Category Archives: PROJECTS

Watercolor with Sheer Shimmer Spray to Create an Elegant Wedding Card

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By Jessica Lin

Skill Level: Intermediate
Time: 1 hour

Hi everyone! It’s Jessica here. I am so excited to share a wedding card idea with you today. We will be creating a romantic wedding scene by watercoloring some images. If you like adding shimmer and sparkles to your card, be sure to keep reading to find out how you can watercolor with the Sheer Shimmer Sprays!

Step 1:
The focal point of today’s card is the bride and groom images from Stampin’ Up’s Here’s to Love set. I stamped the images on watercolor cardstock with VersaFine Clair Morning Mist ink. Most of the time the VersaFine Clair Nocturne ink is my go-to for stamping image outlines. However, I wanted to create a softer look today, and I thought this dark gray color is a great alternative to the usual crisp, black ink. I also did a little bit of masking on the bride’s right arm, so that the groom’s suit outline does not overlay on top.

Step 2:
Now it is time to add some color. I wanted to try watercoloring with the Sheer Shimmer Spray to add some additional sparkle, since the card layout is quite simple. There are several metallic options to choose from for the Sheer Shimmer Sprays. I chose the color Sparkle, which is clear with a golden shimmer. I painted the bride’s dress with 2-3 coats, letting each coat dry before applying the next layer. For the groom’s suit, I mixed the spray with Memento Tuxedo Black ink. (What a coincidence with the ink’s name, ha!)

Step 3:
Then I stamped the floral images from Stampin’ Up’s Happiness Abounds set using the same gray ink. I mixed Memento Summer Sky ink with Sheer Shimmer Spray to color the base layer of the flowers, and added shadows with Paris Dusk. This color combination is so lovely and the perfect dusky blue for a wedding palette. The Imagine Craft Mat is also a great tool for mixing colors. Since the Memento inks are water-based, I can apply the ink directly onto the craft mat and clean the surface with a quick water rinse at the end.

Step 4:
The leaves were colored with Memento New Sprout and Bamboo Leaves ink. I hope you can see the shimmer from the spray a little better in this picture. It is hard to capture the fine sparkle on camera, but the shimmering effect is truly mesmerizing in person.

Step 5:
I also splattered some white acrylic paint droplets to add additional textures to the colored images.

Step 6:
Now we are ready to die cut the images. The coordinating Blossoming Happiness dies are compatible with the Mini Stampin’ Cut and Emboss Machine.

Step 7:
Finally, I stamped the “congratulations” sentiment with Delicata Silvery Shimmer ink. It complements the gray image outlines nicely and also adds a subtle shine to the project.

You might have noticed that I paired my stamping tool with Altenew’s SlimGrip Sticky Mat now. This Sitcky Mat is a game changer and I love how easy it is to line up narrow sentiment strips.

Here is the final card once I assembled all of the elements. You can recreate this layout with any floral stamps that you may have. I hope you enjoyed today’s tutorial and the tips and tricks about watercoloring with Sheer Shimmer Sprays!

Imagine Supplies:

Other Supplies:

  • Stampin’ Up! – Stamps – Here’s to Love, Happiness Abounds
  • Stampin’ Up! – Dies – Blossoming Happiness
  • Stampin’ Up! – Tool – Mini Stampin Cut & Emboss Machine
  • Foam Tape
  • Watercolor cardstock

Elegant Card for a Wedding or Engagement

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By Ceal Pritchett

Hello crafty friends!
It’s Ceal, here. Today I am sharing how to create a simple but elegant wedding card. 

Skill Level: Intermediate to Advanced
Time: 45 Minutes

Directions:

Gather your supplies. You will need a stamp set with a floral image and wedding sentiments. An A2 sized die and some wedding themed dies, a stamp positioner and a shimmer ink pad.

Step 1:
Using a Misti or stamp positioner and a grip mat place the cardstock panel in the center. Place the floral stamp on the corner of the panel and ink with shimmer ink (I used Delicata Silvery Shimmer) stamp, you may have to stamp more than once to get a clean image. Turn your paper, no need to move the stamp thanks to the Misti and ink it up and stamp again on the other corner. This ink is a pigment ink therefore it takes a little longer to dry, you can speed that up by heat setting it.

Step 2:
Cut the panel with the die keeping both pieces. Also cut out the wedding themed dies.

Step 3:
Place the card base in the corner of the Misti and then glue the borer of your die cut pieces down first. I always place it in the corner of the Misti, this helps me line it up.

Step 4:
Add the main die cut piece using foam tape to give it dimension.
Tip: after adding the foam adhesive to the panel also add some liquid glue, this allows you to move the panel to get it in place.

Stamp the greeting on a strip of paper and cut it out. Add all of the elements to the card.

Carft Supplies:

Imagine Products:
VersaFine Clair – Chianti
Delicata – Silvery Shimmer
On Point Glue

Other Products:
Scrapbook & Cards Today – Celebrations Delivered Stamps/Dies

 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 

How to Create This Stunning Galactic Background

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By Tracy Fear

Hello Friends! Tracy here and today I am excited to share this really easy galactic, out of this world background technique!

In today’s video tutorial I am sharing how I use some Memento, VersaMagic, Brilliance, and VersaFine Clair inks to create this stunning card along with a paint pen, a stencil from my stash and some holographic embossing powder!

Tracy

Skill: Intermediate, Advanced
Time: 1 hour

Art Supplies

Imagine Products

Other Products Used

  • Stencil from my ancient stash, you could use any stars and swirls type of stencil
  • Canson XL Bristol Smooth-for ink blending
  • Black Card Stock
  • Purple Card Stock- Card Base
  • Dina Wakely MEdia-Vintage Moon Faces
  • Trinity Stamps Blending Buddies
  • Picket Fence Studios Pouncers
  • Mini Misti
  • Heat Tool
  • POSCA Acrylic Paint Pen
  • Brutus Monroe – Fairy Dust Embossing Powder

ALTERNATIVE PRODUCTS THAT CAN BE USED TO RECREATE SOMETHING SIMILAR

  • Any Pigment Inks
  • Any Shimmery Inks
  • Any Dye-based Inks

To learn how to make this stunning background click here!

INSERT VIDEO LINK

Create an Easter Card using VersaFine Clair Ink Pads

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By Jessica Lin

Skill: Medium
Time: 30 minutes

Hi everyone! It’s Jessica here. Today I want to share an Easter card with a soft and romantic color palette. This color scheme turned out so well, and I think it would be perfect for a birthday or Valentine’s card! If you are interested in the colors I used, just keep reading!

Step 1:
Die cut the largest two shapes from Spellbinder’s Nestabilities Floral Oval die set. For the largest oval, I used Stampin’ Up!’s Bubble Bath cardstock. For the second largest oval, I used vellum.

Step 2:
For some added dimension, ink blend VersaFine Clair Baby Pink ink around the edges of the largest die cut. I recently bought the photopolymer sticky mat from Altenew and it’s a great tool for ink blending. It grips the die cut (or stencil) firmly so you don’t have to worry about anything shifting during ink blending.

Step 3:
Stamp the focal image with VersaFine Clair Baby Pink ink. This is an old wooden stamp from K-Kingdom that I got back in the days before I discovered photopolymer stamps. The dainty floral frame with the lacey details is what inspired the theme for this card. The VersaFine Clair ink is also great for showcasing the fine, wood-grain details on the rabbit.

The stamped image looks a bit dark when freshly stamped. It will turn into a softer, pastel pink that you see in the cover photo.

Step 4:
I decided to add some shadows behind the vellum die cut layer with VersaFine Clair Hawthorn Rose. Baby Pink and Hawthorn Rose compliment each other so well. I think they might be my favorite new color combo!

Step 5:
Apply a generous coat of Sparkle Sheer Shimmer Craft Spray onto the ink blended die cut. I wish the camera could capture the shimmery effects of this spray; it is mesmerizing and the sparkle never dulls!

Step 6:
For the card base, I chose Stampin’ Up!’s Fresh Freesia cardstock and embossed it with Distressed Tile embossing folder. It adds the perfect touch to this shabby-chic look.

Step 7:
Finally, stamp the sentiment with VersaFine Clair Hawthorn Rose ink and fussy cut the sentiment. I fussy cut the rabbit image as well since there were no coordinating dies for wooden stamps.

Step 8:
After some quick assembling with Tear-It Tape and foam tape, the card is completed! I love how this card turned out, and I hope you enjoyed it, too. Thanks for stopping by!

Imagine Supplies:

Other Supplies:

  • Spellbinders – Dies – Nestabilities Floral Oval
  • Stampin’ Up! – Cardstock – Bubble Bath, Fresh Freesia, Whisper White
  • Stampin’ Up! – Embossing Folder – Distressed Tile
  • K-Kingdom – Wooden Stamp – Woodgrain Rabbit
  • Stampin’ Up! – Sentiment Stamp – Fable Friends
  • Foam Tape

Let’s Make a Fairy Birthday Card

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By Kathi Rerek

I recently saw a video where the owner of Lavinia Stamps created a card using Brilliance Moonlight White and a silhouette stamp to create a magical scene. I decided to bring it to the next level by creating a scene using Brilliance and VersaMagic inks.

Skill Level: Beginner to Intermediate
Time: 1 hour 

Step 1:
Place a piece of repositionable label paper onto a craft mat. Use a craft knife and a curvy ruler to cut the piece of label paper. Both pieces will be used as masks.

Step 2:
Cut a piece of Black Mixed Media paper to 5.25” square. Adhere one of the two masks horizontally across the square.

Use a Sponge Dauber to apply Hint of Pesto VersaMagic Ink below the mask. Remove the mask and retain. Heat set.

VersaMagic Inks are wonderful on dark backgrounds.

Step 3:
Adhere the second repositionable masks over the sponged green background. 

Use repositionable tape to secure the largest circle-in-a-square stencil from the Circle Mask and Stencil Set to the image panel.

Use a Sponge Dauber to generously apply Moonlight White Brilliance ink to the circular center of the stencil. 

Remove the stencil and heat set.

Step 4:
Keeping the repositonable mask in place, position the moon face stencil from the Moon Layering Mask Set.

Sponge Moonlight White Brilliance Ink over the stencil. Use a slight scrubbing motion to remove some of the ink from the moon craters.

Remove the stencil and the mask. Heat set.

Step 5:
Secure the image panel onto the stamping platform. Position the Fairy Dust fairy so that she’s sitting on the green area of the image panel. 

Ink the stamp with Nocturne VersaFine Clair ink and stamp. Re-ink the stamp and stamp until you have a good impression.

Remove the stamp. Heat set the image panel.

Step 6:
Use Fantastix to apply Pearlescent Orchid, Lavender, and Sky Blue Brilliance Inks to the fairy’s wings.
Heat set.
Trim image panel to 5” square.

Step 7: 
(Not Photographed)
Position the Birthday sentiment stamp facedown at the top left of the image panel. Position the Fairy Dust sentiment stamp facedown at the bottle right of the image panel. Ink both stamps with Frost Dazzle VersaMark ink. Sprinkle white detail embossing powder onto the sentiments then dump off the excess. Heat set.

Step 8:
Press two fingers onto the back of the polymer Stars stamp, ink the stamp with Moonlight White Brilliance Ink pad, and stamp. Randomly stamp the stars and the bursts around the moon.

Since the polymer stamp will stick to your fingers you will have more control of stamping. Your image might not be perfect, but that’s okay! 

Step 9:
Use chalk pencils to add grass and flower stems to the green area of the image panel.

Step 10:
Use Fantastix or pointy cosmetic swabs to apply dots of Mango Madness and Pink Grapefruit VersaMagic ink to some of the tufts of grass/flower stems. Heat set. 

Step 11
(not photograhed)
Apply tiny dots of On Point Glue over the “fairy dust” on the image. Shake some glitter onto the wet glue, Let sit then dump off the excess. Apologies for the lack of a photo.

Step 12:
Cut a piece of Raven cardstock to 5.5” x 11”, score at 5.5”, and fold to form a 5.5” square cad. 
Cut a piece of the blue glitter paper to 5.25” square. 

Use Tear-It Tape to adhere the glitter paper to the front of the card. The tape is perfect for this application as the back of the glitter paper is slick. Use Tear-It ! Tape to adhere the image panel to the blue glitter paper.

Art Supplies:

Imagine:

Other Supplies:

  • 140 lb. Black Mixed Media Cardstock by Strathmore
  • Raven Black Cardstock by Bazzill Basics
  • Circle Stencil and Mask Set by Lavinia Stamps
  • Fairy Dust Clear Polymer Stamp by Lavinia Stamps
  • Fairy Happy Birthday Clear Polymer Stamp by Lavinia Stamps
  • Fairy Dust Sentiment Clear Polymer Stamp by Lavinia Stamps
  • Mini Burst Clear Polymer Stamp Set by Lavinia Stamps
  • Mini Star Clear Polymer Stamp Set by Lavinia Stamps
  • Moon Layering Masks by Tim Holtz for Stampers Anonymous
  • Blue Hawaii Ultra Fine Glitter by Art Institute
  • Grass Green and Green Bice Chalk Pencils by General’s
  • Pointy Tip Cosmetic Swabs
  • Repositionable Label Paper by Avery
  • Repositionable Scotch Tape by 3M
  • Curvy Metal Ruler by Fiskar’s
  • Craft Knife by Exacto
  • Tonic Stamping Platform
  • Heat Gun by EK Success