FSJ Dueling Designers

Hello crafty friends! We have a fun creative treat for you today! Let’s call it Dueling Designers – we’ve tasked our concept designers, Mariana Grigsby and Laura Williams, with a crafty challenge. We asked each designer to pull out the Escape the Ordinary stamp set from our Colorful Journey Collection, and make a handmade card. We’re excited to show you the cards they created, and we’ll hear a little bit from each of them about their process. Both designers featured the awesome zebra stamp from this set, but they used it in very different ways. Are you ready to check them out?

First up, Mariana Grigsby’s colorful card, and what she has to say about it:

I have to say that I love using Liquid Colors to create backgrounds for my cards. This time,  I used the Gel Press to apply diagonal lines of colors over it, and I also sprayed a bit of water. Then I used a brayer to spread the color. I picked up the color on a Whip Cream cardstock panel and I let it dry. Normally, I can get two panels from the same amount of color, but obviously they totally look different. It is nice to have two options to choose from, and I know I can always use the second panel later for another project.

I stamped and die cut the zebra and sentiment on Whip Cream cardstock and  I included a double layer circle (Whip Cream and Watermelon Fusion cardstock) as the frame for the zebra. I finished up this card by adding some gemstones, a rosette sticker and gift twine.

Don’t you love the background on Mariana’s card? The colorful diagonal lines are so soft and pretty, and they’re a gorgeous background for that bold zebra stamp. Next up, let’s look at Laura’s card, and see what she has to say about it.

I just love the possibilities of this zebra stamp. He (or she?) looks so striking stamped or embossed on its own, but after stamping a background of zebras, I loved the idea of adding a splash of crazy color to give them some extra pizazz. The Different Strokes Stamp Set is really fun for adding a faux paint brush effect to stamped images. I chose a few different brush strokes and a few colors of ink and stamped them right on top of my zebras.

To fill in any empty spots, I stamped the tiny heart circle. Here’s a fun little tip to add color to the hearts – find a pencil with a nice new eraser on it, and use it as a tiny circle-shaped stamp. I tapped the pencil eraser into Watermelon Fusion ink and stamped it on top of each circle to add color to the hearts.

What do you think of our Dueling Designers and their handmade creations? The good news is – there’s no need to pick favorites here – both designers made such creative cards, and we bet you’re totally inspired now! It’s always fun to see how different people use the same product and give it their own special flair. This week, why don’t you call or text a papercrafting friend and challenge each other! Plan a crafty date and use the same stamp set, or work from afar and pick a stamp set you both have, or something similar. We can’t see what you create!

Before we let you go today, there’s one more important thing to announce! Last week our Creative Team had a blog hop featuring their favorite dies. At each stop, a winner was chosen for a $25 gift certificate to the FSJ + Spellbinders shop and today we’re excited to announce the winners! If you see your name, watch for an email from a member of our Creative Team!

LaToria Williams

Betty Wright

Joann Cornel

Kay Biggerstaff

Looking for more inspiration with the Escape the Ordinary stamp set and the entire Colorful Journey collection? Check out our Colorful Journey Pinterest board where you’ll find over 50 fabulous ways to use this colorful collection!

Card Supplies:Escape the Ordinary Stamp Set|Escape the Ordinary Die Set|Different Strokes Stamp Set |Journey Gel Press |Black Licorice True Color Fusion Ink Pad | Clear Pigment True Color Fusion Ink Pad | White Embossing Powder | Sweet Berry True Color Fusion Ink Pad | Lemon Drop True Color Fusion Ink Pad | Watermelon Fusion True Color Fusion Ink Pad | Citrus Cooler True Color Fusion Ink Pad |Turbo Teal True Color Fusion Ink Pad |Lemon Drop Liquid Color | Watermelon Fusion Liquid Color | Peaches and Cream Liquid Color | All the Things |Colorful Life Chipboard Stickers | Gift Twine | Whip Cream Cardstock | Black Licorice Cardstock | Sweet Berry Cardstock | Blue Lagoon Cardstock |