I am ALWAYS needing birthday cards, and much as I personally adore balloons and cake, sometimes I just need a little something different from that. I gravitate towards typography and hand-lettering because I love WORDS and it is so fun to have a set that features those elements specifically!

This is a sentiment I’ve always loved—I think it’s great even when it’s NOT for a birthday! I’m super-stoked that I have the option to use the FILLS or the outlines (altho I will say I’m partial to fills/solids personally speaking!) or combine them. Multi-colored letters make me grin big time, too!

I loved the end result of this ombré style stamping effect of the Ampersand—I spaced each color/impression 1/2” apart to get this effect, starting on the far left with the Tattered Rose, then Bellini, Stardust, Green Tea and finally Spruce and then repeated in reverse order as I moved to the right. It is such a cool, graphic look! And, it would have been literally impossible to pull off with this kind of precision, without using the MISTI.

Here, I just cut two 4 bar panels from white and pale rose on the diagonal, then mounted them onto a piece of typing paper for the two-tone effect. Then I did all my stamping over the top. Stamped the solid Ampersand twice with Bellini to get a deeper hue, then blended Mandarin Spice along the bottom (directly on the stamp) to re-stamp again 2 more times, creating this smooth blended ombré. Absolutely LOVE this. And, once again, this is a look that is hard to achieve manually; if you don’t have one yet, a MISTI will revolutionize working with clear stamps.

If you’re going to heat emboss anything over the top of this solid stamping, make sure the ink has thoroughly dried, and prep the surface with an anti-static powder to eliminate random bits of embossing powder sticking where you don’t want it. Yes, it makes a difference.

Thanks for stopping by today and I hope these samples inspire you when working with the “AND MANY MORE” set!

SUPPLIES:

• And Many More by Julie Ebersole, Essentials by Ellen Clear Stamps

• Essential Hexagons, Essentials by Ellen Designer Dies

• Tattered Rose, Ranger Distress Oxide Ink Pad

• Bellini, Catherine Pooler Ink Pad

• Stardust, Concord & 9th Premium Dye Ink Cubes

• Stardust, Concord & 9th Premium Dye Ink Pads

• Green Tea, Catherine Pooler Ink Pad

• Mandarin Spice, Catherine Pooler Ink Pad

• Spruce, Catherine Pooler Ink Pad

• VersaMark Ink Pad

• Solar White - 25 pk, Neenah Classic Crest Cardstock

• Natural White - 25 pk, Neenah Classic Crest Cardstock

• Bazzill Card Shoppe Cardstock, Pale Rose, 25 pk

• Stardust, Concord & 9th Premium Color Cardstock

• Ranger Stickles, Diamond

• Gold Mini Star Confetti, Pretty Pink Posh Sequins

• Gold Foil Spots, HAI Washi Tape

• Stampendous Embossing Powder, Detail Gold

• Dual Speed Heat Tool, WOW

• Embossing Magic Bag, Inkadinkado

• Scrapbook Adhesives Crafty Foam Tape, White

• Background Blender Brushes, Honey Bee Tools

• New & Improved Mini MISTI Laser Etched Stamping Tool (6-1/8 X 7), My Sweet Petunia

• New & Improved MISTI Laser Etched Stamping Tool (8-1/8 X 10-1/2), My Sweet Petunia

• Deluxe 12 Inch Paper Trimmer with Aluminum Cut Rail, Fiskars

• Crafter's Companion Gemini Junior

• Platinum 6 Die Cutting And Embossing Machine, Spellbinders Tools

Disclosure: Yup, those are affiliate links to the products used in my projects and I make a small commission when you purchase via those links, at no extra cost to you. Thank you for buying all the things!