Got Large Image Stamps? ...

 ... Make bridge cards!! Continuing my experiments with bridge cards, I figured they would be a fantastic way to employ the large image stamps I've struggled to use in the past. You know, the ones that take up an entire A2 card front. Of course, I could make 5 x 7 inch cards, but it's a pain to make envelopes for them because an 8.5 x 11 inch sheet of paper is a smidge too small for my large envelope die.

Enter, the bridge card.

I have some stamps from High Hopes Rubber Stamps. I've had them a long time. I bought them because I believed larger images would be much easier to colour. I failed to account for the fact that large images would be harder to incorporate on a regular sized card.

Well, they are perfect for bridge cards! The image spans the gap in the front to create a free-standing card with dimension!

I really like how this one turned out. I coloured these cards with my Copic Marker alcohol markers. These cards are also a fantastic way to use up scraps! The paper in the centre is a scrap as well as the two, half-inch strips along the sides! Plus, it still folds flat to put in the envelope.

I really enjoyed colouring this Santa with the kittens.

The only thing about the vertical bridge cards is that it leaves only a tall skinny space to write on the back. So, I figured out the dimensions for a landscape version. I coloured another image from High Hopes Rubber Stamps for this card.

The sentiment on this card is from a stamp set by Dreamerland Crafts. Both High Hopes and Dreamerland are small Canadian businesses. I know huge sentiments are all-the-rage right now, but if you are using a huge image stamp, a small sentiment is just what you need - and we all probably have heaps and heaps of those!

Boy, it took me a long time to colour this one just-so, that's for sure! I used a stitched hill to bridge this card, even though Santa and the reindeer would have been wide enough on their own. I had thought about doing a roof top with layered scallops. I might try that next time. For this Santa, I added some sparkle on his coat trimmings and hat with Nuvo glitter drops. (Stickles would work just as well.)

So, bust out your BIG stamps and dig into your scraps. Have a ball creating bridge cards for all occasions!