Combining Distress Inks and Markers

The first step to this card was to stamp the image with clear ink and heat emboss it with white embossing powder, on white cardstock.  The entire surface of the white cardstock was coloured with Distress Ink. Then I coloured in the flowers with the Distress Marker of the same name as the ink pad, for a darker tone.

Natalie

Card Recipe
Stamp: PSX
Papers: white cardstock (Georgia Pacific), gold cardstock (Bazzill)
Ink: Versamark, Distress
Accessories: white embossing powder (stash), Distress Markers

Buttoned Up

I thought that this was an interesting way to wrap up a card.

Natalie

Card Recipe

Stamp: Uptown

Papers: white cardstock (Georgia Pacific), blue cardstock (stash), pp (CTMH)

Ink: ColorBox Black

Accessories: button & ribbon (stash), Copics, black glitter embossing powder (stash), Spellbinder Squares

A Big Red Bow

Same image, but dressed up with a big red bow. Red and denim seem to be another natural colour choice.

Natalie

Card Recipe

Stamp: Uptown

Papers: white cardstock (Georgia Pacific), blue cardstock (Bazzill), pp (CTMH)

Ink: ColorBox Black

Accessories: ribbon (stash), Spellbinders (Squares & Scalloped Squares), black glitter embossing powder (stash), Copics

Pattern on Pattern

For more interest, I stamped and embossed the snowflakes with glitter embossing powder on the patterned paper. I did so in such a way that they framed the stamped image. Embossing powder comes in a variety of ways, including with glitter. The snowmen were heat embossed with black glitter embossing powder.

Natalie

Card Recipe

Stamp: snowmen (Uptown), snowflake (Verve)

Papers: blue cardstock (Bazzill), white cardstock (Georgia Pacific), patterned paper (?)

Ink: ColorBox Black (pigment ink required for heat embossing)

Accessories: black glitter embossing powder (stash), Starry Night embossing powder, Copics, Spellbinder Circles, brads (stash)

Bead It

Found a great way to use up those alphabet beads I bought some time ago. I strung them on a light gauged wire which I poked through the stamped image and secured with tape on the back.

Natalie

Card Recipe

Stamp: Hero Arts

Papers: white cardstock (Georgia Pacific), blue cardstock (Bazzill)

Ink: Colorbox Black

Accessories: black embossing powder (stash), Copics, beads (stash), ribbon (stash), embossing folder (Cuttlebug)

Showcase the Paper

Sometimes, as in this case, the patterned paper is so beautiful, it's best not to embellish it. The scalloped circle carstock die is just enough to separate the stamped image from the gorgeous background.

Natalie

Card Recipe

Stamp: Holly Pond Hill?

Papers: white cardstock (Georgia Pacific), green & purple cardstocks (Bazzill), pp (BG Cappella)

Ink: ColorBox Black

Accessories: black embossing powder (stash), Copics, Spellbinders (Standard Circles Large & Scalloped Circles Large)

A Note From

This image is one of many beautiful ones from Stamps Happen, Inc., now owned by Janlynn http://www.janlynn.com/rubber-stamps/. Once again, I thought the paper roses from I Am Roses were a perfect fit. Though they are dimensional, the flowers are not too bulky to be mailed.

Natalie

Card Recipe

Stamp: Stamps Happen, Inc.

Papers: white cardstock (Georgia Pacific), pp (BG Mellow), brown cardstock (Bazzill)

Ink: ColorBox Black

Accessories: black embossing powder (stash), Copics, paper flowers (I Am Roses), buttons & floss (stash), Sand Glimmer Mist

Last, But Not Least

This is the last of the 6 images I stamped from the same stamp. I hope these samples have shown you that one stamp can used in a variety of ways and is well worth the investment.

Natalie

Card Recipe

Stamp: Stampendous

Papers: white cardstock (Georgia Pacific), pp (Creative Imaginations), textured purple (?), purple cardstock (Bazzill)

Ink: ColorBox Black

Accessories: Spellbinders (Labels 8, Circles, Scalloped Circles), brads (stash), acrylic snowflakes (Dollarama), patterned scissors (Fiskars), black embossing powder (stash)

Frosted Glass Technique

To create these "glass tiles", I adhered a brass stencil of squares to the patterned paper and applied Versafine ink, making sure that the ink only went inside the open squares and not past the outside edges of the stencil. After removing the stencil, I applied clear embossing powder and heated it. This can be done as I have, on patterned paper, or over a stamped image.

Natalie

Card Recipe

Stamp: Stampendous

Papers: white cardstock (Georgia Pacific), purple cardstock (Bazzill), pp (Creative Imaginations)

Ink: Colorbox Black

Accessories: ribbon (Kathy G.), black embossing powder (stash), clear embossing powder (stash), Copics, brass stencil (Lasting Impressions)

The Supporting Cast

This snowflake embossed patterned paper was the perfect background for this stamped and coloured image.

Natalie

Card Recipe

Stamp: Stampendous

Papers: white cardstock (Georgia Pacific), pp (WeR)

Ink: ColorBox Black

Accessories: Copics, ribbon (stash), black embossing powder (stash)

Framed In Action

This is one of my own stamps that I made 6 images from, but never put to use. In the following posts, you will see different ways in which I used the same stamp. This purple paper frame, cut from an oval Spellbinder, adds lovely texture to the card. Heat embossing provides raised boundaries to make colouring with markers easier.

Natalie

Card Recipe

Stamp: Stampendous

Papers: white cardstock (Georgia Pacific), purple (?)

Ink: ColorBox Black

Accessories: Spellbinders (Large Ovals), Copics, acrylic snowflakes (Dollarama), black embossing powder

Just My Type

Love, love, love stamps with coordinating dies! A number of companies are now producing compatible products, including Heartfelt, Verve, Papertrey Ink and Just Rite. This one is from My Favorite Things. I heat embossed the typewriter with black embossing powder to give it a realistic shine. Don't limit yourself to hearts and cupids to make Valentine cards.

Natalie

Card Recipe

Stamp: My Favorite Things

Papers: patterned (MME Lost & Found Madison Avenue), white cardstock (Georgia Pacific)

Ink: Colorbox Black

Accessories: black embossing powder (stash), ribbons (stash), heart punch (Marvy), dies (My Favorite Things)

Paper Buttons

Without the perfect button on hand, I decided to make one out of patterned paper. After punching out the circle, I inked the edges to give it a finished look.

Natalie

Card Recipe

Stamp: Inkdadinkado

Papers: green cardstock (stash), patterned (MME Union Square)

Inks: Encore Gold, Distress Tea Dye

Accessories: Fine Gold embossing powder, ribbon (Fabricland), circle punch (Marvy)

Pink Wreath

Here's a unique take on a wreath--pink and sparkly. Rhinestones would have competed for competition with the glitter embossing powder, so I chose pink pearls instead.

Natalie

Card Recipe

Stamps: wreath (Hero Arts), sentiment (PTI)

Paper: kraft cardstock (Bazzill)

Inks: Colorbox pink and Staz On Timber

Accessories: Rose Quarts Embossing Powder (PSX), pearls (Kaiser), ribbon (stash)

Berry Wreath

I decorated this wreath with berries (pearls). Glitter embossing powder gives it a little sparkle.

Natalie

Card Recipe

Stamps: image (Hero Arts), sentiment (PTI)

Paper: white cardstock (Georgia Pacific)

Inks: ColorBox Evergreen, Versafine Onyx Black

Accessories: pearls (Kaiser), ribbons (stash), Shimmering Leaves embossing powder

Chalk/Ink?

I chose chalk over Distress Inks for this resist because I wasn't drawing the ink tool from the side of the paper and was worried about getting sponge lines with the distressing tool. After stamping and heat embossing the wreath in white, I applied the chalk.

Natalie

Card Recipe

Stamps: image (Hero Arts), sentiment (Penny Black)

Papers: white cardstock (Georgia Pacific), patterned (MME Union Square)

Inks: ColorBox Frost, Encore Gold, Distress Vintage Photo

Accessories: white embossing powder, rhinestones (Kaiser), jute (stash), bird die (Sizzix Bigz Caged Bird)

Mr. Bones

I chose this image, not only because I like to use a variety in my card making, but because it's unlike many others. It's more of a vertical image than horizontal. Keep this in mind when making your stamp choices too.

Natalie

Card Recipe

Stamps: image (Studio G), sentiment (Flourishes)

Papers: green cardstock (Bazzill Leapfrog), black cardstock (stash), patterned (Basic Grey Eerie)

Ink: ColorBox Frost, Versafine Onyx

Accessories: ribbon (stash), white embossing powder (?), Spellbinder Nested Frame Dies and Classic Ovals Small & Large

Just Boo-t-ful

I gave this card dimension by first stamping the boots on one piece of rectagular, orange cardstock and then stamping the same image again on a piece of white cardstock. After heat embossing, colouring and cutting it out, I adhered the cut out to the rectangle with foam squares. Heat embossing provides boundaries for colouring images. To avoid smearing on the shimmery cardstock, I stamped with Staz On ink.

Natalie

Card Recipe

Stamps: Stampendous

Papers: black cardstock (stash), orange bling cardstock (Bazzill Tootsie), patterned (?), purple cardstock (Bazzill)

Ink: Staz On Jet Black, ColorBox Black

Accessories: ribbon (Fabricland), Black Sparkle embossing powder (PSX)

Collage

A collage background stamp is a great start to create this type of card front, especially if you find this style of card design challenging, as I do. As done previously, all of the images were stamped on the card front and left to dry before the doily image was stamped and heat embossed. Colouring with Distress Inks followed. I framed the Happy Birthday sentiment to make sure that it did not get lost in the card layout.

Natalie

Card Recipe

Stamps: background (Prima), doily (Hero Arts), butterfly (CTMH), fern (Rubber Stampede), sentiment & frame (Gina K)

Papers: white cardstock (Georgia Pacific), green cardstock (Bazzill)

Inks: Distress Shabby Shutters, Tumbled Glass, Vintage Photo

Accessories: punch (Nankong), white embossing powder (stash)

Heat Embossed Doilies

I stamped the doily image and heat embossed it with white embossing powder to create a resist. This was done on the patterned paper after the Post Card, fern and butterfly images were stamped, but before the Distress Ink was applied. This technique allowed the doily to look like it was layered on top of the stamped images and the Vintage Photo Distress Ink made it stand out more.

Natalie

Card Recipe

Stamps: post card (Alpha Stamps), fern (Rubber Stampede), butterfly (CTMH), doily (Hero Arts), sentiment (PTI)

Papers: green cardstock (Bazzill), patterned (7Gypsies), off white cardstock (scrap)

Inks: Colorbox Frost White, Distress (Vintage Photo & Peeled Paint)

Accessories: ribbon (Fabricland), Spellbinder Nested Frame Dies, gold eyelet (stash), white embossing powder (stash)