Materials List:

• Distress Inks: Salty Ocean, Uncharted Mariner, Forest Moss, Black Soot, Shaded Lilac
• Distress Oxide Sprays: Twisted Citron, Mowed Lawn
• Distress Spray Stains: Harvest Moon, Wicked Elixir, Winter Frost
• Watercolor paper, 140# cold press ( I used Arteza for this project. It is inexpensive and you’ll need LOTS)
• Altenew Lotus stamps and dies
• Globeland Butterfly Celebration foiling set
• Hero Arts Big Hugs stamp and die set
• Spellbinders Mini Everyday Sentiments (foiling set)
• Spellbinders Sentiments Labels die set
• White A2 cardbases – I used top fold portrait and landscape.

This was a super fun and very messy project! Keep lots of paper towels handy and be sure to precut lots of your preferred size of watercolor paper in advance (I used slightly larger than A2 and cut the panels down as I was creating the card fronts.)

You’ll need a spray box for this project and I recommend my 100% free spray box. Go out to your garage and find a box that is about 13 – 14 inches square and 6 or so inches tall. Cut off the top flaps and cut a semi-circle from the front. That is all you need for a spray box. Place a clean paper towel in the bottom when you start a project and it will work perfectly. Here is my (well used) spray box.

For my panels I was going for an impressionist landscape look. I chose Spray Stains and Oxide Sprays that would be found in nature, like Mowed Lawn, Salty Ocean, Forest Moss…I wasn’t super careful about where I sprayed. The fun in this technique is that you don’t really know exactly what you will get and no two panels are alike, no matter how hard you try to replicate exactly what you did with the last panel.

Starting with the panel on the far left (because it was my favorite) I was going for a water area at the bottom and a lighter sky area at the top. I wanted to use this panel as a background for some die cut and stamped lotus flowers in a light pink and I thought the different blues would really help to showcase the flowers. I started with a watercolor panel on a clean paper towel in my spray box. I misted the panel with water from my mini mister and then sprayed salty ocean at the bottom and the top. I lightly misted with water again and then dried the panel with my heat tool. To create some depth and layers I then sprayed the water area at the bottom with Uncharted Mariner, lightly misted with water and dried this area again.

NOTE: Spraying wet over dry will create layers of color with “some” blending. Spraying wet over wet will create “some” layering but mostly blending. Spraying water over dry ink will result in a splatter effect. These are all wonderful effects. Experiment with all of them to see how these stains and oxides react.

To create a bit of green in the water area I sprayed a “timid spray” of Harvest Moon at the top of this area and then immediately misted with water. This created a blended effect with the blue ink and, voila! I had a hint of green in my water. I created a darker blue shadow on the bottom right of the panel by spraying a bit more Uncharted Mariner in this area and drying (no water.) 

For the lotus flowers I used the Altenew Lotus stamp and die set. The stamps are layering stamps, which worked well for the pale flower effect I was going for. I stamped the outline of the flowers/buds in Gina K Designs Light Orchid Pigment Ink and then filled in the flower with a RV00 Copic Marker. I then stamped the other outline stamp in Gina K’s Medium Orchid ink. I stamped the leaves with Distress Oxides; Bundled Sage for the base color and Mowed Lawn for the detail stamp. I adhered the leaves with glue and used foam squares to pop up the lotus flowers and bud. 

For the sentiment I used one of my favorite sentiment foiling sets, the Altenew Mini Everyday Sentiments. I foiled with Spellbinders Glimmer foil in Moondust on the Adriatic cardstock. I adhered the sentiment strip with 1/4″ foam tape. I absolutely loved this card and I’m saving it for just the right person and time to send.

For the flower field panel I wanted to create a light green field in the foreground. I used Mowed Lawn Distress Oxide Spray in layers, using a light misting of water to ensure the ink moved around sufficiently to cover the area. I dried this area then started on my sky/clouds. I applied Salty Ocean to the top of the panel and down the left side just a bit. I misted with water and turned the panel side to side as I dried this area. This allowed the ink to flow to create some “clouds.” I lightly sprayed some Uncharted Mariner and water over this area to create depth. After drying I misted this area with Harvest Moon to create sunshine and a bit of green to represent a tree canopy. 

For the flowers I used my Lumberjack Plaid re-inker. I first splattered undiluted ink over the grassy area, then added some water to the ink to create a more watery solution that would result in larger splatter. I allowed this area to dry for a few minutes then misted the area with water to get the red ink to spread slightly. I love how this one turned out. 

I liked the meadow look for this card and wanted to use a butterfly die cut for the panel. I found a butterfly foiling set from Globeland in my stash. I foiled the butterfly with the same Glimmer Moondust hot foil on the Adriatic cardstock. I recreated the same “You Brighten My Day” sentiment from the lotus card, popped both up on foam tape/foam squares and this card was complete.

For the other two cards I tried to recreate the meadow look (as I said, no two are ever alike.) For the first card I used the Hollyhocks die set. It was the first time using this die set and I was blown away by these dies. They cut beautifully and the inset area at the center of the flowers is quite nice when you use an opposite color. I cut the flowers from the Azalea cardstock and the center inset from the Mustard cardstock. Tip: Die cut the color you are using for the inset pieces upside down, or one stem at a time. This will help to contain and identify those tiny pieces when it is time to start glueing them into the flowers.

After assembling the flowers I lightly inked around the edges of the flowers with Distress Ink in Walnut Stain. This helped to give some dimension to the flowers.

For the greeting I used the Sending Big Hugs stamp from the Simon Says Stamp! Big Scripty Greetings stamp set. Unfortunately SSS does not make a die for this set (I check obsessively) so I stamped the greeting onto the panel using VersaFine Clair ink in Nocturne. I stamped it multiple times (I think 7!) because of the texture of the watercolor paper and the fact that it had multiple layers of ink on top. Ultimately I ended up applying embossing ink and embossing the greeting with black embossing powder. This was tricky because of all the ink on the panel. I had to do A LOT of clean up with my little utility paintbrush to remove the stray embossing powder in spite of using my anti-static powder tool. Be forewarned if you choose to do this!

For the final Big Hugs card I choose another meadow background and I cut the greeting from the Adriatic cardstock (3 times for layering.) For the sentiment strip I chose & Lots of Love and stamped the sentiment on white cardstock with Salty Ocean Distress Ink. I cut the sentiment using the marquee-shaped die from the Spellbinders Sentiment Labels dies. This die has a hole at each end of the strip and I wanted to use some brass brads to attach the strip to my front panel under the greeting. I love how this turned out! Simple but effective.

I hope you are enjoying the videos and blog posts! I love experimenting with all my crafty supplies and especially enjoy sharing ideas for cardmaking. Thanks for reading this post!

Cheers!

Cynthia

Materials List:

• Heavyweight, heat-resistant vellum (see my link in “My Favorites” to the brand I use)
• Altenew Hello and Hugs Stamp and Die Set
• Altenew Garden Trellis Cover Die
• Gina K Designs Sentiment Strips Dies
• Layered Flowers & Leaves dies – I used an assortment from different brands, use what you have!
• Waffle Flower A2 Layers Dies
• Hero Arts Butterflies Infinity Nesting Dies
• Simon Says Stamp! Friendship Text Background Stamp
• Black Superfine Detail Embossing Powder
• White Superfine Detail Embossing Powder
• Wow! White Pearl Super Fine Embossing Powder
• Versafine Embossing Ink
• Distress Spray Stains: Forest Moss, Picked Raspberry, Black Soot
• Distress Mica Stains: Fortune Teller & Wicked Elixir (nice mica shine!)
• Versafine Clair Pigment Ink in Nocturne
• A2 Card bases: Hero Arts in Palm, and assorted white card bases
• Waterdroplet embellishments
• Black sequin embellishments

Okay, it’s a thing. I make A LOT of cards for my videos. Today I have four friendship-themed cards using some of my favorite vellum techniques. The video was so long (almost an hour) that I had to delete one of the cards, so BONUS! You can only find the details for that card here on my blog.

Vellum is so versatile and brings a beautiful, light touch to cardmaking. Its transparency works really well with inks of all kinds, particularly alcohol inks and distress sprays. How gorgeous are those purple Distress Spray flowers in the Hello, Awesome Friend card? And a tricky part of vellum (the curling) was a huge plus for these layered flowers. Okay, on to the making:

Start by cutting seven A2-size panels from the vellum of your choice. You’ll need at least one panel for each of the cards.

Card #1 – Purple Flowers

I started by inking two vellum panels in my spray box; one for the leaves and one for the purple layered flowers. For the leaves I used a Distress Spray Stain in Forest Moss for the first layer. I sprayed the stain and then gave the panel a quick spritz of water to help the stain move around a bit. I dried this layer with my heat tool then applied a quick spray of Distress Mica Stain in Wicked Elixir. The mica stain has a shimmer that really amps up the color. After applying a quick misting of water I dried this layer. For the final touch I applied a quick “timid spray” of Distress Spray Stain in Black Soot. (If you are unfamiliar with my timid vs all in spray technique see my Wicked Good Halloween video linked in that blog post. It’s a real thing, I promise.) Then I set that panel aside to dry.

For the flower vellum panel I followed the exact same process, only the ink colors are Picked Raspberry, Fortune Teller and Black Soot splatter accents. Dry the ink between color+water applications and set the panel aside to dry.

Next I taped an A2 vellum panel to the cutting side of the Garden Trellis cover die. Vellum will slide around during die cutting so tape it securely! I ran this through my die cut machine and then spent a few minutes cleaning up all those little diamond die cut scraps….

For the greeting I stamped the large “hello” greeting stamp onto a scrap of white cardstock using Versamark embossing ink, then applied Midnight Black embossing powder. I heat-set the powder then used the coordinating shadow die to cut a shadow layer from vellum. For the sentiment strip I stamped the “awesome friend” stamp on scrap white cardstock with embossing ink and heat embossed with the same Midnight Black embossing powder. I used a sentiment strip die from the Gina K Designs sentiment strips set to die cut the sentiment and an additional strip so I could layer the two. I used the die that was just slightly narrower than the greeting for some balance.

Next I used the A2 Layers Dies to cut two frames for my front panel. I used the second and third largest dies and centered them on white A2 size cardstock panels. I cut two sets as the Rose card also uses these frames and it is a huge time saver to die cut in bulk.

I wanted to create some contrast on the vellum trellis piece so I used a sponge dabber that I have earmarked for this purpose to apply embossing powder to random places on the trellis. I applied White Pearl embossing powder and heat set. This adds a little pop of shine that helps to break up all the flat white on the background.

At this point my two color panels were dry so I moved on to die cutting for the flowers and leaves. I did not use a specific die set for this process. I have an assortment of layered flower, leaf and stem dies that I keep in the same stamp and die envelope. Some are from Amazon, some are Sizzix. I used some layered flowers, stems and leaves that looked good together and fit the size of my front panel. It was fun to find different spaces on the inked panels that produced nice layers and contrast for the flowers and leaves. Once this die cutting was complete I was ready to assemble the card. I wanted the trellis panel to be free floating in the center of the panel so I adhered the frames to this panel first by placing adhesive only around the perimeter of the frames. I then adhered this completed panel to the front of the card using adhesive only on the perimeter of the panel. This allows the trellis layer to pop up a bit and creates a bit of a shadow that adds dimension to the card. Since the vellum flowers and leaves are inked with darker colors I could used liquid adhesive to adhere them to the card front on the left. I applied some black embellishments to the centers of the flowers to give some depth. I adhered the greeting to the vellum shadow layer and then adhered that to the card front on the top right, with the sentiment strip popped up on foam tape and applied below the greeting just slightly overlapping the bottom of the “ls” in Hello.

I applied some water droplet embellishments just below the sentiment in a diamond shape, and the card was complete.

Card #2 – Roses

For this card I was going for a softer, more transparent look for the flowers. I chose some flower stamps from the Altenew Flower Garden Stamp and Die set and stamped those in my Misti onto one of the vellum panels using Versamark embossing ink. I applied White Pearl embossing powder and then heat set the powder. These are outline stamps and they worked perfectly for this technique. I used the coordinating dies to die cut the flowers and leaves. For the Copic coloring I wanted to stay with the soft, transparent look so I chose lighter colors; a pale pink and a slightly darker shade for the flowers and a pale green for the leaves. I applied the alcohol marker to the back side of the vellum panel (the non-embossed side) using the darker shade of pink (actually red) to shade the center of the roses and base of the petals.

I used the coordinating dies to die cut the images – This set comes with so many flowers and dies in an array of sizes.

For this card I wanted an embossed trellis panel so adhered the cover die to a white A2 cardstock panel and ran this through my die cut machine using an embossing sandwich. For my Platinum 6 this consists of the platform on the bottom, die and cardstock on top of this, flexible embossing mat next and the embossing plate on the top. Your stack might be different depending on your machine, cardstock, etc.

I wanted to coordinate the cardstock color for the sentiment strip with a color I was already using on the front of the card so I inked up a scrap of white cardstock with the R85 comic marker and used that for cardstock. I stamped the “thinking of you my friend” sentiment with embossing ink, applied a white detail embossing powder, then heat set. I used only a sentiment on this card and I love all the white space and open feel.

To assemble the card I first applied the two frames I cut earlier to the trellis panel using liquid adhesive. I then arranged the vellum roses on the front, going with a draping effect from bottom left up and over the top. I attached the roses with double sided tape, taking care to apply the tape to the back of the roses in areas where the inking was a little darker or where the flowers overlapped. I attached the sentiment strip with foam tape and added a few water droplet embellishments. This card was quick and easy will be perfect to pull out when I just want to send a little hello to a friend.

Card #3 – Butterflies

For this card I wanted a soft, ink-blended front panel with spring colors. I chose Distress Oxide inks in Tattered Rose, Scattered Straw and Evergreen Bough and I applied with a light hand, taking care to blend the colors smoothly in the transition areas.

For the greeting and sentiment I chose the Hello and You Are Amazing stamps from the Hello and Hugs set (Yes, I fell in love with this set for this project. It will definitely be in my cardmaking rotation for the near future.) I heat embossed the greeting in Midnight Black embossing powder and for the shadow layer I just used white heavy cardstock. I stamped the sentiment strip in Versafine Clair Nocturne and can I say that the soft, ink blended colors are really set off by the black text on this card. Love.

For the butterflies I used the Friendship Text background stamp on vellum – I created two panels, inking these with embossing ink and heat embossing with White Pearl embossing powder. I used the second and third largest butterflies dies in the Hero Arts Butterflies Infinity Dies set to cut two butterflies (and antennae) for layering. I applied Distress Oxide ink in Wilted Violet very lightly to the outline of the butterflies just to add some contrast. This step is not in the video! I am a serial card alterer. I also folded the butterflies along the center to give them some dimension when they are layered.

To assemble the card I applied double sided tape to the backs of each butterfly only along that center fold. This will help to hide the adhesive on the finished card. I layered the smaller butterfly on top of the larger butterfly and then used the exposed adhesive on the back of the larger butterfly to adhere the antenna.

To assemble the card I adhered the butterflies to the center of the inked panel and then spaced the greeting above to the left and the sentiment strip below to the right using liquid adhesive. I added three water drop embellishments in a triangle shape on the bottom left and then adhered this panel to the front of an A2 white card base. I added some Glossy Accents to the tips of the antenna and the card was complete.

Vellum is so versatile and these are only a few of the ways I’ve been using it lately in my cardmaking. I’m working on one more blog post for an additional card that didn’t make it into this YouTube video. I’m trying to keep those below 30 minutes and I’m also working on some shorts for YouTube that will be coming next week.

Cheers!

Cynthia