Let The Good Times Roll!

Hey there stamping friends!  Today I'm joining a few inky Joy Clair Design Team friends in a blog hop featuring a fun Mardi Gras set from Joy Clair Stamps!  Easter is just around the corner and the lead up to one of my most special days is always fun and exciting.  I love to prep and decorate with springy theme.

This fun Mardi Gras set has all the traditional images and icons that the celebration involves:  fleur de lis, beads, masks and sentiments (English translations too!) so of course, this brought my imagination right to New Orleans and their all-out celebrations!  The parades, the parties, the fun...and the risque. I created a drink charm bracelet and a matching card to get into the MOOOD!  No need to flash your wares this time!  LOL

I stamped and colored the images onto shrink plastic then heatset them with my heatgun.  Here, let me show you more about my process:

First, I stamped the images onto shrink plastic using Staz On ink.  After that, I carefully colored the images using my Copic Markers.  I was careful not to color away the Staz-on.

After that, I cut out the images with my scissors and use my mat knife to hold the images as I heat them/shrunk them.

Once they were finished, I attached the largest ones (and the sentiment) to some jump rings.  

My next step was to thread some beads...TONS OF BEADS.  Yes, I'm cross-eyed now!  LOL.  I strung three strands: green, blue and gold beads.  I attached the bead strands together using some golden ribbon tied into a bow.  Then I attached the charms.  

Such a fun little drink charm bracelet.  It's small enough that the beads don't fall off when you lift the glass, but large enough that they dangle off the stem.  :)  

After creating the drink bracelet, I moved onto the card.  This was a fun card because I was able to create my own sentiment using my new Cameo!  

I embossed the sentiment with some gold embossing powder then attached it to a yummy stamped and water colored background.  

I used some distress ink to stamp over the watercoloring.  

When you take a closer look, you'll see the clear embossed beads and the yummy fleur de lis ribbon embellishment.  :)

I hope you were inspired by my creations today.  This was such a fun set to play with and I encourage you to play with your stamps in new ways.  Not only can they be used to create beautiful cards,  they can also be used to create fun and playful gifts!  

Check out my fellow Joy Clair Design Team partners who are joining this hop too:

 Joy Clair Stamps Blog

 Martha Lucia Gomez

 Donna Green Idlet

 Steph Ackerman

 Lindsay Adreon

 LeeAnn McKinney

 Lori Kubular

 Helen Gullett

 Lindsay Adreon