Category Archives: Cards

Christmas in July Gift Card Holder 

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By Jessica Lin

Skill: Intermediate 
Time: 45 minutes 

Hi everyone! It’s Jessica here. I want to share one of my favorite ways to create a gift card holder today. It’s super simple and quick to put together. I picked a Christmas theme but you could easily change it to a birthday or wedding gift card holder. 

Step 1:
Let’s start by creating the base of the gift card holder. Using Environment Desert Storm cardstock, cut it in half to create a standard A2 card base (4 ¼’’ x 5 ½’’), and score at 4 ½’’, 5 ½’’ and 6 ½’’. Fold along the crease to create a peak just like the one in the photo. 

Step 2:
Next, flip the card base around and apply Tear-It! Tape to the top edge of the scored line. Notice how the “peak” from earlier has turned into a “valley”. You want to avoid adding adhesive to the center of the “valley” since that will become the opening for the gift card holder. 

Step 3:
Once the middle portion of the card base is adhered together, you will have a new card base that is 4 ¼’’ x 5’’ with an inner flap. Now, we are ready to create the opening for the gift card. Place the largest frame die from Spellbinders Labels Seventeen set to die cut the gift card opening. The trick is to die cut as little cardstock as possible so that there is a large flap area to hold your gift card. 

Step 4:
Let’s decorate the front of the gift card holder next. I stamped this Christmas tree image on Classic Crest Solar White cardstock with VersaColor Evergreen ink pad and die cut the image with the coordinating die. 

Step 5:
Then, I stamped another Christmas tree design with VersaMagic Tea Leaves ink pad. Both of these stamps are from Stampin Up’s Peaceful Pines set. 

Step 6:
I decided to add an embossed panel to add some interest to the background. I trimmed a piece of Environment Desert Storm cardstock to 3 ¾’’ x 4 ½’’ and embossed it with Stampin’ Up’s Tin Tile embossing folder. The details really pop on this kraft colored cardstock, don’t you think? 

Step 7:
For the sentiment, I picked this scripty “Christmas” die from Ellen Hutson’s Merry & Bright set and die cut it with DCS Gold Glitter Heavyweight 12 x 12. This gold glitter cardstock is becoming a staple in my craft room – it’s easy to die cut with and does not shed any glitter (no glitter mess!). 

Step 8:
Finally, I stamped “Merry” with Encore! Gold ink pad to complete the sentiment. I picked this color since it matches the DCS Gold Glitter Heavyweight cardstock really well. 

Step 9:
This is what the gift card holder looks like with a gift card inserted. I really like this gift card holder since it’s super easy to assemble and there’s space to write a personal message as well. I hope you enjoyed today’s tutorial, and thanks for stopping by! 

Products Used

Imagine Supplies: 

● VersaMagic – Tea Leaves 
● VersaColor – Evergreen 
● Encore! – Gold 
● StazOn Cleaner 
● Tear-It! Tape 
● Craft Mat 

Other Supplies: 

● Spellbinders – Dies – Labels Seventeen 
● Stampin’ Up! – Stamps – Peaceful Pines 
● Stampin’ Up! – Dies – Perfect Pines 
● Ellen Hutson’s – Dies – Merry & Bright 
● Winnie & Walter – Stamps – In a Word: Grand Merry 
● Stampin’ Up – Embossing Folder – Tin Tile 
● Neenah – Cardstock – Environment Desert Storm, Classic Crest Solar White 
● DCS – Cardstock – Gold Glitter Heavyweight 

Create a Textured Father’s Day Card With Memento Inks

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By Katy Ingram –

Hello Friends! Katy here with my latest video sharing a great way to use Memento Inks on textured paper. I used cold pressed watercolor paper, but you could use any type of textures paper you have.

Skill: intermediate, 
Time: 10 minutes

Art Supplies

Imagine Products

• Memento Inks  
– Danube, Teal Zeal, Cottage Ivy and Dandelion

Other Products Used
Canson xl watercolor paper
Kat Scrappiness Alphabet Dies
Simon Say Stamp Thread Plaid

Quick and Easy Father’s Day Card with Memento Ink Blending

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By Jessica Lin –

Skill: Beginner 
Time: 30 minutes 

Hi everyone! It’s Jessica here. Father’s Day is right around the corner. Do you have a card design in mind? I tend to struggle with masculine cards, so I decided to keep it simple this year with a geometric patterned background. Let’s take a look! 

Step 1:
Let’s start by trimming a piece of Classic Crest Solar White to 3 1/2” x 4 3/4”. This is my go-to cardstock – not only is it great for stamping, it is perfect for ink blending also. I am blending Memento Summer Sky ink with Altenew’s Styled Background stencil set. 

Step 2:
Next, turn the stencil 90 degrees, and ink blend with Memento Paris Dusk ink. I picked the light and dark blue color scheme today because it is gender-neutral, and they pair well with the DCS Blue Calico and Indigo Blue cardstock that I’ll be using later. 

Step 3:
Rotate the stencil once again, and ink blend with Memento New Sprout ink. You can see how smoothly the ink blends on the Classic Crest Solar White cardstock. There are no streaks or splotchy areas. 

Step 4:
For the last color, ink blend Memento Bamboo Leaves after you turn the stencil 90 degrees. 

Step 5:
This is what the final geometric pattern looks like after all of the ink blending. Since the Classic Crest Solar White cardstock has a really smooth surface, the end result looks like the patterns were airbrushed onto the paper. 

Step 6:
Now we are ready to add the sentiment of the card. I wanted the sentiment to match the patterned background, so I picked DCS Blue Calico and Indigo Blue cardstock. I die cut alphabet letters from these cardstock with Stampin’ Up’s Mini Alphabet die. One thing to keep in mind is that the DCS cardstock have a textured side with linear grains. Be sure to die cut letters of the same word by placing the dies in the same orientation to achieve a more cohesive result. 

Step 7:
Finally, trim a piece of DCS Blue Calico to 3 3/4” x 5” and adhere the ink blended panel on top. Then mount the layers onto an A2 sized card base with DCS Indigo Blue cardstock. Lastly, apply On-Point Glue to the back of the letter die cuts and adhere them to the card front to complete the card. 

Craft Supplies

Imagine Supplies: 

● Memento – Summer Sky, Paris Dusk, New Sprout, Bamboo Leaves 
● On-Point Glue 
● StazOn Cleaner 
● Tear-It!Tape 
● Craft Mat 

Other Supplies: 

● Altenew – Layering Stencil – Styled Backgrounds 
● Stampin’ Up! – Dies – Mini Alphabet 
● Ink Blending Brushes 
● CutCardStock – Cardstock – Classic Crest Solar White 


CutCardStock – Cardstock – Blue Calico, Indigo Blue 

Monoprinting Greeting Card With VersaFine Clair and Memento Markers

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By Helen Gullett

Hello crafty friends! Today we are going to do some monoprinting with VersaFine Clair inks and a gelli printing plate to create some fun backgrounds. And also, we will do some coloring with Memento Markers.

Let’s get crafting!

Skill: Intermediate
Time: 30 Minutes

Direction:

Step 1
Put the gelli printing plate directly on the Imagine Craft Mat. Make sure it lays flat.

Dab some of the VersaFine Clair inks on the gelli printing plate, do this one color at a time and do not mix them together.

Step 2
Mix the inks on the gelli printing plate with the mini roller. Mix the color from top to bottom, gradually.

Step 3
Put the stencil on the gelli printing plate.

Gently press the stencil to the gelli printing plate.

Step 4
Get a piece of printing/copy paper (preferably thickness 24 lb or more), you can cut it in half or use full size.

Add the paper to the gelli printing with stencil and gently press it down to get ink off the plate.

Step 5
Carefully pick up the paper off the gelli printing plate from one corner.

This is the first printing. For this time, you can keep it aside for future projects.

Step 6
Carefully remove the stencil off the gelli printing plate.

While the inks are still wet (this is why VersaFine Clair inks are the best for this project!), put a piece of white cardstock to the gelli printing plate and gently press down to pick up the ink off the plate.

Step 7
Carefully pick up the printed cardstock of the gelli printing plate.

You get the second print which is a different pattern than the first one.

Use a craft heat gut to dry the ink well.

This is the print that we will use for the background of the card.

Step 8
Once the printed background dried well, cut it with a rectangle die form the Stitched Rectangle dies set.

Then cut another piece of white cardstock with the scallop rectangle die from the same set.

Step 9
Add the white scallop background panel to the card base using the On Point Glue.

And then, add the printed background panel to the card using the same glue.

Set it aside to dry (optional: you can put a couple of large acrylic stamping blocks on it to hold it down while drying).

Step 10
Put a piece of white cardstock on a stamping platform and secure it with some magnets.

Arrange the flower stamps on it and stamp them with the VersaFine Clair Nocturne ink pad.

Remove it from the stamping platform.

Step 11
Dry the stamped images using  a craft heat gun.

Color them using the Memento Markers.

Fussy cut the images with micro-tip scissors.

Step 12
Stamp the sentiment a white cardstock with VersaFine Clair Nocturne ink.

Dry the stamped sentiment with a craft heat gun.

Cut it with one of the banner die from the Banners die set.

Step 13
Add the first flower to the card with On Point Glue.

Using On Point Glue, add a piece of thin foam to the back of the sentiment banner and add it to the card with the same glue.

Then, add some of the thin foam to the second flower and add it to the card with the same glue.

The card is done. Though it looks simple, yet it has some layers to it.

This gelli printing technique is one of a fun way to create pattern backgrounds other stamping.

Thanks for stopping by our blog today.

Craft Supplies

Imagine Crafts:

Others:

Create a Floral All-Occasions Card with VersaColor

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By Jessica Lin

Skill: Intermediate
Time: 30 minutes

Hi everyone! It’s Jessica here. I am so happy to be on Imagine Crafts’ design team again for 2026. If you have seen some of my creations before, you would notice that I love bold, bright colors. Today, I am sharing a floral card that features this vibrant orange from the VersaColor ink line.

Step 1:
I started out by preparing an A2 card base with Calypso Coral cardstock. Then I trimmed a piece of Dry Brushed Metallic paper to 3’’ x 4.5’’ as a background accent.

Step 2:
The stamp set I am using today is Flourishing Phrases from Stampin’ Up. I stamped the flower image with VersaColor Orange ink pad on a piece of 3.5’’ x 4’’ cardstock. For the leaves, I used VersaColor Bamboo ink pad.

Step 3:
I stamped another flower image on a scrap piece of cardstock and fussy cut it along the edge.

Step 4:
Then I die cut a circle with cross-stitch details and stamped the sentiment with VersaColor Bamboo ink.

Step 5:
The coordinating die set includes various floral designs that work well both by themselves and with the stamp images. I decided to die cut the largest design and cut it into 3 pieces to decorate around the sentiment. Finally, I adhered all of the elements onto the cardbase, added some rhinestones, and the card is complete!

Imagine Supplies:

Other Supplies:

  • Stampin’ Up! – Stamps – Flourishing Phrases
  • Stampin’ Up! – Dies – Flourish Thinlits
  • Stampin’ Up! – Patterned Paper – Dry Brushed Metallic
  • Stampin’ Up! – Cardstock – Calypso Coral

Let’s Make a Sympathy Card 

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By Anna Escalada York

Sadly, I needed to make a sympathy card.

Skill: Intermediate 
Time: 1 hour (plus drying time) 

Directions: 

Step 1: 
Trim a piece of watercolor paper a little bit larger than an A2 sized cardbase (4.5” x 5.75”) and watercolor smoosh the panel with Gray Flannel Memento Ink mixed with water on acetate packaging. Allow the panel to dry. Then repeat the process with Pearlescent Lavender Brilliance Ink and then finally with Champagne Delicata Ink. 

Step 2: 
Stamp stars on watercolor paper with Paradise VersaFine Clair ink. Repeat the process so make the blue of the ink darker. Then heat emboss with clear embossing powder. Then die cut with the corresponding die. 

Step 3: 
Press Blue Belle VersaFine Clair Ink onto another piece of watercolor paper and then use this paper to die cut the sentiment. Die cut two pieces of scrap paper with the same sentiment die and glue the three layers together for dimension. 

Use the corresponding shadow die to die cut a vellum shadow layer and glue behind the sentiment. 

Step 4: 
Spray the background panel with Paris Dusk Fireworks! Craft Spray through a stencil. While the spray is still wet, remove the stencil and spray the panel with Summer Sky Fireworks! Craft Spray to move both colors of spray. Splatter some of the light blue areas of the panel with Paris Dusk Fireworks! Craft Spray. Allow panel to dry. 

Step 5: 
Trim the background panel to about 4” by 5.25” and then distress the edges with a pair of scissors. Press the edges of the panel into the Gray Flannel Memento Ink pad and then heat emboss with more clear embossing powder. 
Next, glue the sentiment onto the center-right and the Star was attached with foam tape. 

Step 6: 
Stamp a sub-sentiment on a small piece of watercolor paper with more of the Blue Belle VersaFine Clair ink and then heat embossed it with more of the clear embossing powder. Then distress the edges with scissors and then press the edges into the Blue Belle VersaFine Clair Ink. 

Step 7: 
Attach the sub sentiment onto the panel with more of the foam tape. Then glue the whole panel onto an A2-sized white cardbase to finish the card. 

Art Supplies 

Imagine 
• Brilliance Ink – Pearlescent Lavender 
• Delicata Ink – Champagne 
• Fireworks! Craft Spray – Paris Dusk 
• Fireworks! Craft Spray – Summer Sky 
• Memento ink – Gray Flannel 
• VersaFine Clair ink – Blue Belle 
• VersaFine Clair ink – Paradise 

Other 
• Altenew – foam tape -Instant Dimension Foam Tape 
• Honey Bee Stamps – die set – Happy Hanukkah 
• Honey Bee Stamps – stamp set – Happy Hanukkah 
• Honey Bee Stamps – die set – With Sympathy 
• Honey Bee Stamps – stamp set – With Sympathy 
• The Crafter’s Workshop (TCW) – stencil – Kaleidoscope (TCW347S) 
• Clear Embossing Powder 
• Heat tool 
• Scissors 
• Glue 
• Watercolor paper 
• Vellum