See How to Create a Metallic and Distress Autumnal Greeting Card

by Kassy Tousignant

See How to Create a Metallic and Distress Autumnal Greeting Card

I love making mixed media cards! It is a smaller canvas to work with and you can experiment with different products together. Imagine always has just the right tools for this beautiful copper metallic and golden-hued theme! For November, Imagine is working with Rinea papers and I am having so much fun experimenting with how they emboss and handle ink products! I used the Walnut spray and Creative Medium on the Rinea paper and made a beautiful fall card.

Skill: Advanced
Time: 1 hour + dry time

Supplies

Imagine

• Fireworks! Shimmery Craft Spray – Rich Cocoa, Potter’s Clay
• Walnut Ink Spray – Walnut
• Brilliance ink – Crimson Copper
• Creative Medium – Gold, Copper, Clear
• IrRESISTibles Texture Spray – Copper
IrRESISTibles Pico Embellisher – Lilac Posies
On Point Glue
Tear It! Tape
Palette Knife

Other

• Rinea Paper – brown
• Gold flakes
• Gold glitter
• Gina Marie – wood ring stencil
• Sandpaper
• Sweater stencil
• White gesso
• Chipboard pieces
• Prima – flowers
• Nuvo drops
• Gold string
• Fall pod stem
• White cardstock

Create A Modern Christmas Card With Masking Technique

by Jowilna Nolte

Create A Modern Christmas Card With Masking Technique

Masking is one of those age-old techniques that we often neglect, but when it comes to creating quick and easy Christmas cards I love using this technique for great impact. The layers of Christmas trees have a great look and adding masking gives them fabulou depth and dimension. Combine this simple technique with an elegantly colored ink palette and you have a winner.

Skill: Beginner
Time: 1 hour

Directions

Morning Mist VersaFine Clair ink
Step 1

Stamp several small and large trees onto a card panel using Morning Mist VersaFine Clair ink. Stamp one each of the same trees onto scrap paper or cardstock. The thinner the better. And if you have sticky notes around that is first prize.


Step 2

Cut out the trees that you are going to use for your masking – the thin paper ones. Notice how I cut only the triangle piece of the tree.


Step 3

Place the masked trees onto the stamped panel layering them onto the matching trees using some temporary adhesive.


Step 4

Now stamp more trees and make sure that the stamped images already on the base are covered with the masks.


Step 5

Remove the masks to reveal your layered trees that now sit behind the trees that you first stamped.


Step 6

Use the Shady Lane VersaFine Clair ink and ink only half of the large tree.


Step 7

Use washi tape to mask off one half of the tree and then ink the stamp, but remember to remove the tape before stamping or otherwise the inked tape will also stamp onto your panel. Stamp the image on top of one of the large trees for added interest. Stamp an additional small tree with VersaFine Clair in Shady Lane onto white, cut out and use foam tape to layer onto a smaller stamped tree. Add other embellishments and paint splats to finish off your card.

Supplies

Imagine
Other
  • White cardstock
  • Kaisercraft – Christmas tree stamps
  • Embellishments
  • Card base
  • Pattern Paper
  • Watercolor paint

Create Paper Dresses With Stazon And Creative Medium

by Iris Rodriguez

Create Paper Dresses With Stazon And Creative Medium

I enjoy drinking tea. There is something so zen about it. The enjoyment does not have to end after tea time. Keep the tea bags to make art. You can paint and stamp on them, sew into them, and even create sculptural projects, such as these little dresses. These dresses can be used on cards, art projects, place in a shadowbox, which makes for a great home décor for young girl/lady’s bedroom or simply make for yourself.

Skill: Advanced
Time30 minutes per dress 

Directions


Step 1

Begin by allowing your tea bags to fully dry. I placed my tea bags on a ceramic plate with a paper towel and allowed them to dry for several days. The color of your tea bag will be determined by the type of tea you use. On this project, I started with a light color tea bag because it is Ginger tea.


Step 2

The tea bags are very delicate so a soft touch will be required to take them apart. Remove the tag by pulling it off. Remove the tiny staple with your nails. Rip open the seams. Take out the dried leaves by sloughing it off. Tear off the seams, otherwise, you’ll see it in your art. Do so, by tearing off the edges on the long side of the rectangle.


Step 3

The dresses will be made by using two dress patterns and gluing them at the seam, kind of like how real dresses are made. We will create one big sheet made of individual tea bags. This will be our “fabric”. One side of the tea bags will be rough, that’s where the tea leaves reside. The sheet will have one smooth side, this side is ideal for stamping. Lay the tea bags, rough side up, on a nonstick surface; wax paper or Freezer paper. Please note, in order to get one smooth side, Freezer or wax papers work the best. Brush on Creative medium and adhere the bags together by slightly overlapping them.


Step 4

Make a sheet of tea bags to the desired size. Adhere the second layer of tea bags in the exact location as the first layer. Ensure that your sheet is big enough to make two dress patterns per dress. If you want a thicker dress, add more than two layers of tea bags.


Step 5

Allow the tea bags to dry. Now you will have one single sheet of tea bags. Carefully, separate the sheet from the nonstick paper. Do this slowly, so that you don’t risk ripping the sheet. The bottom side of the sheet will be very smooth, yet you’ll still make out the tiny tea leaves granules, which look awesome. The other side will have a rough texture.


Step 6

Draw out a dress shape, or download a pattern from the internet.


Step 7

Fold the sheet in half. Using tracing paper, trace the dress on the tea bag sheet on the smooth side.


Step 8

Cut out the dress. Spray the dress with the Fireworks! Shimmery Craft Spray in Lady Bug on the smooth side.

Step 9

Stamp images on your dresses using a variety of StazOn inks.

Step 10

Glue the seams together with the On Point Glue.


Step 11

In order to give the dress dimension, strengthen the paper with Clear Creative Medium. Add saran wrap to inside to give the dress volume and brush on Creative Medium.


Step 12

Create a hanger for the dress. Measure desired hanger size against the dress. Bend the two ends of the wire at about 45 degrees. On one end, bend the wire to 90 degrees, wrap the other end around it, and bend the wire into a hook shape. Hang your dress on the hanger.

 

Supplies

Imagine
Other
  • Used teabags
  • Rubber Stamps
  • Freezer or wax paper
  • 16 or 18 gauge aluminum wire
  • Plyers
  • Scissors

Use Walnut Crystals to Create Beautiful Handmade Cards

by Arjita Sepaha Singh

For today’s card, I used a swirly flourish stencil, Creative Medium, and Walnut Ink Crystals. I created a small rectangle mask using Post-It note and placed it on the watercolor paper. Then I placed the stencil on top and using a spatula I added the Creative Medium. I allowed the medium to dry completely then added diluted walnut ink crystals and few intense pigments. I finished the card with a sentiment stamped with Versafine Clair Ink. I love the vintage grungy look of the card.

Skill: Advanced
Time: 1 hour

Directions

Supplies

Imagine

Walnut Crystals
• Creative Medium – Clear
• VersaFine Clair – Pinecone
• Palette Knives

Other

• Strathmore – Watercolor Paper
• Flourish Stencil
• Paintbrush
• Sentiment stamp

“Wishing You a Merry Christmas” Treat Bags

by Steph Ackerman

"Wishing You a Merry Christmas" Treat Bags

As we near the holidays and time gets more elusive, consider creating your holiday projects in assembly-line style.  In this fashion, you can create your projects in stages and not get overwhelmed.  I love creating colorful gift bags, placing little goodies inside and giving them to friends and neighbors during the holidays.  A large background stamp inked with Onyx Black sets the stage for the addition of colorful images using Memento Markers.  Not only are gift bags fun to make, but they can also easily be customized using the wide assortment of inks and markers available from Imagine.

Skill: Intermediate
Time: 1 hour

Directions


Step 1

Ink background stamps with VersaFine Onyx Black Ink. Stamp onto gift bags. If the stamp is not wide enough to cover the gift bag, reink a portion of the stamp and stamp it again on the gift bags.


Step 2

Fold down the tops of the gift bags and ink the edges with VersaMagic Red Magic Ink.


Step 3

Stamp images with VersaFine Onyx Black Ink and use the coordinating dies to die cut the images. Using assorted Memento Markers, color the images. Die cut a larger green circle and adhere to each bag. Adhere the trucks and packages across the center of each bag. Stamp the phrases with VersaFine Onyx Black Ink and VersaMagic Red Magic. Mat the phrases with cardstock and adhere above the trucks.


Step 4

Fill the bags with assorted goodies. Punch holes in the tops and tie closed with twine.

Supplies

Imagine
  • VersaFine Inkpad – Onyx Black
  • VersaMagic – Red Magic
  • Memento Markers – Angel Pink, Bahama Blue, Cantaloupe, Dandelion, Desert Sand, Lady Bug, London Fog, Pear Tart, Rich Cocoa, Rhubarb Stalk, Summer Sky, Tuxedo Black
Other
  • Just For Fun Rubber Stamps – Background
  • Stampendous – Truck and Packages stamps and dies
  • Whisker Graphics Bags
  • Twine
  • Spellbinders – Circle dies
  • Cardstock – White, Green

Product Announcement: Dewlets Etched Metal Die

Product Announcement: Dewlets Etched Metal Die

Dewlet Etched Metal Dies are perfect for use with DewDrop inkpads! Use Memento, Brilliance, or VersaMagic DewDrop inkpads to stamp a droplet-shaped image, align the cutting die, and run the image through a die cutting machine to quickly cut it out. Arrange your Dewlets into daisy flowers, flip them for a poinsettia, use them as leaves or arrange them in any creative pattern you wish! Compatible with machines designed for use with a thin metal cutting die; they will cut through most stamping media.

 

Supplies