Tag: trinity stamps

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Combine Stamps to Create the Perfect Scene

Cynthia TLeave a comment

Materials List:

  • Trinity Stamps Christmas Magic Stamp & Die Set
  • Brutus Monroe Ho Ho Ho Stamp and Die Set
  • 140# coldpress watercolor paper
  • Hero Arts Hero Hues 111# Cardstock – Pitch Black
  • Tim Holtz/Ranger Distress Spray Stain – Antique Linen, Chipped Sapphire, Salty Ocean, Black Soot
  • Tim Holtz/Ranger Distress Oxide Inks – Rustic Wilderness, Salvaged Patina, Aged Mahogany, Ground Espresso
  • Tim Holtz/Ranger Distress Mica Stain – Winter Frost
  • Wow! Embossing Powder – Twiggy
  • Sizzix Detail Embossing Powder – Clear
  • Ranger Perfect Pearls – Perfect Pearl
  • Ranger Perfect Medium

This, my first ever attempt at a slimline card, honestly had me thinking that a card could be cursed. Let me elaborate…

I always make at least one “test” card before filming for YouTube. I am a Girl Scout kinda girl and being prepared is very comforting. Well, this card really threw me for a loop. Starting with my unfamiliarity with slimline stamps and dies…just the sheer size adds a few curve balls to the mix. Now throw in a slight manufacturing issue with Santa (kudos to Customer Support at Trinity Stamps, thank you Taniesa!) a camera malfunction, a faulty memory card, metallic thread that hated my sewing machine….6 hours into filming I was really starting to wonder if I should move on to something….less problematic. I had to leave the studio to ponder my life choices. A cup of tea and a few episodes of Yellowstone later (now that’s a family with problems) I was ready to dive back in with a new attitude.

The thing that I really love about this card is that the ink-blended background is so versatile. A dark purple, blue and black color scheme suggests a very dark and chilly night. The frosty blue and silver make me think of fresh snow and a full moon….you can totally create a mood with the background inking. And that tree stamp? Super fun and so festive. With the huge range of greens, blues and brown inks, there is virtually no limit to what you can do with ink and that tree stamp. And of course it is no secret that I love to showcase beautiful ink colors with a black card base.

I can say my first attempt at a slimline card was frustrating but rewarding. If you decide to make this card (or any 9×4 slimline card) be sure to check out my upcoming blog post for a slimline envelope template using 12″ x 12″ patterned paper.

I have another holiday slimline card in the works. Slimlines will not defeat me! This one involves Copics and watercolors and the cutest tall snowman stamp I’ve seen. Check back soon for all the details.

Cheers!

Cynthia

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Snowflake Layers! So Versatile!

Cynthia TLeave a comment

Materials List:

  • Trinity Stamps Big Snowflake Foiling and Die Set
  • Simon Says Stamp! Christmas Blessings
  • Honey Bee Stamps Snowfall Background Stencil
  • Distress Mica Stain – Shiny Bauble
  • Picket Fence Studios – Paper Glaze, Winter Snowfall
  • Spellbinders Glimmer Foil – Moondust & Speckled Prism
  • Ranger/Wendy Vecchi Archival Ink – Watering Can
  • Tim Holtz/Ranger Distress Crayon – Brushed Pewter
  • Altenew Pigment Ink – Sapphire
  • Wow! Superfine Embossing Powder – Metallic Silver
  • Versamark Embossing Ink
  • Watercolor Paper – 140 Coldpress
  • American Crafts glitter cardstock – white
  • Recollections Music Stamp

In my last video and post I gave huge props to the Trinity Stamps Foiled Pine Foiling and Die Set, and guess what? There is a snowflake set as well! Those designers were hard at work for the holiday season in 2022! For this card I pulled out the Recollections music stamp again (because it is gorgeous!) but used some Shiny Bauble Distress Mica Stain and some Distress Crayons to accent the music layer. I made three versions of the card. Here are the details…

Card #1: For this card I wanted to bring back an old favorite – Picket Fence Studios Paper Glaze in Winter Snowfall. This stuff is magical. I used the Honey Bee Stamps Snowfall Background Stencil to stencil on the snow with the Paper Glaze. While the background was drying I moved on to the music layer. I used the Recollections music stamp from the last post to stamp the music image on 140 lb cold press watercolor paper using archival ink in Watering Can. I tore off the edges of the paper down to the outline of the music stamp, then I very lightly misted with Distress Mica Stain in Shiny Bauble. Once the ink was dry I ran the edges of the paper through a small amount of Brushed Pewter Distress Crayon mixed with a small amount of water. This really helps to delineate this layer. For the snowflake layer I die cut the largest snowflake three times: once on light blue layering weight cardstock and twice more on white layering weight cardstock. I stacked and glued these three layers for dimension. I then cut the smallest snowflake from white glitter cardstock (the pressed kind, no mess!) I glued this layer to the blue base layer. On to the greeting. For this card I chose the “Holiday Wishes to You” greeting from the Simon Says Stamp Christmas Blessings stamp set. I stamped the greeting with clear embossing ink, applied silver metallic detail embossing powder, heat set, then die cut the greeting. To assemble the card I adhered the music layer to the card base with a strong adhesive (I love Tombow multi) and then adhered the snowflake in the middle of the music panel using the same adhesive. I used tiny foam squares, some of them I cut into two slivers, to pop up the greeting in the center of the snowflake. Card 1 complete!

Card #2: For the second card I used a snowflake 3D embossing folder for the front panel background. I created the music panel exactly the same way as in card #1, with the exception of the edge treatment on the panel. I used the Shiny Bauble Mica Stain for this step. The snowflake was created in two layers. The bottom layer is cut from white craft foam using the largest snowflake die, and the top layer is cut from layering weight light blue cardstock using the smallest die. I used the foiling plate and Spellbinders Hot Foil in Speckled Prism to hot foil an accent on the top snowflake. The greeting is stamped and cut from the same Christmas Blessings set, but stamped in Altenew’s Sapphire pigment ink. The card was assembled the same as card #1. I used strong adhesive for all layers.

Card #3: I wanted a little more flash on this card so I went with an embossed silver metallic frame for the front panel. I cut the center of the panel using Momenta’s Ornate Frames, 3rd largest frame. I centered the opening on the card base with the music panel showing through the opening. The base layer for the snowflake is the same light blue cardstock which was adhered to two additional layers of white cardstock cut outs. The hot foil on this snowflake is Spellbinders Moondust (lovely color!). The greeting is stamped in Distress Oxide in Uncharted Mariner and all layers of the card were adhered with strong adhesive.

The snowflake die was very versatile, cut fabulously and is the perfect size for an A2 or larger card. The cards came together quickly and easily. I’ll enjoy sending these to friends and family this season.

Cheers!

Cynthia

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Create a Mixed Media Holiday Look with Simple Card Making Techniques!

Cynthia TLeave a comment

Materials List:

  • Trinity Stamps Foiled Pine Foiling Plate & Die Set
  • Hero Arts Joy Stamp & Die Set
  • Hero Arts Hero Hues 111# Cardstock – Cranberry
  • Distress Spray Stain – Antique Linen
  • Distress Oxide Inks – Rustic Wilderness, Tumbled Glass, Vintage Photo
  • Spellbinders Glimmer Foil – Aura
  • Ranger/Wendy Vecchi Archival Ink – Potting Soil
  • Liquitex – Crackle Paste

Reboot! For the record, I completely reworked a card that I posted here a few days ago. It was one of those cards…one where you like it but you don’t LOVE IT and it sort of sits in your thoughts until you go back to the craft table and take another look at it. The result is a lighter feel, cooler colors and a cool crackle paste/antiqued music layer that I really love.

This card was inspired by so many beautiful holiday mixed media Pinterest projects – I spent my design day trying out some techniques and adapting them to typical card making techniques. The result is this card of layered, stamped and embossed goodness. I am so enthralled with background stamping, covered by layers of semi-transparent ink and stenciling. Watch for many cards in the future that showcase these techniques. Meanwhile, check out the video for this card here.

I started with the top layer of the card (the tree layer) with 140# cold pressed watercolor paper. I created an ink puddle on my glass mat with Distress Oxide inks in Tumbled Glass and Rustic Wilderness. I pressed the watercolor paper into the ink (systematically?) to create the first layer of color. The Tumbled Glass acts as a highlight behind the darker Rustic Wilderness so this ink was applied sparingly. After drying this first layer I inked up the mat again with only Rustic Wilderness and a small amount of water to create a darker top layer of color. The idea here is to create a pattern of color that is the background for the foiling of the branches on the pine tree. This will make much more sense when you watch the video!

The next step is to die cut the tree shape with the included outline die. I lined up the outline die on the inked piece until I found just the right view and then ran the paper and die through my die cut machine. Next I created a foiling stack for my Glimmer machine using Spellbinders Aura Glimmer Foil. This foil is beautiful! In the video I describe it as a cross between gold and silver foil but more accurately it is a cross between gold and iridescent foil. I ran the stack through my die cut machine and the result was truly stunning.

Next I worked on the deckled edge paper for the music and embossed layers of the card. I traced faint pencil lines for two panels: 4 1/4″ x 5 1/2″ and 3″ x 4 1/4″. I used a deckle edge ruler to tear the paper along the pencil lines.

Using the smaller deckle edge paper I stamped the music block stamp onto the paper using Archival ink in Potting Soil. I then added a layer of Crackle Paste and allowed the piece to dry. Once dry I antiqued the panel by spraying lightly with Distress Spray Stain in Antique Linen, then used the Distress Oxide ink pad in Vintage Photo to lightly ink the edges and a few raised spots on the face of the panel. Panel complete!

The bottom layer starts with the 4″ x 5 1/4″ deckle edge panel. I inked up a “frame” on the front of the paper using Rustic Wilderness ink, heat-dried the ink, then applied a layer of embossing ink using an old ink pad that gets a lot of abuse. I applied clear embossing powder then heat set the powder. I repeated the embossing ink/embossing powder steps once more. So easy but so much shine to this layer!

For the greeting I chose Hero Arts’ Joy stamp and die set. The large greeting and die are perfect for this card. I chose a cranberry cardstock for the greeting and cut the “Joy” word three times for layering. I stamped the words “Tidings of comfort &” on cranberry cardstock, applied embossing ink and white embossing powder, then heat set. I cut the greeting into a banner shape. Whew! Finally all elements are ready to assemble the card.

For a card base I used a heavy white cardstock cut to 5 1/2″ x 8 1/2″, scored at 4 1/4″. I folded and pressed the scored edge and used a strong liquid adhesive to apply the glazed layer to the card base front. I did not apply adhesive near the edges of the glazed layer as I really love how this layer has so much dimension and curls up slightly on the edges. This adds to the mixed media look that I was going for with this card. I then added the music layer in the center of the glazed layer. The last layer, the tree was applied using foam squares for even more dimension. I finished off this card by adhering the greeting strip and “joy” die cut near the bottom of the foiled tree. I applied the dot over the “j” using a dot of Pops of Color rather than trying to glue together three small dots.

I really love the look of this card and am working on a snowflake version that might make it to video. So many ideas, so little time.

Cheers!

Cynthia