More Circus Fun

Happy Saturday! I'm planning on spending a pretty uneventful and quiet weekend at home with Chloe the cutie puppy as she recovers from yesterday's little surgical procedure. It's amazing how much more quickly dogs bounce back from stuff like this than humans do!

I have a bunch of Clear and Simple Stamps stuff to share with you today. I pulled out Circus Fun, this month’s Stamp of the Month, for my card for Mercy’s latest sketch challenge. I paired the images with some Cosmo Cricket designer paper for this fun card.

I used two different coordinating patterned papers from the Joy Ride line for the panels on my cardfront. The panels are layered on Sahara Sand mats, then on a Pumpkin Pie panel. I stamped the set’s elephant image in gray ink on an On the Catwalk Cream panel, then added one of the ball images from the set above the elephant’s trunk, using some foam tape to add interest. The “life is a balancing act” sentiment is stamped directly on the patterned paper to the left of the image.

Materials Used:
Circus Fun stamp set, On the Catwalk Cream cardstock (Clear and Simple Stamps); Tuxedo Black and London Fog inks (Memento); Pumpkin Pie Classic ink, Sahara Sand and Pumpkin Pie cardstock (Stampin’ Up!); Joy Ride designer paper (Cosmo Cricket); circle dies (Nestabilities); orange grosgrain ribbon (Michaels); foam tape

I used the same sentiment for another non-circus themed project. Here, I used it to decorate the cover of a monthly planner I picked up for $1.

I covered the front with VIP Purple cardstock, the latest addition to the full line of color stories from Clear and Simple Stamps. I added a strip of the darker, coordinating Purplicious cardstock along the bottom of the planner. A strip of VIP Purple satin ribbon hides the seam where the two solid papers meet. I added a pretty faux bow to the right side as a simple embellishment. The sentiment is stamped in matching ink just above the ribbon. A trio of VIP purple buttons with white pen-drawn faux thread through the buttonholes is above the sentiment. I didn’t want to add too much to the planner since I wanted to keep it tote bag or purse-friendly . . .

Materials Used:
Circus Fun stamp set, VIP Purple ink, VIP Purple and Purplicious cardstock, VIP Purple satin ribbon, VIP Purple buttons (Clear and Simple Stamps); corner rounder (Stampin’ Up!); white gel pen (Ranger)

And, be sure to stop by the Clear and Simple Stamps iPhone app tomorrow. Here's a teeny, tiny sneak peek of the card I designed that you'll find only on the app. You can download the app here.