Stamp Layering Ideas – Next on the Journey
Stamp Layering Card 1
Stamp layering is getting to be almost an obsession with me. I keep finding stamping sets that feature multiple layers, stamped on top of each other, and I keep trying them…any buying them…and trying them some more. (Sound familiar anyone, LOL?) This post features some cards for my “All About Layering 2” class in the AECP series (Altenew Educator Certification Program).
All About Stamp Layering
I thought this particular class was going to be a piece of cake, as I have so many layering stamp sets. And that was probably the root of the issue – what set do I use? After trying several, I decided to go with the set “Watercolor Extravaganza” by Altenew. It has a daisy-like flower as well as a few others, plus some leaves and greenery.
The large daisy flower is extremely easy to line up the layers; there’s a little notch that makes it go fast — which makes it fun! The leaves aren’t layered, which to me is kind of a bummer, but there are ways around that (which I unfortunately didn’t think of until after I put the leaves in place — oh well, next time!)
Anyway, I made three cards because I wasn’t sure which layout I’d like best. However, the basic steps are the same in all three cards.
Stamp Layering Ideas – Steps
Here was my next problem — what colors should I use? I couldn’t decide, so I tried several different combinations before I decide on three groupings — pinks, purples and yellows.
Stamp Layering Card 2
Step 1:
For three sets, I used my blending brushes to lay down a light layer of whatever I wanted to use as my first layer, extending the blending to outside the stamp. Why? So I wouldn’t have a white line around the image when I did my die cutting.
Step 2:
I proceed to stamp my first layer. So that I would be able to distinguish the layer from the ink blending, I stamped the image twice (I used my Mini Misti to keep the images aligned).
Steps 3 and 4:
For each of the following layers, I used a darker shade in the same color family. The daisy-like image has three layers for the petals, so I used three different colors total for the petals.
For the centers (three stamps for the center) I used one, two or all three of the images, to give the flowers some variety.
I also stamped the leaves — I picked three different images and did multiples of each.
Putting it All Together
After all the stamping was done, I die-cut all the images. Since I had a lot of images, I chose three for each card, plus some leaves.
One card I did some more ink blending, from blue to green. I added some water spatters and then used a paper towel to blot it. I then added some ink splatters and stamped my sentiment directly on the card. Then I aligned my flowers and leaves on the left side of the card.
The second card I decided to cut piece of dark cardstock 4.25 inches by 5.5 inches, I then cut another piece of white cardstock at 3.5 x 5.5″. I did my spatters and stamped my sentiment. I added a washi tape border to the left and right of the dark cardstock and then centered my narrower cardstock in the middle, so that the washi shows on both sides. After that — time to add the flowers and leaves, this time I concentrated on the bottom of the card.
Stamp Layering Card 3
Then it was a matter of putting the panels on the card base and adding a few embellishments.
Hmmm, Not Happy Yet
I wasn’t thrilled with either one so I took a different direction on the last card. I covered a card panel with some wide washi tape, and then added a ribbon to the left side of the card. Because of the colors on washi tape background, I stamped a few more large flowers in various colors, along with more leaves.
But before I tested out the flowers, I stamped a simple “hello” sentiment on the washi taped panel with multi-media ink, and then used my heat gun to dry the ink so that it wouldn’t smear.
I surprised myself for choosing a single flower in a grayish blue-green color family, along with some gray-green leaves. I put the flower on the lower left side of the card, with the leaves. Finally, I added three enamel dots to complete the card.
Which one do you like best? Let me know in the comments!
Supplies:
- Inks: Tim Holtz Oxide in Sea Glass, Peacock and Evergreen. Altenew inks in Rose Quartz, Pink Diamond, Blush, Puffy Heart, Vanilla Cream, Hazelnut, Citrus Burst, Wisteria, Lavender Fields, Deep Iris, Pure Graphite, Industrial Diamond, Limestone, Forest Glades, Sweet Leaf, Cloudy Skies, Nimbus, Misty Morning and Dark Night.
- Stamps: Mini Delight: Bold Bloom (sentiment), Watercolor Extravaganza with matching dies – both Altenew.
- Washi Tape: Green Border (Amazon), Monochrome Wide (Altenew)
- Stamping Platform: Mini Misti
- Miscellaneous: Clear “foam” tape for dimension, Bearly Arts glue, tape runner, satin ribbon, enamel dots (Altenew).
Ink Blending Techniques – How to Blend Ink on a Card
Ink Blending Techniques Card Project
Ink blending techniques are so much fun! If you’re wondering how to blend ink for a card or scrapbook page, this post should help you to understand it a little better from a card-making perspective.
This is my third class for the AECP (Altenew Educators Certification Program), “Ink Blending Techniques”. I had a blast doing this card, because if there is one thing I love, it’s inks of all colors!
I’ll list all the supplies at the end of the post, but just to give you an idea, I used cardstock (naturally), several colors of inks, embossing ink and powder and some ink blending brushes.
I cut both the black and the white cardstocks to A2-size (4.25 inches x 5.5 inches).
Step 1: Picking Stamps And Inks
I placed my (uninked) stamp onto the white card panel and moved it around to decide where I planned to do the stamping. I didn’t have too much of a plan it first, aside from I thought I wanted the image towards the left side of the card.
I picked the Himalayan Poppy stamp from Altenew — for whatever reason, I am drawn to this stamp! I thought about stamping the image in black ink, then I decided to do with some gold embossing on the image.
I used my Mini Misti stamping platform to ink up the stamp with some gold pigment ink. Because it’s a pretty good sized stamp, I used the Misti because I wanted to stamp the image a few times to make sure I had good coverage before doing the actual embossing.
Embossing Results
Here’s the result of the embossing — it turned out pretty well I think.
Step 2: Ink Blending Techniques Time!
I love ink blending, as to me it’s very relaxing. For my inks, I started out with the following Altenew colors — Rubellite, Persian Blue, Citrus Burst and Lagoon. I ended up adding a few more colors, but these are the main ones on the card.
I selected red, blue and yellow as these are the three primary colors from which all other colors can be derived. I added the green (a combination of blue and yellow) because I didn’t want to spend all the time creating that much green.
One thing that is very important when it comes to ink blending techniques is your ink blending tools. The right ones can make it a joy. There are plenty of nice ones out there, and I’ve tried a bunch – with different levels of success.
Originally I started out with a really inexpensive set from Amazon, and I thought they worked fine. I upgraded to a slightly better set and they worked better. I tried foam blenders as well, and they were OK too. Then I saw some of the small blending brushes go on sale at Altenew and grabbed a set. Wow! They make blending go so much faster and smoother.
My Amazon sets were shaped like toothbrushes or hairbrushes — they have handles, and the head had some nice, soft bristles – very plush. But the big issue I had was that because the brush head was slightly convex (rounded up), it was sometimes difficult to ink up the brush evenly. The Altenew ones are flat-topped, very plush and ink up evenly — helping to blend quickly and easily.
Ink Blending – The First Layer
Anyway, back to ink blending techniques!
Step 3: Blending the Colors
The important thing regarding how to blend ink is because I had both red and green inks, I didn’t want to put them right next to each other. Because they are on opposite sides of the color wheel, blending red and green would give me brown or gray — not what I wanted.
So, I put my red/pink (Rubellite) on first, and inked up the flower with its first layer, to establish where I wanted it. Then, I was able to surround it with the blue (Persian Blue) and yellow (Citrus Burst). When I blended the pink and blue, I get purple; yellow and pink get me a peach.
And then I added the green (Lagoon), blending it up into the blue and a little into the yellow.
Hmmm, something wasn’t right. Lagoon is a teal color, but it had just a little too much blue. So, I went over some of the lower portions on the card with Forest Glades. Better!
The picture shows the first layer of the colors. I then added more layers, and included a couple more colors — Magenta and Arctic Blue. I also blended some of the yellow into the pink of the flower to give me a pop of peach. 🙂
Ink Blending Techniques Card
Step 4: Splatter Time!
I used to dislike ink splattering, but I have since fallen in love it it. So, I did a splatter with some Antique Gold ink spray (Altenew) and then immediately also sprayed lightly with water. I followed it by blotting the paper, so I got both gold splatters and water splatters, which gave it a little more of a watercolor vibe.
We’re coming to the home stretch!
Ink Blending Techniques – Tearing it Up?
I knew I wanted to cut down my ink blended card and mount it on the black, so the black would show the contrast. I was getting set to grab my paper trimmer when I thought, why not tear the paper instead of cut it?
I decided to tear the paper down the right-hand side of the cardstock, just to give it a little extra interest. I then mounted it on the black, leaving just a smidge of the black peeking out on the left side.
All that was left was to mount it on the card base, then add a sentiment.
For the sentiment, I grabbed a “Thank You” from the (list stamp name) set, and was all set to stamp it directly on the ink blended cardstock and then I got another idea — why not use the ink blending techniques on the sentiment?
I picked the Rubellite and Citrus Burst and blended them onto a scrap piece of cardstock, getting a peach color where the two mixed. Then I stamped the “Thank You” sentiment in the color Sapphire.
After I stamped and cut the strip of paper into a rectangle, I realized that I should have stamped the sentiment a little more towards the peachy area to get a better color gradient. Oh well, next time!
After I cut the sentiment strip, I then cut a strip of the black cardstock the same size as the ink blended strip. Before I mounted it to the black cardstock, I tore a strip off the right side of it (tearing off almost all the peach, sigh). After gluing to the black cardstock, I then used foam tape to place the sentiment strip on the card.
Final Thoughts and Supplies
You know, it took me waaaay longer to write this post about the ink blending techniques than it took to make the card! The ink blending goes pretty fast once the image is stamped.
If you would like to try your hand at ink blending techniques, I say go for it! Even if you only have two ink colors, you can blend them with some lovely results. Just remember to not blend together two colors on the opposite sides of the color wheel, unless you want the brown/gray color that will result.
I hope you have enjoyed this post and would welcome any comments. What colors would you have chosen for this card?
Supplies:
- Stamps: Himalayan Poppy and Mini Hibiscus Tea (for the sentiment). Both from Altenew.
- Inks: Rubellite, Magenta, Sapphire, Persian Blue, Arctic Blue, Lagoon, Forest Glades and Citrus Burst (all Altenew).
- Embossing: Embossing ink was Journey Gold (Spellbinders) and the powder was Super Fine Gold (Ranger)
- Cardstock: Crest Solar White 110 lb for card base (Altenew), then 80 lb cardstock in black and also white.
- Stamping Platform: Mini Misti (Amazon)
- Brushes: Small blending brush set (Altenew)
Making Clean and Simple Cards – Easy for Some, a Challenge for Me!
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Clean and simple cards have never been easy for me to create — I’m a “bling” kind of person. The more goodies and ephemera on the cards, the more I like it. That’s why for my second AECP project I decided to choose the lesson for “Boutique Cards” (which are mostly clean and simple). Time for me to restrain my inner bling and learn a new skillset!
(AECP is the Altenew Educator Certification Program, and it teaches new stamping and papercrafting skills and how to pass along those skills to others. How cool is that?)
And just as an FYI, I bought all my own supplies for this project.
What is a Clean and Simple Card?
That’s a good question, and I don’t think there is a single definition. But from what I have observed, it’s a card that makes liberal use of white space (or “space” since it could be a color other than white), and has relatively few elements. Sure, there can be some special elements, like mirrored cardstock or even sequins. But overall, it’s a card that can be created quickly and easily.
Making Clean and Simple Cards
All that being said, it took me quite few tries to come up with a card to use as my second AECP submission. You’ve already seen my final submission by now for mking clean and simple cards, but you can see the others I created in my gallery (linked towards the bottom of this post).
AECP Lesson Submission for “Boutique Cards”
For making a clean and simple card I started out with an A2 card base in Crest Solar White 110 lb, as it would be a smaller card for me to keep clean and simple, LOL. I’ll list all the supplies at the end of the steps I took to make the card.
Step 1: Cut the Card Panels
It’s very rare for me to stamp directly on the card base, and this was no exception. I cut an panel sized 5.5 inches x 4.25 inches out of grey 67 lb. cardstock and set it aside.
Then, I cut another panel from white 80 lb cardstock — this time I cut it to 5.25 inches x 4 inches. This will be the card panel I’ll stamp on.
Step 2: Shadow Stamp
I wanted a watercolor-ish look to the card, so I decided to do what I call “shadow stamping”, and it took three ink colors for the card. However, because the pink is so light, for demonstration purposes I used three different purple shades from Altenew — Soft Lilac, Wisteria and Lavender Fields.
The stamp I am using is from the “Wings of Hope” stamp set from Altenew. Using the largest flower image, I stamped it once in Wisteria Fields (the middle shade of the three).
I next inked up the stamp using Soft Lilac, which is the lightest of the three shades. For my “shadow stamp” I offset my stamp a little so that it formed a shadow. Doing this gives it a little more of a watercolor-y look (to me, anyway).
I then inked up just the middle of the stamp with Lavender Fields, the darkest of the three shades. I then took a blending brush and tapped it into the inked portion to feather out the color and make it more diffuse. After that, I lined up the stamp with the original image and pressed it down.
(It doesn’t matter if the stamping is a little off — remember, this is a watercolor look.)
So the photo examples are the purple colors, but for my finished card, I chose the colors Rose Quartz, Pink Diamond and Cotton Candy (all three from Altenew).
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Step 3: Add the Leaves
For the leaf stamp (also from the Wings of Hope set), I did the first two steps of the shadow stamp with the same color — Limestone, which is a pale grey-green. I then used the color Firefly just on the tips and blended it down the stamp with a blending brush. I then tried to match up the final leaf stamp with one of the others. Both Limestone and Firefly are inks from Altenew.
Step 4: Stamping the Sentiment
I used the Altenew Pure Graphite ink to stamp my sentiment, which is from the Himalayan Poppy set. I chose the Pure Graphite color because it’s a dark grey, and I though it would be a better choice than using black.
I stamped it onto the right side of the cardstock. Although you can certainly use an acrylic block to do your stamping, I prefer to use my stamping platform (Tim Holtz stamping platform) for the sentiment. I generally double-stamp to get a really crisp outline and the stamping platform allows me to keep my stamp lined up perfectly.
Finishing it All Up
I mounted my cardstock onto the grey panel, leaving a 1/8 inch border all the way around, with double-sided tape. I then placed my grey panel on the card base (again, using the double-sided tape).
Well, my inner bling started speaking to me, saying the card needed a little something extra. So, I grabbed some iridescent ink and added a few splatters to my card. Hmm, not quite enough, so I added three enamel dots.
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So that’s my submission for making clean and simple cards for my AECP project called “Boutique Cards”. If you’ve made it this far, here’s a link to the other cards I made while trying my skills. And of course, below are my supplies. Hope you have enjoyed this project and see you later!
Supplies
- Stamps: The flower and leaves are from the Wings of Hope set and the sentiment is from the Himalayan Poppy set.
- Inks: Altenew inks in the following colors:
- Inks for the demos images: Soft Lilac, Wisteria and Lavender Fields.
- Inks used on the final card: Rose Quartz, Pink Diamond and Puffy Heart for the flowers. Limestone and Firefly for the leaves.
- Cardstock: Classic Crest Solar White 110 lb (card base), Classic Crest Solar White 80 lb (white panel) and a grey 67 lb cardstock
- Embellishment (a.k.a. “bling”): Sparkle Silk (Spellbinders) and Enamel Dots (Altenew)
- Acrylic blocks (Amazon) for stamping the flowers and the leaves.
- Stamping Platform: Tim Holtz Stamp Platform for stamping the sentiment (Amazon).
Card Making Terms to Know
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Card making terms to know — if you’re new to card making, it seems like sometimes people are speaking in another language. Fussy cut? Stamping platform? Dry Embossing? The list can go on and on, but here are some of the card making terms you’ll most likely come across.
Card Making Terms – What Do They Mean?
Here we go with some of these card making terms to know. While they may not be exclusively used for making cards, this is how we use the terms.
Card Base: This is what it sounds like — the base layer of the card. It’s generally a good idea to make your card base out of some fairly heavyweight card stock.
Card Panel: Not all cards will have them, but if you choose to create layers on your card, most people will adhere those layers to a card panel that is the size of the finished card, or perhaps a bit smaller if you want some matting-style. Card panels can be lighter weight than a card base.
Card Sizes: A7, A7, Slimline….what do all these card sizes mean? While there are many more sizes, the below are the most popular.
- A2: The A2 card is 5.5 inches by 4.25 inches in size. A regular 8.5 x 11 piece of cardstock will yield two A2 card bases or four A2-sized card panels.
- A7: The A7 card is 7 inches by 5 inches in size. A regular 8.5 x 11 piece of cardstock will yield one A7 card bases or two A7-sized card panels.
- Slimline: This card size is a little more variable, but the typical slimline card will be 3.5 inches by 8.5 inches.
- Mini-slimline: This card size is around 3.25 inches by 6.25 inches. More or less.
- Square: These are what they sounds like — the length and width are the same — for example, 5 inches by 5 inches. Something to be aware of with square cards if you plan to mail them — they take extra postage (in the United States anyway).
Card Stock Weight: There is a system for measuring the thickness of paper, based on it’s intended use. In the world of card making terms, it is usually measured in pounds (lbs). A lightweight card stock will be somewhere between 55 and 70 lbs, while a good medium weight is 80 lbs. Heavyweight card stock tends to start at 100 lbs. If you can only get one weight, the 80 lb is the most versatile as it can be used as a card base, panels, stamped on and used for die cuts. However, as in life, pounds don’t tell the full story — for that see the term GSM.
GSM: I believe this is “grams per square meter” and it’s a measure of the true thickness of paper/cardstock. True story — I was looking for some pearly 8.5 x 11 cardstock on Amazon and saw one that looked lovely, and it was listed as 80 lb. When I got it, it was more like a thick copy paper. That’s when I went back to the listing and saw the GSM, which was 118….basically a thick copy paper. Turns out 80 lb paper is way different from 80 lb cardstock. When in doubt, look for a GSM listing of at least 176 (65 lb cardstock). If you want 80 lb cardstock, look for the GSM number of 216.
Stamping: Nope, not collecting stamps in the traditional sense, but the process of taking a piece of rubber/silicone, inking it up and pressing it to a piece of paper. (Of course, some people consider stamping to be synonymous with both the process and also collecting lots of stamps, LOL). 😉
Acrylic Block: In the old days, stamps came glues to a wooden block. While those are still around, today most stamps are “cling” and so they will adhere to an acrylic block. The acrylic block acts like the old wooden block, and allows you to put a relatively even pressure when stamping. (This is a great move in my opinion….since the stamps don’t have a block of wood permanently attached, more stamps can be stored in a given amount of space. Meaning…more room for more stamps!)
Stamping Platform: Think of a stamping platform to be like a huge acrylic block, but one where you can easily overstamp an image if you didn’t get a clean impression the first time. Since the platform holds the paper and stamp in place, you can easily re-ink and re-stamp to get a nice, crisp image.
Examples of some die cuts
Fussy Cut: This card making term to know is borrowed from the quilting world, where fussy cutting means to cut your pattern so that you can isolate a specific image. In the word of making cards, it means to cut out a stamped image by carefully cutting around it. Once the image is cut out, you can use it to layer on a card.
Die Cut: As you might imagine, fussy cutting can take a fair amount of time if you have a large and/or intricate image. Many stamps also have coordinating dies, which will also cut out the image in a fraction of the time. However, for that you will also need a die cutting machine (see the next term).
Die Cutting Machine: As you might imagine, this is a machine used to die cut stamped images. Depending on what you need, they can range from around $50 to $200. Most are around the $100 mark. They come in various sizes, depending on the “mouth” of the machine (how wide a die it can handle). Most are either 3″, 6″ or 8.5″. As you might guess, the larger the machine, the larger the cost. But for the average person, a 6″ machine will do everything you need. Sizzix and Spellbinders seem to be the most popular brands, but there are others out there.
Embossing: This actually can mean a few different processes for embellishing a card.
Examples of Using Embossing Folders
- Dry Embossing: This uses an embossing folder to make raised patterns on cardstock. Embossing folders can be “2-D” (all the embossing is at the same height) or “3-D” (the embossing has varying heights).
- Embossing with Powder: This process is where a sticky ink (usually embossing ink, but can also be a slow-drying pigment ink) is used to stamp the image, and then embossing powder is sprinkled over the image. The powder will stick to the stamped image. The excess powder is funneled back to the container, and then a heat gun is used on the stamped image to melt the embossing powder. This forms a raised image on the cardstock. Embossing powder comes in many different colors.
- Foil Embossing: Foil embossing uses a special machine (often called a glimmer machine) that will transfer a foiled image to a card. This particular technique needs a post all its own to explain it, LOL. Note, though, that there are ways to foil emboss without using a glimmer machine…and that would also be its own post to describe those.
Dye Inks: These are inks which are dye-based, meaning they are water-soluble. When stamped, these generally dry pretty fast. However, any water spilled on the image will cause it to smear. Dye inks are great for using with watercolor techniques. Note, though, that dye based inks are rather transparent, so they don’t show up well on dark cardstock.
Pigment Inks: These inks are pigment based, and are typically slow-drying. If you want them to be permanent, heat-set the image. Easily smudged if you don’t heat set or don’t let them dry long enough. Most can be used for embossing with powder. Pigment inks are opaque, so even light shades can be used on dark cardstock.
Oxide or Multi-Media Inks: These are a hybrid between dye inks and pigment inks, and they have become very popular. The pigment component allows the ink to be rather opaque, but the dye component can react with water causing interesting special effects.
Are There More?
The above are just the main card making terms to know that you are likely to hear. I’ll do a “part 2” at some point with other card making terms, because there are indeed more. Until then — have a great day!
AECP Program – Starting the Journey
Finished Project Card (Click for Larger Image)
AECP is a new journey for me, but first — what exactly is AECP. Well, it’s called the Altenew Educator Certification Program, and it’s basically teaching me to be a teacher, for the subject of cardmaking and papercrafting. (Two crafts near and dear to my heart.) So here’s my first class post (complete with project photo), a little about how I made it, and the supplies I ended up using.
AECP Program Class 1 – All About Layering 1
So this class teaches how to use layering stamp sets. I will confess, while I am used to stamping, I am pretty much a newbie when it comes to using layered stamp sets. In fact, I wasn’t exactly sure what they were (although I did drool a bit at the results of some of the cards created with them).
A layered stamp set is basically a co-ordinated set of stamps that layer upon one another to create a final image. Now each layer doesn’t look like much except maybe a few blobs, but when they are placed on top of each other with different colors — oh my!
For my card design for class 1, I chose the Altenew stamp set called the Craft Your Life Project Kit – Garden Rose for the flowers and leaves. (The sentiment “hello” was from the set In the Woodland.)
I’ll list the rest of the supplies further down, but here’s a look at what a layered stamp set does. Note: You can use acrylic blocks for layered stamp sets, but I use a stamping platform because I usually create multiple flowers/leaves/etc. so I can have extras on hand for other projects.
Step 1: Base Layer
Base Layer (Layer 1)
This one is the easiest of the bunch because you don’t need to line anything up. 🙂
In the example photo, I started with the middle color from the three shades I chose for my flower.
Since I like to create multiples, I turn my paper after each stamp so that I have between two and four images by the end of my layering session.
Step 2: First Matching Layer
Step 2 – First Matching Layer
Here’s where you start lining up your second layer with your first layer, so as to create some dimension. Layering stamp sets from Altenew have a “cheat sheet” that shows you where to match up different sections of the stamp — very helpful.
For this layer, I chose the lightest color of my three chosen shades.
Step 3: Final Layer
Step 3 – Final Layer
The stamps tend to get smaller with each layer, so it’s a tiny bit trickier to line them up, but the results are sooooo worth it! And by the way, don’t worry if the first time (or in my case, first few times) you have your layers a little off. A lot of times if you have only a tiny shift, it’s not even noticeable at the end – especially if you die cut or fussy cut.
Or you can be like me and sometimes stamp the layer upside down (oops!). In that case, I generally just turn my cardstock over and try again.
For the layer 3 example, I selected the darkest shade of my ink colors.
Step 4: The Leaves
The leaves are a single layer, and I stamped each in a slightly different ink, and then colored them (using ink blending) with slightly different shades of green.
Step 5: Die Cut or Fussy Cut
My layering set had a total of three layers to create the rose. Some stamp sets have as few as two layers, while others can have as many as five or six or even seven.
I like to die cut my flowers, so I can move them around on my card until I get the layout I want. I also usually die cut my leaves and/or supporting images. For this particular card I did both — the background flowers are fussy cut while the foreground rose and leaves are die cut
A lot of times I go ahead and stamp my sentiment directly on my card panel, but for this card I stamped the sentiment “hello” onto a scrap piece of cardstock and cut the scrap into a rectangle.
Putting it All Together
Putting it all together can be the most challenging part sometimes! I usually have a layout in mind when I start creating the components, and that usually ends up changing as I move images around on my card panel. I cut my card panel to be 5 inches by 3.75 inches, so that I have a quarter inch border around all sides when I attach it to the card base.
When I had the arrangement I liked, I attached the leaves and the two background flowers to the card panel with glue. For the foreground flower, I attached it with foam tape, to give it additional dimension. I also added the sentiment using foam tape.
Then I attached the card panel to the card base, which is A2 size (5.5 inches x 4.25 inches). I decided it needed a little something extra, so I added some satin white sequins in different places.
Voila — a completed card! I hope you’ve enjoyed this card, and that it sparks some ideas for you in your own cardmaking!
Supplies
I used the following supplies when making this card:
- Stamps:
- Altenew Craft Your Life Project Kit – Garden Rose (main stamp set)
- Altenew In the Woodland – “Hello” sentiment stamp
- Inks:
- Altenew mini-cube inks in Wisteria, Hydrangea and Ultraviolet for the roses, and Limestone, Forest Glades and Firefly for the leaves.
- Embossing Ink – Versamark
- Embossing Powder – Ranger Super Fine Gold
- Cardstock:
- 67 pound white for stamping.
- 80 lb Moonrock (Altenew) for card panel
- 80 lb lavender for base card.
- Satin White sequins
If you have questions or comments, please feel free to leave them below. See you again soon!
Crafting Some Fun – Welcome
Crafting Some Fun is, well, a crafting site! While I primarily concentrate on paper arts, all kinds of crafting are fair game. 😉
Crafting Types
While I said that all kinds of crafting are covered in this blog, here’s what you can expect.
Card Making: My style is that I don’t have one, LOL! I try all kinds from “clean and simple” to “horrendously complicated”, but I am mostly between those extremes. To make cards, I use one or more of the following:
- Stamps (of course)
- Dies of all kinds — image, cover, frame and anything else that strikes my fancy.
- Watercolor (regular and metallic)
- Inks and markers of all sorts.
- Stencils
- Ephemera, which I especially like creating myself.
Scrapbooks and Journaling: Just getting back into this after being away for awhile, so join me in my re-discovery.
Coloring: I adore the “adult coloring books”, and some of my favorite authors are Johanna Basford, Millie Marrota, Kerby Rosanes and Maria Trolle. But, I’ve recently also been enjoying some of the newer-style mandala coloring books. I’ll share some tips as well as examples of my coloring pages. For mediums I use:
- Colored pencils
- Watercolor pencils
- Watercolors
- Markers, both alcohol and water-based
- Accents (stickles, gel pens and some other interesting items I’ve come across
Jewelry Making: My original “claim to fame” in the art and crafting world, I am mostly focused on styles such as bead embroidery and wirework jewelry.
Miscellaneous: As I mentioned previously, it’s all fair game! I especially like to come up with different ways to use everyday items to make them more fun.
What Can You Expect?
I have a YouTube channel called (naturally) Crafting Some Fun. So, I’ll also post videos here from time to time. After all, some people like to read about how to do something, others like to watch a demo – and some like both! But each will have information that the other doesn’t, so I encourage you to:
- Bookmark this website
- Subscribe to my YouTube channel
This way, you can stay up to date with crafting demos, tests, first looks, reviews and all manner of crafty things and ideas.
Glad you came to visit me, and I hope we’ll craft some fun together!