Stars & Stripes Fourth of July Cards with Lindsey

Hi! Lindsey here again sharing several cards using the Stars and Stripes stamp set. This set is perfect for Fourth of July cards, but also has images and sentiments that would work great for birthday cards or even a card for your favorite hero! I also incorporated the new Star Border die, the Wavy Border dies and the cute koalas from the Comfy Creatures stamp set. Let's get started.

I started with an A2 size card base. I used the Wavy Border dies to create red and white strips of cardstock which became the stripes on my American flag. A simple rectangle out of blue cardstock created the background for the Star Border. I cut the Star Border from white cardstock and trimmed it down to six stars, so it would fit in my rectangle. Once I had the background done, it was time to stamp and color the adorable little boy and girl koala. I colored the koalas using Copic markers and fussy cut them out. I added a star and hat on top of their heads from the Stars and Stripes stamp set. 

Finally, I stamped my sentiment under the blue rectangle on one of the white stripes. Since my sentiment said "reach for the stars", I decided to add a few more larger stars above the little koalas. These stars also came from the Stars and Stripes stamp set. I added a little Wink of Stella to all the stars for a little extra sparkle and that completes my card.

For my second card, I used almost all the images in the Stars and Stripes stamp set to create another fun Fourth of July card. I just arranged the different stamps on my white rectangle, which was slightly smaller than an A2 size card, to see what layout I preferred. Once I had them where I wanted them, I stamped them down. I colored all the images with Copic markers. I also outlined each image with a light blue marker. Then I used my glitter pen to add a little sparkle to all the stars on my card.

After everything was colored, I backed my white rectangle on a piece of red cardstock to really make the white panel pop. Finally, I attached the red panel to a gray polka dot piece of cardstock that was cut to four and a quarter by five and half.

For my last card I decided to focus on the little firecracker image in the set. I wanted to create a background sky full of exploding fireworks with the little firecrackers in the foreground.

The first thing I did, was create the background using a piece of watercolor cardstock. I used some distress ink on an acrylic block to create the "fireworks." I simply put a dab of ink on the block and then used my water brush to spread the ink around in the shape of a firework. Then, I placed the paper on top of the ink. Ta-da.....watercolor fireworks! I think this technique worked well for the look I was going for. 

Next I stamped and colored three little fire crackers. I also stamped a little face from the set onto each firecracker to give them some personality. Once the watercolor panel was dry, I stamped the sentiment in the bottom left corner where I had a left a little white space. Then, I decided where to place the firecrackers and stamped the little firecracker trail in black. I used foam tape to pop up each of the firecrackers and added a little Wink of Stella to make them sparkle. Finally, I backed my watercolor panel on a gingham blue and red cardstock. 

I hope you'll check out this fun set, and stay tuned to the blog for more inspiration! I can't wait to see what everyone comes up with! Thanks for reading and have a great day!