Original

 The Stamp Collector CMS338 set has some really cool old vintage stamp images. I wanted them to make a colorful background for my card, so I arranged a bunch of the stamps over a piece of Distress Mixed Media Heavystock on my Stamp Platform and then I was able to stamp several pieces before I cleaned them all off and put them away.

 I stamped them in Hickory Smoke Archival Ink -- that is key to this technique. Then I dried the ink with a Heat Tool.  Once dry, as usual, I settled in with a good episode of Murder She Wrote or Hart to Hart and started watercoloring. I used the Distress Markers in many different colors but only used one color per stamp. I scribbled some of the Distress Marker on the Glass Media Mat, then picked the color up with my Detail Waterbrush and applied the color to the stamped image. The really cool thing that happened was that the Hickory Smoke Archival Ink somehow enhanced the color or the Distress Marker Ink and made it look like I had individually stamped each image in a color and I didn't. I really love that little surprise!!

 

I cut the background with one of my all time favorite Sizzix Alterations, the steel rule Bigz Postage Stamp Frame. It's seriously one of the BEST dies!  So versatile and I use it a TON. It is retired, so if you find it, grab it! If you don't have this die, don't worry, there is a new one coming out soon with 5 different sizes - Stacked Postage. Hooray!

For the sentiment I stamped the large circle and the word Original from the Mail Art CMS339 stamp set. In the opening I picked the sentiment "For Being You" from the Pennants CMS330 set and stamped it in the that space.  

Then to keep with the whole postage theme, I tied some Eclectic Elements Crafter's Thread around it as if it was a parcel.

This is another card that really isn't difficult to make it is just a little time consuming to color all the stamps different colors, but seriously it is so worth it!