Fun Stampers Journey November Bloom Box – Cup of Tea

Hello! Today, I am delighted to share four cards created with the November Bloom Box from Fun Stampers Journey.

The November Bloom Box includes four pre-designed and kitted cards – the Cup of Tea stamp set, card bases, patterned paper, solid cardstock, ribbon, embellishments, and a step-by-step instruction booklet. (There is a Cup of Tea coordinating die set available for purchase.) All you need to add are a few inks and adhesives. The box has something for everyone – from new cardmakers to seasoned pros. The recipes provided for the cards can be followed exactly or changed up.

On my first card, I followed the “recipe” in the step-by-step instruction booklet (with just a few tweaks).

• I stamped the tea pot in black ink on Whip Cream cardstock. I used the Cup of Tea die set to cut the tea pot.
• I stamped the tea cups in Watermelon ink on Whip Cream cardstock and cut them with the corresponding die.
• I stamped the mint leaf stamp in Cool Pool ink on the Cool Pool cardstock to create a tone-on-tone background. (The booklet called for teal ink to match the card base.)
• I stamped the sentiment on the Bubble Gum scallop.
• I followed the directions for assembly.

I particularly liked the fun way in which the tea cups hang on the shelf. The shelf and the small brads were provided in the kit. I liked this idea so much I purchased the Window View Die Set separately, which is the set that was used to cut the shelf. This is a fun design that could easily be varied!

On my next card, I again followed the instruction booklet’s design with a few simplifications.

• I created the card base by scoring the back scallop and adhering the cardstock above the scored line to the card front.
• I stamped the tea pot and cups on Whip Cream cardstock and used the Cup of Tea die set to cut them. I stamped the saucers, spoon, and tea bag and fussy cut them.
• I added a small amount of watercolor to the tea pot and cups (the booklet’s instructions called for more watercoloring, but I decided I wanted a cleaner look).
• I stamped the sentiment on the Bubble Gum stitched circle and added a Deco Strip across the circle.
• I followed the directions for assembly.

There were a lot of fun details on this card including the addition of the Deco Strip and the Sweet Candy Drops (both provided in the box). I tend to forget about details like these, and I know I will be incorporating these into future projects.

For the next card, I changed the orientation shown in the booklet and made a few simplifications.

I liked the shelf idea of the first card and replicated it on this card by cutting Black Licorice card stock with one of the dies in the Window View Die Set. The mini clothes pin and twine was another fun touch which I have never tried before.

For my final card, I made a few simplifications from the instruction booklet.

I used fewer saucers in the stack than the design in the booklet. The booklet shows how to create a slit in the cups in order to stack them. I stamped the background Whip Cream cardstock with just two of the smaller stamps in the Cup of Tea set in black ink (the booklet example used more of the set’s small stamps and in a variety of ink colors). I substituted the pink ribbon in the kit for a strip of Watermelon Fusion cardstock, and used black and white twine rather than the ribbon.

Parting thoughts about the kit:

• There is a lot of value to the designs shown in the kit. The designs easily lend themselves to modification; I am already thinking of ways in which I can change things up a bit.
• The kit introduced me to color combinations I might not have otherwise used.
• A new cardmaker would be able to use the kit to create interesting cards that are anything but beginner in their looks. They could then decide to make future supply purchases based on what they particularly liked about the various designs such as circle dies, scallop dies, scallop edgers, and so forth.
• In my own cardmaking, I plan to more often stamp a background with small stamps and add more jewels/drops/sequins for textural interest.

Supplies: