Category Archives: 2024 AIRS TEAM

Let’s Give your Clipboard a Makeover

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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

Sweet Birdie Holiday Card

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By Ceal Pritchett

– Hello Crafty friends!
It’s Ceal, here. Today I am sharing how to make this sweet birdie holiday card using some VersaFine Clair inks.

Skill: Beginner to Intermediate
Time: 45 minutes

Directions:

Gather your supplies. You will need several colors of ink, the Birdie Friends in Winter die and stencil or any other die/stencil combo you’d like to use. A holiday sentiment set, a snowflake

cover die or any other background you’d like to use. You will also need either a Sticky Mat or Grip Mat and some paste.

Step1:
I didn’t show all of them in the picture, but the first step is to cut all the birds out of white cardstock.

Step 2:
Using the coordinating stencil add color to each bird as you please. For the pink bird I used Baby Pink and Charming Pink. The blue bird uses Warm Breeze, Bali Blue and Strawberry. The yellow bird uses Cheerful and Golden Meadow. I have a picture with the steps circled so you can see the need for different shades of color.

No Step just showing stencil steps

Step 3:
Cut hats out of glitter cardstock and colored cardstock. Cut apart and add to glitter cardstock as shown in picture. Glue onto the birdie.

No step just showing completed birds

Step 4:
Cut the branch out of a dark brown cardstock.

Step 5:
Place branch under stencil, lining it up with the etched portion. Add a white paste using a palette knife.

Step 6:
To finish the card, stamp and cut out the sentiment to add to the front.

Supplies:

Imagine Products:
• VersaFine Clair Inks:
Charming Pink, Baby Pink, Warm Breeze, Bali Blue, Strawberry, Cheerful, Golden Meadow, Summertime and Nocturne
• On Point Glue

Other Products:
• Little Birdie stencil/de set – Waffle Flower Crafts
• Family Sentiments Stamp set – Waffle Flower Crafts
• Dashed Snowflake Panel die – Waffle Flower Crafts
• Misti Stamp tool – My Sweet Petunia
• Grip Mat – Waffle Flower Crafts

Stamped Sunshine: Create a Coastal Summer Card with VersaFine Clair

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By Ceal Pritchett

Hello crafty friends. It’s Ceal, here.  Today I am sharing a beachy card using some summer colors. When I think beach, I think lighthouses because the beach we go to has one on it.

Skill level: Intermediate to advanced
Time: An hour or more

Directions:

Gather your supplies. You will need a beach themed stamp, stencil and dies. Several colors of inks. Post-it notes or masking paper and a fine liner pen.

Step 1:

Die cut the postage stamp panel. This must be cut first with this particular set because you line up the stitched lines.

Step 2:

Place the stencil over the panel, lining up the stitched part, I circled it so you could see what I am referencing. Mask off other areas of the card so you don’t get ink on it. Ink blend green ink for the grass.  Remove and clean the stencil

Step 3:

Mask off the grass and ink blend blue for the ocean. Remove and clean the stencil.

Step 4:

Mask off the ocean. Ink blend brown for the sand, remove and clean the stencil.

Step 5:

Mask off the bottom portion of the stencil. Ink blend Yellow for the sun rays. Remove and clean the stencil.

Step 6:

Ink blend red for the lighthouse. Remove and clean the stencil.

Step 7:

Be sure to mask off portions of the card that may get inky. Place the stencil down where the sun is in the white space that was left after blending the sunrays. Ink blend orange in the circle and also at the base of the sunrays. Remove and clean the stencil.

Step 8: (optional)

This step s totally optional but I like the way it grounds the lighthouse. Place stencil back over the lighthouse and use a fine liner pen to trace the stripes.

Step 9:

Stamp the greeting in blue and the 25 cents in black.  Not pictured in this photo but you will need to die cut the flower and add it to the corner as shown in the finished card.

Craft Supplies:

Imagine Products

VersaFine Clair:
Strawberry, Summertime, Cheerful, Grass Green, Blue Belle, Bali Blue, Sand Dune and Nocturne

Other products

Seaside Post Stamp set – Concord & 9th
Seaside Stencil – Concord & 9th
Seaside dies – Concord & 9th
Fine Liner Pen

Make a Father’s Day Card for Your Home Improvement Hero

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By Jessica Lin

Skill Level: Medium
Time: 30 min

Hi everyone! It’s Jessica here. Today I would like to share a Father’s Day card that showcases different tools to thank my dad for all the home improvement projects he has done in the past year. I also ink blended Memento inks on the die cut pieces to create more depth. If you’d like to learn some tips and tricks on ink blending small paper elements, just keep reading!

Step 1:
First, I die cut several tools from a silver cardstock. I’ve had this paper for a long time since my scrapbooking days, and I am glad to finally use it again. I also adhered Stick It sheets to the back of the silver cardstock before die cutting, so that all of the elements are adhesive backed. This will make adhering to the small tool pieces easier and mess-free.

Step 2:
Die cut again with colored cardstock to create the handles on the tools. I used So Saffron cardstock for the wrench and Cajun Craze cardstock for the hammer.

Step 3:
For the power drill, I used Misty Moonlight and Blueberry Bushel cardstock. I also die cut a bolt from the silver cardstock to decorate this power drill.

Step 4:
One of the things I love about this die set is that it includes this pegboard die. You can extend the size of this die by matching up the holes on the die with a row of die cut holes and die cut again. They will fit like a puzzle and it almost feels like it is “locked” once the fitting is matched up.

Step 5:
I decided to dress up the die cuts further by ink blending the edges with Memento Inks. Since the die cut pieces are small, I opted for the small sponge daubers instead of my regular blending brushes. These small daubers are great for precise ink blending. I also lay the die cuts on Altenew’s Grip Mat, which conveniently secures the paper pieces and ink pads so they don’t shift around when ink blending.

Step 6:
The Jumbo Dauber is also a great blending tool. I used Desert Sand Memento Ink to add some shadows to the bottom edges of the pegboard piece.

Step 7:
Finally, I adhered the pieces with Tear It Tape and stamped the sentiment from Stampin Up’s Heartfelt Hello set. This card was fun to put together and I hope you enjoyed it.

Craft Supplies

Imagine Supplies:

Other Supplies:

  • Stampin’ Up! – Stamps – Heartfelt Hellos
  • Stampin’ Up! – Dies – Trusty Tools
  • Foam Tape
  • Colored cardstock

Comparing VersaFine Clair Inks – Brown & Earthy Shades 

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By Jessica Lin

Skill: Beginner
Time: 30 minutes

Hi everyone! It’s Jessica here. Today’s project is inspired by the Pantone color of this year – Mocha Mousse. It is such a warm, rich shade that is perfect for a coffee card! I decided to compare the different brown and earthy tones in the VersaFine Clair ink line as well. There are many options to choose from, and each is special on its own.

Step 1:
Today I will be using an acrylic stamp set from iCrafter. It is called Latte Coffee and has several sets of coffee cup images. Since the image outlines are superfine, I chose VersaFine Clair inks to stamp with to ensure crisp, clean images. I typically stamp the outline images with Nocturne (the black color of this ink line). However, when I was experimenting with the colors, I found that Fallen Leaves is a great alternative. The dark brown color adds more warmth than black and complements the other earthy tones well. I love VersaFine Clair inks and use them very regularly, but Fallen Leaves was probably the one I reach for the least. I think I will start using it to stamp outline images from now on!

Step 2:
I used Sand Dune to stamp the first latte art image. This is one of the newer VersaFine Clair colors. I am really happy that they added a lighter earth shade to this collection.

Step 3:
For the second latte art stamp, I used Pinecone. This is also a rich, dark brown color. It is just a bit lighter than Fallen Leaves.

Step 4:
I used Acorn for the bottom coffee image with the swirl. It is a great middle-tone that completes the brown color gradient.

Step 5:
Today’s card is simple and beginner-friendly with easy layered stamping. However, you could also add a little flair by embossing the front panel of the card base. Embossing folders are easy to use and add such a great wow factor to your project. The one I am using today is called Brick & Mortar. I think it reminds me of the walls of a cute coffee shop!

Step 6:
Finally, I stamped this super cute sentiment with Sand Dune, and that completes today’s coffee card!

Imagine Supplies:

Other Supplies:

  • iCrafter – Stamps – Latte Coffee
  • Stampin’ Up! – Embossing Folder – Brick & Mortar
  • Foam Tape

 DIY Wall Decor with a Sassy Twist

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By Anna Escalada-York

As a mom of a teen and tween, I wanted to make a snarky piece of home decor that would make them smile. So I decided to make a pretty piece of art that I was going to put up in our dining room. 

Skill: Intermediate 
Time: 3 hours 

Directions: 

Step 1: 
Paint a thin layer of white gesso onto a 5” by 7” medium density fiberboard (MDF) panel. 

Step 2: 
Glue a ripped piece of text-based patterned paper onto the left side of the panel, making sure that the paper doesn’t go off the side of the fiberboard panel. Then paint over the whole panel again with more white gesso. 

Step 3: 
Stamp a long, floral image onto white watercolor paper with Nocturne VersaFine Clair ink and then heat emboss it with clear embossing powder. Then color the main branch and ribs of the leaves with Northern Pine Memento Dual Marker and the flowers with Lady Bug Memento Dual Marker. 

Step 4: 
Die cut the long, floral image. Spray Cottage Ivy Fireworks! Shimmery Craft Spray onto a piece of scrap acetate packaging and watercolor paint the leaves and edges of the floral image green, making sure to blend the darker marker color with the lighter spray. Set aside to dry. 

Step 5: 
Add texture to the fireboard panel. Use some of the remaining Cottage Ivy Fireworks! Shimmery Craft Spray mixed with more white gesso to create a light green paint. Paint the center part of the fireboard panel with the light green paint. Then watercolor smoosh more of the Cottage Ivy Fireworks! Shimmery Craft Spray (without any gesso) onto the panel to add texture. After the spray and paint have dried, press Celestial Copper Delicata Ink through a circular stencil overlapping the patterned paper. Then press the Celestial Copper Delicata Ink pad around the edges of the panel. 

Step 6: 
Stamp a large butterfly on another piece of watercolor paper using Nocturne VersaFine Clair ink and heat emboss with more clear embossing powder. Then spray Lilac Posies Fireworks! Shimmery Craft Spray onto more scrap acetate packaging and watercolor spray the butterfly. Spray the whole thing with Sparkle Sheer Shimmer Craft Spray, which forces the Lilac Posies spray to diffuse outside of the butterfly’s outline. After the spray dried, die cut the butterfly with the corresponding die. Finally, paint the butterfly a second time with more of the Lilac Posies Fireworks! Shimmery Craft Spray to deepen the color. Set aside to dry. 

Step 7: 
Return to the background panel. Attach two types of washi tape to the left side of the panel–small pieces of black and white dotted washi tape and a white piece of washi tape that comes die cut in a lacy geometric pattern. 

Then stamp a sentiment on the lower right part of the panel with more Nocturne VersaFine Clair in and heat emboss with more clear embossing powder. 

Step 8: 
Using a small musical note stamp, partially stamp the panel multiple times with Spuce VersaFine Clair ink. 

Step 9: 
Stamp the smaller butterfly twice with more Nocturne VersaFine Clair ink and heat emboss them with clear embossing powder. Then color them in with Lulu Lavender and Tangelo Memento Dual Markers (orange butterfly) and with Tangelo and Grape Jelly Memento Dual Markers (purple butterfly). Then spray both butterflies with Sparkle Sheer Shimmer Craft Spray. Once the spray had dried, die cut the butterflies with their corresponding die. 

(In the final piece, only the orange butterfly colored with Tangelo and Lulu Lavender Memento Dual Markers was used.) 

Step 10: 
Stamp part of the mountain outline stamp on the lower right part of the panel with more Nocturne VersaFine Clair ink and heat emboss with clear embossing powder. Then stamp part of the sun stamp with Summertime VersaFine Clair Ink. 

Step 11: 
Spray around the sun with Cantaloupe Fireworks! Shimmery Craft Spray. Use a paintbrush or your finger to move dots of the Cantaloupe spray to make the spray less uniform and more organic. 

Step 12: 
Glue the flowers and small butterfly onto the panel. Attach the larger butterfly to the panel with foam tape. If desired, the outer tips of the top wings can be given additional dimension with two layers of foam tape, forcing them to curve. 

Art Supplies 

Imagine 
Delicata Ink – Celestial Copper 
Fireworks! Shimmery Craft Spray – Cantaloupe 
Fireworks! Shimmery Craft Spray – Cottage Ivy 
Fireworks! Shimmery Craft Spray – Lilac Posies 
Memento Dual Marker – Lady Bug 
Memento Dual Marker – Northern Pine 
Sheer Shimmer Shimmer Craft Spray – Sparkle 
VersaFine Clair ink – Nocturne 
VersaFine Clair ink – Summertime 
VersaFine Clair ink – Spruce 

Other 
Altenew – die set – All Things Orange 
Altenew – stamp set – All Things Orange 
Altenew – foam tape – Instant Dimension Foam Tape 
Altenew – washi tape – Many Dots 
Art Alternatives – MDF Panel (5” x 7”) 
Golden – Gesso Semi-Opaque Acrylic Primer 
Ink Road Stamps – stamp set – Roadies 8 (sentiment stamp) 
Visible Image – die set – Antisocial Butterfly 
Visible Image – stamp set – Antisocial Butterfly 
Circular stencil 
Die cut washi tape 
Watercolor paper 
Vellum 
Pencil 
Paintbrush 
Die cutting machine 
Paint brush 
Scissors 
Glue 
Text-based patterned paper 
Clear embossing powder