“Wishing You A Happy Birthday” Card

Posted on July 5, 2024 by Imagine

By Anna Escalada York

In today’s post, I am sharing a fun, summer card that features some bold colors!

Skill: Intermediate
Time: 1 hour

Directions:

Step 1
Color a piece of acetate packaging with both Cottage Ivy Memento marker and Emerald Fabrico
marker and then spraying the acetate with water. Press the acetate onto a piece of watercolor
paper multiple times, moving the acetate around so add green color around the watercolor
paper. Allow the water to dry.

Step 2
Die cut the watercolor smooshed paper with a circular die cut. Add a small dot of Pink Ultimate
Pigment Pigment Refill into the raised areas of an embossing powder, and then spray the
embossing folder with Sparkle Sheer Shimmer Craft Spray to both help the watercolor paper
stay moist (so it won’t tear) while embossing, and to help dilute the condensed pink refill ink.
Then sandwich the watercolor paper into the embossing powder and run it through a die cutting
machine.
After the watercolor paper has dried, ink blend the edge of the circular die cut with Pink
VersaColor pigment ink.

Step 3
Die cut another piece of watercolor paper with a slightly larger circular die. Directly press the
Pink VersaColor Pigment ink pad onto the watercolor paper.
Optional step: Heat emboss the ink with clear embossing powder.

Step 4 (and 4.5)
Stamp an image onto watercolor paper with a nature scene with Nocturne VersaFine Clair ink.
Heat emboss with clear embossing powder.
Using a variety of media to watercolor the image: Celestial Copper Delicata Ink pad mixed with
water to color the rocks, Emerald Fabrico marker mixed with water to color the frog and leaves,
Bahama Blue Fireworks! Spray to color the sky and water, and Pink Ultimate Pigment Ink Refill
to color the flower petals. Finally, color the centers of the flowers with a Dandelion Memento
marker.

Step 5
Watercolor smoosh some of the leftover inks from the last step to watercolor smoosh a piece of
watercolor paper and then spray the whole thing with Sparkle Sheer Shimmer Craft Spray. Use
some additional color to stamp a text stamp in my stash to add a little interest onto the panel by
pressing the stamp into the acetate instead of an ink pad. Repeat the process a few times until
you like the amount of extra interest that is added. After everything dried, die cut the watercolor
panel.

Step 6
Glue the two circular die cuts (the embossed panel and the larger pink die cut circle)
and then glue it onto the watercolor background panel. After the glue dried, the whole thing was
die cut again to trim the circular die cuts. The edges were ink blended with more Pink
VersaColor Pigment ink. Splatters of the remaining Bahama Blue Fireworks! Spray from the
acetate packaging were added to the panel as well.

Step 7
Stamp a sentiment with Nocturne VersaFine Clair ink.

Optional step: Heat emboss with clear embossing powder.

Step 8:
Die cut sparkly white paper with a slightly larger rectangular die. Glue the main (frog)
stamped and die cut image onto the top panel, glue the matte (sparkly larger panel) behind the
top panel and then glue everything onto an A2-sized white card base. Glue sequins to the card
base.

Art Supplies

Imagine

• Delicata Ink – Celestial Copper
• Fabrico Marker – Emerald
• Fireworks! Spray – Bahama Blue
• Memento Marker – Dandelion
• Memento Marker – Cottage Ivy
• Sheer Shimmer Craft Spray – Sparkle
• Ultimate Pigment Ink Refill – Pink
• VersaColor Pigment ink – Pink
• VersaFine Clair ink – Nocturne
• VersaMark Dazzle – Frost

Other
• Catherine Pooler Designs – Sequins – Milwaukee
• Gina K Designs – Dies – Master Layout 2 die set
• Hero Arts – Dies – Nesting Circles Infinity die set
• Penny Black – Stamp – Thanks, Thanks stamp (retired)
• Vicki Boutin – Embossing Folder – Let’s Wander (retired)
• Watercolor paper
• Clear embossing powder
• Scissors
• Glue

Let’s Make A Mermaid Card

Posted on July 4, 2024 by Imagine

By Kathi Rerek

It’s summer, which makes me want to go to the beach to cool off in the ocean and pretend I’m a mermaid. Let’s make a card that fulfills those dreams using inks, stencils, and stamps!

Skill Level: Intermediate
Time: 1.5 hours

Instructions:

Step 1:
Use a craft knife to cut a piece of Low-tack tape in a curved pattern. Place the tape at the bottom of a 5.5” x 8.5” piece of white cardstock (no photo).

Lightly apply Bahama Blue Memento Ink to the white area of the cardstock.

Steps 2A & B:
Place a magnetic page onto the craft mat. Use low-tack tape to secure the cardstock panel to the magnetic page. Use magnets and low-tack tape to secure the Currents Stencil to the cardstock panel. Use a Sponge Dauber to apply the lightest blue ink from the Kaleidacolor Blue Breeze Ink pad over the stencil onto the cardstock panel (2A). Randomly apply Teal Zeal Memento Ink over the stencil onto the cardstock to deepen the colors.

Step 3:
Remove the stencil, then spritz the panel with 91% Isopropyl Alcohol to blend the inks and add white splatters and splotches.

Step 4:
Remove the low-tack tape and replace with the negative part of the tape cut in Step 1. Sponge Desert Sand Memento Ink over the tape onto the image panel to create the sea floor. Remove the tape.

Step 5:
Place the panel onto the base of a stamping platform and secure with magnets. Position the mermaid stamp from the Guinevere Clear Polymer Stamp Set so that it’s face down along the lower right side of the image panel. Press the platform’s lid onto the back of the stamp, lift, and ink the stamp with Nocturne VersaFine Clair Ink. Stamp. Re-ink and stamp again if necessary to attain a good impression.

Remove the panel and thoroughly heat set the ink.

Step 6:
Use Copic markers to color the mermaid’s rocky throne. Usually I don’t use Copic markers with any ink other than Memento, but since I had duplicate markers, I gave it a shot and it worked! Sorry! No photos!

Step 7:
Use Triplus pens to color the mermaid’s hair. Use Marine and Black Stardust Glitter Gel Pens to add detail the mermaid’s scales. The ink of both pens work well with most inks. Sorry! No photos again!

Steps 8A & B:
Place the image panel back onto the base of the stamping platform and secure with magnets. Use low-tack tape to cover the top of the ocean floor to the left of the mermaid.

Position the mid-sized Skeleton Tree stamp from the Skeleton Tree Clear Stamp Set facedown on the top left. Press the lid of the platform onto the back of the stamp and lift. Ink the stamp with Summertime VersaFine Clair Ink and stamp (8A). Remove the tape.

Remove, clean and dry the stamp. Reposition the mid-sized Skeleton Tree stamp so that it’s facedown on the bottom left of the image panel. Position the smallest Skeleton Tree Stamp from the facedown on the bottom right of the image panel

Press the lid into the back of the stamps and lift. Ink both stamps with Summertime VersaFine Clair Ink and stamp (8B). Remove the stamps from the platform.

Step 9:
Position the bubbles stamp from the Faerie Clear Polymer Stamp Set facedown on the image panel slightly above the mermaid’s outstretched hand. Press the lid into the back of the stamps and lift. Ink the stamp with Morning Mist VersaFine Clair Ink and stamp. Remove the panel from the platform. Heat set the panel.

Step 10:
Place the image panel back onto the magnetic page. Use magnets and low-tack tape to secure the Sunshine Small Stencil over the image panel as shown. Sponge White Shimmer Delicata Ink over the stencil onto the image panel. Remove the panel and heat set.

Step 11:
Use Tear-It! Tape to adhere the image panel to a black A2 card.

Finished Card

Imagine Supplies:

Other Supplies:

Guinevere Clear Polymer Stamp by Lavinia Stamps
Skeleton Trees Clear Polymer Stamp Set by Lavinia Stamps
Faerie Clear Polymer Stamp Set by Visible Image
Small Sunshine Stencil by Darkroom Door
Currents Stencil by A Colorful Life Designs
W3, W4, W6, BG45, BG57, E93, E95 by Copic Markers
Ultramarine, Orange, Yellow Orange, Rusty Orange Triplus Pens by Staedtler
Marine and Black Stardust Gelly Roll Gel Pens by Sakura of America
Low-Tack Tape
Magnet Page used for die-cut storage
Misti Stamping Platform by My Sweet Petunia

How to Make A Dramatic Sunset Card

Posted on July 2, 2024 by Imagine

By Ceal Pritchett

Today I am sharing a card that uses VersaFine Clair inks to create a dramatic sunset. You will need to gather the following supplies to recreate this card. I have them pictured below.

Skill: Advanced
Time: 1 to 1 ½ hours

Directions:

Step 1:
Cut the window die out of black cardstock.

Step 2:
Using the large stamp in the layering stamp set, place it near the bottom of the panel and ink one third of the top portion with Cheerful ink. Next ink the middle portion with Pink VersaColor. The bottom portion should be inked with Charming Pink and Glamorous. The very edge of the stamp should be inked with Purple Delight. I also used a dauber to add purple delight to the bottom of the panel and later went over that with a Copic marker.

The next layer adds more definition to the sea. I inked it up with Pink VersaColor which turns orange when stamped over yellow.

The last layer is to stamp the reflection which I stamped in Cheerful (yellow) ink.

Step 3:
I used a post it note to mask off the bottom portion so I could create the sky. To do this I used a dauber and blended Warm Breeze and Paradise ink and then added a little of the Fantasia ink to the top portion. I placed the panel back in the Misti and stamped the sky using Warm Breeze on the bottom portion of the stamp, Paradise in the middle and Fantasia on the very edge.

Step 4:
Cut out a circle for the sun and ink blend Cheerful at the top, Charming Pink in the middle and Glamorous at the very bottom.

Step 5:
Cut the panel into two pieces in order to layer them on an A2 panel.

Step 6:
Adhere the sky panel to the top of the white A2 panel, add the sun and then add the sea panel so you overlap the sun and sky just a bit. You can see the white portion left in the photo above.

Step 7:
Stamp a sentiment with VersaMark ink and emboss with white Mboss powder and then cut it out with the coordinating die and add to the front of the card.

Supply List:

Imagine products:
• VersaFine Clair:
Glamorous, Charming Pink, Cheerful, Warm Breeze, Paradise, Purple Delight, Fantasia
• VersaColor – Pink
• VersaMark
• Mboss Powder – White
• On Point Glue

Other Products
• Neenah Solar White 110lb and 80lb cardstock
• Pitch Black cardstock – Hero Arts
• Color Layering Sunset Over Waves Bundle – Hero Arts
• Tropical Foliage Window – Hero Arts

DIY Stenciled Marker Bag

Posted on July 1, 2024 by Imagine

By Helen Gullett

Hello crafty friends! This time, I want to share an idea on how you can personalize your own marker bag simply using Fabrico Markers and stencil. It is a fun project. You can do it in your free time and it is quick because the markers do not require a long time to dry. For my project today, I got the fabric bag from a craft store and I picked just one color to use but you can pick any color you want to use depending on the stencil design you use.

Skill: Intermediate
Time: 30 minutes

Direction:

Step 1
Pick a plain fabric bag that is made to be personalized. You can iron it if there are wrinkles on the bag surface, but it is an option.
Cut a piece of cardboard to put inside the bag to prevent ink bleeding through the fabric.
Pick a stencil design that you want to use.
Secure the stencil on the bag surface with temporary tape, or washi tape. Make sure the stencil won’t move around when you start the next step.

Step 2
Trace the design with the Fabrico marker. Fabrico markers are dual tip markers. Pick the tip that will fit to be used for your stencil. On my project, I used the bullet tip to trace the image and words.
After trace one design, remove the stencil to the other side to trace another design if needed.

Step 3
After tracing all the design on the fabric bag, remove the stencil.
You can retrace the design without the stencil if needed.
Fill in the design with more colors using the marker using either bullet or brush tip.

Isn’t that quick and easy to personalize your own fabric bag for markers? I hope you will give it a try.

Craft Supplies

Imagine:

Others:

Clear Scraps 3×12 Peace Be Still Stencil
Removable Tape
Cardboard / Thick cardstock

Red, White, and Blue Birthday Wishes Card

Posted on June 27, 2024 by Imagine

By Monica Edwards

Welcome back to the Imagine blog. Today, I will show you how to use your VersaColor ink cubes to make a fun and creative background to celebrate America’s birthday.

Skill Level: Beginner
Time: 30 Minutes Approx.

Directions:

Step 1
Take a sheet of white cardstock cut it to 4×5 (set aside)

Step 2a
Take your VersaColor ink cube in Neptune and blot the color onto the stamp.
I applied the blue to the kids, grass border and bit of the flag.

Step 2b
Next, I blotted on some Memento Luxe in Love Letter on the flag.
This will give you the two-tone color stamping.

Step 3
Stamp your image on the white cardstock

Step 4
Next, create a mat for the piece of white cardstock by taking a piece of navy cardstock and cutting it to 4.25 x 5.25 inches. This will leave a 0.25-inch navy border around the white cardstock.

Finish your card with a sentiment.

Products Used:

Imagine:
• Memento Luxe – Love Letter
• VersaColor – Nautical Blue

Other:
Hammermill: White Cardstock
My Colors : Navy
Crackerbox Stamps: Happy Fourth, Happy Birthday Sentiment

How to Make a Shimmery Tag for a Celebration

Posted on June 26, 2024 by Imagine

By Alison Heikkila

Hello! It’s Alison Heikkila and today we are going to be making a tag that can be used for any type of celebration. You can use this tag on a hostess gift, as an invitation, attached to a card or scrapbook page, etc. The tag is super shimmery and is really festive! You can change up the colors to suit your needs.

*Some affiliate links are used in this post. That means that if you shop through these links, I may receive a small compensation, at no cost to you. For more information, please see my Affiliates page, where I also have some coupon codes.

Skill Level: Intermediate
Time to Complete: 20 minutes