Let’s Make a Blackout Technique Card

Posted on May 8, 2026 by Imagine

By Anna Escalada York

– For teachers, April and May are PACKED!! At this time of the year, it is hard for me to find the time to make elaborate cards, but I want to still be able to sit down and make a card in one sitting. So I turn to techniques that allow me to create something that are quick and easy but also are something to be proud of. This card features one of my go-tos for a quick but pretty card: the blackout technique.

Skill: Intermediate
Time: less than 1 hour

Directions:

Step 1:
Use a paper trimmer to cut a piece of watercolor paper to be 5.5” x 4.25” (the size of an A2-sized card). Then spray one side a floral embossing folder with Rose Gold Shimmer Craft Spray and run the watercolor panel through the die cutting machine sandwiched between the two sides of the embossing folder. You will be using the debossed (indented) side of the embossed panel. Allow to dry.

Step 2:
Color the flowers with Tangelo Memento Dual Marker. Color the edges of the leaves and the stems with Teal Zeal Memento Dual Marker. Then watercolor over all parts of the leaves and the stems with Teal Zeal Memento Dual Marker mixed with water. Allow the water to dry and repeat the process a few times to help add depth to the centers of the leaves.

Step 3:
Gently run the Rose Bud Memento ink pad across the card. Because the flowers are indented, they will mostly not be colored with the ink, but the flat parts of the card will be. I liked that some of the areas were not colored with the ink but additional passes of the ink pad can give consistent, universal coverage.

Spray Copper Sheer Shimmer Craft Spray onto a piece of acetate and watercolor smoosh the panel to add a little more sparkle. Lightly brush more of the copper spray on the leaves and allow the whole thing to dry.

Step 4:
Stamp the sentiment with Nocturne VersaFine Clair Ink and heat emboss with clear embossing powder. Then die cut the sentiment with the corresponding die. Use the die cut to die cut two additional layers of scrap cardstock and glue them behind the sentiment die cut for dimension.

Glue the sentiment onto the embossed card panel.

Trim the edges of the embossed card panel and distress the edges with a pair of scissors. Trim a piece of black cardstock a little bit bigger than the pink embossed panel and glue the two layers together. Glue pink and orange sequins on the upper right and lower left corners of the card panel. To finish the card, glue the whole card panel onto a white A2-sized card base.

Art Supplies

Imagine

Memento Dual Markers – Tangelo and Teal Zeal
Sheer Shimmer Craft Spray – Copper and Rose Gold
VersaFine Clair Ink – Nocturne

Other

Altenew – die set – Magnificent Magnolias
Altenew – stamp set – Magnificent Magnolias
Catherine Pooler – sequin mix – Miami
Simon Says Stamp – embossing folder – Magnificent Mums
Clear Embossing Powder
Heat tool
Glue
Watercolor paper
Black watercolor paper

Stencil-Layering Thanksgiving Card Using VersaFine Clair Inks

Posted on November 4, 2025 by Imagine

By Jessica Lin

Skill: Beginner
Time: 30 minutes
Hi everyone! It’s Jessica here. Have you tried blending inks on kraft colored cardstock before? It’s an easy way to create a new look and I love using this trick for fall and Thanksgiving cards. I’ll be using several VersaFine Clair ink pads for today’s project. Let’s see how these color changes on kraft colored cardstock!

Directions:

Step 1:
Cut a piece of Neenah Desert Storm cardstock to 4’’ x 5 ¼’’. Then ink blend VersaFine Clair Cheerful ink onto Layer 1. The layering stencil set I’m using today is called Abundant Beauty from Stampin’ Up.

Step 2:
Using the same layer of stencil, ink blend the center of the sunflowers with VersaFine Clair Tulip Red ink pad. This is an orangey-red shade on white cardstock, but on kraft cardstock, it has a golden brown undertone.

Step 3:
Then I ink blended VersaFine Clair Sand Dune on Layer 4 of the Abundant Beauty stencils.

Step 4:
For Layer 3, I used VersaFine Clair Acorn. This is a darker brown shade so I ink blended very lightly. You could also use Sand Dune for Layer 3 and Acorn for Layer 4 instead.

Step 5:
The leaves images are on Layer 2. I ink blended with VersaFine Clair Verdant and Rain Forest. Usually I would pick Green Oasis to pair with Verdant. However, the kraft cardbase mutes the color saturation of the ink pad, so Rain Forest brings out the dark green contrast better than Green Oasis on kraft cardstock.

Step 6:
To add a little more texture to this simple card, I embossed the stenciled panel with Stampin’ Up’s Timeworn Type embossing folder. Then I embellished the card with Doodlebug Design’s Sprinkles enamel dots and some gold thread and the card is complete!

Craft Supplies

Imagine Supplies:
● VersaFine Clair – Cheerful, Tulip Red, Sand Dune, Acorn, Verdant, Rain Forest
● StazOn Cleaner
● Tear-It! Tape
● Craft Mat

Other Supplies:
● Stampin’ Up! – Stencils – Abundant Beauty
● Stampin’ Up! – Embossing Folder – Timeworn Type
● Doodlebug Design – Glitter Enamel Dots – Limeade, Bumblebee

Fall Thank You Card Using VersaFine Clair on Dark Cardstock

Posted on September 19, 2025 by Imagine

By Katy Ingram

Hello Friends! Katy here with another quick project. I love trying new things with my inks and embossing folders and in todays video I used my VersaFine Clair with some Brilliance pigment inks in Cosmic Copper and Galaxy Gold and Moonlight White, with a 3D embossing folder.

Video has all the details. Thanks for watching.

Skill: Intermediate
Time: 15 minutes

Art Supplies

Imagine Products

VersaFine Clair https://www.imaginecrafts.com/versafine-clair

Acorn
Cheerful
Summertime

Brilliance https://www.imaginecrafts.com/brilliance

Galaxy Gold
Cosmic Copper
Moonlight White

Other Products Used

Affiliate links used at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support
Tim Holtz/Sizzix Acorn 3D Embossing Folder https://ldli.co/e/lmn50p2
Gina K Dark Chocolate Cardstock https://ldli.co/e/lmn50p2
Black Cardstock https://ldli.co/e/lmn50p2
Kitchen Sponge https://amzn.to/4f72Ka4
Double Sided Adhesive 5 inch wide https://amzn.to/455H6OS
Double Sided Adhesive 1/2 inch https://amzn.to/4m9cKlc
Matte Gold Cardstock https://amzn.to/4f3H5zn

Quick and Easy Gilded Stamping Technique

Posted on May 1, 2025 by Imagine

By Katy Ingram

Hello friends, Katy here and in today’s video tutorial, I’m going to show you how to add some gilding to your stamped images as well as how to add some texture to your silhouette stamps using a swiping technique. I will be using Memento inks and Brilliance Galaxy Gold for the gilding. This technique is so quick and I think you will like the end result. I created a thank you card for today, but as always you could put any sentiment you like on this design. Listed below are products I used in todays video including some Affiliate links at no additional cost to you. l thank you for using those links and supporting my work.

Skill: Beginner
Time: 20 minutes

Art Supplies

Imagine

Other

Altenew – Leaf Canopy
Hammermill – 100 lb cardstock
Ellen Hutson – Essentials Rectangles
Black 100 lb Cardstock
1/2 inch double sided adhesive
6 inch double sided adhesive
MISTI Creative Corners
MISTI Stamping Tool

Quick and Easy Thank You Card

Posted on June 30, 2023 by Imagine

By Martha Lucia Gomez

Hello crafty friends! Today, I have the easiest and simple tutorial to make a unique thank you card or any type of cards. Let me share the project with you.

Skill: Beginning
Time: 60 minutes

Directions:

To make my model, I decided to use Radian Neon 4 Warm for two reasons. The first one is because I love the colors of this set of inks and the second, because Radian Neon brings the opportunity to create textures.

Step 1:

Select the colors of inks that you want to use in small sizes pads. For this idea, you can use any of our 4 Inkpads or small presentations like the Dew Drop of other inks, like Brilliance, VersaMagic, Delicata or Memento, just to mention some.

Step 2:

Place the entire ink pad over the cardstock in the direction that you want the colors. I press mine three times over the card under different pression to obtain different textures in each color.

Step 3:

Let the ink dry naturally or speed the process with a heat tool. If you want, you can cover the stamped blocks of ink with clear embossing powder and emboss them with the heat tool, to obtain a better texture.

Step 4:

Stamp a sentiment over the color blocks using VersaFine Clair Nocturne to add a major contrast over your card.

Step 5:

Heat embosses the sentiment with clear embossing powder and paste the decorated layer over your card base.

As you can see this is a really simple way to use your ink pads as stamps. Depending on the pression and intensity that you apply over the ink pad or 4Ink Pad, you will obtain different looks.

Thanks for stopping by and remember, you don’t need to create complicated projects. Just use the best inks and let your creativity shine!

Art Supplies:

Imagine:

Other:

Stamping Tool
White and colored cardstock.
Crafty Foam Tape

Let’s Make a Thank You Card

Posted on March 17, 2023 by Imagine

By Kathi Rerek

– Greetings! It’s Kathi here. In today’s tutorial, I am going to show you how to create a shimmery Thank You card using multiple Brilliance Ink colors.

Skill: Beginner to Intermediate

Time: 1.5 hours

Directions:

Step 1:

Cut a piece of Mixed Media paper to 4” x 5.25”. Using a Sponge Dauber, apply Sky Blue Pearlescent Brilliance Ink to half of the panel. Use another Sponge Dauber to apply Orchid Pearlescent Brilliance ink to the other side. Blend the two colors of ink in the center.

Repeat this step with a second piece of paper. Set this piece aside to be used later.

Step 2:

Spray Isopropyl Alcohol onto ink blended paper panel and let sit for a minute. The alcohol will lighten, blend, and add white speckles to the paper. Heat set.

Step 3:

Use Removable Scotch Tape to tape the background panel to the back of the Mosaic Stencil, then use an Ink Sweeper to apply Moonlight White Brilliance ink over the stencil onto panel.

Step 4:

Remove the tape and the stencil. Heat set.

Step 5:

Use three flower dies from the Wildflowers 1 Thinlits Die Set to cut Mixed Media Paper.

Step 6:

Use Sponge Daubers to apply Pearlescent Purple, Pearlescent Ice Blue, and Pearlescent Lavender to the flowers. Use Fantastix Brush applicators to detail the flowers with Mediterranean Blue Brilliance, Pearlescent Sky Blue Brilliance, Grape Jelly Memento inks. Color the flower stems and leaves with Pearlescent Thyme Brilliance and Cottage Ivy Memento inks.

Step 7:

Use the Belly Band and “thanks” dies to cut the extra panel of paper created in Step 1.

Step 8:

Adhere the flower die-cuts to the stenciled panel. Adhere the Belly Band die-cut over the flower stems. Adhere the “thanks” die-cut to the center ornament of the Belly Band.

Step 9:

Cut a piece of white cardstock in half. Score and fold to form an A2 card. Put a piece of scrap paper inside the card, then use a Sponge Dauber to apply Purple Brilliance ink around the edges of the front of the card. Heat set.