Why would you want a short blog post, when you could have a long one?! I hope you agree with that idea…because we’re gonna be here for a few minutes….
When I was a kid, my mom and I played Memory. You know…the game with with little square tiles that you turn over in attempt to make a match. I was super competitive about Memory. You’d think I was playing for a lifetime supply of My Little Ponies or a playdate with Rainbow Bright. (I’m a child of the 80’s. Can you tell?).
I’m all grown up now, but my love of Memory continues. Any time I browse through pretty patterned paper or sheets of gift wrap, I try to remember what stamp set best matches it. Most times I do pretty well. I guess it’s all that practice I had as a kid. So today, I’m taking you on a little journey through some of my favorite stamp & paper matches. Let’s go.
I’ve long loved this patterned paper by My Mind’s Eye. It’s an older collection but you can still order individual sheets online. The floral images from Papertrey Ink’s Cutting Garden are the perfect match for this patterned paper, right down to the little ranunculus bulbs.
Love’s Bouquet Patterened Paper by My Minds Eye | Papertrey Ink Cutting Garden | Papertrey Ink Birthday Basics
This match was an easy one. I was lucky enough to get an early peek at the newly released Postcards from Paris collection from Webster’s Pages, and as soon as I saw this particular butterfly pattern, my mind immediately went to the Antique Engravings stamp set by Hero Arts.
SUPPLIES
Postcards from Paris by Webster’s Pages | Hero Arts Antique Engravings | Hero Arts Envelope Pattern
I could spend hours inside of Paper Source. Okay. Correction. I HAVE spent hours inside of Paper Source. So much good stuff in there! My favorite though? The wall o’ wrapping paper. I never leave without purchasing a few sheets. Most recently, I racked up on wrapping paper and this Green & Gold Tile paper was one of my scores. I think we can all agree that this paper is the perfect match for Papertrey Ink’s Lovely Layer’s stamp set. Don’t believe me? Take a look…
SUPPLIES
Papertrey Ink Hello Foxy Mini Stamp Set | Clear & Simple Stamps Taglines:Critters | Papertrey Ink Tag Sale 4 | Papertrey Ink Ruby Rose | Paper Source Fox Wrapping Paper
You had to know some food themed crafting was going to happen in this post. I just about lost it when I came across this donut print paper at Paper Source. Donut? Wrapping Paper? Um. Yes. I used it to create a spiral-bound notebook with my trusty Zutter Bind-It-All…I love that little thing. To make this gift complete, I pulled out one of my ultimate favorite Hero Art sets: Have a Donut.
SUPPLIES
Hero Arts Have a Donut | Clear & Simple Stamps Foodie Sentiments | Clear & Simple Stamps Circles Plus
Can we even call mason jars a “trend” anymore? I think they have safely settled into the world of design and have no intentions of retreating. I’d love to say that I’m tired of mason jars …but I’m totally not. I love them – which is why this Canning Jar wrapping paper called my name. I used the wrapping paper to do a quick composition book makeover, by simply adhering the paper to the front and back covers of a store-bought notebook, then adhering some bookcloth to the spine. A cute label and mason jar tag were the perfect add-ons.
Clear & Simple Stamps Well Preserved Jars: Small | Clear & Simple Stamps Well Preserved Jars: Medium | Clear & Simple Stamp Well Preserved Jars: Large | Clear & Simple Stamps Well Preserved | Lawn Fawn Sally’s Alphabet
And so ends your matchy-match tour through paper and stamps. I hope you had fun with these combinations and maybe even have a few ideas swirling around in your head. So tell me…do you find yourself doing the paper-stamp match game like me?!
I totally don’t this, especially when I’m at Michael’s. Since I have my stamps already uploaded to Evernote, this would make looking at the stamps I already own and compare it to patterned paper very easy. I’m totally in love with the “Hey, foxy lady” notebook. My dog used to look like one and people would be scared to touch her. Good times! TFS.
Lovely matching of papers to stamps. I did notice the similar ranunculus bulbs on MME and PTI just the other day!
I would like to spend one day with you. Seriously. You are one of the most inspirational persons I know. I love all of these projects!
Amber, You are too fabulous for words!!! Love this post!
LOVE this post….. now to get ALL of these goodies in my craft room collection! grins!
This is a fantastic post! It inspires me to actually part with all the pretty paper I’ve collected so that I can make nice coordinating gifts. Keep doing what you’re doing, Amber! You’re an inspiration.
That is such a great idea, Lorraine! Such a good way to reign in my obsession with pretty paper! If I only purchase patterned paper that coordinates with my stamps, that will keep me for stocking up for no reason!
My jaw dropped to the floor!!! Amazing post, Amber. I’ll be looking at my paper stash with new eyes 🙂
L-O-V-E-D this post. I could look at your creations for hours. Seriously – how do you come up with these things. So talented… Beautiful.
I just LOVE the way you think! This is a GREAT idea. Now I have to go see what I have. LOL
What a fun post. I love this idea. P.S. Big fan of memory here, too. 🙂
I smiled all the way through this post, having just visited a Paper Source store for the first time, spent probably an hour drooling over the paper wall, and brought a bit –ahem– of it home with me. My patient husband, who stood there and watched me drool, emphatically did not agree that ‘one of each’ was a good place to start. But one of them is so beautiful (reminds me of a Chinese landscape watercolor) that I am going to frame it for my studio! You just can’t have too much paper, can you?
Oooooh, so beautiful, Amber – a lot of my very favourite stamps too 🙂
You are brilliant! Huge doses of imagination, always inspiring :). Thank you for sharing!
These are so beautiful, Amber. How do you cut out your stamp shapes so perfectly? I was looking for a more in-depth tutorial on your blog of how exactly you go through the entire card making process, but couldn’t find one. My stamped images never look nearly as good as yours. Please help a fellow crafter out! Thanks so much for all your wonderful inspiration.
Hi Dana! I’m so happy you liked this post. It took a while to come together, but I really love each project! To be honest, I don’t really have a strategy for perfectly cut shapes, other than a good pair of detail scissors and a fair amount of patience! LOL! For many of the shapes, I also use the dies that coordinate with each stamp set. This helps immensely!
Thank you. I need to look into those dies. Clearly that’s more reasonable than trying to find more patience. Love your work. Can’t wait to see what else you’ve got up your crafty sleeves!
Doughnut is my middle name! Not literally…but I love them. And I love these coordinating papers. Another good reason to have a big collection.