Ideas for backgrounds????

[scrapper at heart]

Hi Everyone,

I am relatively new to making cards and I do not have a lot of stamps....yet. I am signing up to be a demo in July.

I have been to numerous stamp camps and we always use the itty bitty backgrounds or one of the larger background stamps. However as yet I do not own any of these sets so I was wondering if anyone had any neat ideas to use as a background- my cards just seem so plain without it.

I tried the saran wrap??? but it looked terrible- maybe I didn't do it right.

Any other ideas that might be helpful???

Thanks
Tasha

[Cathy H]

You can use new unused erasers to make rectangles or pencil erasers to make polka dots - I'm sure there are other ideas. Polished stone is beautiful. There is a lot that requires a brayer -- I assume you don't have one yet. How about using a light hand with a sea sponge and sponging on some pretty colors? Do you have any pastels or chalks? Watercolors? You can buy some children's watercolors and do a lot with those Let us know what you DO have -- or do a search using what you have.

[Grandma Overboard]

So, what sets do you have? Sometimes you can use part of your stamp for the bg. Or stamp a flower stamp all over the paper in the same color, giving it a kind of watermark look, or just use versamark. But in the gallery you'll find lots of wonderful samples of ones who use just a simple little stamp, note necessaryly al large bg stamp. (personally I own 19 bgs and love everyone of them...I'm kind of greedy, hehe) And by the way, welcome to the wonderful and adictive world of scs and stamping!!!

[WebDeb]

Here's an easy one: crumple up a piece of plastic wrap and use it to pounce ink unevenly over your card base (tone on tone).

[scrapper at heart]

Hi,

Thanks to those who gave me some background ideas- I have used some of the smaller stamps for doing backgrounds like the snowflakes in Happy Winter and the butterfly in my on gossomer wings set.

I can't wait to get my itty bitty background set!!!! I plan on ordering the cheese cloth bg stamp with my first order that I place as a demo.


Thanks Again

Tasha

[Cathy H]

Do you have Versamark? It's great. One of my "standard" backgrounds when I was starting was to use an image very similar to my focal point image all over the background in Versamark. If you don't have Versamark, you can get the same effect by using the same color ink as the bg paper.
There are some wonderful BG ideas in a similar thread here somewhere - I think it had to do with glossy paper.

[Rox71]

Bubble wrap works well although it doesn't help you sell a product.

The saran/plastic wrap can also be done with a shopping bag and saves money!!!

Sponge in sky or grass and you can make your own template with these or free hand it.

Solid sponge and reinkers. I found a good solid sponge in a package of three in the dollar store automotive department.

Marble rolling and reinkers

Links can be found in the the technique challenges
The master thread to all the links

I hope this helps and good luck as a demo!

[imastampin]

Crumple up wax paper, then flatten it back out. Add your ink and then press your paper onto it. It gives a great look.

Do you have the lovely as a tree set? The lone oak tree (omit the trunk if you're using a marker) can make a great background. Just stamp it over and over.

Crumple your paper and then do direct to paper from your inkpad. It just picks up the color on the high parts. Looks great.

Good luck! You will love the cheesecloth stamp. It's great. And so is itty bitty backgrounds.