Category Archives: Beginner

Learn to Make Cute Backgrounds Using VersaMagic Ink

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by Arjita Sepaha Singh

Learn to Make Cute Backgrounds Using VersaMagic Ink

Today, I used a few tiny stamps from a Gina K stamp set and VersaMagic Inks to create a super cute pastel background for a Happy Fall handmade card. This papercraft project can be done using any inks you have in your collection. I used the VersaMagic since I really like the chalky soft appearance it gives.

Skill: Beginner
Time: 30 minutes

Directions

Supplies

Imagine
Other
  • Xpress It smooth card stock
  • Acrylic Blocks
  • Gina K Designs – stamp
  • Whimsy Stamps – Scallop Die
  • Die cut machine

Create a Happy Birthday Card with Fireworks Craft Spray

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by Elina Stromberg

Create a Happy Birthday Card with Fireworks Craft Spray

Heat embossing is a fun way to add dimension, texture, and shimmer to just about any paper craft project. With this technique, you can easily give an elegant look to stamped images, sentiments, or backgrounds. In heat embossing images are stamped using an embossing ink i.e. ink that is slow drying and enough sticky to hold the embossing powder. Then embossing powder is sprinkled over the stamped image, the excess is tapped off, and a heat gun is used for melting the embossing powder. Watching the powder melt into a stunning image is like magic on paper!

Today I’m showing you an alternative way to include embossed elements on your project. In this technique you will not be using stamps and embossing ink but die-cut patterns and two-sided tape. Let me show you how:

Skill: Beginner
Time: 1 hour

Directions


Step 1

Cut the card front to the desired size. Die-cut the image you want to heat emboss. You can use various types of dies: background patterns, sentiments, single floral elements, swirls – basically any design will work. Cover the back of the die-cut card front with two-sided tape, and place on a solid color background paper.


Step 2

Place the card over scrap paper. Pour embossing powder over the die-cut image, completely covering it. Lift and gently tap the card for the extra powder to fall to scrap paper. Return extra powder to the jar.


Step 3

Heat the image with the heat gun. The glue on the two-sided tape will partly melt, too, giving the embossed finish a special grainy and textured look.


Step 4

Cut card front to size. Pour a drop of Fireworks spray paint on craft mat and use as the watercolor to color the card. You can paint over the embossed areas as melted embossing powder will resist watercolor. Mat card on the card base. Stamp sentiment. Using the same technique, I also made two small ATC cards. I think they look pretty cool, too!

Supplies

Imagine

Other

  • Sizzix – Pattern dies
  • Two-sided tape
  • Heat gun
  • Stampin’Up – ‘Birthday Blossoms’ Sentiment stamp
  • Studio Calico – Phrase stickers
  • Watercolor paper
  • White card base
  • Cardstock – dark pink, black

Use Different Stamps to Create a Cute Scarecrow Scene

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by Steph Ackerman

I love mixing and matching stamps to build scenes on cards and for this time of year I decided to create a Harvest Blessings theme. Using a few (or several) colors of inks and different cardstock, you can create a wide variety of cardmaking or scrapbook projects. As we head into fall, I decided to combine a scarecrow stamp with pumpkin stamps and a faux brick background to create a fall scene.

Skill: Beginner
Time: 30 minutes

Directions


Step 1

Stamp the scarecrow with VersaFine Clair in Nocturne on a white panel. As I needed a mask for the next step, I stamped a second scarecrow and fussy cut it.


Step 2

Place the scarecrow mask on the main image. Stamp two different sized pumpkins by the scarecrow’s stake. Stamp the pumpkins again and fussy cut them to be used as masks in the next step.


Step 3

Place the masks on the main images. Stamp the brick wall with VersaFine Clair in Pinecone over the masked images.


Step 4

Cut the stamped panel to 4″ x 5 1/4″. Using a water brush, add color to the images with assorted colors of Memento. Quickly wash Delicata in Celestial Copper on the brick background.


Step 5

Use Memento Markers to add additional color to the grass and straw stamped images. Mat the panel with brown cardstock. Create a card from brown cardstock and add a checked background. Adhere the stamped panel to the card with foam adhesives, slightly off-center. Stamp the sentiment with VersaFine Clair in Nocturne. Die cut and ink edges with VersaFine Clair in Pinecone. Mat with a larger die and add to the card.


Step 6

To finish, add Shimmer irRESISTible to the pocket and along the pumpkin veins for dimension and shimmer.

 

Supplies

Imagine
Other
  • Joy Clair Stamps – Broken Brick Background Stamp
  • Authentique pattern paper
  • Bazzill Cardstock
  • Spellbinders – Oval dies
  • Die-cut Machine
  • Waterbrush
  • Acrylic Block

September Color of the Month is Sangria

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September Color of the Month is Sangria - Imagine Crafts and Tsukineko USA

As we get closer to Fall we enjoy seeing some of the rich Fall colors come into fashion. For September we felt the deep reddish purple of a Sangria Wine would be perfect for the Color of the Month. Inks from the Imagine Shop that resemble Sangria include All-Purpose Ink in Vintage Wine, VersaFine Clair in Chianti, and Memento in Rhubarb Stalk. Be sure to collect some of these fabulous colors! In the meantime, we have a lovely tutorial for you to kick off September!

Sangria Colored Birthday Wishes by Elina Stromberg

Our beautiful September Color of the Month is ‘Sangria’. That warm red color is a perfect choice for Christmas crafts, but it can very well be used for various crafting projects throughout the year. My ‘Sangria’ inspired project was a monochromatic dimensional flower card, on which the pretty red color really stands out!

Skill: Intermediate
Time: 1 hour

Directions


Step 1

Stamp flowers and leaves on watercolor or mixed media paper using ‘Chianti’ VersaFine Clair. Dab red ‘Rhubard Stalk’ Memento ink on the craft mat. Using the craft mat as palette paint the stamped flowers and leaves. Let dry. Fuzzy cut flowers and leaves and bend the petals gently with your fingers.


Step 2

Place a circle stencil over a sheet of white mixed media paper. Secure with small pieces of masking tape. Ink circle with two Memento colors; ‘Rhubard Stalk’ and ‘Sweet Plum’ stamp.


Step 3

To create patterns on the inked circle keep the stencil still in place, dab water drops on the ink. Memento inks are water-soluble so the inked surface will react with water. When you’re happy with the pattern, lift the excess water with a paper towel and let dry.


Step 4

Trim card front to the desired size. Heat-emboss the sentiment on the card, mat card front on a piece of matching ‘Sangria’ colored paper. Attach card front to a white card base. Glue painted and fuzzy-cut flowers on the card front. Decorate flowers with metallic seed beads.

Extra: To create a more dramatic look with the large flowers, bend them in the center and work the paper until the petals pop forward off the card!

Supplies

Imagine
Other
  • Mixed media paper – White
  • Card base – White
  • Cardstock – Red, Brown
  • Paintbrush
  • Heat gun
  • Stampin’Up – ‘Birthday Blossoms’ Sentiment and flower stamps
  • Glue
  • Metallic Bead seeds

Share Love and Hugs with Kaleidacolor Ink Blended Cards

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by Arjita Sepaha Singh

Share Love and Hugs with Kaleidacolor Ink Blended Cards

For these beautiful set of cards, I used the Kaleidacolor ink pads. I added the color on a Gelli plate and then used a brayer to transfer the ink on the paper. I love the smooth beautiful blend and to add some texture I added few water and shimmer splatters. I used a floral stamp and embossed it on the inked cardstock using silver embossing powder and VersaMark Ink. I used a tiny strip of silver glitter paper and a sentiment to finish the card.

Skill: Beginner
Time: 30 minutes

Supplies

Imagine
Other
  • Xpress It smooth card stock
  • Gelli Plate
  • Brayer
  • Silver glitter paper
  • Misti Stamping Tool
  • Atlenew Stamp

Create a Beautiful Lavender Mosaic with Ink and Stencils

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by Roni Johnson

Create a Beautiful Lavender Mosaic with Ink and Stencils

There are so many fun techniques that you can use with stencils. So many techniques that I couldn’t decide which one to use so I decided to see how many I could incorporate into a single creation! Of course, these don’t include everything you could do with a stencil but it’s a pretty good start to get the creative juices flowing. Try the entire project or perhaps just a few stenciling techniques!

Skill: Beginner
Time: Individual Techniques 2-15 minutes each or Entire Canvas 2 hours

Directions


Step 1

Beginning with the easiest technique, sponge a single color of ink through the stencil.


Step 2

Randomly sponge 2 or more inks through a stencil. Here I used Memento which is a dye ink and VersaMagic which is a pigment ink.


Step 3

Sponge a pigment ink over a stencil; remove the stencil; sprinkle with embossing powder and heat to set. The second example was made by flipping the inked stencil onto a piece of cardstock to transfer the excess pigment ink. It was then sprinkled with embossing powder as well.


Step 4

Spray Fireworks Shimmery Craft Spray in Lulu Lavender over a stencil. Flip the wet stencil onto a fresh sheet of cardstock for a reverse impression.


Step 5

Spread Creative Medium over a stencil using a palette knife and carefully remove the stencil; set aside to dry. Before the medium dries press the stencil over onto a fresh sheet of cardstock to remove the excess Creative Medium from the stencil. This makes a grungy reverse image of the stencil.


Step 6

Use a pen or marker to trace the stencil onto cardstock. Doodle inside of the traced image. Sponge ink overall or select areas of the stenciled image for added interest.


Step 7

Position stencil over cardstock. Stamp the desired image over the stencil and smudge the excess ink off the stencil into the individual sections of the image.


Step 8

Sponge or brayer ink onto a sheet of cardstock. Place stencil over inked cardstock wet a sponge dauber with Ink Potion No.9 and pounce the dauber over the stencil. Remove the stencil and heat to speed drying.


Step 9

Sponge a dark color of ink over a stencil. Slightly shift the stencil to one side, ink with a lighter color of ink. Close up of the shifted stenciled pattern.


Step 10

Sponge dark ink over a piece of cardstock. Position the stencil over the inked cardstock and sponge white ink over the surface. Heat emboss with white embossing powder for a more pronounced difference.


Step 11

Brayer ink through a stencil, use a Kaleidacolor ink pad for a fun, vibrant look.


Step 12

Pounce desired colors of ink on craft mat; spritz with water or Ink Potion No.9. Create a monoprint by pressing the cardstock into the ink mixture, set aside to dry. Once the monoprint has dried, brayer ink over a stencil, press the inked stencil over the monoprint for an interesting contrast.


Step 13

To create the canvas, trim the stenciled samples into 2” x 2”; 2” x 3” and 2” x 4” pieces. Ink the edges with VersaFine Clair Fantasia and a sponge dauber. Adhere each piece in a random pattern onto a piece of thick book board or cardboard. Embellish as desired.

Supplies

Imagine
Other