Stencils, stamps and one layer cards.
One of my favorite techniques for adding interest to cards is to stencil and ink blend. While I do have traditional “stencils”, I wanted a more geometric feel for this set of cards. So I went to my trusted silhouette library, and cut out a few honeycomb masks from some card stock in my stash (colors I will likely never use, so why not put them to use as a stencil?). I used distress inks in many colors, but often just one color per background. On a couple of backgrounds, I shifted the stencil slightly and added a second color very similar to the first just to see what it would look like! I struggled with this if I am to be completely honest…..
This was so simple and easy, that I created probably 20 or so backgrounds. Many of these backgrounds became thank you notes. (I am a middle school level music teacher, and go through a bunch of thank you notes….after every concert, at Christmas, the end of the year, etc., so when I create thank you notes, it is usually en masse.) For these thank you notes, I used versa mark ink to stamp “thanks” and “thank you”, both from Honey Bee Stamps and then embossed them in silver (Sparkle ‘n Sprinkle), gold (Sparkle ‘n Sprinkle) or platinum (Ranger). Quick and easy one layer cards. To finish them, I trimmed them slightly smaller than A2 and mounted them on an A2 card base. Done!
However, summer is about stretching my wings, and moving out of my comfort zone. Geometric shapes and flowers do NOT go together in my head. Geometric shapes and anything beyond solids do NOT go together in my head. So, I decided it’s only paper, let’s see what happens. I pulled out the Spring Daisy set from Altenew and a dragonfly stamp from Crafter’s Companion and jumped in with, well, my big toe. I messed around with the daisy stamp set, placing it in my MISTI, and aligning it on my back ground. I finally just said to myself to try this….if I hate it, I can flip it over and use it for something else. Or it can visit the recycling bin. But it is JUST 1/4 of a sheet of Neenah classic crest solar white card stock. Using Gina K inks in Sweet Corn, and Honey Mustard, I stamped the daisy, and added some leaves in Grass Green and Asparagus. I finished the card by using a Sizzix sentiment, Just a Note, from “Birds and Phrases”. I stamped this using Gina K Amalgam ink, quickly coating it with clear embossing powder to give it a little extra shine, then heated it to set the embossing powder.
On to my dragon fly cards! I love dragon flies, and this was a gift from my crafty sister, Carina. I knew I wanted to stamp the dragon fly in black ink, and going off the side of the card. So I positioned the dragon fly on the right side of the card, with the right wing going off the edge. I masked off the little dragon fly when I inked up the stamp with Gina K amalgam ink, and stamped the image twice, wanting a super black impression. After I stamped the dragon fly, I decided the card needed more “dimension”. I pulled out an Essentials By Ellen set, Bokeh Dots. I love this set and haven’t used it in a long time. I took a single small dot and used that to randomly stamp some pops of color (Gina K Plum Punch and Tranquil Teal) on the background. Then I stamped a spray of circles from the same set in Gina K’s Moonlit Fog. To finish the front of this card, I stamped the sentiment “Life is Beautiful” (Altenew, Spring Daisy) in versa mark on Gina K Onyx card stock. I embossed it with white embossing powder (Sparkle ‘n Sprinkle) to add a little dimension. I then mounted the sentiment using foam tape, technically destroying my one layer card. 🤔
At any rate, I am happy with how these all came out, especially the dragon fly cards. I am leaving the inside blank for now. I will add a sentiment as needed, or possibly just hand write my own message. Of course, there is a good chance some of these will be given as a set for a gift.
I hope you enjoyed today’s post, and that I have inspired you in some way to want to go out and create something.
