Monday, June 9, 2014

Gallery Idol Round 4 - Border Stamps




Can't believe that I've made it through to the semi-final round of Gallery Idol!  Thanks so much for voting to keep me in for another week!

Another tough challenge this week....border stamps.  Here's the thing about border stamps, I don't have very many and the ones I have I don't use very much, so I really wasn't sure what I was going to do.  After puzzling for a while, I came up with my idea.....using border stamps as a guide for stitching.

I used one of the borders from WPlus9's Fair Isle Backgrounds to create the basic design/guide for the card.  I stamped with a very light ink on Cream cardstock.



I went ahead and stamped the sentiment before all the stitching because I'm a notoriously bad stamper in that I make a lot of mistakes, I tend to leave a lot of smudges and fingerprints, and I didn't want to finish up the whole card and then screw up the sentiment.



Then I started stitching.  I first used my needle to pierce the holes and then stitched using two strands of DMC floss.



This is not for the faint of heart.  It's a lengthy process, but if it's something you want to try here are a few tips:

1) Use the thickest cardstock you can.

2) Use a needle with the smallest head possible....makes threading a bear, but it's easier on the cardstock and I hate seeing big ungainly holes in the cardstock.

3) Work from the inside of the card out.  This technique is hard on your cardstock, at the same time, once the stitching is complete it actually adds strength/heft to it, so by starting towards the center of your panel where it's the most stable and working out you minimize your chances of bending/tearing.

4) Slow and steady wins the race - you don't want to bend the cardstock or accidentally tear a hole especially when you are stitching in close proximity to another hole or the edge of the cardstock.

5) Use a stamp press.  As I mentioned, I'm not a great stamper technique-wise.  I envy all who can effortlessly stamp in a straight line.  I used a Fiskars stamp press to create this card and even so, needed a few tries to get my borders lined up correctly.



This technique can be as complicated or uncomplicated as you want.  I created starbursts/flowers, but you could just follow the outlines exactly, or even add additional elements that are not part of the border, use more colors, etc.



I hope you love the card, and if you do, please head over to the Gallery Idol page and vote for me (Card #3), I'd love to have a chance to win it all!

Supplies Used
Paper/Cardstock:  Avery Elle - White and Cream cardstock
Stamps:  WPlus9 - Fair Isle Backgrounds; Avery Elle - Oh Happy Day
Ink:  CTMH - Parchment; Versafine
Other:  DMC Embroidery Floss; Fiskars - Stamp Press; American Crafts - This and That Round Foam Dimensional Adhesive

54 comments:

  1. Holy cow! is the first thing that popped into my head on this one Miriam. BREATHTAKING!! and SO WELL DONE:)

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  2. Oh, I'm so excited you made it to the next round, Miriam!
    Your border stamp card is so creative & fabulous! Off to vote...

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  3. CONGRATS!!! Not surprised! That is a lot of stitching!! Amazing!!

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  4. What a beauty, Miriam! I LOVE it! You got my vote.....

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  5. WOW girl. You rocked it. Good luck in this round!

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  6. MOST impressive!! I love how you used the border stamp and stitching....this blows my mind. Truly work of art! I hope this will take you to the next round! Good luck, Miriam! Crossing fingers and toes for you!

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  7. I love this eye catching and creative card!! Good luck in this round.

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  8. Lovely card!! That border stamp is so beautiful and your stitching is so neat and clean.Good luck!!

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  9. Totally brilliant and fabulous!! Great job!

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  10. OOMMGG!! This is AWESOME!! I LOVE IT!! THANKS for sharing and have a Fabulous Week!! Best of Luck!! =)

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  11. You have done a gorgeous job. Your stitching is exquisite! x

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  12. Seriously?!!...WOW, Miriam! You hit this out of the park!!! Talk about having some patience...lol...I'm somewhat a loss of words, here. ;) Amazing job!

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  13. This is BEYOND amazing and by far my favorite of this weeks entries - I truly hope you win!! Everything you do is done with such preciseness and perfection. I admire very much this card and your super clever, creative skills!! GOOD FOR YOU!!!

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  14. Holy stitchery woman. This is incredible, and totally suitable for framing...a true keepsake!

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  15. Wow! Such a creative card, Miriam! Way to go thinking outside of the box. Off to give you my vote. This is amazing!

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  16. Sooooooo awesome a) that you advanced and b) this card. It looks flawless and so impressive. I really appreciate all your stitching tips, too.

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  17. Miriam this is a master piece, love how you worked ur idea, beautiful embroidery, made to perfection. Good luck !!

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  18. Brilliant use of the border stamp and awesome stitching! Your card is for sure a piece of art, I'd frame it...TFS and off to vote!

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  19. WOW! This is truly a work of art! Amazing job!

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  20. WOW. This really took my breath away too Mir. Exquisite!

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  21. OMGee...I love your stitching. Absolutely love it. You did an amazing job.its beautiful!

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  22. Miriam--THIS CARD IS NUTSO! Just love it so much! I cannot believe how much work this is and how freaking fabulous it came out (I'd have ripped my stock multiple times over!). Good luck! You rocked it! :)

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  23. P. S.further confirming you do, in fact, not sleep :)

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  24. WHAT... this is amazing.. very pretty Miriam and oh so clever..

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  25. Oh my Miriam!!
    This is INCREDIBLE!!!
    You are so good (and patient obviously!), it's nuts!!

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  26. AMAZING!! It is just amazing. I really love your stitching. Fantastic idea! Good Luck!!

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  27. you rocked it! i love seeing you push yourself every week - it's what Gallery Idol is all about!

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  28. Wow...this is simply breath taking and a winner in my book!

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  29. Miriam, this is SPECTULAR!! And I'm off to vote! YOU rocked it!!!

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  30. So creative! I love the way you think outside the box!

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  31. WOW how do you churn out these amazing cards? This looks and must feel awesome! All the best!

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  32. Miriam, I think you should tuck this card away for two weeks, and then give it to yourself when you win the whole thing!!! "Congratulations"! Seriously amazing. Great tip about using a small needle ... I've had cardstock tear with larger needles and it's heartbreaking.

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  33. This is simply STUNNING Miriam! I love it so much. I did gasp when I saw it. The embroidery is just flawless and so striking. And I love the colours. Really and amazing card. Fabulous job!

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  34. Wow! Absolutely amazing! Fabulous job with all the stitching. :)

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  35. BEAUTIFUL!!! YIPPEE for you, Miriam!!!

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  36. And, THIS, my dear, is why you have made it to the semi-final round of Gallery Idol! If you see where the top of my head landed, give me a call! Hugs and continued best wishes! Darnell

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  37. Totally amazing, Miriam! I just love the TEXTURE on your card!
    Best of luck to the next round! Woo hooo!

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  38. HOOOOOORAY! Congrats on making it to the next round! FAB card--- one of my fav things to do is stitch on my creations! FAB idea and amazing creation <3 GOOOOOOD LUCK!

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  39. This card is absolutely gorgeous. Incredible talent for detail. Congratulations!

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  40. Had to laugh about your description of your stamping, smudges, yep know all about that! LOVE the sewing, wow, great job! Good luck.

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  41. I just saw on the Paper Crafts blog that you made it to the Top 5!! Congratulations!! I'm so happy for you!

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  42. I am not the least bit surprised this amazing card put you in the Top 5!

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  43. TOP 5:))) OH MIRIAM! I'm so HAPPY for you!!

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  44. this is so cool Miriam! I love it! Just so beautiful and congratulations too!

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  45. So the other day Blogger was acting up and i don;t think my comment made it through, (i don;t see it! ) So i'm trying it again!! I love your take on border stamps! Especially for not having a very many!!! This card is amazing! Congrats on making it to the top 5! Good luck in the final round!!

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  46. A work of art....AMAZING!!! Congratulations and best of luck for the final round!!

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  47. Just saw you were one of the 5 finalists for the Gallery Idol, CONGRATS! and waffle flower too, YEA!

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  48. Oh, my! These close-ups are even better than the first time I saw this! Girl, this must've taken you hours and hours and hours! Absolutely stunning, and perfect in every way!

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