Written In Ink

Category: Mixed Media

  • Elevate Your Card Making with Easy Stenciling Techniques

    Elevate Your Card Making with Easy Stenciling Techniques

    Would you like to experiment with a design like this? You’ll find a supply list below, including a link to the stencils I used from A Colorful Life Designs.  Follow the link and use discount code ChrisFan10 to save 10% on your entire order! (Master Creator Bundles are excluded as they already have a 20% discount built in.)

    A couple of simple stencilling techniques is a great way to make your card stand out.

    Let’s get Started:

    Card Base: 5.5 x 8.5, scored and folded at 4.25

    Border Layer: 5.5 x 4.25

    Card Face:  5.25 x 4

    Card Face:

    • I placed the card face onto my Grip Mat, and then positioned the stencil. I applied bright green ink to the exposed areas. As I had used a heavy hand, I had to put this aside until the ink was dry.
    • With the ink completely dry,  I put the stencil back in place but moved it slightly down and to the right.  This stencilling technique created the illusion of a shadow for each of the hearts.
    • I added translucent gel over the exposed areas, carefully removing the stencil once this was complete and putting it into water immediately.  I set the card face aside to dry once again.
    • Once the gel had dried, I put the card face into my stamp positioner and added the image in the center of the hearts with Versafine Onyx and sprinkled it with clear embossing powder.  I set this with my heat gun.
    • I coloured the image with alcohol markers.
    • I used the cloud edger stencil and blue ink to create the sky, being careful to stay inside the hearts. This stencilling technique created a scene in a very specific part of the card, and is very effective.
    • I added the birds using a black fineliner.

    Other:

    • I put a piece of scrap cardstock into the stamp positioner and stamped the sentiment two or three times with the same blue ink.  (I had used a soft blue,  and I needed to stamp several times to allow the sentiment to have enough presence.)
    • I trimmed the sentiment down to a narrow strip and added dimensional tape on the back.

    Assembly

    • I glued the border layer to the card base and then centered the card face on top of these.
    • I positioned the sentiment as shown.

    Final Thoughts:

    I quite like this offbeat combination of elements. 

    If I were to recreate this card,  I would select a different colour for the umbrella: I don’t feel that it works well with the other colours in the scene. Do you ever regret a colour choice when it’s too late to do anything about it?

    Supplies: (and links where possible)

       I have listed which products I have used, and where they may be purchased. It’s a huge marketplace and in most instances, there are multiple sources and many alternatives to choose from.

    Stencils:

       Cloud Edger:  A Colorful Life Designs

       Happy Thoughts Wreath:  A Colorful Life Designs

    Waffle Flower Grip Mat, 8.5 x 6.5, Scrapbook.com

    Stamps:   I’ll be Your Umbrella,  Andy Skinner,  Amazon

    Ink: Stampin’ Up!

    Blending Brushes: Stampin’ Up! 

    Versafine Onyx, Simon Says Stamp

    Clear Embossing Powder:  Wow,  R&R Scrapbooking

    Black Fine Liners: Amazon

    Alcohol Markers:

         Stampin’ Blends: Stampin’ Up!

         Copics:  Wallacks

    Adhesive: Tombow Aqua, Michaels

    Card Base & Card Face: Accent 100 lb., Amazon

    Do you have comments or thoughts to share on this design?  Drop me a line in the Comments Section below –  I’d love to hear from you!

    You can also use the Comments Section  to be added to the list, and notified when I release new work.

  • Get Messy! a Simple DIY Card Tutorial with Stencils

    Get Messy! a Simple DIY Card Tutorial with Stencils

    Would you like to experiment with a design like this? You’ll find a supply list below, including a link to the stencils I used from A Colorful Life Designs.  Follow the link and use discount code ChrisFan10 to save 10% on your entire order! (Master Creator Bundles are excluded as they already have a 20% discount built in.)

    Don’t be afraid to get messy during your design process! The results are usually unexpected, but awesome.

    Let’s get Started:

    Card Base: 5.5 x 8.5, scored and folded at 4.25

    Card Face:  5.25 x 4 

    Card Face:

    • First things first:  I laid the card face on my Grip Mat,  positioned the stencil and applied a random mixture of blue and yellow ink.
    • I left the stencil in place and traced the outline with a teal gel pen.
    • I added some spatter with water to create additional depth and visual interest.
    • Time to get a little messy. I placed the Broken Lines stencil on top of the first one and added slate grey embossing paste selectively over exposed areas.  I immediately removed both stencils (carefully!) and put them into water.
    • I set the card face aside to dry.

    Other:

    • I looked through my binders for inspiration and found the heart and the sentiment.  

    Assembly

    • I glued the card face to the card base, centering on all sides.
    • I glued both the heart and sentiment in place as shown.
    • I added a small coloured rhinestone in the center of the heart.

    Final Thoughts:

    This is a fun card, with a bit of grunge provided by the embossing paste.  

    This stencil is 6 x 9,   so the card face was cut in half to yield this result.

    Supplies: (and links where possible)

       I have listed which products I have used, and where they may be purchased. It’s a huge marketplace and in most instances, there are multiple sources and many alternatives to choose from.

    Stencils:

        So Many Bubbles:  A Colorful Life Designs

        Broken Lines:  A Colorful Life Designs

    Waffle Flower Grip Mat, 8.5 x 6.5, Scrapbook.com

    Versamark Embossing Ink: Simon Says Stamp

    Clear Embossing Powder: Wow,  R&R Scrapbooking

    Metallic Gel Pens:  Sakura,  Amazon

    Embossing Paste:  Stormy,  TCW,  Glitter and Ink

    Ink: Stampin’ Up!

    Blending Brushes: Stampin’ Up! 

    Versafine Onyx, Simon Says Stamp

    Adhesive: Tombow Aqua, Michaels

    Card Base & Card Face: Accent 100 lb., Amazon

    Do you have comments or thoughts to share on this design?  Do you like to add a bit of grunge to a design, or are you more of a clean and simple designer? Drop me a line in the Comments Section below –  I’d love to hear from you!

    You can also use the Comments Section  to be added to the list, and notified when I release new work.

  • Say Happy Easter with a Fabulous, Sparkly Bunny Card

    Would you like to experiment with a design like this? You’ll find a supply list below, including a link to the stencil I used from A Colorful Life Designs.  Follow the link and use discount code ChrisFan10 to save 10% on your entire order! (Master Creator Bundles are excluded as they already have a 20% discount built in.)

    Easter is typically visualized in happy springtime pastels. But sometimes a sparkly Easter bunny fits the bill!

    Let’s get Started:

    Card Base: 5.5 x 8.5, scored and folded at 4.25

    Green Border Layer: 4.25 x 4.25

    Card Face:  4 x 4

    Card Face:

    • I positioned the stencil on the card face, securing it with Mint Tape.
    • Next, using a palette knife,  I added sparkly white embossing paste over all exposed areas.   I  removed the stencil, being careful not to smudge the design.  
    • Afterwards, I placed the stencil in water and put the card face aside to dry.

    Other:

    • I stamped the sentiment and used a tiny die to cut it out.
    • I also stamped the tiny heart with green ink,  added embossing ink with a pen, sprinkled it with holographic powder and set it with a heat gun.   I used a punch to cut it out.
    • Once the card face was dry I used a pokey tool to create holes on either side of the bunny’s neck.  I threaded fine iridescent white yarn through the holes and secured this on the back with tape.

    Assembly

    • I glued the card face to the green border layer, centering on all sides.
    • Following that, I added this to the card base, aligning to the left-hand edge, and leaving a white border on the right.
    • I used metallic thread to attach the heart tag to the bunny’s collar.
    • I added the sentiment to the upper left of the card.
    • The finishing touch was the addition of three small green gems down the right-hand border.

    Final Thoughts:

    The sparkly Easter Bunny is really pretty:  I didn’t want to add anything to compete with that,  so I chose very soft green accents.   I’m really happy with the end result.

    Supplies: (and links where possible)

       I have listed which products I have used, and where they may be purchased. It’s a huge marketplace and in most instances, there are multiple sources and many alternatives to choose from.

    Stencil:  Heart Bunny,  A Colorful Life Designs

    Embossing Pen:  Ranger,  Amazon

    Holographic Embossing Powder: Ranger,  Amazon

    Ink: Stampin’ Up!

    Embossing Paste: Stampin’ Up!

    Adhesive: Tombow Aqua, Michaels

    Card Base & Card Face: Accent 100 lb., Amazon

    Do you have comments or thoughts to share on this design?  Drop me a line in the Comments Section below –  I’d love to hear from you!

    You can also use the Comments Section  to be added to the list, and notified when I release new work.

  • A handmade card: a great way say I’m Here for You

    A handmade card: a great way say I’m Here for You

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    Would you like to experiment with a design like this? Below, you’ll find a supply list, including a link to the stencil I used from A Colorful Life Designs. Follow the link and use discount code ChrisFan10 to save 10% on your entire order! (Master Creator Bundles are excluded as they already have a 20% discount built in.)

    A handmade card, sent with love is a great way to say Here For You.

    Let’s Get Started:

    Card Base: 5.5 x 8.5, scored and folded at 4.25

    Card Face:  5.25 x 4  (before tearing)

    Several pieces of scrap white cardstock for flowers & leaves

    Vellum:  2.5” circle & 6.25 x 1.5” strip

     Card Face

    • I had a gel print that I wanted to use:  I cut this to size and laid it on a piece of scrap paper.
    • I put the stencil in place, securing it with Mint Tape
    • I spread DIY* mint-coloured embossing paste** across the first layer of the stencil.  I removed the stencil carefully to avoid smudging the design,  and put it into water immediately.
    • After the first layer had dried I put the second layer of the stencil in place and spread white embossing paste across the surface.  Again,  I removed the stencil carefully and put it immediately into water.

    *See Homemade Embossing Paste under Stretch Your Pennies in the header

    ** See Multi-Media Products and Stencils under Techniques in the header

    Other:

    • I put the extra pieces of cardstock into my stamp positioner one at a time and stamped the first layer of the flower, creating the outer rim of the petals as well as the center of the blossom with dark teal ink.   
    • I repeated the process with medium teal ink for the inside of the petals.
    • I pressed the dark teal ink pad directly to a piece of white cardstock and then die-cut four leaves from this piece.
    • I used an embossing buddy liberally on the strip of vellum, and then put it into my stamp positioner. I added the sentiment with Versamark embossing ink and sprinkled on some silver embossing powder which I set with my heat gun.

    Assembly

    I wrapped the strip of vellum around the card face towards the top as shown in the image,  securing the ends on the back with scotch tape.

    I tore a narrow strip off of the bottom of the card face to create an uneven edge,  and then glued it to the card base.

    I experimented with the placement of the flowers and leaves on the vellum circle: once I was satisfied with the design I used liquid glue to secure these.  I used dimensionals behind the flowers  in a couple of spots to separate the layers and create dimension.

    I put glue on the back of the vellum circle (behind the blossoms, so it wouldn’t be seen through the vellum)  and glued it in place as shown.

         when using liquid glue on vellum, I apply it very sparingly,  and then blot before it is affixed.     Vellum warps very easily when it comes in contact with moisture,  but will tolerate  a small amount.

    Final Thoughts:

    I’m really liking the combination of rustic feeling card face with the more finished feel of the vellum and blossoms.  It creates subtle tension and interest.

    Supplies: (and links where possible)

       I have listed which products I have used, and where they may be purchased. It’s a huge marketplace; in most instances, there are multiple sources and many alternatives.

    Stencil: Layered Fall Foliage, A Colorful Life Designs

    Versamark Embossing Ink: Simon Says Stamp

    Silver Embossing Powder:  Wow,  Simon Says Stamp

    Vellum:  Stampin’ Up! (retired)

    Adhesive: Tombow Aqua, Michaels

    Card Base & Card Face: Accent 100 lb., Amazon