Finally, a Medallion creation!

I've been working on some medallion stamp creations & decided to kill 2 birds w/one stone & enter one of the Flourishes challenge. The challenge on Rubber Stamp Chat is it's hip to be square, as pictured below. As most of us know, it costs more to send square cards over a certain size. Most of the medallions I do are very textured, so it's not wise to mail them & have the postal machines eat them up anyway. The image I choose for this card is from Holly Berry House stamps. You can purchase from them directly or through other companies online or through better rubber stamp stores. The Holly Berry House were the my first & favorite medallion images, but Outlines Stamp Co. ones are coming in a close second. I've even layered images that weren't medallions that come out beautifully. Their are some other companies like Inkadinkado & Art Rubber Stamp companies that also make medallion images. Beware! Once you get started, you may become addicted like me!

Since medallions scare most people, I thought I'd show you some of the steps. First, I stamped the image & heat embossed them several times on coordinating cardstock. I choose coordinating colors, but some people go monochromatic or even just one color. I then traced the inside lines with my finger to see where I was going to cut. The bottom layer needs to be cut about 1/8" from the edge of the embossing. The other layers need to be cut as close as possible to the embossed lines. I then stack the layers on top of each other after they are cut out to see where I will apply the ultrafine glitter. You can also paint or color the images. I prefer to use Twinkling H20s for color since they are so shimmery & very brilliant in color.

When I decide where to place the glitter, I start with the biggest layer. I apply the glue with a Zig 2 Way glue pen & then add Ultrafine glitter from Magic Scraps or Art Glitter. I also use Sailor Rolling Ball 2 in 1 Glue Pen. I just purchased some Stickles glitter glue, so I'll let you know if they work for this process. Remember, less is more especially when it comes to glitter. You can always add more later. I then add glitter to the rest of the layers & put them on top of the previous layer to see if I need to add additional bling. When I'm satisfied with my results, I use Pop Dots or any dimensional glue to layer all of the different sections.

The matting is almost as important as the image. I will use several layers of different colored squares with most of the the images, but I wanted to kick this one up a knotch so I used my decorative scissors to dress up the edges. I glue the layers together & place it on a card front.

Card recipe: Rubber - Holly Berry House, Ink - Versamark, EP - Ranger Bronze, Glitter - Magic Scraps & Art Glitter, Cardstock - Paperabilities, DP - DCWV Once Upon a Time Matstack, Brazzill textured, DCWV the Metallic Stack, Colorbok carnival pack, Adhesive- Pop Dots, Scotch taperunner & Zig 2 way glue pen & Decorative Scissors - Fiskars

I love to frame the medallion images & hang them on my walls. People don't realize I made them myself & will ask where I bought them. Beware, you will have lots of new friends when they realize that you can do this type of work.

See, it wasn't that hard to do, but it does look harder than it actually is. As you can see by my pictures, I decided not to put a fourth layer on this card. Sometimes I use one layer & others I go nuts! I still make lots of mistakes on my cuts, but I just turn it over & restamp the image or cut it up with my punches for some neat textures on the punched images. I hardly throw anything away which is more important than ever these days!

Don't forget to enter the challenge on Rubber Stamp Chat by clicking on the link at the bottom of the page. There's a new one each month with some wonderful prizes!

Happy Stamping!

Lee