Another bicycle card!

 I'm sorry I haven't posted in a few days--I have indeed been stamping every day! It was actually a little tech issue that kept me from posting.

Now I'm back on track!

Bike Ride stamp set: Stampin' Up!

Since I'm going through my stamp sets in mostly alphabetical order, I guess it should be no surprise that I had another bicycle-themed stamp set right after the other one.

This stamp set, Bike Ride by Stampin' Up!, uses a lot of layering to add the colors. The bike frame was one color, and then the wheels/spokes were another. After that the layering began--the metal rim inside the wheels, the basket, the seat, the foot pedal, the handles. For the stack of books, it took 3 stamps--the outline, then one stamp to color several books (I chose to use red), and another stamp to color other books (the green ones here).

I did not use a stamp platform--just looked through the acrylic block and the photopolymer (clear) stamps to line things up. It's not perfect, but it works OK!

Take notes on your technique!

I used a background I'd made quite awhile ago. Sometimes I just don't feel like stamping, but still want to do SOMETHING related. Making backgrounds is a lot of fun!

I've taken several of Jen Shurkus' online technique classes for using different Tim Holtz/Ranger Distress products. She has us making a lot of backgrounds, and she's the one who recommended writing down what technique you used and the colors. You can see I did that here.

At the bottom of the photo I have taped a die to use--yes, on the back side of the paper! It's part of the coordinating die set, Build A Bike Framelits (Stampin' Up! always (?) seems to use a different name for their dies than the name of the stamp set). It doesn't cut the paper--instead, it embosses a design. I ended up using it in several places on the card--look under the tires.

I actually taped it to the front of the die originally, but that made the clumps debossed (pushed inward), which was not the look I wanted! I used a flat-edged tool (you could use a bone folder) to flatten it back as much as possible. Then I put the die on the back of the card--several times in order to get each of the patches of clumpy ground.

Materials used that day

Another tricky die was the storage rack that goes from the rear wheel spoke to up behind the seat. It's very narrow, so you do need to be careful when removing it (mine wanted to stick to the plate after I ran it through my die cutting machine). I actually faked having the front basket there--there isn't any stand or connector for it, so I just put it there. Only eagle-eyed people will notice that, right?

No bicycle card next time--though you will see some of this images again. I'm going to talk about some tools I use and love that I appreciated having when making this card.

Have a wonderful day!