Category Archives: Anna Escalada York

Create Your Own Fairy Tale Card

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By Anna Escalada York

I am a big fantasy nerd, and was so excited when we were given the option to share a fairy tale project with you this month.

Skill: Intermediate
Time: 1.5 hours

Directions:

Step 1:
Stamp a dragon and a small mountain range on watercolor paper with Nocturne VersaFine Clair Ink and heat emboss them with clear ink. Then die cut both images with their corresponding dies.

Step 2:
Die cut a piece of watercolor paper with an A2-sized background die. Take the circular die cut element from the die cut watercolor paper and using an old sponge dauber–which has some parts of the sponge missing due to heavy use–to rub more Nocturne VersaFine Clair ink across it. Then spray the die cut circle with Silver Sheer Shimmer Craft Spray. Set aside to dry.

Step 3:
Color the die cut dragon with Desert Sand and Lilac Posies Memento Dual Markers.

Step 4:
Add Gold irRESTible medium onto the 4 freckles on the dragon’s hip using the Pico Embellisher. Then mix some of the Gold irRESTible medium with water and splatter the black die cut circle.

With the remaining irRESTible medium mixed with water, paint the wings and belly of the dragon to add some shine. Set aside to dry.

Step 5:
Color the mountains with Rich Cocoa Memento Dual Marker. Then press a White Shimmer Delicata Ink pad onto some acetate packaging and spay with water. Use this shiny watercolor to paint the clouds and snowy tips of the mountains. (While you can’t see this in the picture, the Delicata ink added some subtle shine to the image.) Watercolor smoosh the remaining watercolor onto the circular die cut and allow everything to dry.

Step 6:
Returning to the die cut watercolor panel from step 2, stamp a sentiment on the lower right corner of the panel with Nocturne VersaFine Clair Ink and heat emboss with clear embossing powder. Then press more of the White Shimmer Delicata ink mixed with water onto the panel to add some sparkle. Allow to dry.

Step 7:
Assemble the card. Glue both parts of the watercolor panel onto an A2-sized white card base. Glue the mountain range as well as gold stars and rhinestones onto the panel. Then attach the dragon with foam tape to give her some dimension to finish the card.

Art Supplies

Imagine
• Delicata Ink – White Shimmer
• irRESTible Medium – Gold
• Memento Dual Marker – Desert Sand
• Memento Dual Marker – Lilac Posies
• Memento Dual Marker – Rich Cocoa
• Sheer Shimmer Craft Spray – Silver
• VersaFine Clair Ink – Nocturne
• Sponge Dauber

Other
• Altenew – foam tape -Instant Dimension Foam Tape
• Altenew – stamp set – Block Sentiments (retired)
• Mama Elephant – die set – Midnight Cover
• Mama Elephant – die set – Me and My Dragon
• Mama Elephant – stamp set – Me and My Dragon
• Scrappy Tails Crafts – embellishments – Starry Christmas Night mix
• Clear Embossing Powder
• Heat tool Glue
• Watercolor paper

Watercolored Daffodils Thank You Card

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By Anna Escalada York

After winter holidays, my family always needs thank you notes. I really love this wonderful daffodils stamp set and wanted to use it to make one of those cards.

Skill: Intermediate
Time: 1.5 hours

Directions:

Step 1:
Stamp the main floral stamp on a piece of watercolor paper with Nocturne VersaFine Clair ink. Heat emboss with clear embossing powder. Then die cut the image with a mid-sized background panel die

Step 2:
Spray Dandelion Fireworks! Craft Spray onto acetate packaging and watercolor smoosh the two flowers.

Step 3:
Color the corona (the central part of the flower) with the Tangerine Fabrico Dual Marker.

Step 4:
Press the Emerald Green Delicata ink pad onto acetate. Then spray Pear Tart Fireworks! Craft Spray onto the same acetate. Mix the ink and spray together. Press the acetate onto the daffodil’s stem and leaf. Then paint the leaf and stem with the remaining green mix. After the image has dried, spray the mix with water to dilute the green. Paint the sides with this lighter color green watercolor. (I ended up using my finger to spread the watercolor the way I wanted, but I don’t mind getting messy!) After this layer dried, press the Emerald Green Delicata ink pad onto the edge of the die cut. Heat emboss the inked edge with more clear embossing powder.

Step 5:
Die cut light green patterned paper with the next-largest die from the background panel die cut set. Brush the Emerald Green Delicata ink around the edges of the panel to mask the pattern and make the green more intense.

Step 6:
Stamp the sentiment with Nocturne VersaFine CLair ink and heat emboss with clear embossing powder. Then trim the sentiment with a paper trimmer.

Step 7:
Trim a piece of the same light green patterned paper a little bit bigger than the sentiment strip with the paper trimmer. Press the edges into the Emerald Green Delicata ink pad and heat emboss with clear embossing powder.

Step 8:
Assemble the card. Glue the two panels together. Glue the sentiment strip onto the light green, slightly bigger strip. Then attach the sentiment strip to the card panel with foam tape. Glue green and yellow sequins around the sentiment and daffodils. To finish the card, glue the whole thing onto an A2-sized white card base.

Art Supplies

Imagine
• Delicata Ink – Emerald Green
• Fireworks! Craft Spray – Dandelion and Pear Tart
• Fabrico Dual Marker Tangerine
• VersaFine Clair ink – Nocturne

Other
• Altenew – foam tape – Instant Dimension Foam Tape
• Catherine Pooler – sequin mix – North Pole
• Simon Says Stamp – die set – Squovals
• Visible Images – stamp set – Golden Daffodils
• Clear Embossing Powder
• Glue
• Green patterned paper
• Watercolor paper
• A2-sized white card base

Repurpose a Jar with a Grungy Steampunk Look

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By Anna Escalada York

My teen is hard to please, but recently they expressed interest in having a small jar to use for candles. They really like a grungy steampunk vibe and their favorite color is green and so tried to personalize this for them.

Skill: Intermediate
Time: 1.5 hours (plus drying time)

Directions:

Step 1:

Add a dab of black Amplify! onto a brass metal gear and heat with a tool. Because I heated the Amplify!, it puffed out and made Amplify! gritty and puffy, which worked well for the jar’s gritty look.

Step 2:

Repeat step one with a second gear. Then press another gear into both a Potter’s Clay Memento ink pad as well as Perfect Plumeria VersaMagic ink pad to make the gear look like it had rusted over.

Step 3:

Die cut watercolor paper with gear dies. Then press each of the gears into Morning Mist VersaFine Clair ink. Heat emboss all three of them with silver embossing powder.

For the two top gears in the picture, press the gears back into the Morning Mist VersaFine Clair ink and then heat embossed them with clear embossing powder to create a darker or tarnished silver color on those two gears.

Step 4:

Paint a cleaned jar with gesso. Let it dry overnight. Then spray the jar with Bamboo Leaves Fireworks! Craft Spray and spin the jar to help move the spray around the jar. Repeat to color the whole bottom part of the jar and allow to dry.

Step 5:

Using a sponge dauber, add a thin layer of black Amplify! To the bottom part of the jar and then used the wet Amplify! to adhere silver embossing powder and then heated the powder to create a silver bottom to the jar.

Step 6:

Use a circular stencil and the same sponge dauber to add more black Amplify! to the center of the jar (on one side) and use a heat tool to dry.

Step 7:

Add rub on stickers next to the black circles. Glue the watercolor die cut gears over the stenciled black circles and then glue the two smaller metal gears over the top of them. Attach the largest gear by tying it onto the neck of the jar with silver thread. Splatter the jar with Northern Pine Memento Dual Tip Marker to finish the project.

Art Supplies

Imagine

• Amplify! – Black
• Fireworks! Craft Spray – Bamboo Leaves
• Memento ink – Potter’s Clay
• Memento marker – Northern Pine
• VersaFine Clair ink – Morning Mist
• VersaMagic ink – Perfect Plumeria

Other Products
• Golden – Gesso Semi-Opaque Acrylic Primer
• Tim Holtz and Idea-ology – Remnant Rubs
• Tim Holtz and Idea-ology – Sprocket Gears
• Sizzix – die set – Vault Industrial
• Circle stencil in my stash
• Clear Embossing Powder
• Silver Embossing Powder
• Silver thread
• Glue
• Watercolor paper

Let’s Make Winter Decor

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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

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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

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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