OK, I think I have a little bit of explaining to do. Back on June 21st, when I posted my June 2020 Desktop Calendars, I indicated that I had already designed the July ones and was nearly finished. Then, nothing happened … until today.
Well, at the beginning of July, I got Shingles:( I seriously had NO IDEA how sick I would get or how long it would take to feel better! I’m normally such a healthy person!!! Despite my best efforts to take the medicine ASAP and rest, it has now been 6 weeks, and I’m finally feeling like myself again. Oh my gosh, what an ordeal!!! It seriously impacted my desire and stamina to stamp. I ended up only working on necessary commitments and my Stamp Club. Things that could wait, like my calendars, got put on the back burner.
So now I’m back and almost feeling normal again. Yay!!!
Way back in June when I started the July pages, I used Pigment Sprinkles to create some beautiful, vibrant watercolor sunsets!!! Sunsets make me so happy, especially ones like these. They take me away to the tropics and make me think of sitting on a beach staring out at the water and soaking up the warmth and beauty of it all. Oh, take me away right now!
Creating these backgrounds was so easy! I used Layering Squares Dies to cut out the largest scalloped square die cut out of Shimmery White Cardstock. Then, I spritzed the paper (both front and back) with clear water, and simply sprinkled some Melon Mambo Pigment Sprinkles on the top and Mango Melody Pigment Sprinkles on the bottom.
Warning: Go slow! The Pigment Sprinkles come out fast and you don’t need much. I suggest covering up all the holes except one. Then, just sit back and watch the sprinkles explode and blend! They’re super pretty!!!
When I design these desktop calendar pages, it’s the one time I allow myself to use retired products. For me, it’s a great way to revisit old favorites and use up leftover supplies. Therefore, I decided to use the retired Beach Happy stamp set and one of my all-time favorite designer series papers: Wood Textures.
I embossed the palm trees and tree trunks by stamping with Versamark and then embossing in black. This was a little scary, because I didn’t want to mess up my beautiful sunsets. Therefore, I used my Stamparatus to get thorough coverage and perfect placement of the tree tops. For the tree trunks, I simply used an acrylic block so I could bend and position the stamps accordingly.
Tips: Before embossing, use a paper towel to remove any excess Pigment Sprinkles. Then, rub an Embossing Buddy over the entire panel to remove static. (I actually did this before stamping each tree top and tree trunk.)
To finish up my page, I stamped the month with the retired Date It stamp set on Wood Textures Designer Series Paper with Early Espresso ink. Then, I punched it out with the Classic Label Punch. To shorten the banner and create the Vs in the ends, I turned over the punch and fed the two ends back through the punch.
I created the calendar pages using My Memories Suite software. You can download a printable JPEG HERE. Print the July calendar on Shimmery White Cardstock with the smallest margins possible for your printer. The print is colored Early Espresso. I designed the pages to go all the way to the edges of a standard 8-1/2″ x 11″ sheet of cardstock. Trim as follows:
I’m working on catching up now! Last weekend, I finished the August 2020 calendars as well, so stay tuned:)
Have a wonderful and creative day!
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Supplies used on my July 2020Calendars:
