Quick & Easy: Stamp & Drawing Technique


by Roni Johnson

Sometimes when you’re just starting out stamping you don’t want to have to purchase a bunch of supplies when you’re not sure if you’ll like it or not. Well today I have a really fun and easy technique that will add some spice to your cards and all you need besides stamps, ink, and paper is a pen and a ruler and you don’t even really need a ruler – it can be any straight edge.

What are we going to be doing with the pen…making doodles! It’s really easy and I’ll bet you’ve been practicing this for years without even realizing it. Let’s go!

Memento Marker in Tuxedo Black


VersaFine Clair in Nocturne

Acrylic Block by Stampin’ Up

Imagine Craft Mat

Unity – Naturally Beautiful

Stampin Up Cardstock

Directions

Place the “orange blossum” stamp onto an acrylic block (you can skip this if you have wood mounted stamp). Pounce VersaFine Clair in Nocturne over the stamp. Press the inked stamp onto the paper.

Now for the doodles…we’re going to start out with a really basic line doodle frame. First determine where you want your border. I went with ¼” for this example. So line up your ruler (I find that clear rulers are easier to work with) and make a dot at the ¼” mark in all 4 corners with a pencil.

Now you’re going to take a marker, in this case, I’m using the Tuxedo Black Memento Dual Tip Marker to doodle with. It has 2 tips – a brush type marker tip and the other end is like a pen so you can write with it too.

Align the ruler with your pencil dots, using the pen tip; draw a line from dot to dot. Easy Peasy right?

You can choose to stop right there or you can go back and add a few more doodles like these zig-zag lines.

From here you can mount the card on a card base or leave it as a postcard style, color in the oranges, leaves and add a sentiment for whatever occasion fits. As you can see in the first photo — you can apply this technique to several card designs!

Quick & Easy: Quick & Easy Stenciling Technique

by Melissa Andrew

Today, I am sharing a very simple Tuscan Sky using Memento inks and a cloud stencil. Adding different colors of ink, in a repeating pattern gives a lot of interest to your card. The technique is simple, yet the final product looks professional and gorgeous. This is also a popular trend with card makers and having a few simple tools, will allow you to join the fun as a beginning paper crafter.

Memento Inkpad Paris Dusk

Memento Inkpad Morocco

Memento Inkpad Dandelion

Memento Inkpad Danube Blue


Rainy Day – 6×6 Stencil

Cardstock

Imagine Craft Mat

Case base – white or black


Tear It Tape

Sponge Daubers

 

We will be working on a piece of cardstock cut to 4.25 x 5.5 inches, and we will call this our panel. Choose a stencil with a cloud edge. If you do not have a stencil, this is not a problem, simply cut out a piece of thick card stock with bumps like a cloud. Make sure your cut piece is several inches wider than your panel. Next, choose the Dandelion (yellow) Memento Ink and pick up a bit of color with a sponge dauber. Dab a little off onto your craft mat or a scrap piece of paper before inking your panel. Place the stencil edge near the bottom of your panel. Gently add color over the top of the stencil/or cloud cut-out onto the panel. Using a light touch, move the dauber in a circular motion over the edges of the tops of the clouds.

Repeat step one with all four colors of ink. For each layer, move or flip your stencil to get different patterns for each layer. I did two layers each of Dandelion, Morocco, and Danube Blue, and one layer of Paris Dusk at the end to represent the sky behind the clouds. Next, choose a sentiment from any clear stamp set and stamp a sentiment using the Danube Blue Memento Ink on the cloud scene panel.

Add Tear It Tape to the backside of the cloud panel and adhere to an A2 sized card base. Make sure you press the tape down firmly so it will be easier to peel the backing off the tape. It is best to use the tape on the edges of the card so the paper does not curl on the card base. Once you peel off the backing, adhere to the front of your card base. Don’t forget to check that the fold of the card base is on the left side.

At this point, the card is finished and is ready to gift! You can continue to embellish with extra details such as glitter, decorative dots, or hand-drawn elements, but it is pretty just as it is too.

See More Beginner Guide Lessons

Beginner Guide: Acrylic Block Inking Technique