Let’s Make Winter Decor

By Anna Escalada York

It was time to reuse a small piece of wood to create a small piece of winter decor to add a little fun to a bookshelf. The stars feature wintery colors (blues and white) surrounded by some winter greenery, a snowflake and sparkly elements.

Skill: Intermediate
Time: 2 hours (active time) + dry time

Directions


Step 1:
Cover the wood block with a layer of Gesso. Allow to dry. Then stamp the block repeatedly with Golden Glitz Delicata Ink on a small woodblock star stamp.

Step 2:
Ink blend a piece of die cut watercolor paper with Blue Belle VersaFine Clair Ink using an ink dauber.

Step 3:
Press the dauber of a Gold Sheer Shimmer Stix Dauber Top stick along the edges of the blue die cut star. After drying, press the edge of the Golden Glitz Delicata Ink pad along the edges to enhance the gold border of the star.

Step 4:
Glue a book page onto a scrap of cardstock. After the glue has dried, die cut the glued page with a smaller star. Then press a Champagne Delicata ink pad directly onto the die cut book page to obscure some of the words on the page and add sparkle.

Not pictured: Die cut a piece of sparkly vellum. This die-cut star should be in between the other two in size.

Step 5:
Ink blend the sides of the star with Paradise VersaFine Clair Ink with a sponge dauber.

Step 6:
Press a stencil into a Night Sky VersaMagic Chalk Ink pad. Then spray the stencil with Silver Sheer Shimmer Craft Spray. Press the inky side of the stencil onto the wood block. Keep the stencil in place by placing something heavy (such as a large wood stamp or book) on top of both and allow the ink to dry. Then remove the stencil.

Step 7:
Spray Walnut Ink Antiquing Solution (in Walnut Ink color) onto a small piece of watercolor paper. After it dried, die cut with a branch die cut.

Step 8:
Color the greenery. Press a Rain Forest VersaFine Clair Ink pad onto a piece of water color paper. After the ink dries, die cut two pieces of evergreen needles.

Not pictured: Spray New Sprout Fireworks! Craft Spray onto another piece of watercolor paper. After the spray dried, die cut the watercolor paper with a mistletoe die.

Step 9:
Add a sentiment on the lower right corner of the block with Nocturne VersaFine Clair ink and heat emboss with clear embossing powder.

Step 10:
(My camera lost the picture of this step. I wanted you to at least see the gold snowflake on the finished project.)

Press Golden Glitz Delicata Ink onto another piece of watercolor paper. Then heat emboss with clear embossing powder. Die cut the paper with a small snowflake die. (The whole snowflake was tucked behind the star in the next step.

Step 11:
Assemble the project. Glue the die cut snowflake in the lower left corner of the block and the greenery (branch, mistletoe and pine needles) in the upper right corner. Add glue along the edges of both the large, dark blue and small book page stars and add glitter. Allow to dry. Then add glue along the upper right and lower left corner of the block and add more glitter. Allow the glue to dry.

Layer the three layers of star die cuts. Glue the medium onto the large dark blue star. Then attach the small book page layer onto the vellum layer with foam tape. After the glue dries, attach the layered star onto the block with more foam tape. Glue star embellishments in the upper left and lower right corners of the block to finish the project.

Art Supplies

Imagine

• Delicata Ink – Champagne and Golden Glitz
• Fireworks! Craft Spray – New Sprout
• Sheer Shimmer Craft Spray – Silver
• Sheer Shimmer Stick Dauber – Gold
• VersaFine Clair ink – Nocturne, Blue Belle, Paradise, Rain Forest and Night Sky
• Walnut Ink Antiquing Solution – Walnut Ink color
• Sponge Dauber

Other

• Altenew – foam tape – Instant Dimension Foam Tape Golden –
• Gesso Semi-Opaque Acrylic Primer
• Simon Says Stamp – die set – Nested Stars Wafer Dies
• Simon Says Stamp – embellishment mix – North Star
• The Crafter’s Workshop – stencil – Stained Glass (TCW 462S)
• Unity Stamp Company – stamp set – …shake your flakes (December Unity Sentiment Kit 2022)
• Woodblock star stamp in my stash
• Small branch die
• Evergreen needles die
• Mistletoe die
• Small snowflake die
• Clear Embossing Powder

Create Your Own Winter Sparkle Snowflakes

By Anna Escalada York

When I saw these fun chipboard snowflake ornaments in my local craft store, I knew I wanted use some Fireworks! spray to make them shine.

Skill: Intermediate
Time: 2 hours (active time) + dry time

Directions:

Step 1:
Cover the chipboard ornaments with a layer of Gesso. Allow to dry.

Step 2:
Spray each of the ornaments with a different color of Fireworks! Craft Spray: Angel Pink, Lilac Posies, Lulu Lavender, and Tangelo. Allow the spray to dry, and then spray a second time to enhance the color. (I chose to dry the spray to speed up the process but you could allow it to air dry.)

Step 3:
Use one of two small stamps to add some texture and color to each of the ornaments: Warm Breeze VersaFine Clair ink (on the Lilac Posies Fireworks! Craft Spray), Nocturne VersaFine Clair ink (on the Tangelo Fireworks! Craft Spray), Strawberry VersaFine Clair ink (on the Angel Pink Fireworks! Craft Spray), and Night Sky VersaMagic Chalk ink (on Lulu Lavender Fireworks! Craft Spray). Heat emboss each of the snowflakes with clear embossing powder.

Step 4:
Cut out and distress the edges of 4 pre-printed winter sentiments. Then press the edges into the Golden Glitz Delicata ink pad. Heat emboss each of the sentiments with clear embossing powder.

Then press the Golden Glitz Delicata ink pad onto a piece of acetate packaging and spray with water. Then press the acetate packaging onto each of the ornaments to add gold shimmer.

Allow to dry or dry with a heat tool. Then press the edges of the ornament into the ink pad. Allow to dry.

Step 5:
Glue the sentiment strips onto the ornaments. Glue sequins onto the ornament and strips. Add a loop of golden embroidery thread through the hole in each ornament to finish the project.

Art Supplies

Imagine
• Delicata Ink – Gold Glitz
• Fireworks! Craft Spray – Angel Pink, Lilac Posies, Lulu Lavender and Tangelo
• VersaFine Clair ink – Nocturne, Strawberry, Warm Breeze
• VersaMagic Chalk ink – Night Sky

Other Products
• Catherine Pooler – sequin mix – Inspiration Point
• Catherine Pooler – sequin mix – Miami
• Catherine Pooler – sequin mix – Wimbledon
• Catherine Pooler – sequin mix – Zanzibar
• Golden – Gesso Semi-Opaque Acrylic Primer
• Stampers Anonymous – stamp set – Cozy Christmas
• Unity Stamp Company – sentiment papers – Season of Definition
• Music stamp in my stash
• Chipboard snowflake ornaments
• Clear Embossing Powder
• Gold embroidery thread

Create a Winter Berry Greeting Card

By Anna Escalada York

I was inspired to make a minimalist holiday card to allow the main botanical image to shine as the focal point. But I also knew that I wanted it to be shiny, so pulled out my current favorite Delicata color-Champagne- to add some subtitle shine.

Skill: Intermediate
Time: 1 hour

Directions:

Step 1:
Stamp the large botanical image on a piece of watercolor paper with Nocturne VersaFine Clair ink. Then heat emboss with clear embossing powder.

Step 2:
Use markers to color in the berries and leaves. Use the Rhubarb Stalk Memento Dual Marker to color over the shaded areas of the berries. Then color a piece of acetate packaging with Lady Bug Memento Dual Marker and spray with water, use this to watercolor in the berries. While watercoloring, make sure to watercolor over all of the berries to blend in the watercolor with the darker red marker already colored in the berries. Then color another area of the acetate packaging with both the Emerald Fabrico Dual Marker and the Northern Pine Memento Dual Marker and spray with more water. Mix the two colors together to create a blend of the two colors and then watercolor the leaves. Allow to dry.

After all of the image dried, die cut the image with the corresponding die.

Step 3:
Trim a second panel of watercolor paper in the papertrimmer the same size as the die cut frame created in step 2. Then press the Campagne Delicata Ink pad onto acetate packaging and spray with water to watercolor smoosh both the panel and the botanical image/frame to add sparkle to both.

Off camera, I got a small smudge on the frame with my finger. To fix this, I used some of the leftover green watercolor I made for step 2 to splatter green over the frame.

Step 4:
Glue the frame onto the watercolor panel. Then stamp a sentiment on the lower right corner of the panel with more Nocturne VersaFine Clair ink and heat emboss with clear embossing powder. Glue the panel onto an A2-sized white cardbase. Glue white rhinestones on the lower left and upper right parts of the card panel to finish the card.

Art Supplies

Imagine
• Delicata Ink – Campagne
• Fabrico Dual Marker – Emerald
• Memento Dual Marker – Lady Bug, Northern Pine, Rhubarb, Stalk
• VersaFine Clair ink – Nocturne

Other
• Scrappy Tails Crafts – embellishment mix – White Rhinestones
• Taylored Expressions – cutting plate – Seasonal Sprig
• Taylored Expressions – stamp set – Seasonal Sprig
• A2-sized white card base
• Clear Embossing Powder
• Watercolor paper
• Die cutting machine
• Paper trimmer
• Scissors
• Glue

Make an Adorable Winter Wedding Card

By Anna Escalada York

Before making this card, I had no idea all of the different winter wedding color palates there are!
I needed to make a winter wedding card, and decided to use some products in a new way (at least for me). Before I share how I made this card, I wanted to share a winter wedding color palate that inspired me:

Skill: Intermediate
Time: 2 hours

Directions:

Step 1:
I stamped a large wedding scene stamp on a die cut piece of watercolor paper with Nocturne VersaFine Clair ink and then heat embossed it with clear embossing powder.

Step 2:
Press a Champagne Delicata ink pad onto a piece of acetate packaging and then mix with water. Press the acetate onto the stamped wedding image. (This is very hard to see in the image, but there is a faint sheen on the wedding dress and in other parts of the panel.) Allow to dry.

Step 3:
Watercolor smoosh the panel with a second layer of the Champagne Delicata ink. Then scribble Potter’s Clay Memento Dual Marker onto the acetate and spray with water. Then press the acetate onto the panel. Allow these layers of color to dry on the panel.

Step 4:
Press the Toffee Crunch Memento ink pad onto the same acetate, spray with more water and then watercolor smoosh the panel again.

Step 5:
Color in parts of the panel with Potter’s Clay Memento Dual Marker.

Step 6:
Add a small amount of Celestial Copper Delicata Inker onto the same acetate packaging and use a small paintbrush to mix with water to thin out the reinker. Then use the paintbrush to paint the trim of the bride’s dress, some of the presents, and some other images with the coppery mix.

Step 7:
Spray Walnut colored Walnut Ink Antiquing Solution onto die cut glitter cardstock to make it darker. (Please note that the panel took a long time to dry. The next time I do this, I plan on adding embossing powder to help it dry more quickly.

Step 8:
Color the tree leaves, the pennant ribbon and a couple of the hats with Rich Cocoa Memento Dual Marker.

Step 9:
Stamp the sentiment from the same stamp set with Nocturne VersaFine Clair ink and heat emboss with clear embossing powder. Trim the sentiment into a thin strip with the edges at an angle.

Step 10:
Press the edges of the sentiment strip into a Toffee Crunch Memento ink pad to color the borders.

Step 11:
Press a Champagne Delicata ink pad onto the acetate packaging and then spray with water. Watercolor smoosh the sentiment strip and allow to dry.

Step 12:
Assemble the card. Glue 2 strips of scrap cardstock behind the sentiment and glue the sentiment on the lower right corner of the stamped panel. Then glued the stamped panel onto the sprayed glitter cardstock panel. Glue the whole thing onto an A2-sized white card base.

Glue gems on the bottom left and upper right corners of the card.

Art Supplies

Imagine
• Delicata Ink – Campagne
• Delicata Ink Reinker – Celestial Copper
• Memento Dual Marker – Potter’s Clay, Rich Cocoa and Toffee Crunch
• VersaFine Clair ink – Nocturne
• Walnut Ink Antiquing Solution – Walnut Ink

Other
• Colorado Craft Company – stamp set – Happily Ever After by Anita Jeram
• Pink and Main – die set – Notched Corners
• Trinity Stamp Company – embellishments – Champagne Twinkle Stardust Rhinestone mix
• A2-sized white card base
• Clear Embossing Powder
• Watercolor paper
• Glitter cardstock
• Die cutting machine
• Paper trimmer Scissors
• Glue

Trick or Treat… Let’s Made a Halloween Card

By Anna Escalada York

I’ve been really enjoying Halloween cards lately and it was so fun to use a bunch of sprays to make this one.

Skill: Intermediate
Time: 1.5 hours

Directions:

Step 1:
Die cut all of the pieces for the die cut pumpkin out of watercolor paper and then spray the two bottom pieces with Rich Cocoa Fireworks! Craft Spray (bottom-most layer) and Tangelo! Craft Spray (second-largest layer) and let dry.

Step 2:
Spray the other three die cut pieces: Dandelion Fireworks! Craft Spray on the middle die cut, Gold Sheer Shimmer Craft Spray on the upper part of the pumpkin’s body, and Bamboo Leaves Fireworks! Craft Spray for the pumpkin stem. Allow all the layers to dry.

Step 3:
Glue the layers of the pumpkin together and then ink blend the edges of the pumpkin with Nocturne VersaFine Clair ink and a sponge dauber.

Step 4:
Ink blend the pumpkin stem die cut with Nocturne VersaFine Clair ink and a sponge dauber.

Step 5:
Spray the whole pumpkin die cut with more Gold Sheer Shimmer Craft Spray and set aside to dry.

Step 6:
Spray the Dandelion and Tangelo Fireworks! Craft Spray onto a piece of acetate packaging and use it to watercolor smoosh a panel of watercolor paper. After the spray dries, die cut it with an A2-sized die cut.

Step 7:
Splatter Rich Cocoa Fireworks! Craft Spray onto the background panel with the stick from the bottle’s spray nozzle. Then use a Nocturne VersaFine Clair ink to partially stamp the panel as well as ink blend the edges. Heat emboss the cobwebs and ink blended edges with clear embossing powder

Step 8:
Press the Nocturne VersaFine Clair ink pad onto a small piece of watercolor paper to color it black.

Step 9:
Die cut the now black piece of watercolor paper to create the sentiment and spray it with Gold Sheer Shimmer Craft Spray.

Step 10:
Die cut a piece of vellum with the sentiment’s shadow and glue both layers together.

Step 11:
Assemble the card. Glue the pumpkin’s stem and the rest of the pumpkin together and glue it approximately in the center of the panel. Glue the sentiment on the right side of the pumpkin. Then add orange and yellow sequins onto the card. To finish the card, glue the whole card panel onto an orange A2-sized card base.

Art Supplies

Imagine

Fireworks! Craft Sprays- Bamboo Leaves, Dandelion, Rich Cocoa and Tangelo
Sheer Shimmer Craft Spray – Gold
VersaFine Clair ink – Nocturne
Sponge Dauber

Other

Pink and Main – die set – Notched Corners
Pretty Pink Posh – die set – Fringe Pumpkin
Simon Says Stamp – die cut – Trick or Treat 2
Simon Says Stamp – sequin mix – Autumn Leaves (retired)
Tailored Expressions – stamp – Spiderweb Cling & Clear Combo
A2-sized orange card base
Clear Embossing Powder
Watercolor paper
Die cutting machine Scissors
Glue

Let’s Give your Clipboard a Makeover

By Anna Escalada York

– I had an old clipboard that I wanted to decorate and was able to make it work with some of my Imagine Craft supplies.

Skill: Intermediate
Time: 2.0 hours (includes drying time)

Directions:

Step 1:
Paint a thin layer of thin layer of white gesso onto an old clipboard and set aside to dry. (I used some old spools of washi tape to hold open the metal clip so that it wouldn’t get stuck in the drying gesso.)

Step 2:
Spray Pear Tart Fireworks! Craft Spray through a detailed heart stencil on the lower left corner of the clipboard. Emboss with clear embossing powder to set the spray.

Here is a closeup of Step 2:

Step 3:
Stamp a large butterfly in the upper left part of the clipboard base and a sentiment (or maybe in this case affirmation) in the lower right corner with Nocturne VersaFine Clair ink and then heat emboss both with clear embossing powder.

Step 4:
Watercolor smoosh the clipboard with a variety of blue, green and black watercolor in layers.

  • Starting out with Turquoise Gem VersaMagic Chalk Ink, press the ink pad onto a scrap piece of acetate packaging and spray with water. Then press the acetate over the butterfly to create a light blue area around the butterfly. Press the remaining color from the acetate in a diagonal line across the clipboard from the upper left corner to the lower right corner into the stamped sentiment.
  • Repeat the process with Hint of Pesto VersaMagic Chalk Ink.
  • Then draw on the acetate with Danube Blue Memento Dual Marker and spray with water; this time focus most of this darker color around the butterfly and splatter the clipboard with the remainder of the dark blue watercolor.
  • Finally, draw on the acetate with Tuxedo Black Memento Dual Marker and spray with water. Use the black watercolor to splatter the butterfly (and to cover up any blemishes left behind when stamping).

Let everything dry.

Step 5:
Color in parts of the butterfly image with Tropical Lagoon Fabrico Dual Marker (center of the upper wings) and Pear Tart Memento Dual Marker (small circles on the edge of the lower wings). Color in the word curiosity in the sentiment with more of the Tropical Lagoon Fabrico Dual Marker. Heat emboss with clear embossing powder.

Step 6:
Spray Silver Sheer Shimmer Craft Spray onto the acetate and watercolor smoosh it onto the clipboard. Splatter any remaining spray on the acetate onto the clipboard. If larger individual splatters are desired, unscrew the top and use the tube/straw from the spray bottle to dab large blobs of Silver Sheer Shimmer Craft Spray onto the clipboard and finish the project.

Art Supplies

Imagine
• Fabrico Dual Marker – Tropical Lagoon
• Fireworks! Craft Spray – Pear Tart
• Memento Dual Markers – Danube Blue, Pear Tart and Tuxedo Black
• Sheer Shimmer Craft Spray – Silver
• VersaFine Clair ink – Nocturne
• VersaMagic Chalk ink – Hint of Pesto and Turquoise Gem

Other
• Golden – Gesso Semi-Opaque Acrylic Primer
• Stampers Anonymous and Tim Holtz – stamp set – Perspective CMS213 Clear Embossing Powder
• Foam paint brush (for the gesso) Thin paint brush (for splattering) Small detail stencil in my stash