See How to Create a Family Tree Wall Hanging

by Iris Rodriguez

See How to Create a Family Tree Wall Hanging using Tsukineko All-Purpose Ink and VersaFine Clair

This month we have the pleasure of working with Joy Clair stamps. Today, I am using the Love Tree stamp set which made me think of the strong bond that exists amongst family. I created a wall hanging as an ode to family and the love that binds us and keeps us together. For this project, I stamped the sentiment “Love Blossoms Here” onto watercolor paper, personalized it with alphabet stamps, added wire hanging and added a book paper backing to represent the family stories that get created along the way and then passed on. Keep reading to see how I created this lovely home decor piece.

Skill: Intermediate
Time: 1.5 hours

Directions


Step 1

Spray the watercolor paper with water. Then brush on the Tropical Lagoon All-Purpose ink. Dry the paper. This will become the background.


Step 2

Stamp the tree and sentiment with Acorn Versafine Clair ink. Add Imagine’s Embossing Powder in Clear and heat set. Then continue to stamp the rest of elements.


Step 3

Color in the tree with the Chocolate All-Purpose ink and water. Dry the paper.


Step 4

Measure a piece of discarded cardboard to fit behind your main tree image.


Step 5

Adhere the book paper onto the cardboard with Matte Medium. Add the Matte Medium on the cardboard, on the book paper. Burnish with your fingers or brayer to ensure bubbles do not develop under the book paper. Brush on Matte Medium over the paper. Then adhere to the back of the wall hanging. This also helps give weight to the watercolor paper, which keeps the paper straight.


Step 6

Paint the dowels with Terra Cotta Walnut ink with a brush and water. Dry the dowels with the heating tool.


Step 7

Punch holes on the top and the bottom of wall hanging using the hole punch.


Step 8

Add the eyelets with the eyelet setter. Wrap wire in the hole and around the dowel several times. Ensure to leave a loop in the center to hang on the wall.

And, this is it! A new art piece for your home or a great gift for a family member or friend. I hope you give it a try.

Supplies

Imagine
Other
  • Joy Clair Stamps – The Love Tree set
  • Eyelets
  • Eyelet Setter
  • 20 gauge Steel Wire
  • Wooden Dowel
  • Watercolor paper
  • Cardboard
  • Book Paper
  • Matte Medium or Mod Podge
  • 1/16 hole punch

Make a Cute “Gnome is Where the Heart is” Card

by Steph Ackerman

Make a Cute "Gnome is Where the Heart is" Card. Joy Clair Stamps.

In today’s project, I created two cards with a fun garden gnome themes with Tsukineko inks. This month we had the opportunity of creating with Joy Clair stamps and I chose a woodgrain background and a whimsical stamp set. Who doesn’t love mushroom houses and gnomes?

Skill: Intermediate
Time: 1 hour + dry time

Directions


Step 1

Stamp houses with VersaFine Clair in Nocturne on white cardstock.


Step 2

Color images with Memento Markers.


Step 3

To achieve color variations, ink the woodgrain stamp with Brilliance in Pearlescent Beige and Coffee Bean Inks and stamp onto white cardstock.


Step 4

Ink the woodgrain stamp with VersaFine Clair in Pinecone and stamp onto brown cardstock.


Step 5

Die cut house with circle dies. Ink around edges with Brilliance in Pearlescent Beige. Stamp fences with VersaFine Clair in Pinecone Ink.


Step 6

Mat die cut house with yellow cardstock and add to the background. Stamp “Hello” with VersaFine Clair in Nocturne. Mat with cardstock and add to the card. Stamp mushroom images along the bottom edge of an envelope.


Step 7

Die cut trellis from brown cardstock. Ink with VersaFine Clair Pinecone and spritz with Ink Potion No. 9.


Step 8

Mat woodgrain panel with brown cardstock. Fussy cut house and mat with brown cardstock. Add to card. Stamp “Gnome is where the heart is” phrase with Brilliance in Coffee Bean. Die cut and mat with larger die. Add trellis to the card, adhering sentiment on top. Add leaves, tiny flowers, and dew drops.

Supplies

Imagine
Other
  • Joy Clair Stamps – Gnome is Where the Heart Is
  • Heartfelt Creations – Leaves die
  • Cheery Lynn – Trellis die
  • Spellbinders – Circles, Ovals die
  • Prima Marketing – Flowers
  • The Robin’s Nest – Gold Dew Drops
  • Cardstock – white, brown, yellow, green

You Got This! Love, Coffee

by Kyriakos Pachadiroglou

You Got This! Love, Coffee Cards

Having the Joy Clair’s Coffee Love stamp set, I couldn’t resist from making something for the love for coffee. I decided to create handmade pockets that hold the gift cards with a natural kraft paper look that you often see as the color of coffee bags or elements in coffee shops. This is a perfect card design for the coffee lover in your life.

Skill: Intermediate
Time: 1 hour

Directions


Step 1

Stamp the coffee cup image with VersaFine Clair in Rain Forest, cover with Imagine’s Embossing Powder in Clear and heat set.


Step 2

Lightly color the stamped image with VersaColor in Pinecone and Black ink pads using a BrushStix and stamp a coffee bean with the VersaFine Clair Pinecone ink pad.


Step 3

Cut along the stamped coffee cup.


Step 4

Stamp coffee mug using the VersaFine Clair Tulip red instead, shade with VersaColor and fussy cut the shape.


Step 5

On a piece of kraft cardstock 3 ½ x 8 inch, scored in half long side, stamp the circle design with VersaMark, cover with Imagine’s Embossing Powder in White and heat set.


Step 6

Mark ½ in from both short sides, cut straight from one to about 1-inch from the scored point and follow the stamped design removing the kraft paper.


Step 7

Turn the kraft card around and place Tear It! Tape on the sides. Fold and glue. The pocket is ready. Repeat with the second one.


Step 8

Distress edges of the kraft paper pockets with VersaColor White.


Step 9

Stamp sentiments from Joy Clair Coffee Love stamp set on white and kraft card stocks with VersaFine Clair in Nocturne.


Step 10

Cut curvy shapes along the white paper. Cut straight the kraft paper and distress with VersaColor White.


Step 11

Glue the coffee mug and cup. Then glue the kraft stamped “Enjoy”sentiment and end with the white cardstock “You Got This” sentiment.


Step 12

Add coffee beans by stamping with the VersaFine Clair in Pinecone.

Supplies

Imagine
Other
  • Joy Clair – Coffee Love stamp set, Hugs and Smiles stamp set
  • Cardstock – white, kraft
  • Heat tool
  • Scissors
  • Craft knife

Project Swap: Create a Hello Greeting Card from Book Pages

Project Swap: Create a Hello Greeting Card from Book Pages

Welcome to another set for our Artist Project Swap with Iris and Jowilna. For the Month of May, we challenged our artists to exchange tutorials and create each other’s designs in order to see how each of our artists interprets style and choices. The receiving artist did not know who designed the project, nor did they receive any images! In today’s post, Iris gives the directions and recommended supplies list and Jowilna created the project.

Create a Hello Greeting Card from Book Pages by Jowilna Nolte

Being creative can literally happen anywhere and using whatever products you have, but under the pressure of a challenge the creativity can be ramped up a little. With my project swap challenge card, I did not have the same colors of VersaFine Clair inks Iris suggested and opted to use my Memento Luxe ink pads in similar shades. I love the chalky look the inks gave my card and the outcome is just as amazing. See how I made it!

Skill: Beginner
Time: 30 minutes + dry time

Directions


Step 1

Brush on watered down Gesso onto the book (printed text) paper, ensuring that the text is still visible. Dry paper.


Step 2

Stamp a flower with VersaFine Clair in Nocturne off center; about a third of the way from the left-hand side. Emboss the flower with black embossing powder and set with a heat tool.


Step 3

Cut two rectangle pieces of card stock paper; ensure that the length will cover the desired size the gesso book paper and a minimum of an inch in width. These pieces will be used to the block ink, so using scrap card stock paper is okay for this step.


Step 4

Tape down the corners of book paper with the masking tape. You will be inking part of the book paper. The rectangles cut in the step above will be used to block the ink. Select a rectangle area over the embossed flower to ink (leave unmasked). For added interest, do not ink the flower completely, make sure some of the flower images is masked to allow parts of the flower to go outside the inked area.


Step 5

Using the book paper that was cut in the step above as a guide, cut three rectangular pieces of white cardstock paper. Cut so that two of the three rectangles set side by side will create a mask below your book paper piece.


Step 6

Ink each matting cardstock piece with the same ink used in steps above. In essence, you are color coordinating with inked area of the book paper.


Step 7

Layer and adhere the inked cardstock pieces behind the book paper, overlap and vary their angles for added interest.


Step 8

Stamp a “hello” or “dropping you a note” sentiment onto card stock paper, fussy cut and adhere to the card front.

Supplies 

Imagine
Other
  • Cardstock – white
  • Carabelle – “Hello” stamp
  • Book Paper
  • Heat gun
  • Gesso

Original Design by Iris

What do you think of Jowilna’s interpretation of Iris’s design?

Comment below!

Learn How to Create a Beautiful Galaxy Background on a Card

by Arjita Sepaha Singh

Galaxy backgrounds are very popular nowadays and it’s no wonder because it is very beautiful and also fun to create. Today, I will be sharing a super quick and easy way to create it using Goosebumps spray and Fireworks Sprays in Rosebud, Danube Blue & Sweet Plum. See how I created this card with the sentiment that reads, “I love you more than the stars” which is a wonderful message to share with someone you love.

 

Supplies

Imagine
Other

Project Swap: Create a “Dear Friend” Greeting Card

Welcome back for another Artist Project Swap with Martha and Steph.

Welcome back for another Artist Project Swap with Martha and Steph. For the Month of May, we challenged our artists to exchange tutorials and create each other’s designs in order to see how each of our artists interprets style and choices. The receiving artist did not know who designed the project, nor did they receive any images! In today’s post, Steph writes the directions and recommended supplies list and Martha created the project.

Create a “Dear Friend” Greeting Card by Martha Lucia Gomez

This month the Artist in Residence team made a wonderful exercise or swap project challenge. Each designer created a project and send the instructions and photo to our coordinator. Then we received another project to follow the instructions, without a photo or who exactly created it. This is the swap project I received and can you believe that after made the card I discovered who was the author of the instructions…I recognize the style!

Skill: Intermediate
Time: 30 minutes + dry time

Directions


Step 1

Create the base of the card using olive card stock. The size of my card is a regular size 4-1/4″ x 11″ with a score at 5-1/2″ for the centerfold. Cut a white cardstock of 4″x 5-1/4″. Place a background pattern stencil on the white panel and ink with Brilliance in Pearlescent Lime.


Step 2

Ink sheer ribbon with lime ink. When dry, wrap around the matted panel. Knot with twine on the right side of the panel. Added the panel to the card with foam adhesives.


Step 3

Using a stamp positioning tool and a flower stamp, ink the steam and leaves with the Brilliance in Pearlescent Lime. Ink the flower with the Memento Marker in Angel Pink. Stamp image onto white cardstock. Re-stamp the flower using the Memento Marker in Rose Bud around the edges. Fussy cut the flower.


Step 4

Die cut brown and white cardstock shapes with graduating sized dies. Adhere together with Tear It Tape. Place on left side of the card with foam adhesives, overlapping the ribbon. Trim shapes as needed to align with a patterned piece on the left edge. Adhere the stamped flower on top. I used square cross stitched die cuts from Gina Marie Designs. Stamp “Just For You” sentiment. Ink edges and mat with brown cardstock. Add near the top of the card with foam adhesives. Reading through Steph’s instructions I realized I didn’t have a “Just For You” sentiment so I replaced with “Dear Friend” which is just as nice.

Definitely, it was a very good experience to swap projects and the best part that was I could replace materials and give to the project my personal touch.

Supplies

Imagine
Other
  • Cardstock – Whisper White, Old Olive, Early Espresso
  • Hero Arts – Honeycomb Stencil
  • Stampin Up – Birthday Blossom Stamp set
  • Gina Marie Designs – Square Cross Stitched dies
  • Big Shot die cut machine
  • Sheer ribbon
  • MISTI or Stamparatus stamping tool
  • Double sided foam tape or Dimensionals

Original Design by Steph

What did you think of Martha’s interpretation of Steph’s design?

Comment below!