorporated the gorgeous new Champagne Foil Sheets (144748) as an accent for all of them. It seemed only fitting! I have used Watercolor Paper (122959) and an Aqua Painter (103954) to create my artwork. I first stamped in Archival Black Ink (140931) then used my Heat Tool (129053) to heat set it to ensure it wouldn’t run. I then applied a light wash of ink over each image in Soft Sky (131181), Always Artichoke (126972), So Saffron (126957), and just a touch of Peekaboo Peach (141398) thrown in for good measure. I’ve found that the trick to good watercolor is to let each layer dry before adding more. It helps to add depth and not have all the colors blend into one. Don’t be tempted to hurry.
A card to go along with the gift of wine is a must, and in keeping with the color theme of green, yellow, and blue, I used Soft Sky Cardstock (131203) for my card base and Always Artichoke Cardstock (105119) for my sentiment panel. I heat embossed the card sentiment in White Stampin’ Emboss Powder (109132) and used the Heat Tool to heat set it. After wrapping the watercolor panel with the Crushed Curry 3/8″ Stitched Satin Ribbon (144182) and tying off in a side bow, I added the sentiment panel over the top using Stampin’ Dimensionals (104430). I then completed all three projects with a few gold sequins from the Metallics Sequin Assortment (144214). I personally favor the Fine-Tip Glue Pen (138309) to adhere sequins to my projects, but Multipurpose Liquid Glue (110755) is also a good choice.
If you’re thinking of adding a bit of pizzazz to an occasions table yourself, then I think the Half Full Stamp Set is a great choice! You can certainly tailor it to any occasion and color scheme that you wish.
Paula Dobson
Artisan Design Team 2017
