Inking Stamps with Memento Markers for Watercolor Effect

By Jessica Lin

Have you ever tried inking stamps with markers instead of ink pads? It has been a long time since I used this technique, so I decided to revisit it again today. To blend the colors and achieve a watercolor look, you can spritz on the stamp before stamping. I love the result and I hope you do, too!

Skill: Intermediate
Time: 45 minutes

Step 1:
Color the stamps with Memento markers (tip: use the broader tip of the marker to easily cover a large area). I used three sets of colors today: Green House, Juicy Purples, and the light pink marker from Girl’s Night Out. The floral stamp is from Stampin’ Up!’s Good Morning Magnolia set. It’s a red rubber stamp and the colors may not be fully visible after you color, so I would recommend starting with the lighter shades and adding the bolder colors afterwards.

Step 2:
Spritze Sheer Shimmer Sparkle spray onto the stamp before stamping onto your card. This would blend the colors together to create a watercolor look.

Step 3:
Stamp onto the card. For the flower image, I may have used too much purple so it’s harder to see the transition from purple to pink. The leaves turned out perfectly; I really like the faux watercolor effect.

Step 4:
Use a pair of paper snips to cut along the edge of the magnolia flower. I then added a piece of Fresh Freesia cardstock to the inside of the card. The Fresh Freesia cardstock peeks through the bottom cutout edge and complements purple flower nicely.

Step 5:
Stamp a “Happy Mother’s Day” sentiment with Brilliance Purple pigment ink. I also die cut a vellum decorative strip to embellish the simple sentiment but it’s totally optional. And that completes the card! I hope you enjoy this simple technique and would give these Memento markers a try!

Products Used:

Imagine Supplies:

Other Supplies:

Make a Butterfly Birthday Card

By Ceal Pritchett

Hello crafty Friends!

Today I am sharing some creativity using the Memento Dew Drops in rainbow colors.
To make my card, I used a faux watercolor technique that I will share the steps below.

Skill: Beginner to Intermediate
Time: 30 to 45 minutes

Directions:

For the background, you will need a water friendly piece of cardstock, like Bristol or heavystock which I am using. A background stamp, a rainbow of ink colors and a water mister bottle.

Step 1:
Randomly ink up the background stamp with the different colors of ink and ten spritz with water.

Step 2:
Place your panel of cardstock down on your craft mat, then place the inked background stamp that you spritzed with water over it and press down. Allow it to sit for a few seconds and then lift the stamp off to see the results.

Step 3:
Die cut the sentiment. I cut three of the backers in white and the sentiment once out of black. Adhere them together using On Point glue. 

To finish the card, adhere an A2 black panel of cardstock to the A2 card base. Cut down the butterfly panel to 4 X 5.25 and adhere to black panel. Adhere the die cut sentiment in the center of the butterfly panel.

Products Used:

Imagine:
• Memento Dew Drops
Rose Bud, Tangelo, Dandelion, Pear Tart, Teal Zeal, Danube Blue and Grape Jelly
On Point Glue

Other Supplies:
Butterfly background stamp – Hero Arts
Happy Birthday Die – Honey Bee Stamps
Pitch Black cardstock – Hero Arts
120lb Classic Solar White cardstock – Neenah
Distress White Heavystock – Ranger

Mushrooms For Mother’s Day

By Alison Heikkila

Hello! My latest project for Imagine is a Mother’s Day theme. Now, perhaps this project may be a style all moms like, but it’s definitely one that my mom loves. I wanted to show how beautiful VersaMagic inks are, and how convenient it is to have them in their Dew Drops shape. They’re beautiful and chalky, and create really nice effects.

*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.

Skill Level: Intermediate
Time to Complete: 20-30 minutes

Supplies:
Imagine:
VersaMagic: Red Brick
VersaMagic: Pink Grapefruit
VersaMagic: Wheat
VersaMagic: Sahara Sand
VersaMagic: Tea Leaves
VersaMagic: Key Lime
VersaMagic: Pumpkin Spice
VersaFine Clair: Nocturne
VersaFine Clair: Fallen Leaves
VersaFine Clair: Shady Lane
Memento Marker: Love Letter

Other:
Sizzix: Painted Pencil Mushrooms
Sizzix: Painted Pencil Leaves
Sizzix: Hello You Sentiments
MISTI Stamping Tool
Whimsical Wishes: Stamp Glider Pressure Tool
Strathmore: Smooth Bristol Cardstock
Neenah: Desert Storm Cardstock
Accent Opaque 100lb. Cardstock
Bearly Arts Glue

I can’t wait to officially give this card to my mom. I know she’s going to love everything about it. If you haven’t played with VersaMagic Inks yet, I hope you’ll give them a try. Thanks for stopping by. Have an inspiring day!

Clean and Simple Mother’s Day Card

By Helen Gullett

Hello crafty friends! Mother’s Day is coming up soon. Sending out a handmade card is a way to show your love to a lovely mother figure in your life. Today, I would like to share with you how to make this Mother’s Day CAS card using Imagine Crafts products and stamps.

Skill: Beginner
Time: 15-20 minutes

Direction:

Step 1
Cut a piece of watercolor paper into 6 inch x 5 inch size. This size fits on my stamping tool. Then, stamp the image on the watercolor paper with Versafine Onyx Black ink pad.

Step 2
Dab some of the Memento DewDrop Inks (Rose Bud, Bamboo Leaves, New Sprout, and Summer Sky) on the craft mat.

Add a couple drops of water from the waterbrush on the ink to turn it into watercolor paint. Pick up the ink with the waterbrush and paint the flower and vase.

Dry the painted image with a craft heat gun.

Step 3
On a piece of white cardstock, add some of the Lulu Lavender ink using the blending brush.
Build up the color from darker to lighter to create the gradient look on the background.

Step 4
Once done with adding color on the cardstock, lightly spray some of the Sparkle Sheer Shimmer Craft Spray. And then use a small flat brush, add some extra splatter on it for more texture.

Using a craft heat gun, dry the background panel.

Step 5
Fussy cut the flower with micro-tip scissors.
Optional: you can use a die if you use a stamp set that has a matching die set.

Step 6
Stamp the sentiment on a white cardstock using the VersaFine Clair Nocturne, dry the ink with a craft heat gun, and then cut it into a sentiment banner with scissors or paper cutter.

Step 7
Add the background panel on an A2 card base using the Tear It! Tape.
Add the flower and sentiment to the card using the On Point Glue.

That’s my project for today. Hopefully, you’ll like this project and give it a try. Thanks so much for stopping by our blog today. Have a wonderful day!

Craft Supplies

Imagine Crafts:

Others:

  • Altenew – Breeze Bouquet Stamp Set
  • Canson Watercolor Paper 140lb
  • Micro-tip Scissors
  • Fiskar paper trimmer
  • Acrylic stamping blocks
  • Small Round Waterbrush
  • Flat paint brush or fan brush
  • Oval Blending Brush
  • Craft Heat Gun
  • MISTI stamping tool

Best Black Ink for Alcohol Marker Coloring

By Jessica Lin

When it comes to coloring with alcohol markers, the ink you use to stamp your images becomes very important. Choosing the right ink will ensure that the image lines stay sharp without bleeding into each other. My personal choice is the Memento Tuxedo Black ink pad. A light beige color like Desert Sand could be a great choice as well for no-line coloring.

Skill: Intermediate
Time: 1 hour

Step 1:
Stamp some floral and leaves images with Memento Tuxedo Black ink. I love the Happiness Abounds set from Stampin’ Up; the roses are so elegant and the perfect sizes to create a floral wreath. Then color the images with your choice of alcohol markers. I used Stampin Blends in Pale Papaya, Soft Seafoam, and Old Olive.

Step 2:
Die cut the colored images with Blossoming Happiness dies and arrange them in a circle. Then adhere them to the card base. I used Tear-It Tape to adhere the leaves in the background, and used Stampin’ Dimensionals to create layers and depth for the flowers. 

Step 3:
For the sentiment, I chose a simple circle to tie in this elegant design. The fonts for these stamps are just so pretty! I always grab VersaFine Clair Nocturne to stamp my sentiments; the lines are so crisp and dark, and they’ll never look splotchy! Don’t use them with alcohol markers though, the pigment ink will react with alcohol inks.

Coloring takes time, but it’s such a relaxing experience… I hope you enjoyed this project as much as I do.

Imagine Supplies:

Other Supplies:

https://www.stampinup.com/products/mini-stampin-cut-emboss-machine?demoid=2164794

https://www.stampinup.com/products/soft-sea-foam-stampin-blends-combo-pack?demoid=2164794

https://www.stampinup.com/products/iridescent-pearl-basic-jewels?demoid=2164794

  • Foam Tape

DIY Spring Bookmarks

By Helen Gullett

Hello crafty friends! Today, I want to share with you how to make these Spring themed bookmarks, using Imagine Crafts products and simple crafting tools. These bookmarks are a great gift for book lovers, or donating to your local library, or even just for you to use personally. You can make a batch of them in a short time!

Skill: Beginner
Time: 15-30 minutes

Directions:

Step 1
I find that Canson Watercolor Paper 140lb is the best to make bookmarks. They are not only thick and sturdy, but also you can use any craft  techniques with this paper – either simply stamping, or watercoloring, or even mixed media.

Cut a piece of watercolor paper into 6 inch x 1 ¾ inch size. One piece of this 9 x 12 watercolor paper, you can get 10 bookmarks.

You can leave it as a rectangle or you can round the corner with the corner rounder punch. Next, use a ¼ inch hole punch to punch a hole at the center top of the bookmark for ribbon or teasel.

Step 2
Next step is to create the watercolor wash background using Memento DewDrop ink and Ink Potion No. 9 Spray on each of the bookmarks.

Dab the Memento ink on the craft mat and then spray with some of the Ink Potion No. 9.

Step 3
Smoosh a bookmark into the ink. Gently press to get the ink transferred to the bookmark.

Step 4
You can repeat this step as many times as you want to get the first color wash you like to get. You can spray the ink more to get lighter color, or spray the ink less to get more darker color.

And then repeat the step 2 and step 3 with different colors that you want to use on your bookmark background. For mine, I used the Memento Dew Drop Inks Angel Pink, Rose Bud, New Sprout, and Bamboo Leaves colors.

Step 5
When done with adding watercolor washes on the bookmarks, use the craft heat gun to dry them.

Option step, you can repeat step 2, step 3, and step 4, if you want to add more color to them.

Step 6
Dab some of the Delicata ink on the craft mat, spray it with the Ink Potion No. 9, and then smoosh the bookmark into the ink. Gently press it to get the ink transferred well.

You will get a shimmer look on the bookmark with this step.

Dry all the ink on the bookmark with a craft heat gun.

Step 7
When the bookmark background is completely dry, stamp the image and sentiment on them with VersaFine Clair ink using acrylic blocks (or stamping tool of your choice).

Use a craft heat gun to dry the stamped images and sentiments.

Step 8
This is optional. You can leave the bookmarks as they are, or you can add some more ink splatters to them.

To add more splatters to the bookmark, dab some of the Delicata Ruby Red ink on the craft mat, spray it with Ink Potion No. 9, and use a flat brush (or fan brush) to add the splatters.

Use a craft heat gun to dry the bookmarks.

Add some ribbon or teasel to the bookmarks.

Hope that you like this project and give it a try. Thanks so much for stopping by our blog today. Have a wonderful day!

Craft Supplies

Imagine Crafts:

Others:

  • Sweet ‘n Sassy Stamp – Dearest Friend Stamp Set
  • Canson Watercolor Paper 140lb
  • Corner Rounder Punch
  • Hole Punch (¼ inch)
  • Fiskar paper trimmer
  • Acrylic stamping blocks
  • Flat paint brush or fan brush
  • Craft Heat Gun
  • Ribbon or twice or tassel