The inspiration for this postcard was a packet of origami paper in traditional Japanese blue-on-white designs, such as were used on textiles. They have a lovely texture to them too, soft like money or paper towels. I used a compass to draw quarter circles on them, then cut on the lines. I made the base with just plain paper and a white background. The stamp is one that I purchased, and I used clear ink (yes, there is such a thing) with opaque white embossing powder to give it a raised surface. I’m quite happy with how it turned out.

This is another piece of the calendar I rescued from the trash. The images were just too beautiful not to reuse. I’m such a sucker for the 18th and 19th century botanical and zoological illustrative style. To add something else, I used some of these butterfly stickers that I bought for way too much money at a stationary store. (Stationary stores–another weakness!)

The challenge, when using many sheets of the same paper, is to figure out ways to bring out different parts of the background. I had thought I woudl draw more with this project, but when it came around to it, there were just too many cool images already prepared, such as this pre-cut photo of a rose on cardstock. I used a rose stamp to add to the motif on the back.

The scrapbook paper I used for this is beautiful, but while it’s a fabulous background texture, it lacks a focal point. For that, I used this Mexican Loteria card that I bought at an import store in San Diego. Because scorpions make me think of Scorpio, I used the star stamp and some embossing powder to make the card match more with the background. The background papers, while providing a clear field for text, also add some stability.