I love how Stamping brings people together and create fun and joy!
When I moved to Conneaut Lake I restarted my Stampin’ Up! business and started to find places that I could go and teach classes and our local library system holds a ton of really cool classes so I asked if I could start to teach there and they loved the idea!
Over the course of the last year I have met very nice people – locals, neighbors and friends!
One of the first people to take my class asked if I did workshops and parties and I told her I had done everything from children’s birthday parties to ladies nights out! She asked if I had ever done a bridal shower and I said no but I thought it was an awesome idea! Instead of playing traditional shower games which this new generation is not that into (LOL – by the way most of my generation didn’t like them either!) we decided to have a Stampin’ Up! event for the guests and I plan on designing thank you cards for the guests to make for the bride-to-be and they will craft a scrapbooking recipe page and bring a picture of themselves with the bride-to-be or with their own family and a recipe and we will make a keepsake recipe book for the bride! It will be fun and meaningful and the guests will be able to visit and socialize while they stamp! I am so excited!

We finally decided on the invitation design and I will highlight the process of making the background today! The bride-to-be loves flowers so the theme revolves around flowers and the colors of her wedding!

Measurements:
BASE: Lost Lagoon CS 5 1/2″ x 8 1/2″
scored at 4 1/4″
Thick Basic white CS: (2) 4 1/4″ x 5 1/2″ (1) to
be die cut with the Two Tone Flora die (1) to
be dyed with ink using a smoosh technique
Basic White CS: 4″ x 5 1/4″ for the insert

Take a half sheet of a Window Sheet and on a covered surface lay patches of ink down using a direct to paper technique – use the whole stamp pad and the edges and lay ink onto the window sheet in various places with the Lost Lagoon ink pad.

Then add Pretty Peacock ink using mostly the side edge of the ink pad direct to the Window Sheet as this is a dark color you need less of the ink.

Using a spray bottle, spritz water onto the Window Sheet. The amount of water will determine the look of the final product – less water you will see the individual colors more prominently and more water the colors will run together more – neither look is wrong just personal preference!

Lay a piece of Thick Basic White CS down on the window sheet and peel off and allow to dry.

I am making 40 invitations so the samples of Smoosh technique vary alot! Here are some of the versions – because we are making an die cut overlay with the Two-Tone Flora die the variation will be toned down and all of them will look beautiful and unique!

Die cut a 4 1/4″ x 5 1/2″ Thick Basic White CS piece with the large die from the Two-Tone Flora die set.
Adhere the Smoosh dyed cardstock to the Lost Lagoon base card.
Lay the die onto the base.

Then sparingly adhere with Liquid Glue around the edges of the die and overlay onto the dyed smoosh piece of cardstock.

I added a sentiment in Pretty Peacock ink and punched it out using the Lasting Label punch.
Adhere it onto the lower right-hand corner of the card front and add Pearls to the sentiment piece!

Here is another version.

I love how these turned out and I am excited to be at the Bridal shower to help make this bride-to-be’s day a sweet one!
Hope you are able to stamp today and create some art of your very own – one stamp at a time!

Happy Stampin’
Natalie