Going to Miss Lovely As A Tree

Going to Miss Lovely As A Tree. Even though I wondered every year if this stamp set was going to retire – it was introduced in 2001 – I was still surprised to learn that it’s going to retire with the current catalog.

I’m going to miss it. I haven’t posted many cards made with this stamp set in recent years. However, I used Lovely As A Tree often. It’s my Go-To stamp set for masculine cards. It was a favorite stamp set when designing Christmas cards. I work with it so much. In fact, I designed around 7 cards with it in the last couple of weeks. Here is one of my favorites:

The 4-1-1

• Lots of layers – I used lots of layer to make this card design “rich”. I used 6 layers of cardstock, 2 layers of ink and 1 layer of linen thread. That makes 9 layers in all.

• Lots of texture – I also used lots of texture make this card design “rich”. I stamped the tree on Watercolor Paper. Then I added leaves to the Mossy Meadow cardstock to add texture. Finally, I wound linen thread around the Mossy Meadow cardstock layer to add even more texture!

• Stampin’ Blends – I find coloring with Stampin’ Blends the easiest way to color stamped images. To begin, I stamped the tree in Mossy Meadow ink on the Watercolor Paper. I allowed the ink to dry for a couple of minutes. Then I used Light Old Olive Stampin’ Blend to color the leaves and Dark Crumb Cake Stampin’ Blend to color the tree trunk. Swipes of Old Olive on the ground finished the picture.

Retiring Products

Besides the stamp set, the Watercolor Paper will retire with the current catalog. It’s going to be replaced with a different type of watercolor paper. But if you like this paper, then be sure to stock up on it before it’s gone.

And, if you don’t yet own Lovely As A Tree, pick up this stamp set, too. I’m going to miss Lovely As A Tree.