Faux Wood Grain and Punched Shelf

There's two fun things to share about this card that are a bit out of the ordinary: 

1.  the Faux Wood grain effect on the shelf and the accent strip to the left

2.  and how I made the shelf

Both the Faux Woodgrain and the shelf are easy.  For the Faux woodgrain I simply dragged my inkpad across the paper.  It leaves behind streaks that the eye will translate into wood grain. (it works better with an ink pad that's not too juicy).  

This card is one we did at our March class. Here's the instruction sheet that was posted at the work station.

From the above picture you can see how we made the shelf.   If you have the Everyday Label Punch or a punch with a similar shape, try this. The paper was inserted only part-way into the punch.  The hole in the strip is hidden by the focal piece with the vases.

The flowers and vases were easy. The vases were punched and laid over the stamped flower images which had been directly stamped on the card piece.  

The Vibrant Vases stamp set lends itself to lots of opportunities for creative play.  The Faux Woodgrain look of the shelf was a perfect way to offer a stage for the vases.  And its so fun to find an extra creative use for a punch like the Everyday Label Punch   shopping links are at the end of the post.

I hope I've inspired you to try this fun and easy technique.  Faux Woodgrain can work well with so many different types of stamps.  And if one of your images would look good sitting on a shelf, then scout your punches to see if you have one that would work like the Everyday Label punch to make a punched shelf.

What ever your choices about stocking your craft supply stash . . . I hope you have an INKcredible day.

If you haven't browsed the Stampin'UP! store I encourage you to spend a little time there. This is a great company with wonderful product. I do receive commission on sales and I appreciate your business - thank-you. My commission is paid by the company, you pay nothing extra when purchasing product through me.

Because I do appreciate your business, you can earn extra rewards when you shop with me
Just be sure to use the Rewards Code for the month (found in the left pane of the blog) when you place your on-line order.

Vibrant Vases Photopolymer Stamp Set [148656] - $17.00		Vases Builder Punch [147040] - $18.00	Soft Suede 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [115318] - $8.50	Soft Suede Classic Ink Pad [147115] - $7.50
Smoky Slate 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [131202] - $8.50	Old Olive 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [100702]-$8.50	Metallic Pearls [146282] - $7.00	Basic Black Solid Baker's Twine [141682 - $3.00	Everyday Label Punch [144668] - $18.00
Versamark Pad [102283] - $9.00	Heat Tool [129053] - $30.00	White Stampin' Emboss Powder [109132] - $5.00	Watercolor Pencils [141709] - $16.00	Rich Razzleberry Classic Ink' Pad [147091] - $7.50