Trend Watch – Bejeweled and Be Awesome Gems

This gem trend shines so bright I could have looked at it from several directions.  Literally, you can amp up the sparkle on your paper projects by including rhinestones and other jewels.  And just like a little mouse, I am drawn to the sparkly goodness of a shiny card too.  But for this post I want to focus on the type of bling you can create with stamps.  There are several manufacturers that have great sets you can use to create cute cards and pages for your special someone.   So with no further ado… let the bling begin!

I totally dig the foiling gold pieces JJ used to create her gem for her card.  The geometric shapes in the background of her card are the perfect compliment to the round cut gem she outlined.

 

card by JJ Bolton photo courtesy of Handmade Cards by JJ Bolton

The shininess just begs to be used in a shaker card, don’t you think?  I think Effie did a great job capturing the ice cold blue in her diamonds and the sequins bling just echos the cut of the diamonds.

card by Effie photo courtesy of Stamper, Esq.

I love the subtly and shine of Amy’s diamond tag.  She colored with Copics and added glossy accents to give the diamond the proper shine it deserves.  The watercolor thanks is cool too.

card by Amy Kolling photo courtesy of Stamp-n-Paradise

Gold also works really well for gems as well.  Mary has another take on a gem tag and uses gold to accent her gem and she adds a line of strung gold sequins for an accent.

card by Mary Fish photo courtesy of Stampin’ Pretty

I love how Tessa uses multiple gems in the pink family to make her card stand out.  How pretty is this?  Her background paper is also sparkly looking and pink.

card by Tessa Wise photo courtesy of Crafty Girl Designs

Dawn used a colorful rainbow to show off her gems.  The stamping and coloring technique she used makes them look three dimensional and sparkly.  So pretty.

card by Dawn Woleslagle photo courtesy of Wplus9 blog

The sentiment from this stamp set is so awesome and goes great with a fun watercolor background.  I link the stamp set to the shop at the end of this post so you can check it out.

card by Dawn Woleslagle photo courtesy of Wplus9 blog

I am in love with this new watercolor that does not require that you be great with a paintbrush.  It is intentionally loose and messy.  The finished look is so arty.  Mayuri pulls it off effortlessly

card by Mayuri photo courtesy of Candles in the Garden

Weddings are another great occasion for gem stamps too.  I love the look of the gold foil diamond as a background for this lovely wedding card.

card by Yana Smulka photo courtesy of Yana Smulka Cardmaking and Scrapbooking

This next card by Kelly is so clever!  She makes her own necklace from the stamp.    This is awesome.

 

card by Kelly Griglione photo courtesy of Notable Nest

Kate created a few gem templates you can use to create a pop up jewel card of your own.  Which cut is your favorite?

Card and template by Kate photo courtesy of Minieco.co.uk

This 3D awesomeness is from Katie and would be a huge way to send congratulations or a wedding announcement to loved ones.  It is big and grand and ostentatious like great diamonds should be.

card by Katie Gehring photo courtesy of Stamping Lightly

You don’t have to get diamond envy with this trend.  There are plenty of stamps, background papers and die cuts that you can make your own in the size shape and color of your dreams.  I hope your found a few things to spark your creativity or new brands or techniques to try.  I have found a few products that might provide some additional inspiration.

So go ahead… make something pretty.

My Mind’s Eye die set from Simon Says Stamp

Gemstone Stamp set from Waffle Flower

3D Diamond Template Die from Waffle Flower

Sparkle and Shine Stamp set from Wplus9

My precious stamp set from Winnie and Walter

Many thanks Avery Elle Stamp set from Simon Says Stamp