Bugs, Botanicals and Bouquets

Did you ever have a school assignment on entomology? I remember in elementary school we studied bugs and had to do an insect board where we pinned and identified a bunch of insects. My dad was a yard and tree man and he cut burlwood slabs on the side, so he was always finding interesting bugs and critters to show us. When I got that assignment he was so in his element! He found some of the coolest bugs out in the wood piles. 
So when I saw these new entomology stamps from Tim Holtz and Stampers Anonymous, I fondly remembered that assignment and all the help I got from my dad. They also made me think of all the cool insect displays on the walls off the upstairs queue in Disneyland’s Jungle Cruise. 

So with that in mind I set out to make some fun bug cards. Both of these cards are very simple, but show that bug cards can work for anybody, not just little boys.

Congrats on Your BUG Day - features the Entomology CMS328 and Glorious Bouquet CMS325 and the frame was cut from Distressed Woodgrain paper using the Sizzix Alterations Stacked Deckle Thinlits. I used the leaf corner of the Glorious Bouquet for the large background and stamped it in Peeled Paint, then in Brushed Corduroy in spots on the smaller background. 

 

 Inside the frame I stamped the script as the main background, then stamped the insects on top of it in Ground Espresso Archival Ink. 
I stamped them a second time on  Distress MM Heavystock and then watercolored with my Distress Markers. I cut them out and 
popped them up for dimension. The sentiment is from Glorious Bouquet, but I cut B U and G out of the second stamping of the sentiment to cover the word big with bug just for a fun play on words. 

The second card features Botanical and Batik CMS327 and Entomology CMS328.  
The large background is the Entomology script stamped in Brushed Corduroy Distress Ink and then lightly blending in the background with the same color. The smaller background is the Botanical background stamp with several green colors applied to the stamp
 and then a few light sprays with water before stamping onto Distress Watercolor Paper. The background was then cut out using the Sizzix Alterations Stacked Label. 

I again stamped the insects onto the background with Ground Espresso Archival Ink kissed with a little Black Soot Archival and a second set for Watercoloring and cutting out to pop up for dimension. 
 

There you go! Two simple cards and all three stamp sets are available now.