I sometimes forget how easy it can be to turn a sentiment stamp into a background pattern for a greeting card. I’ve had this ‘Be Happy’ stamp in my stash for the last year or so but hadn’t used it. Then I was going through my stamp stash last week, and the idea to use this as a sentiment background pattern just popped into my head! I’m really digging how the card turned out, and I just love the colors on this design. Keep reading to find out how I made it!
Materials Used:
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- Hero Arts – Hero’s Pineapple Layering Stamp Pad Set [Amazon]
- Hero Arts – Tami’s Mint Chip Layering Stamp Pad Set [Amazon]
- Hero Arts – Yana’s Sunset Layering Stamp Pad Set [Amazon]
- Ranger Archival Ink Pad, Jet Black [Scrapbook.com] [Amazon]
- Premium Embossing Ink Pad – Clear [Scrapbook.com]
- EK Tools Powder Tool [Scrapbook.com] [Amazon]
- Uchida Embossing Heat Tool with Stand [Scrapbook.com] [Amazon]
- Wow! Embossing Powder – Super Fine Back and White Set [Amazon]
- Cricut Explore Air 2 Machine [Cricut] [Amazon]
- Adhesive Cricut Cutting Mat, Standard Grip [Scrapbook.com] [Cricut] [Amazon]
- Basic Tool Set – Cricut [Cricut] [Amazon]
- Neenah Classic Crest Solar White 110 lb Cardstock [Amazon]
- Recollections Cardstock Paper, Essentials 20 Colors [Amazon]
- Forever In Time 3D Pop Dots Square Dual-Adhesive Foam Mount, 1/2-Inch [Scrapbook.com] [Amazon]
- 5mm Mix 15 Colors Rainbow Cup Sequin [Amazon]
- EK Tools EK Scoring Board 12×12 [Amazon]
- Fiskars Recycled Bypass Trimmer, 12 Inch [Amazon]
- Misti Stamp Tool Original Size Stamp Positioner [Amazon]
- Lawn Fawn Stamp Shammy [Scrapbook.com] [Amazon]
Cricut Images Used:
Standard Circle
Looking for other easy stamping tutorials? Check out this baby shower card, or this birthday card!
Be Happy Sentiment Background Tutorial:
Step 1. Create the card base.
For this first step, I began by creating my card base. I normally use 80 lb cardstock, but I used 110 lb Neenah Solar White cardstock for this project since I was going to be stamping directly on the card base. I trimmed and scored the paper to make an A2 sized greeting card.
Tip: If you’re nervous about stamping directly on the card base, you can also stamp on a sheet of 4.25 x 5.5 cardstock then stick that to the front of the card base.
Step 2. Create the sentiment background.
Next, I placed my card base on my Misti stamping tool and grabbed my ‘be happy’ stamp. Placing the stamp down on the card, I tried to envision what the finished pattern could look like, then I started stamping the sentiment on the card using 4 different ink colors from Hero Arts. I used soft cantaloupe, butter bar, cup o’ joe, and sea glass to make the sentiment background.
Each time I moved my stamp, I wiped it off with my Lawn Fawn stamp shammy, so that the colors didn’t get muddy.
Step 3.
Tip: Easy shapes like a circle or oval can also be created by tracing a cup or candle then cutting out the outline.
Step 4.
Lastly, I used my EK powder tool over top of the brown cardstock to remove any static. Then, I stamped the sentiment using Scrapbook.com clear embossing ink, and Wow! opaque bright white super fine embossing powder. I used my heating tool to melt the powder and put some Forever in Time pop dots on the back of the cardstock.
I placed the oval on the lower left-hand side of the card, added a few sequin pieces, and called it a day!
If you found this tutorial helpful, you can find more of my stamping tutorials here, and don’t forget to follow me on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest for the latest updates! You can also shop all the handmade cards that I’ve designed here.