Die Within a Die // Altenew

Hello there, today I'm popping in with a card for the August Altenew challenge, Simon Says Stamp Monday Citrus challenge, and a little way to stretch your dies (I think that phrase is funny, since dies are metal and very...unstretchy)

I was mainly inspired by the dark woodgrain wall and the pops of yellow from the inspiration photo, and yes, you guessed it, I used Vintage Roses.
That set is definitely high in my ranks of the Stamp Greats.

Stamping the flowers was funny and easy, as was arranging them (read: I just piled them all together and stuck leaves in randomly). I knew I wanted to use this patterned paper from a Maggie Holmes paper pad, but I didn't know how I was gonna frame the flowers, as I didn't want to take away from the bold brown.
I eventually decided on pulling out an oldie but a goodie die set, Nestabilities Labels 4, and so that I only got a small pop of white, I die cut a window, using the two largest frames.
This technique isn't limited to die sets or dies of the same shape - you could even cut a circle, and then a heart or flower inside it!

I heat embossed the sentiment inside my frame, topped the roses off, and I was done! I will add a bit of forewarning on the sentiment though - I used the EK Success powder tool to make sure the embossing powder would only stick where I stamped the sentiment. It filled its duty admirably, but it left some traces of its own powder behind. I've found this is the case with other dark papers - the powder tool won't completely brush off and will leave some light residue.
So I would say to use the tool very lightly on dark cardstock, or go with some good old fashioned cornstarch, which works the same way.

Thanks for stopping in and God bless!

SUPPLIES

Cardstock: Michaels, Papertrey Ink
Stamps: Altenew "Vintage Roses"
Ink: Tim Holtz, Studio Calico
Patterned paper: Crate Paper - Maggie Holmes "Open Book"
Other: pearls (Darice), embossing powder (Hero Arts)

Tools: heat gun, Nestabilities Labels 4 dies, Cuttlebug