Written In Ink

Tag: masculinecard

  • You CAN DIY a Stunning Layered Card

    You CAN DIY a Stunning Layered 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 the discount code ChrisFan10 to save 10% on your entire order! (Master Creator Bundles are excluded as they already have a 20% discount built in.)

    Let’s get Started:

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

     Black Border Layer: 5.5 x 4.25

    White Anchor Layer: 5.5 x 2

    Lighthouse Layer:   5.5 x 2

    Border for Lighthouse Layer:  5.5 x 2.25

    Card Face:

    • I laid the cardstock for the lighthouse layer onto the grip mat and positioned the stencil.   I used two different blue inks to go over all exposed areas-  one dark and one medium blue.   I used the dark blue on the very bottom and the medium blue on the top 2/3 of the panel,  blending carefully where they met.  I added additional medium blue ink around the top edges and around the curved lines on the stencil, which added a lot of depth to the image.
    • I removed the stencil and added 3 birds toward the top left of the panel.
    • Putting the stencil back in place, I spattered water over the inked image, blotting it with a paper towel to soak up excess moisture.   I set this panel aside.
    • I placed the cardstock for the other half of the card face in the stamp positioner and stamped the anchor both top and bottom, stamping a couple of times to get an intense image.

    Other:

    • I stamped the sentiment on a scrap of white cardstock,  and then used a die to create the shape.
    • I used the same die to cut a second shape, using black cardstock this time.
    • I cut the black shape in half horizontally and then glued the halves behind the white shape in a way that allowed the black to show both top and bottom.

    This is a great way to get extra use from a die,  while creating a perfectly matching border for the sentiment.

    Assembly

    • I glued the larger black border layer to the card base.
    • I centered the lighthouse on the smaller black border piece,  and then glued this to the right hand edge of the card base layers.
    • I glued the white card face layer to the card base, positioning it snugly against the lighthouse and leaving a narrow border on the left hand side.
    • I put dimensional foam on the back of the sentiment and positioned it as shown between the two anchors.

    Final Thoughts:

    The addition of the spatter worked well on this piece, mimicking spray coming up as water crashed into the lighthouse.

    I didn’t get the anchor stamp perfectly spaced top and bottom –  this bothers my eye!

    Other than that,  I’m happy with this design.

    Supplies: (and links where possible)

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

    Stencil: Two Sea Panels, A Colorful Life Designs

    Versamark Embossing Ink: Simon Says Stamp

    Clear Embossing Powder,  Wow,  Simon Says Stamp

    Stamps: Stampin’ Up!  (retired)

    Dies: Stampin’ Up! (retired)

    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 any comments or thoughts 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 notified when I release new work.

    Two Sea Panels

  • Create a Stunning Masculine Card with the Rope Trellis Stencil

    Create a Stunning Masculine Card with the Rope Trellis Stencil

    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 the discount code ChrisFan10 to save 10% on your entire order! (Master Creator Bundles are excluded as they already have a 20% discount built in.)

    Let’s get Started:

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

    Card Face: 5.5 x 4.25

    Card Face:

    • I put the card face on the grip mat and positioned the stencil.
    • I went over all exposed areas with a soft hand and brown ink.
    • I used dark brown ink to stamp the “ship’s log”  detail onto the background twice as shown.
    • I used a blending brush very gently around the edges to add a subtle tonal difference around the edges.
    • I ran the edges of the cardstock over the dark brown ink pad, allowing small “blotches” of ink to appear as I did this.

    Other:

    • I stamped and die-cut the compass, sailboat and sentiment.  I put dimensional foam on the back of each piece.

    Assembly

    • I glued the card face to the card base.
    • I positioned each of the die-cut pieces as shown in the picture.

    Final Thoughts:

    I’m happy with the decisions made during the process and how the elements work together in this card.  It’s a masculine card that would suit several different occasions.

    Supplies: (and links where possible)

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

    Stencil: Rope Trellis,  A Colorful Life Designs

    Stamps/Dies: Stampin’ Up!  (retired)

    Ink: Stampin’ Up!

    Blending Brushes: Stampin’ Up! 

    Adhesive: Tombow Aqua, Michaels 

    Recollections 110 lb., Michaels

    Do you have any comments or thoughts 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 notified when I release new work.

    Rope Trellis

  • Create Unique & Eye-Catching Card Design Using Stencils

    Create Unique & Eye-Catching Card Design Using Stencils

    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 the discount code ChrisFan10 to save 10% on your entire order! (Master Creator Bundles are excluded as they already have a 20% discount built in.)

    Let’s get Started:

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

    Black Border Layer: 5.5 x 4.25

    Smaller Black Border Layer:  5 x 3.75

    Card Faces:  5  x 3.75 (x2)  before cutting

    This design created itself as I went along –  as so many of mine do!

    Card Face:

    • I placed the first card face-down on the grip mat and positioned the stencil.  I used a mixture of light aqua /light blue inks across the exposed areas.
    • I removed the first card face and put the second one in its place.   After positioning the stencil once again, I used a mixture of dark blue, medium blue, and medium aqua inks across the exposed areas.
    • I cut both card faces into  ¼” strips.  
    • I glued the strips to the smaller black border layer, alternating light and dark strips and leaving a space between, allowing the black to show through.

    I used  a ⅛” strip of cardstock as a spacer to ensure even spacing.  

    Other:

    • I die cut 6 hats out of scraps of white card stock, and glued them in a pairs, resulting in 3 hats in the end.
    • I stamped and die-cut the sentiment.

    Assembly

    • I glued the black border layer onto the card base,  and then glued the striped layer onto this on an angle as shown in the picture.
    • I glued the 3 hats down the left-hand side, leaving a space for the sentiment between the bottom two.
    • I glued the sentiment in place.
    • I added a metallic embellishment on each side of the sentiment.

    Final Thoughts:

    This really wasn’t what I had in mind when I began working with the stencil,  but once I had the two card faces done,  the idea slowly nudged its way into existence.

    Supplies: (and links where possible)

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

    Stencil: Turbulent Waters,   A Colorful Life Designs

    Versamark Embossing Ink: Simon Says Stamp

    Clear Embossing Powder,  Wow,  Simon Says Stamp

    Dies: Stampin’ Up!  (retired)

    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 any comments or thoughts 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 notified when I release new work.

    Turbulent Waters

  • Creat Stunning Masculine Cards with a Cool Stencil

    Creat Stunning Masculine Cards with a Cool Stencil

    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.)

    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 ⅜ x 4 ⅛

    Scraps of kraft and black cardstock for the “happy”

    Scrap of kraft approximately   1.25 x .25 for the “birthday”.

    Scrap of black approximately  1.5 x .33” for the shadow layer

    Before starting I sprayed the back of the stencil with Pixie Spray, allowed a lapse of about 30 seconds and then placed it on the card face.  The strands of this stencil are very fine,  and this temporary adhesive made sure that they stayed put!

    Card Face:

    • I laid the card face on a piece of scrap paper, positioned the stencil and secured it with Mint Tape.
    • I applied two different colours of DIY embossing paste randomly across the stencil. (Blue and a soft peach.)
    • I removed the stencil carefully and put it into water immediately. (this makes cleanup a lot faster!) and put the card face aside to dry.

    I prefer not to use paste on my Grip Mat,  so in these cases I secure the card face and stencil directly to scrap paper

    Other:

    • I cut the large “happy”  from both kraft and black cardstock.
    • I stamped “birthday”  on kraft using Versafine Onyx.

    Assembly

    • I glued the black border layer to the card base.
    • I glued the two  “happy” layers together, kraft on top and offset slightly to allow the black to peek out.
    • I glued the kraft “birthday” layer on top of the black shadow layer, centering on all sides.
    • I added matt black card bling randomly to the card face.

    Final Thoughts:

    This is such a cool stencil,  and I love the effect of the embossing paste on it:  I didn’t expect the peach embossing paste to dry to be so close to the colour of the kraft cardstock,  but it’s a cool effect.

    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: Wavy Ladders, A Colorful Life Designs

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

    Die: Hero Arts, Happy, Amazon

    Card Bling:  A Colorful Life Designs

    Versafine Onyx, Simon Says Stamp

    Adhesive: Tombow Aqua, Michaels

    Card Base & Card Face: Accent 100 lb., Amazon  or  Recollections 110 lb., Michaels

    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 notified when I release new work.

    Wavy Ladder by A Colorful Life Designs

  • Using Foil and Ink Techniques for Cards for beautiful results

    Using Foil and Ink Techniques for Cards for beautiful results

    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.)

    Let’s get Started:

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

    Gold Foil Border Layer: 5.5 x 4.25

    Card Face:  5.25 x 4

    Transfer Foil:  5.5 x 4.25

    Card Face:

    • I laid my card face down on the Grip Mat and positioned the stencil.
    • I used medium-brown ink randomly across the exposed areas, varying pressure to control depth and skipping some areas completely.
    • Leaving the stencil in place,  I spread Duo Gel over some of the inked areas, allowing partial coverage even within some of the openings.
    • I removed the stencil and placed it in water immediately.   I set the card face down to dry (the gel is dry when it becomes transparent).
    • When the gel was dry, I placed the transfer foil on top and ran it through the Big Shot.
    • I removed the foil, and the dried gel (which had become an adhesive) left the foil on the card face.
    • I placed the card face in my stamp positioner and used brown ink to stamp the trees on the left of the card face.
    • I used a darker brown ink and stamped the deer in front of the trees.  I stamped a couple of times to ensure that it was intense enough to grab attention.
    • I used a corner chomper punch on each corner of the card face.

    Other:

    • I grabbed the sentiment you see from my binder.

    Assembly

    • I glued the foil border layer to the card base,  and then centered the card face on top of that.
    • I applied dimensional foam to the back of the sentiment and added it as shown.

    Final Thoughts:

    I couldn’t decide if I liked this for a few days:  it sat on my desk as I considered it.  It bothered me that I had lost part of the deer’s face due to the foiling,  and I needed to decide if it was “too much”.  In the end, I decided that I still liked this card –  I like the play between foil and inked surfaces,  and between coloured and uncoloured parts of the surface.

    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: Triangle Fade,  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,  Simon Says Stamp

    Stamps: Natures Beauty & Winter Wood, both Stampin’ Up  (retired)

    Ink: Stampin’ Up!

    Blending Brushes: Stampin’ Up! 

    Duo Gel:  Decofoil, R&R Scrapbooking

    Transfer Foil: Decofoil, R&R Scrapbooking

    Adhesive: Tombow Aqua, Michaels

    Card Base & Card Face: Accent 100 lb., Amazon  or  Recollections 110 lb., Michaels

    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 notified when I release new work.

    Triangle Fade by A Colorful Life Designs

  • Create Stunning a Card for Your Special Guy

    Create Stunning a Card for Your Special Guy

    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.)

    Let’s get Started:

    Card Base: 5.25 x 10.5,  scored at 5.25

    Border Layer: 5 x 5

    Card Face:  5 x 5

    Frame: 5 x 5 (before die cutting)

    I had stamped and coloured this image, then set it aside in my “someday” pile.  This stencil gave me the perfect opportunity (and the inspiration)  to put this handsome fellow to use.

    Card Face:

    • I laid the card face down on the Grip Mat and positioned the stencil.  I applied brown ink with a light, careful hand – avoiding the pre-coloured figure.
    • Using the frame die as a guide,  I cut the card face down to a size slightly smaller than the finished frame would be.

    Other:

    • I put the border layer onto the Grip Mat and positioned the stencil once again.  I used the same brown ink with a heavier hand on this piece, covering all exposed areas.
    • Next, I worked on the piece for the frame: I started with white cardstock, positioned the die, and ran it through the Big Shot.
    • After removing the cardstock from the die, I used a medium brown ink over the entire frame, allowing a random variation in the depth of tone. 
    • I finished this off by bringing in a dark brown ink and using it here and there on the frame, increasing the variation in tone.
    • I selected a sentiment from my Sentiment binder (I love having them ready and waiting when I need one).

    Assembly

    • I glued the border layer to the card base, centering it on all sides.
    • I glued the frame on top of the cut-down card face.
    • I glued this new combination on top of the border layer, centering carefully.
    • I put dimensional foam on the back of the sentiment, and put it in place as shown.

    Final Thoughts:

    This is so far from my first thoughts about how to use this stencil – but how perfect is this for a masculine card?

    I’m really happy with the way this turned out.

    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: Close Up Branches, A Colorful Life Designs

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

    Stamps: Zeke Guy,  Unity Stamps

    Dies: Oval Woodgrain Frame,  Hero Arts, Amazon

    Ink: Stampin’ Up!

    Blending Brushes: Stampin’ Up! 

    Versafine Onyx, Simon Says Stamp

    Memento Ink: Stampin’ Up!

    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 notified when I release new work.

    Close Up Branches by A Colorful Life Designs