Let’s Make a Nature-Inspired Birthday Card

Posted on January 2, 2026 by Imagine

By Anna Escalada York

I wanted to use my husband’s birthday to make him a personalized birthday card. He loves to be in nature and loves it when I use recycled materials (mostly because then we don’t have to buy new things). I also added a background that expresses how I feel about him.

Skill Level: Intermediate
Time: 2 hours

Directions:

Step 1:
Stamp a piece of kraft cardstock with a text-based background stamp with Jumbo Java VersaMagic Chalk Ink. Heat emboss with clear embossing powder. Die cut the panel with the second-largest die from a nested A2-sized nested die set.

Step 2:
Stamp a large tree stamp set on a piece of watercolor paper with Nocturne VersaFine Clair ink. Heat emboss with clear embossing powder. Die cut with a mid-sized star die from a nested star die set.

Step 3:
Lightly spray Rich Cocoa Fireworks! Craft Spray and Gold Sheer Shimmer Craft Spray onto the watercolor stamped star. Blot a little of the spray off with a paper towel and allow to dry. Then Then press Celestial Copper Delicata ink onto a piece of acetate packaging and spray with water. Watercolor smoosh the star by pressing the liquid copper onto the panel. Then repeat the watercolor smooshing with Jumbo Java VersaMagic Chalk Ink mixed with water on the acetate. Let the panel dry again.

Step 4:
Mix some of the remaining Jumbo Java VersaMagic Chalk Ink and water with more of the Rich Cocoa Fireworks! Craft Spray to make a darker brown watercolor. Paint the trees with the watercolor. Allow to dry. Apply a second coat of watercolor to a few trees to add interest and darker trees. Allow to dry a second time.

Step 5:
Stamp a sentiment on kraft cardstock with Nocturne VersaFine Clair ink. Then heat emboss with more clear embossing powder. Then die cut with the corresponding dies.

Optional: Die cut 2 more die cut layers for each of the sentiment (3 layers total for each of the dies–1 that is the stamped kraft layer, and two scrap layers). Glue the layers together and set aside to dry.

Step 6:
Die cut a piece of corrugated cardboard with the largest die from an A2-sized nesting panel die set. Then brush the edges of the panel with Jumbo Java VersaMagic Chalk Ink.

Step 7:
Use a sponge dauber to ink blend the edges of the star with Celestial Copper Delicata ink. Glue the die cut star onto the smaller, stamped panel. Trim the overhanging left part of the star. Then press Tea Leaves VersaMagic Chalk Ink onto acetate packaging and spray with water.

Splatter the Tea Leaves-colored watercolor onto the panel. Add a couple of watercolor smooshed areas to add interest (or to cover areas where you want splatters but the splatters are not doing what you want). Allow to dry.

Step 8:
Brush the edges of the smaller, stamped panel with the Celestial Copper Delicata ink pad.

Step 9:
Assemble the card. Glue the two panels together. Glue the sentiment strips onto the panel. Then add sequins on the lower left and upper right parts of the card. Then glue the whole thing onto an A2-sized kraft card base.

Art Supplies

Imagine
• Delicata Ink – Celestial Copper
• Fireworks! Craft Spray – Rich Cocoa
• Sheer Shimmer Craft Spray – Gold
• VersaFine Clair ink – Nocturne
• VersaMagic Chalk ink – Jumbo Java
• VersaMagic Chalk ink – Tea Leaves
• Sponge Dauber

Other
• Altenew – die set – Wings & Petals (for the sentiment)
• Altenew – stamp set – Wings & Petals (for the sentiment)
• Catherine Pooler – sequin mix – Wintergreen
• Pink and Main – die set – Notched Corners
• Simon Hurley create – background stamp – Timber!
• Simon Says Stamp – die set – Nested Stars Wafer Dies
• Simon Says Stamp – background stamp – You Are
• Kraft cardstock
• Watercolor paper
• Corrugated cardboard
• Clear Embossing Powder

Let’s Give Thanks Card

Posted on October 24, 2025 by Imagine

By Anna Escalada York

To me, Thanksgiving is mostly about food but also an excuse to say thank you to those people who are a part of my personal and professional life. So I decided to make a thank you card to let people know that I am grateful for them. I decided to use some paper scraps because I always have too many and to enhance them with sprays or ink to transform them. At first, I was planning on making one card with a lot of leaves, but changed my mind after die cutting the leaves, so ended up making two.

Skill: Intermediate
Time: 1.5 hours

Directions:

Step 1:
Pull out some scraps of paper from your stash and a variety of sprays and ink. Spray the scraps with the sprays. My scraps were colored with Cantaloupe, Angel Pink, Dandelion, Lilac Posies, and Tangelo Fireworks! Craft Sprays as well as Peanut Brittle Memento Ink. After the spray dried, die cut the scraps of paper with leaf dies. Reserve some of the sprayed paper for later.

Step 2:
Press Walnut Ink colored Walnut Ink Antiquing Solution as well as Elderberry Memento ink onto acetate packaging. Add water to the different parts of the acetate and splatter the die cut leaves with the Elderberry Memento ink. Then watercolor smoosh the leaves with both the Elderberry Memento ink and the Walnut Ink Antiquing Solution. After the leaves dried, rub the edges of the leaves with the London Fog Memento ink pad. Allow everything to dry again.

Step 3:
Trim a piece of kraft cardstock with a paper trimmer to about 5 x 3.75 inches. Then spray Rose Gold Sheer Shimmer Craft Spray directly into an embossing folder. Place the kraft cardstock panel into the embossing folder and then run the whole thing through a die cutting machine.

Allow the panel to dry.

Step 4:
Use Dark Brown Shimmer Delicata ink to add some color to the panel by brushing the panel lightly across the embossed paper. The raised part of the embossed panel will pick up the dark brown ink, while the other areas will be untouched. Then press the edges with the same Dark Brown Shimmer Delicata ink panel to add color to the border.

Step 5:
I die cut a scrap piece of rose gold glitter cardstock with a stitched circle die as well as the shadow die of a two-layer sentiment die. In addition, I die cut another piece of the lilac (purple) sprayed cardstock from step 1 with the top layer of the two-layer sentiment die. I also die cut two pieces of scrap cardstock with the same sentiment die. The layers of the sentiment die were glued together to give dimension and then they were glued on the rose gold shadow die cut.

Then the card was assembled. I glued three of the leaves onto the glitter cardstock die cut circle and then glued the whole thing onto the embossed panel. Next, the sentiment was glued onto the panel. Sequins were glued onto the panel. Finally, the whole thing was glued onto a kraft cardbase.

A second card was made with the leftover die cut leaves in the same manner. The only changes were that I used a light orange vellum and some more of the sprayed scrap paper from step 1 to create the die cut circular background and the sentiment.

Art Supplies

Imagine

• Delicata Ink – Dark Brown Shimmer
• Fireworks! Shimmer Craft Spray
– Angel Pink, Cantaloupe, Dandelion, Lilac Posies (retired color) and Tangelo
• Memento Ink – Elderberry, London Fog and Peanut Brittle
• Sheer Shimmer Craft Spray – Rose Gold
• Walnut Ink Antiquing Solution – Walnut Ink

Other Products

• Alex Syberia Designs – die set – Large Thanks
• HAI Supply – embellishments – Cola Crystalline gems
• Simon Says Stamp – Embossing folder Modern Loop
• Sizzix – die set – Leaf Fragments by Tim Holtz
• Circular die
• A2-sized kraft card base Clear Embossing Powder Kraft cardstock
• Glitter cardstock
• Light orange sparkly vellum
• Patterned paper scraps and magazine pages
• Die cutting machine
• Paper trimmer Scissors
• Glue

Let’s Make a Repurposed Tea Tin Box

Posted on September 26, 2025 by Imagine

By Anna Escalada York

I’ve had a small metal tea box that I’ve wanted to repurpose into a mixed media piece for a while, so I took some time on a rainy day to make it happen.

Skill: Advanced
Time: 1 hour active time, 6+ hours (drying between layers)

Directions:

Step 1:

After applying two coats of gesso around all four sides of a tea tin, spray the top of the tin with Cherry Blossom Walnut Ink Antiquing Solution and allow it to drip down the sides of the tin. Set aside to dry.

Step 2:

Spray all four sides of the tin with Lulu Lavender Fireworks! Craft Spray and allow to dry.

Step 3:

While the tin was drying, die cut four leaf clusters out of watercolor paper. Then randomly add Paris Dusk Fireworks! Craft Spray to the centers of each leaf with the stick of the spray nozzle and color the outsides of the leaves with Elderberry Memento Dual Marker.

Step 4:

Spray each of the 4 leaf clusters with Lulu Lavender Fireworks! Craft Spray and allow to dry.

Step 5:

Partially stamp each of the four sides of the tin with Night Sky VersaMagic ink on a background stamp. (I used an old woodblock typewriter stamp.) Then press the ink pad along the top edge of the tin and the raised rib as well. Heat emboss the top rim of ink with clear embossing powder.

Step 6:

Ink blend Lilac VersaColor ink through a stencil on all four sides of the tin using a sponge dauber. (Not pictured was splattering more of the Paris Dusk Fireworks! Craft Spray onto each of the four sides as well.) Then allow everything to dry.

Step 7:

Glue two of the leaf cluster dies (one on top of the other) along the right edge of two of the sides of the tin.

Not pictured was the step after this where I decided to use my sponge daubers to ink blend some more of the Night Sky VersaMagic ink along some of the edges of the leaves while they were glued down, nor using my Gold Sheer Shimmer Stix Dauber Top to add some gold to the leaves as well.

Splatter the tin with more Paris Dusk Fireworks! Craft Spray. Allow it to dry. Then glue dark blue gems around the leaf clusters to finish the box on the two slides with leaves.

Art Supplies

Imagine

Fireworks! – Lulu Lavender and Paris Dusk
Memento Dual Marker – Elderberry
Sheer Shimmer Stix Dauber Top – Gold
VersaColor ink – Lilac
VersaMagic ink – Night Sky
Walnut Ink Antiquing Solution – Cherry Blossom
Sponge Daubers

Other

AALL & Create – stencil – Lotza Starz 6″x6″ stencil
Golden – Gesso Semi-Opaque Acrylic Primer
Scrappy Tails Crafts – embellishment mix
Simon Says Stamp – die cut – Autumn Leaf Branch
Old typewriter woodblock stamp in my stash
Clear Embossing Powder
Watercolor paper
Foam paint brush (for the gesso)
Die cutting machine
Glue

Let’s Give your Clipboard a Makeover

Posted on August 8, 2025 by Imagine

By Anna Escalada York

– I had an old clipboard that I wanted to decorate and was able to make it work with some of my Imagine Craft supplies.

Skill: Intermediate
Time: 2.0 hours (includes drying time)

Directions:

Step 1:
Paint a thin layer of thin layer of white gesso onto an old clipboard and set aside to dry. (I used some old spools of washi tape to hold open the metal clip so that it wouldn’t get stuck in the drying gesso.)

Step 2:
Spray Pear Tart Fireworks! Craft Spray through a detailed heart stencil on the lower left corner of the clipboard. Emboss with clear embossing powder to set the spray.

Here is a closeup of Step 2:

Step 3:
Stamp a large butterfly in the upper left part of the clipboard base and a sentiment (or maybe in this case affirmation) in the lower right corner with Nocturne VersaFine Clair ink and then heat emboss both with clear embossing powder.

Step 4:
Watercolor smoosh the clipboard with a variety of blue, green and black watercolor in layers.

Starting out with Turquoise Gem VersaMagic Chalk Ink, press the ink pad onto a scrap piece of acetate packaging and spray with water. Then press the acetate over the butterfly to create a light blue area around the butterfly. Press the remaining color from the acetate in a diagonal line across the clipboard from the upper left corner to the lower right corner into the stamped sentiment.
Repeat the process with Hint of Pesto VersaMagic Chalk Ink.
Then draw on the acetate with Danube Blue Memento Dual Marker and spray with water; this time focus most of this darker color around the butterfly and splatter the clipboard with the remainder of the dark blue watercolor.

Finally, draw on the acetate with Tuxedo Black Memento Dual Marker and spray with water. Use the black watercolor to splatter the butterfly (and to cover up any blemishes left behind when stamping).

Let everything dry.

Step 5:
Color in parts of the butterfly image with Tropical Lagoon Fabrico Dual Marker (center of the upper wings) and Pear Tart Memento Dual Marker (small circles on the edge of the lower wings). Color in the word curiosity in the sentiment with more of the Tropical Lagoon Fabrico Dual Marker. Heat emboss with clear embossing powder.

Step 6:
Spray Silver Sheer Shimmer Craft Spray onto the acetate and watercolor smoosh it onto the clipboard. Splatter any remaining spray on the acetate onto the clipboard. If larger individual splatters are desired, unscrew the top and use the tube/straw from the spray bottle to dab large blobs of Silver Sheer Shimmer Craft Spray onto the clipboard and finish the project.

Art Supplies

Imagine
• Fabrico Dual Marker – Tropical Lagoon
• Fireworks! Craft Spray – Pear Tart
• Memento Dual Markers – Danube Blue, Pear Tart and Tuxedo Black
• Sheer Shimmer Craft Spray – Silver
• VersaFine Clair ink – Nocturne
• VersaMagic Chalk ink – Hint of Pesto and Turquoise Gem

Other
• Golden – Gesso Semi-Opaque Acrylic Primer
• Stampers Anonymous and Tim Holtz – stamp set – Perspective CMS213 Clear Embossing Powder
• Foam paint brush (for the gesso) Thin paint brush (for splattering) Small detail stencil in my stash

Let’s Make Some Summer Color Cards

Posted on July 11, 2025 by Imagine

By Anna Escalada York

As I was making one card focusing on summer colors, I realized that I could easily make a second (bonus) card and wanted to share both with you.

Skill: Intermediate
Time: 2 hours

Directions:

Step 1:
Stamp a large floral image on watercolor paper with Medieval Blue VersaFine Clair Ink and heat emboss with clear embossing powder.

Step 2:
After die cutting the floral image with the corresponding die, watercolor smoosh Angel Pink Fireworks! Shimmery Craft Spray, focusing on coloring the roses. Use a heat tool to dry the spray or set aside to dry.

Step 3:
Watercolor smoosh the floral image with Cantaloupe Fireworks! Shimmery Craft Spray, this time focusing on getting most of the color into the centers of the daisies. Use a heat tool to dry the spray or set aside to dry.

Step 4:
Use Lilac Posies Fireworks! Shimmery Craft Spray to add another layer of watercolor smooshing to the image, this time focusing the color onto the daisies’ petals. Then paint in more of the Cantaloupe Fireworks! Shimmery Craft Spray into the centers of the daisies (to cover up some of the Lilac Posies spray in daisies’ centers).

Step 5:
Watercolor smoosh the floral arrangement again–this time with New Sprout Fireworks! Shimmery Craft Spray, focusing on adding color to the leaves and other greenery.

Step 6:
Cut a piece of watercolor paper about 3 inches by 5.5 inches. Add texture to the panel by die cutting the panel. (Since the panel was smaller than the die, it didn’t actually cut anything out it just pierced the panel.) Then spray the panel with Rose Gold and Sparkle Sheer Shimmer Craft Spray. Allow to dry.

Step 7:
Add irRESISTible Gold medium through a heart stencil onto the right side of the watercolor panel.

Step 8:
Add irRESISTible Gold onto some of the thinner ribs on the larger stamped leaves and onto some of the berries. After it dried, cut the floral cluster in half with a paper trimmer. Then glue half of the floral cluster onto the lefts side of the panel.

Add more of the irRESISTible Gold medium onto the piece of acetate and spray with water to dilute it. Watercolor smoosh it onto the floral cluster and the background panel. Then glue half of the floral cluster onto the left side of the panel. Then paint the edges of the panel with more of the irRESISTible Gold medium.

Finally glue everything onto a minislimline card base.

Step 9:
Stamp two sentiments on a scrap of watercolor paper with Medieval Blue VersaFine Clair ink and emboss them with clear embossing powder. They were die cut with corresponding dies.

Step 10:
Attach one of the sentiments onto the card with foam tape. To finish the card, glue white gem embellishments around the sentiment.

Step 11:
Then it was onto the bonus card made with the leftover part of the floral image. The same heart stencil was sprayed with Rose Gold Sheer Shimmer Spray and then was pressed onto another panel of watercolor paper trimmed to 3 inches by 5.5 inches. After the spray dried, more of the gold IrRESISTABLE medium was painted onto a small music stamp, which was then stamped multiple times onto the panel.

Step 12:
The remaining half of the floral cluster stamp was glued onto this pahel. The sentiment was attached with more foam tape. The edges were ink blended with Medieval Blue VersaFine Clair ink using a sponge dauber.

Step 13:
Finish the second card by gluing the panel onto another mini slimline cardbase and gluing more white gem embellishments around the sentiment.

Art Supplies

Imagine

• Fireworks! Shimmery Craft Spray – Angel Pink
• Fireworks! Shimmery Craft Spray – Cantaloupe
• Fireworks! Shimmery Craft Spray – New Sprout
• Fireworks! Shimmery Craft Spray – Lilac Posies
• Sheer Shimmer Shimmer Craft Spray – Rose Gold
• Sheer Shimmer Shimmer Craft Spray – Sparkle
• VersaFine Clair Ink – Medieval Blue
• IrRESISTable gold medium
• Sponge Dauber

Other

• Altenew – die Set – Blossoms of Encouragement
• Altenew – Stamp Set – Blossoms of Encouragement
• Altenew – Foam Tape – Instant Dimension Foam Tape
• Crafty Meraki – Die Set- Dance With Me Mini Slimline
• Meraki Para-Dies Scrappy Tails – Embellishments
• Heart Stencil
• Music Stamp
• Watercolor Paper
• Paintbrush
• Die-Cutting Machine
• Scissors
• Glue
• Clear Embossing Powder

Ink Blending With Kaleidacolor Inks

Posted on August 28, 2024 by Imagine

By Alison Heikkila

Hello! I’m Alison Heikkila. Kaleidacolor Inks come in beautiful color palettes and help you do some really fun techniques. I love to use my Kaleidacolor Inks with my Gel Press plates. In this case, we’re using one of the Petite Plates to get the look of a watercolored painting without actually watercoloring.

Skill Level: Beginner-Intermediate
Time to Complete: 20-30 Minutes

*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.