Have you bought any of Stampin’ Up!s single stamps. I have many favorites, but I love the Perfect Peacock stamp. It’s big enough to take up the front of your card. I embossed the image with gold embossing powder that really made my card stand out! Coloring with markers and you have a beautiful card. Add a sentiment – or not – to the outside or inside and there you go.
     Here is the card we made at the July meeting of the HSS Hostess Club.

PERFECT PEACOCK
HSS HOSTESS CLUB
JULY 8, 2015 
STAMP SET: Perfect Peacock (133830 $15)
CARD STOCK: Lost Lagoon 4-1/2” x 5-1/2” (133679 $7) 
                             Rose Red 4” x 5-1/4” (102544 $7)                    
                             Very Vanilla 3-3/4” x 5”; 4” x 5-1/4” (inside card)(101650 $8.50)
INK:  VersaMark (102283 $7.50)
           Lost Lagoon (133644 $6.50)
*MARKERS: Island Indigo (131262  $29) Lost Lagoon(133654 $15)
                         Pool Party (131263 $29 )     Rose Red (131262  $29)
                         Old Olive (131259 $29)   Daffodil Delight (131259 $29)

ACCESSORIES: Embossing Buddy (103093 $6)
                              Heat Tool (129053 $30)
                              Gold Embossing Powder (109129 $5)
                              Aqua Painter (103954 $17)
                             *Markers come in sets of 10 or 5 (for in colors)

DIRECTIONS:
1. Use the Very Vanilla CS (outside, smaller) for the peacock. Pat the embossing buddy over the entire CS to prevent “stray” powder from sticking.
2. Turning the peacock stamp upside down, cover the stamp with VersaMark ink. While stamp is upside down, place CS on top and take a scratch piece of computer paper and place over the CS. Gently rub to transfer it to the CS.
3. Cover CS with gold embossing powder, shaking off excess. Make sure entire stamped image is well covered. If there is any stray powder, use a small brush to brush it away.
4. Heat the embossing powder with the heat tool moving it in a back and forth motion. Be sure all is melted-you can actually watch this happen SO COOL!!!
5. Color in embossed image.

TECHNIQUES:
Heat embossing, and water coloring with Aqua Painter.
TIPS:
1. Large stamps sometime ink and stamp better using the above method. Turn stamp upside down, ink and apply CS directly to stamp and rub.
2. The embossing buddy is a must when embossing. When tapped over CS it keeps excess powder from sticking where it shouldn’t and only adheres to inked image.
3. Heat tool—be sure to move it around while it is melting the embossing powder. It could scorch the CS.
4. When using the Aqua Painter, squeeze the barrel to send water to the brush—keeping a rag handy to take care of excess water. With the ink container closed, squeeze the top and bottom together several times. When the top is opened, you will see a “pool” of ink. This is what you will use with the Aqua Painter. Play around until you get the color you want.

5. After coloring you can gently blot and rub the image to get the ink off the embossed parts. While coloring, be careful not to smudge the colors.

     We have lots of stamps you can “color” and I’m hearing that that is the latest thing–adutlts coloring! Works for me–of course, I spent 20-1/2 years in kindergarten!
     Happy stampin’,
~Laura