See How to Create a Metallic and Distress Autumnal Greeting Card

by Kassy Tousignant

See How to Create a Metallic and Distress Autumnal Greeting Card

I love making mixed media cards! It is a smaller canvas to work with and you can experiment with different products together. Imagine always has just the right tools for this beautiful copper metallic and golden-hued theme! For November, Imagine is working with Rinea papers and I am having so much fun experimenting with how they emboss and handle ink products! I used the Walnut spray and Creative Medium on the Rinea paper and made a beautiful fall card.

Skill: Advanced
Time: 1 hour + dry time

Supplies

Imagine

• Fireworks! Shimmery Craft Spray – Rich Cocoa, Potter’s Clay
• Walnut Ink Spray – Walnut
• Brilliance ink – Crimson Copper
• Creative Medium – Gold, Copper, Clear
• IrRESISTibles Texture Spray – Copper
IrRESISTibles Pico Embellisher – Lilac Posies
On Point Glue
Tear It! Tape
Palette Knife

Other

• Rinea Paper – brown
• Gold flakes
• Gold glitter
• Gina Marie – wood ring stencil
• Sandpaper
• Sweater stencil
• White gesso
• Chipboard pieces
• Prima – flowers
• Nuvo drops
• Gold string
• Fall pod stem
• White cardstock

November Color of the Month is Gingerbread

November Color of the Month is Gingerbread

Color of the Month for November is Gingerbread. We love this toasty burnt orange-brown color that reminds us of the all the yummy treats and eats that are created for the holidays. For papercrafting, we have a collection of ink colors that perfectly compliment the Gingerbread color. Some of these inks include VersaMagic in (ready for it…) Gingerbread, Memento in Peanut Brittle, and VersaMagic in Pumpkin Spice. These dark orange colors are a great addition to your ink collection.

To start us out for the month of November, we have a super cute cardmaking tutorial by Elina Stromberg. Enjoy!

Cute Birthday Card by Elina Stromberg

As a scrapbooker and card maker, I have lots and lots of beautiful patterned papers. However, very often I prefer using just plain white mixed media papers and creating the background patterns myself. That way I can both enjoy the creative process of inking, stamping, and stenciling but also create patterned papers that have exactly my needed colors. This cute birthday card was inspired by our November color ‘Gingerbread’. Even if I used only a limited color palette I think the card doesn’t look boring at all. Several layers of eye-catching patterns and cute stamped and colored images were a perfect combo!

Skill: Beginner
Time: 1 hour

Directions


Step 1

Stamp and fuzzy-cut the main images.


Step 2

Apply Memento in Desert Sand (light brown) on a piece of mixed media cardstock/watercolor paper. Do not cover the entire sheet but leave some areas white.


Step 3

Stencil VersaMagic in Gingerbread on top of.


Step 4

Stamp circle patterns with VersaFine Clair in Acorn.


Step 5

Add the final layer of patterns by stamping small dots with Memento in Potter’s Clay.


Step 6

Apply a thin layer of white gesso on those areas where the main images will be placed. This will highlight the fuzzy cut images, preventing them from blending into the busy background. Let dry.


Step 7

Glue main images on the card front. Mat card on brown cardstock and attach to white card base. I used the very same techniques for creating a matching ATC. I think it looks quite nice, too!

Supplies

Imagine
Other
  • White mixed media paper
  • Brown cardstock, white card base
  • White gesso
  • Carabelle Studio: ‘Les Mini OUF 2’ Stamp, Mini Textures
  • VivaLasVegaStamps! – Doodle Dots
  • Ranger Dyulusions – Fresh Dots Small Stencil
  • Promarkers for coloring the images
  • American Crafts – Number stickers

Create A Modern Christmas Card With Masking Technique

by Jowilna Nolte

Create A Modern Christmas Card With Masking Technique

Masking is one of those age-old techniques that we often neglect, but when it comes to creating quick and easy Christmas cards I love using this technique for great impact. The layers of Christmas trees have a great look and adding masking gives them fabulou depth and dimension. Combine this simple technique with an elegantly colored ink palette and you have a winner.

Skill: Beginner
Time: 1 hour

Directions

Morning Mist VersaFine Clair ink
Step 1

Stamp several small and large trees onto a card panel using Morning Mist VersaFine Clair ink. Stamp one each of the same trees onto scrap paper or cardstock. The thinner the better. And if you have sticky notes around that is first prize.


Step 2

Cut out the trees that you are going to use for your masking – the thin paper ones. Notice how I cut only the triangle piece of the tree.


Step 3

Place the masked trees onto the stamped panel layering them onto the matching trees using some temporary adhesive.


Step 4

Now stamp more trees and make sure that the stamped images already on the base are covered with the masks.


Step 5

Remove the masks to reveal your layered trees that now sit behind the trees that you first stamped.


Step 6

Use the Shady Lane VersaFine Clair ink and ink only half of the large tree.


Step 7

Use washi tape to mask off one half of the tree and then ink the stamp, but remember to remove the tape before stamping or otherwise the inked tape will also stamp onto your panel. Stamp the image on top of one of the large trees for added interest. Stamp an additional small tree with VersaFine Clair in Shady Lane onto white, cut out and use foam tape to layer onto a smaller stamped tree. Add other embellishments and paint splats to finish off your card.

Supplies

Imagine
Other
  • White cardstock
  • Kaisercraft – Christmas tree stamps
  • Embellishments
  • Card base
  • Pattern Paper
  • Watercolor paint

Use Walnut Crystals to Create Beautiful Handmade Cards

by Arjita Sepaha Singh

For today’s card, I used a swirly flourish stencil, Creative Medium, and Walnut Ink Crystals. I created a small rectangle mask using Post-It note and placed it on the watercolor paper. Then I placed the stencil on top and using a spatula I added the Creative Medium. I allowed the medium to dry completely then added diluted walnut ink crystals and few intense pigments. I finished the card with a sentiment stamped with Versafine Clair Ink. I love the vintage grungy look of the card.

Skill: Advanced
Time: 1 hour

Directions

Supplies

Imagine

Walnut Crystals
• Creative Medium – Clear
• VersaFine Clair – Pinecone
• Palette Knives

Other

• Strathmore – Watercolor Paper
• Flourish Stencil
• Paintbrush
• Sentiment stamp

Making the Most of Your Imagine Sprays and Inks

by Melissa Andrew

Making the Most of Your Imagine Sprays and Inks

Do you feel limited by the sprays and inks you have or want? If you feel like you get one look consistently and want something new with products you know and love, try switching up your paper. In today’s video, I show you how a simple change can make a large difference in the appearance of your creations.

Skill: Advanced
Time: 1 hour

Directions

Supplies

Imagine
Other
  • Whimsy Stamps – Shine Bright Stamp Set, Wavy Edger Die Set
  • Mini-Stencil Set – Tim Holtz set 31
  • Paper – Watercolor, Bristol Smooth, Hammermill
  • Paper Trimmer
  • Water bottle

Create a Grey Plaid Poinsettia Handmade Christmas Card

by Martha Lucia Gomez

In this world, we want to buy everything we like and see, but sometimes experimenting and recreating is part of the fun. Today, I am sharing with you a card that I made using beautiful single pieces that I combined with “necessity” because I don’t have a plaid stamp! I am crazy with the fabulous plaid designer papers that I saw during this season but I decided to create my own pattern just using two colors of VersaFine Clair Ink and without embossing to make it more rustic.

Skill: Advanced
Time: 1 hour

Directions


Step 1

I took a stamp set from Peek-a-Boo Designs that includes a lot of different stripes and selected just two or three to be used on my card. I positioned the stripes in my Stamparatus and stamped stripe by stripe using for the wide strip VersaFine Clair Morning Mist and for the thin VersaFine Clair Nocturne.


Step 2

When I was satisfied with the vertical pattern I decided to add a horizontal different design to make the plaid more interesting. To stamp these lines I only used VersaFine Clair Nocturne. Since the top of the Stamparatus has grids, was very easy to follow the pattern just moving the paper and not the stamps. I left this stamped piece side for a few minutes.


Step 3

In a separate piece of whisper white cardstock, I stamped with VersaMark Ink one festive poinsettia included on the stamp set Poinsettia Tangle from Dare2B Artzy and covered it with Silver Embossing Powder that I melted with the heat tool. I fussy cut poinsettia with my scissors.


Step 4

With the leftover cardstock, I used three colors of Fireworks to create a soft green tone that at the same time show me a little shimmer. I used Fireworks Shimmery Craft Spray in Cottage Ivy, New Sprout, and Bamboo Leaves. After the piece of cardstock was totally dried and cut some leaves using a die cuts from Prima.


Step 5

To finalize my card, I resized the background and arranged all the pieces over Real Red cardstock and as a final touch, I die cut the word believe in Real Red cardstock and black foam. I pasted both die cuts using On Point Glue and sprayed with Sheer Shimmer Frost. With a Memento Marker, I colored the center of the poinsettia. Sometimes, by exploring and practicing, you can discover amazing things that you can do using only your inks and this card is a perfect example.

Supplies

Imagine
Other
  • Cardstock – Whisper White, Real Red
  • Peek a Boo Designs – It’s Plaid Time Stamp set
  • Dare2B Artzy – Poinsettia Tangle
  • Simon Says Stamps – Believe Die Cut
  • Foam Black